Main Event
Day 1b Started
2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino
Main Event
Day: 1b
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
Welcome to Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino
Day 1a is in the books, and the second of three flights at Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino kicks off in less than an hour here on the outskirts of Baltimore.
The first flight saw some notables bag up, including chip leader Mo Mostafa (238,900), MSPT team pro Blake Bohn (142,600), and Christian Harder (104,500). Some of the players failing to advance included Blake's fellow tour pro Matt Alexander, Adam Friedman, WSOPC ring winner Jeromy Bittan, and MSPT points leader Mark Hodge. We can expect all four of those and more to return for another crack at this growing prize pool.
The plan for the day is to play 14 levels, each lasting 40 minutes as part of the Allen Kessler-approved structure. There will be breaks every three levels, and with play kicking off at 11:15 a.m., things should wrap up just after 9 p.m. local time. Each player begins with 20,000 in their stack, and blinds start off at 50/100.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Early Dispute
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
It hasn't taken long for some tensions to arise here at Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Apparently, two players were in a dispute about where a player on the button had checked or not on a 
board. The player on the button was adamant he hadn't checked and was just shuffling his chips, while his neighbor, who was out of the hand contended otherwise. The player on the button saw his bet called, and it went check-check on a 
river, with the player on the button opening 
for trips and taking the pot.
"You play your hands and I'll play my hands," the player said after taking the pot. "I don't do angles. You're a liar. I play here all the time and I don't like you."
The tournament director laid down the law and ordered the players to end things, and the discussion was over.
Hodge Trying to Grind More Points
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Mark Hodge is back after firing and missing on Day 1a. The current Mid-States Poker Tour Player of the Year points leader is seated at Table 32. He has a wide lead over second-place Jason Mirza, but he's not content to rest on his laurels and is looking to grind out some more points.
In one recent pot, Hodge bet 750 when an opponent in middle position checked to him on the button on a board of 
, and Hodge's opponent called. It went check-check on the 
river, and Hodge showed down 
, enough to best 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
23,000 | 23,000 |
Zeilah Gets Paid Off
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Avon Wilson bet 850 from middle position on a 
board, and he got a call from his lone opponent, the small blind. The small blind fired out 1,600 on the dangerous river, but Zeilah was undeterred, raising to 3,700. The small blind shook his head and called, and Zeilah showed 
for an eight-high straight. The small blind mucked, saying he had the low straight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,700 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
Alexander, Friedman Take Seats
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
Two of the more notable players who failed to bag up on Day 1a were Mid-States Poker Tour team pro Matt Alexander and bracelet winner Adam Friedman. Both them have recently arrived at Maryland Live! and bought into the tournament for Day 1b.
Alexander is already driving some action at Table 32, tangling in a three-bet pot with Greg Davis, who checked and folded to an Alexander continuation-bet of 1,200 on an ace-high flop.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
22,500 | 22,500 |
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
|
9,900 | 9,900 |
"I'm Not Good Enough to Fold"
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
Matt Alexander bet 1,200 from early position on a 
board against two opponents, one of whom quickly folded. Stan Jablonski made it 3,200 from the big blind though, and Alexander called. The river brought a 
, and Jablonski bet 6,500.
"I'm not good enough to fold a straight," Alexander said with a smile, tossing out a call and showing 
.
"I was counting on you being good enough to fold," Jablonski said with a laugh, showing 
. "I was going for the other end."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
33,000 | 10,500 |
|
9,100 | 9,100 |
Update Your Own Chip Count Using the PokerNews MyStack App!
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.