Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
270
Level
26
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
5,000
Mostafa Runs Hot to Top Day 1a; Bohn and Harder Bag
Level 12
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
The Mid-States Poker Tour's first journey to Maryland Live! Casino drew 70 runners for Day 1a, and Mo Mostafa raced out ahead of the field and finished with 238,900 in chips to top the 14 survivors. MSPT Team Pro Blake Bohn (142,600) and well-known pro Christian Harder (104,500) also bagged stacks.
Perhaps Mostafa should have known it was going to be a good day early on. After all, it's not every day you win an early four-bet pot with nine-high, but that's what happened for Mostafa in Level 1 (50/100).
A player opened to 300, MSPT Team Pro Matt Alexander made it 750 on the button, and both blinds called (Mostafa was in the small blind). The opener made it 2,350, and everyone but Alexander came along to see the 
flop. Mostafa check-called 3,000, the big blind folded, and two checks followed the 
turn card. Another queen hit the river, and Mostafa checked. His opponent gave up and showed the 
for a counterfeited pair, and Mostafa won with the 
— also counterfeited pair, but now using a nine as a kicker to the board.
Mostafa parlayed that early stack into the chip lead, and his hot run continued as he flopped quad sixes on a 
flop. Getting action with quads isn't always easy, but when your opponent flops top boat, as John Qreitem did, that tends to make things easier.
Flopping monsters continued to be the order of the day for Mostafa, as he three-bet from the big blind to 15,000 after the player in the cutoff seat opened during Level 8 (300/600/75). The opener got his stack in with 
and flopped a set, but Mostafa flopped top set of aces and eliminated yet another opponent. This hand put Mostafa at a monstrous 300 big blinds, a rarity six hours into a tournament.
Other players making the cut on Day 1a included Andrew Hippler (167,000), Gabriel Ohana (145,300), Frank Bonacci (119,800), Jason Eisele (88,700), Sorin Marinca (67,500), and Eugene Yun (66,700).
A number of players busted one or more bullets and will need to take shots on Day 1b or Day 1c if they want to compete for the championship on Sunday. MSPT Player of the Year points leader Mark Hodge will be one of those, and Adam Friedman, the aforementioned Alexander, and WSOP Circuit ring winner Jeromy Bittan also fell during the course of Day 1a play.
Day 1b commences on Friday at 11:15 a.m. local time, and PokerNews will be back for more live reporting.
End of Day 1a Counts (full)
Level 12
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
238,900 | 58,900 |
|
167,000 | 19,000 |
|
145,300 | -18,700 |
|
142,600 | 2,600 |
|
119,800 | |
|
104,500 | -11,500 |
|
96,500 | |
|
88,700 | |
|
|
67,500 | -4,900 |
|
66,700 | 4,700 |
|
|
60,300 | |
|
|
49,200 | |
|
|
40,900 | |
|
|
12,200 |
Game Called Early
Level 12
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Per a venue rule, the tournament has ended for the night with 14 players left with 33:39 left in Level 12 due to Minho Choe's elimination.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Photos: MSPT Maryland Live! Day 1a
Level: 12
Blinds: 800/1,600
Ante: 200
Bohn and Hippler Double
Level 11
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
We found the dealer counting out a double for Andrew Hippler on an 
board for 72,200. The chips came courtesy of Minho Choe and appeared to be the result of a preflop all in, as there wasn't much in the middle and Hippler had 
in front of him. Choe's cards were already in the muck.
Shortly after that, Blake Bohn doubled up at the same table with a set of sixes against a player who jammed 
high on the flop.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
148,000 | 115,000 |
|
|
140,000 | 30,000 |
|
|
19,000 | -76,000 |
Eisele Folds to Choe
Level 11
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Minho Choe bet 17,700 from the big blind on a board of 
, and Jason Eisele called from early position. The river was the , and Choe bet 20,000.
"How much do you have left?" Eisele asked. It looked to be about 15,000, and Eisele folded after a couple of minutes.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
95,000 | 45,000 |
|
|
91,000 | -33,900 |
Straight No Good for Bittan
Level 11
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Eugene Yun bet 5,000 on an 
flop, and Jeromy Bittan shoved for 20,000 in the big blind. Yun flipped in a chip to call.
Yun: 
Bittan: 
Both had draws, but Yun's was far better, and an turn and river meant his nut straight was a winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
62,000 | |
|
Busted |
Level: 11
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 200