Main Event
Day 1b Started
2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Casino
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Casino
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
368
Level
30
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
10,000
Welcome to Day 1b of 2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Casino
After Friday's Day 1a of Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki, 36 players advanced to the final test on Sunday, and we'll soon see who will be joining them. Day 1b is set to begin at 4 p.m. local time here in Tama, Iowa, shortly after the final satellite squeezes in a few last-minute qualifiers.
A total of 164 players registered for Day 1a, and a larger field is expected this time around. Players who busted Day 1a and are expected to return for Day 1b include Lance Harris, Matt Kirby, Brett Kuznia, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, Chris Tryba, Dustin Dirksen, Taylor Tollefson, Aaron Johnson, and Tyler Caspers. At the April MSPT stop here, 214 runners gambled it up on Day 1b, so we expect to see a large turnout today.
Everyone will be trying to catch Day 1a leader Brandon Meyers, who ended the night with 294,000.
Players will begin with stacks of 20,000, and blinds start at 50/100. The plan for the day is to play 14 levels, each lasting 40 minutes. Breaks are given are every three levels, and late registration will end after Level 9. Players are allowed one reentry should they choose to use it after busting during the first nine levels.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante:
"Shuffle Up and Go"
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Those are the words just spoken by the tournament director.
At Their Seats
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
||
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Defending Champ In
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Among the grinders in the second half of the room sits Matthew Anderson, who won this event in April.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 |
Nice Early Pot for Ring
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Terry Ring bet 3,100 out of the small blind on a board of 
against two opponents. One player folded, and the hijack decided to continue with the hand. Ring thought for about a minute after the 
hit before startling himself.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "I was waiting for you."
Ring tossed out 5,000, and his opponent quickly folded. Ring showed 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
27,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante:
More Grinders
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
From One Drop to Tama
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
One of the participants in today's field is business mogul John Morgan, an Omaha, Neb., transplant who now resides in Minneapolis.
He played one of the biggest tournaments in the history of poker earlier this month. Morgan, the leader of the Winmark Corporation, bought into the Big One for One Drop, the historic second running of the $1 million buy in tournament at the World Series of Poker.
It wasn't Morgan's first $1 million buy in, as he played in the inaugural one in 2012. There, he played one of the most talked-about hands in the last few years of poker. On a board of 
, Morgan pushed all in for 3.4 million over a bet of 700,000 from Mikhail Smirnov, who decided to muck 
face up.
Whether Morgan had it or not, he's no stranger to splashing his way through tournament pots, as he claimed during this year's One Drop that he "plays bad whether it's a $300 tournament or $1 million." He's managed to ring up about $160,000 in tournament cashes on the occasions he can take time from his busy work schedule, so perhaps he sells himself a bit short.
We'll keep an eye on Morgan as he tries to add to those winnings today, and his boisterous personality means he will always be highly visible.