Main Event Day 1c | 2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino

04-18-2015 21:50 UTC-4

Himmelbrand Dominates Day 1c

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

Day 1c of the 2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! Casino Main Event concluded with 15 percent of the field remaining mid-way through the final level of the night. East Coast tournament notable Greg Himmelbrand topped the 19 survivors, bagging 307,600 in chips. His stack will be good for the overall lead heading into Sunday's Day 2, besting Adam Friedman, who topped Day 1b with just over 285,000. Himmelbrand has more than $800,000 in career cashes, mostly around the East Coast, and will be looking for his first big score at Maryland Live! Casino.

The third and final flight of the tour's first journey to the Northeast proved to be by far the most successful, drawing 122 runners to push the overall total to 270. Trevor Savage (217,000), Lenard Adams (208,600), Dennis Tsai (194,900), Vinod Moorjani (186,900), Matthew Kottal (134,100), and Derek Dempsey (42,000) were some of the players managing to survive along with Himmelbrand.

Surviving is one thing, but thriving is another, and Himmelbrand did the latter. He already had heaps by Level 11 (600/1,200/200), but that's when he solidified his chip lead in a massive pot with Emad Alabsi.

Himmelbrand opened for 2,600 in middle position, and Alabsi made it 6,700 to go from the button. Himmelbrand came back with 12,600, and Alabsi dropped in a five-bet to about 25,000. Himmelbrand jammed for Alabsi's remaining 30,000 or so, and Alabsi called with the . Himmelbrand had it beat with the , and a ten-high run out boosted Himmelbrand to a monstrous 270,000.

MSPT team pro Nick Pupillo, tour points leader Mark Hodge, David Gutfreund, Jordan Hogans, and Stan Jablonski were a few of the players joining Alabsi on the rail during the course of play.

The 47 players who have survived the three Day 1 flights combine at 11:15 a.m. Sunday morning for Day 2. They'll play down to a winner, who will take home a yet-to-be-determined first-place prize. Be sure to come back for the live updates, as there will be no stream at this stop.

Tags: Greg Himmelbrand Nick Pupillo

04-18-2015 19:59 UTC-4

Pupillo Not Rewarded After Sniffing Out Trick

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Level 12 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

A player under the gun opened to 4,600 in early position and got one call. Nick Pupillo three-bet to 16,600 on the button, and the small blind, Daniel Fisher, jammed it in for about 60,000. The first two players folded.

"Good fold," Fisher said. "I had aces."

Pupillo, though, hadn't acted.

"How do you not know I'm in the hand?" he wondered suspiciously. "Pull the 16,600 in."

It was 43,800 more to Pupillo, and he slid forward a call after another 90 seconds or so.

"Ace-king," Greg Himmelbrand said with a laugh. "I could have walked away, I knew he had ace-king."

Pupillo was indeed racing with sevens against , and the flop was a safe one for the Mid-States Poker Tour team pro. A turn doomed him, though.

Fisher received a one-round penalty for talking about his hand. Pupillo busted his last 30,000 or so just after the break.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Fisher	126,000	126,000
Nick Pupillo	Busted

Tags: Greg Himmelbrand Nick Pupillo

04-18-2015 18:57 UTC-4

Himmelbrand Eliminates Alabsi

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Level 11 : 600/1,200, 200 ante

Greg Himmelbrand opened for 2,600 and got a call from the cutoff before Emad Alabsi made it 6,700 to go. Himmelbrand came back with 12,600, and the squeezed player dumped his hand. Alabsi dropped in roughly 25,000, and Himmelbrand immediately shoved. Alabsi called it off with and saw the bad news: .

The board ran out , keeping the kings best.

"That's what they call running good," said Alabsi, who explained he thought Himmelbrand might try to bluff him having already seen him lay down ace-king. "Everything's working his way."

Player	Chips	Progress
Greg Himmelbrand	270,000	45,000
Emad Alabsi	Busted

Tags: Emad Alabsi Greg Himmelbrand

04-18-2015 17:15 UTC-4

Himmelbrand Making Presence Felt

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Level 9 : 400/800, 100 ante

Greg Himmelbrand is having a fine Day 1c thus far, having amassed nearly 100,000 in chips as the third break approaches. Himmelbrand is a notable East Coast grinder with more than $800,000 in tournament cashes. He's grabbed big scores at East Coast poker landmarks Parx, Borgata, Sands Bethlehem, and Horseshoe Baltimore, where he recently came very close to claiming his first ring before falling heads up in a $365 event for more than $66,000.

Himmelbrand is looking to add Maryland Live! to his list of big wins, and he's off to a fine start.

Player	Chips	Progress
Greg Himmelbrand	92,000

Tags: Greg Himmelbrand

04-18-2015 16:43 UTC-4

Jablonski Doubles Through Hodge

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Level 8 : 300/600, 75 ante

The money went in between Stan Jablonski and Mark Hodge on an flop, with Hodge covering Jablonski's 16,350.

Hodge:
Jablonski:

Hodge needed a lot of help, and the ended any hopes he had of a miracle comeback.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stan Jablonski	42,700	24,700
Mark Hodge	24,700	-17,100

Tags: Mark Hodge Stan Jablonski

04-18-2015 15:16 UTC-4

Truman Ousts One More

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Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

Michael Truman limped under the gun, and action folded to Eddie Bryant, who raised to 1,200 on the button. The small blind jammed for about 5,000, and Truman reshipped, folding out Bryant.

Truman:
Small blind:

Nothing appeared for either player in the community, and Truman's king played.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michael Truman	85,500	23,500

Tags: Eddie Bryant Michael Truman

04-18-2015 12:28 UTC-4

Gray Takes Three-Way All In, Busts Pupillo

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Level 2 : 75/150, 0 ante

Things went bonkers preflop at Table 41, starting with a Nick Pupillo early-position open to 400. Owen Seivright on his left made it 1,050, and Robert Gray turned it up further to 2,950 in the cutoff. The small blind cold-called, Pupillo moved in for about 16,000, and Seivright jammed as well for over 22,000, covering everyone. Gray called it off for 21,200, and the small blind folded.

Gray:
Pupillo:
Seivright:

Three big hands, but Gray's kings led. The board ran out , and two kings was a winner.

Player	Chips	Progress
Robert Gray	60,000	60,000
Nick Pupillo	Busted

Tags: Nick Pupillo Robert Gray

04-18-2015 11:09 UTC-4

Welcome to Day 1c of Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live!

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Two Day 1 flights are in the books, and Mid-States Poker Tour Maryland Live! is ready to kick off its last heat at 11:15 local time here just outside of Baltimore.

A total of 28 players have punched tickets to Day 2, with World Series of Poker bracelet winner Adam Friedman leading the way by bagging 285,600 after approximately 12 levels on Day 1b. Others joining Friedman from Day 1b last night included Justin Liberto (176,400), MSPT team pro Matt Alexander (145,600), Nick Bond (127,700), Avon Wilson (118,200), Billy Jacobini (113,100), Joe Cashen (100,900), and Brian Zekus (33,400). The flight drew 78 players total.

Once again, the game plan is to play 14 40-minute levels, and each player will begin with 20,000 in chips. Players will get 10-minute breaks every three levels, and each player is allowed one reentry should they bust. Stay tuned to see who bags up on this final flight.