2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
$64,655
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
238
Level Info
Level
26
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000

Main Event

Day 1a Completed

Hodge Primed for POY Points, Trails Curl After Day 1a

Level 14 : 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
Mark Hodge
Mark Hodge

Day 1a of the Mid-States Poker Tour's annual visit to Grand Falls Casino just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota ended with 23 runners surviving out of 110 entrants. A familiar name lurks in second place after 14 levels: Mark Hodge, who has already racked up six cashes on the tour this year for more than $50,000. The Minnesota native bagged 145,000, second only to Alan Curl's 241,500.

That's not the only place Hodge finds himself in second. MSPT Team Pro Blake Bohn has built a solid lead with 3,000 Player of the Year points after taking down MSPT Meskwaki, but Hodge sits well within striking distance at 2,590. Last year, the winner of this tournament got 1,200 points. With Bohn not returning to defend his MSPT Grand Falls title, Hodge has a golden opportunity to take the lead.

Hodge needed a stroke of good luck to bag up. In the penultimate level of the night (1,000/2,000/3,000), Hodge saw a flop of {k-Spades}{3-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} with position on two opponents. Todd Melander fired a continuation-bet of 8,000, and Hodge called. The big blind made it 22,000, and only Hodge continued. On the {4-Hearts} turn, the big blind bet 27,000 and called Hodge's shove of 28,500 more with the {k-Hearts}{3-Clubs}. Hodge held the {k-Diamonds}{q-Hearts} and needed help. He called for a four or six, and the {6-Spades} did indeed arrive.

Others set to join Hodge and Curl for Sunday's Day 2 included Judd Greenagel (133,500), Matt Alexander (133,500), Max Bergquist (131,500), Peixin Liu (116,500), Phil Mader (102,500), Taylor Tollefson (66,000), Larry Ormson (58,500), and Melander (53,500).

Alexander's willingness to give action pays off when he flops a big hand, as he did when he got an opponent to commit stacks on a {5-Clubs}{5-Spades}{4-Hearts} flop with {8-}{8-}. Alexander had flopped trips in the big blind with {q-Hearts}{5-Hearts}, and he easily held for a pot of over 50,000 at 500/1,000/100 blinds.

Players culled during the course of Day 1a play will have two more bullets available for Saturday's Day 1b, which starts at 4 p.m. Among them: Duane Gerleman, Mike Ross, Mark Fink, "DQ" Dan Hendrickson, Mike Lang, "Red Bull" Robbie Thompson, Aaron Johnson, and Alexander's fellow team pro Matt Kirby.

As always, PokerNews will be back for more live coverage.

Tags: Mark Hodge

End of Day 1a Counts (full)

Level 14 : 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
Player Chips Progress
Alan Curl us
Alan Curl
241,500 241,500
Mark Hodge us
Mark Hodge
145,000 -26,000
Judd Greenagel
Judd Greenagel
133,500 -11,500
Matt Alexander us
Matt Alexander
MSPT
133,500 -6,500
Max Bergquist
Max Bergquist
131,500 -3,500
Ryan Skluzak us
Ryan Skluzak
120,000 -5,000
Peixin Liu us
Peixin Liu
116,500 -13,500
Brian Davis us
Brian Davis
105,500 -8,500
Phil Mader us
Phil Mader
102,500 7,500
Kim Rasmussen
Kim Rasmussen
98,500 98,500
Scott Knoll
Scott Knoll
93,500 93,500
Henry Terwee
Henry Terwee
87,500 87,500
Trevis Devericks
Trevis Devericks
86,000 -1,000
Mike Headland
Mike Headland
75,500 25,500
Gale Fennema
Gale Fennema
69,000 69,000
Lynette Unzelman
Lynette Unzelman
67,000 67,000
Taylor Tollefson
Taylor Tollefson
66,000 22,000
Dennis Dykes
Dennis Dykes
63,000 63,000
Gary Ewald us
Gary Ewald
62,000 62,000
Tom Sundling
Tom Sundling
58,500 -41,500
Larry Ormson us
Larry Ormson
58,500 11,500
Todd Melander us
Todd Melander
53,500 -42,200
John Miller us
John Miller
43,000 43,000

Read full

Level: 14

Blinds: 1,200/2,400

Ante: 400

Double for Devericks

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Trevis Devericks
Trevis Devericks

Aaron Johnson opened for 4,500 and got a call from the cutoff before Trevis Devericks jammed for 37,300. The big blind called, and everyone else folded.

Devericks: {a-Spades}{a-Hearts}
Big blind: {j-}{j-}

The board ran out {k-Spades}{3-Diamonds}{4-Spades}{4-Clubs}{6-Spades}, and Devericks doubled up.

Player Chips Progress
Trevis Devericks
Trevis Devericks
87,000 26,000

Tags: Trevis Devericks

Hodge Calls His Out

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Mark Hodge
Mark Hodge

Todd Melander bet 8,000 on a {k-Spades}{3-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} flop, and Mark Hodge called from the cutoff. The big blind, who had checked, fired out a check-raise to 22,000. Melander folded with a sigh and Hodge called. A {4-Hearts} fell on fourth, and the big blind bet 27,000. Hodge shoved for 28,500 more, and the big blind called.

Big blind: {k-Hearts}{3-Clubs}
Hodge: {k-Diamonds}{q-Hearts}

Hodge called for a six or four to pair the board, and he got exactly that as the {6-Spades} fell.

Player Chips Progress
Mark Hodge us
Mark Hodge
171,000 131,000

Tags: Mark HodgeTodd Melander