Another 28 have qualified for championship Sunday after Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates, and there's just one Day 1 flight left to try to grab a chunk of this growing prize pool. That day is 1c, set to kick off at noon local time here in Black Hawk, Colo.
Two Day 1 flights have seen 50 players total advance, and last night, Jay Robb established his superiority over the field by bagging a monstrous 470,000, putting him nearly 100,000 ahead of second-place Jason Burruss and even farther ahead of Day 1a leader Matt Bingel. Others advancing included Jon Cohen (260,000), Eric Maier (231,000), Bryan Devonshire (205,000), Travis Northrope (159,500), Will Givens (140,000), Mark Hodge (138,500), and Bruce Carter (98,500). Of those, Devonshire's is the name that certainly jumps out, and he'll be one of the favorites come Sunday.
Day 1c is expected to be the largest field yet of the starting flights, and it will follow the same basic format as the other two, with expanded starting stacks of 30,000 and levels lasting 40 minutes. Fifteen levels will be played today, and when it all wraps up, players will have a final chance to reenter the tournament and throw 30,000 in a bag for Sunday. Of course, they will be buying just a handful of big blinds at that point.
Kevin "Phwap" Boudreau, pictured at MSPT here last year.
One of the players sitting in here at Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates is Kevin "Phwap" Boudreau, a beloved pro who suffered a stroke at the 2013 WSOP. Boudreau was out of the spotlight as he recovered for a year before making a brief appearance at the 2014 WSOP, playing a couple of sit-n-goes at the Rio and seeing old friends.
A few months later, Boudreau made his return to live tournament poker at this very tournament in November. It turned out to be a triumphant one, as Boudreau navigated his way through a 500-player field to finish fourth for $34,678. Phwap came agonizingly close to winning the tournament, getting all in against chip leader Reza Yazdi late in the tournament with the latter at risk holding against Boudreau's . An eight on the board threw a monkey wrench into the storybook ending, leaving Boudreau with just a handful of big blinds, which he busted shortly thereafter. Yazdi had 80 percent of the chips at that point and went on to win the tournament.
We'll keep a close eye on Boudreau today as he attempts to make another deep run here at MSPT.
Quite a pile had gone into the middle preflop in a multi-way pot that checked to Tyler Corbett, last to act on . He bet 4,600, got one fold, and the player under the gun called. Another player jammed for about 14,000, and Corbett shipped as well for more.
"Alright," the first caller said, putting in her last 13,000 or so.
Corbett:
Under the gun:
Middle position:
"One hundred percent knew I had the best hand," Corbett said. He still had some cards to dodge, but the and brought no help to his opponents, and Corbett collected the hefty pot.
Kevin "Phwap" Boudreau, pictured at MSPT here last year.
Kevin "Phwap" Boudreau recently busted out. As Jason Vanstrom told it, his fellow November 2014 final table participant got it in for his last 10,500 preflop with , the same hand he lost the most crucial pot last year with. This time, he only had a very slight equity edge as his opponent had . The flop came , and that was all she wrote for Boudreau, who looks to have opted against reentering. We'll keep an eye out in case that changes.
A middle-position player bet 5,000 on a completed community of after one check, and the player on his left called off for less. JT Turner jammed for 16,750 in the hijack, and the player who checked from the blinds tank-folded. The bettor made a reluctant call after about a minute, and Turner flipped for eights full, crushing his opponent's . We didn't see the third player's hand.
A player opened under the gun for 2,000 and got a slew of callers, with Josh "JT" Turner first among them. When it was Jamal Sawaqdeh's turn in the big blind, he reraised to 12,500, and the opener folded. Turner shoved all in though, for about 65,000 total, and action folded to Sawaqdeh, who called.
Sawaqdeh:
Turner:
A start went through the table as the dealer spread a flop, giving both players sets. Turner needed the last jack though, and neither the turn nor the river brought it.
Turner said he's coming back into the tournament shortly.
Henry Tran had one of the biggest stack a short time ago, but it's all gone now. He put the last 4,700 in over a limp and was called by both the small blind and the limper. The two players checked down , and the small blind turned over . Tran slapped down after grabbing his coat, and the third player showed why Tran found little help: .
Ally Woolworth opened for a raise in middle position and then called a three-bet of 10,000 from a player in the small blind. The flop came , and Woolworth shoved over her opponent's 15,000 continuation-bet. He snap-called.
"I know he has aces," Woolworth said, turning over for a pair and a straight draw.
The turn came a to give Woolworth even more outs with a flush draw, and she celebrated wildly as a river gave her a winning flush. Her opponent could only shake his head as he sent her 46,800 total.
"I knew he had aces or kings, too, that's why I was sweating," Woolworth said. "It had nothing to do with the menopause."
Danny Dang bet 50,000 on an flop from the button in what looked to be a three-bet pot, and his opponent took a couple of minutes before shoving all in.
"How much to me?" Dang said. Informed it was 67,200, he called immediately.
Dang:
Opponent:
Dang saw he was facing a mere gutter, and the turn and river kept his top-top best.
David Mathews and Kevin Boudreau were just vying for the chip lead, but both took setbacks. Mathews lost to with in what looked to be a preflop all in, sending 62,500 to an opponent. Boudreau raised to 12,000 over an early limp and then called a short-stacked player's shove for 34,300. Boudreau had and never threatened his opponent's kings.
Jamal Sawaqdeh, meanwhile, folded to a massive shove of about 175,000 and was shown .
. He bet 4,600, got one fold, and the player under the gun called. Another player jammed for about 14,000, and Corbett shipped as well for more.
and 
brought no help to his opponents, and Corbett collected the hefty pot.
. The flop came 
after one check, and the player on his left called off for less. JT Turner jammed for 16,750 in the hijack, and the player who checked from the blinds tank-folded. The bettor made a reluctant call after about a minute, and Turner flipped 
for eights full, crushing his opponent's 
. We didn't see the third player's hand.
flop, giving both players sets. Turner needed the last jack though, and neither the turn 
nor the river 
, and the small blind turned over 
down after grabbing his coat, and the third player showed why Tran found little help: 
.
to give Woolworth even more outs with a flush draw, and she celebrated wildly as a 
river gave her a winning flush. Her opponent could only shake his head as he sent her 46,800 total.
flop from the button in what looked to be a three-bet pot, and his opponent took a couple of minutes before shoving all in.
with 
to a massive shove of about 175,000 and was shown 
