After a solid turnout of 126 players on Day 1a of Mid-States Poker Tour Majestic Star Casino, we're set to launch Day 1b here at 5 p.m. local time in Gary, Ind. Relatively unknown Pavlin Karakikov and well-respected pro Kou Vang paced the Day 1a field by bagging over 187,000, so that will be the bar today's runners look to clear.
Blinds will begin at 25/50, with each player sporting 20,000 in chips. Nine 50-minute levels are scheduled to be played today with short breaks every two levels, meaning play should be ending around shortly after 1 a.m. Each player is allowed one reentry in the case of a bust during the first four levels. The prize pool is expected to easily clear the $200,000 guarantee.
Surviving players will then return tomorrow morning for the combination of Day 1 fields and the crowning of a champion. Be sure to stay tuned to our coverage here on PokerNews as we find out who will be in pole position for the final day.
After Jason Smith called a raise on the button from a player in the cutoff, the flop came . The cutoff bet 800, and Smith popped it to 2,200. The cutoff came back over the top for 5,200 total, and Smith responded by putting his opponent all in, and the player made the call.
Cutoff:
Smith:
Both players had flopped strong hands: Smith with bottom two pair and the cutoff with top pair and a flush draw. Most of the drama ended when the fell on the turn, giving Smith a boat and leaving his opponent with just two outs. The was a blank on the river, and Smith collected his opponent's stack.
Mark "P0ker H0" Kroon just walked by and guaranteed to us that he would finish the night as chip leader. If he fails?
"I'll do naked cartwheels through this casino," he said.
Let's hope Kroon can come through or everyone may soon be a loser: we who will look on in shock and awe, and Kroon, who will be facing indecent exposure charges.
One of the strangest pots we've seen in some time just went down at a nearby table.
It began with two limps to Jerry Gumila in the cutoff, who raised to 1,350. The button called, Tom Midena called in the big blind, and the first limper called as well. The second limper attempted to call but tossed out an extra orange T1,000 chip. He tried to pull it back after the dealer announced a raise.
"That's a raise," Gumila said. "Call the floor."
The floor ruled that it was indeed a raise, and Gumila pushed all in for about 20,000. The button and Midena quickly folded, and the first limper thought for awhile before mucking as well.
"Sick bet," Jack Sears, the second limper, said. "Call."
Gumila didn't seem excited to reveal his hand, and it was for good reason: he was dominated.
Sears:
Gumila:
The board ran out , and Sears doubled up as Gumila shook his head.
Two players had flopped trips, with Tim Huss holding a commanding lead with an ace that acted as both a kicker and a blocker to Zayed's outs. The and were harmless bricks to complete the board, and Huss eliminated two opponents.
Mark Kroon got the last of his chips all in preflop and was called in at least two spots. After the flop, Jason Martens bet 6,000 and was called by the button. Both players checked the turn, and a came on the river. Martens bet 5,000 and his opponent immediately called, not seeming pleased about it. Martens showed for aces up, while Kroon had just for ten-high.
The next hand, Jason Ramos shoved all in for about 20,000 and was called immediately by Martens. Everyone else folded.
Martens:
Ramos:
Ramos was in bad shape, and he couldn't catch up on the runout.
Jason Martens just busted another player, this time with against the of Ilias Kellikidis after a flop that included both a jack and a three. Martens held onto his lead after the last two cards, and he's suddenly the chip leader.
Matt Alexander pushed all in before the flop and got called by William Luciano holding , which dominated Alexander's . Unfortunately for Luciano, the Minnesota pro made a straight on the turn when came as the community cards.
Ritchie Idrovo's late surge up the chip counts resulted in him bagging a Day 1b-best 205,900 here at Mid-States Poker Tour Majestic Star Casino. A total of 52 players survived the nine-level heat, and rounding out the top five stacks were Jason Martens (197,600), Nick Pupillo (192,600), Jason Smith (152,300), and Carter Gent (122,800).
Other notables bagging stacks included Fadi Hamad (122,500), Matt Alexander (66,000), Ken Payne (61,800), "Wild" Bill Romer (53,900), and Terry Ring (22,700).
Notably, Alexander may have broken out of his recent jinx when he managed to come from behind for a late double up to secure a Day 2 appearance.
Mark Kroon, Tom Midena, Doug Redmann, Tom Tracy, and Mike Reynolds were among the notable players falling out of contention today.
We caught Idrovo's two-hand ascent on the last level of the night. In the first pot, he opened for a raise to 5,200 under the gun, and a player in middle position called. The small blind shipped it for 13,800, and Idrovo reraised to 23,200. The caller inquired about the legality of the raise before folding after the dealer assured him it was an allowable wager.
Idrovo:
Small blind:
Idrovo had a commanding lead, but a flop gave his opponent a straight draw, while a turn meant an eight would chop the pot. The board paired with the though, and Idrovo eliminated his short-stacked opponent.
Shortly thereafter, he wielded another monster in an all-in pot, busting an opponent when his aces held against jacks.
The 86 players from both Day 1 fields will return tomorrow at 10 a.m., when they will play down to a winner. Prize pool information will be available at that time, so be sure to tune in to PokerNews for the conclusion of the tournament and the crowning of an MSPT champion.