After 14 levels of Day 1a play yesterday, we're set to kick off another 14-level grind today for Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour Running Aces Harness Park. Late last night, Andrew Null bagged up the top stack with 309,500, so we'll see if anyone can top that lofty total.
Plenty of notables such as Matt Kirby, Lance Harris, Brandon Meyers, Jason Zarlenga, Jeremy Dresch, and Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler failed to make it through Day 1a and will surely be back with a renewed determination on their last chance to take a piece of the prize pool.
Cards are scheduled to fly at 4 p.m. local time here in Columbus, Minn., and the structure in use will be the Allen Kessler-approved variety adopted by the tour earlier this year. Players will start with 20,000 in chips, and blinds will be 50/100 at the beginning, with levels lasting 40 minutes and breaks given every three levels. Each player is allowed one reentry should he or she bust out during the course of play, so players will have to be careful with their last two bullets here today.
Jason Zarlenga checked from under the gun and saw his lone opponent, Tom Walberer, bet 700 in what appeared to be a three-bet pot with a flop of . Zarlenga made it 2,200 to go, and Walberer immediately reraised to 6,700. The two-time Mid-States Poker Tour champ quickly stacked all of his chips and slid them forward and was called.
Zarlenga:
Walberer:
Both had flopped monsters, but Walberer needed the board to pair, which it did with the river after a turn. More than likely, Zarlenga will have to make his final bullet count as he's down to under 2,000.
Three players saw a flop for 1,500 apiece, and action checked to the hijack, who bet 2,800. Ben Marsh called in the small blind, and Sam De Silva jammed for just 5,275 in the big blind. The hijack shoved, and Marsh quickly did so as well.
Marsh:
De Silva:
Hijack:
The set held up as the turn brought a and the river a .
According to Lance Harris, he opened for a raise with in the first hand he played at his new table with, and a flop gave him top two pair. A player bet out from the blinds, and Harris raised, only to see Sam De Silva reraise out of the small blind. The big blind folded, and Harris got it in against De Silva's for the nut straight, and he failed to improve.
Allen Kessler busted shortly after registration ended.
Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler opened for a raise on the button and then saw Jason Zarlenga and Ben Marsh shove all in from the blinds. Kessler seemed perturbed by the turn of events and decided to fold face up, only to see both players show .
The next hand, Kessler got it all in preflop with against the of Adam Dahlin. The Minnesotan hit a king, leaving Chainsaw busto.
Mike Lang opened for a raise in the hijack and was called by Ryan Hartmann in the cutoff. From the big blind, Mike Wilmes put in a raise, folding out Lang. Hartmann and Wilmes got it all in, though.
"Come on, hold up, baby," Hartmann said, standing over his .
Wilmes had , and Hartmann's lead was short-lived as a jack appeared on the flop. Hartmann cursed a few times in disgust as the last two streets missed him.
"It's the train wreck we've been waiting for!" John Morgan yelled excitedly as he called off his stack at Table 32.
One player had moved all in for more than 40,000 on the flop, and Morgan called off for about 25,000. A third player folded.
Morgan:
Opponent:
"Same hand, except I've got this," Morgan said, pointing at his diamond.
An gave him the freeroll win on the turn.
"Give him the straight flush," someone said.
The dealer burned and turned the , giving Morgan a royal flush.
"Just like playing the Russian," someone said, referencing the famous hand from the first One Drop in which Morgan got an opponent to fold quads on a board where a straight flush was possible.
"Oh, the Russian didn't know s***," Morgan said as he stacked his chips. "All he had was quad eights."
On the last hand at one of the tables, three players saw fifth street that made the board . There was already about 115,000 in the bloated pot, and a player shoved all in for 38,200. William Vincent folded after some thought, and Kenneth Johnson cut out enough to call, seeming unsure of what to do. After about 30 seconds, he shoved the stack in.
"Two pair," the all-in player said.
Johnson waited for him to reveal, and the player put down. Johnson tossed down with a loud clap, ending his night with a bang.
. Zarlenga made it 2,200 to go, and Walberer immediately reraised to 6,700. The two-time Mid-States Poker Tour champ quickly stacked all of his chips and slid them forward and was called.
river after a 
turn. More than likely, Zarlenga will have to make his final bullet count as he's down to under 2,000.
flop for 1,500 apiece, and action checked to the hijack, who bet 2,800. Ben Marsh called in the small blind, and Sam De Silva jammed for just 5,275 in the big blind. The hijack shoved, and Marsh quickly did so as well.
and the river a 
.
, which he binked on the river, causing him to lower his glasses and look at the dealer in amazement.
flop gave him top two pair. A player bet out from the blinds, and Harris raised, only to see Sam De Silva reraise out of the small blind. The big blind folded, and Harris got it in against De Silva's 
for the nut straight, and he failed to improve.
turn meant a jack would chop it, but the river was a 
.
, giving Morgan a royal flush.
down. Johnson tossed down 