2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
54
Prize
$101,229
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$410,000
Entries
410
Level Info
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000

Main Event

Day 1a Completed

Just 37 Survive Day 1a of the 2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Main Event

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

The Mid-Stakes Poker Tour drew 191 entries to the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa, today for the first of two starting flights in the $300,000 guaranteed MSPT Meskwaki Main Event.

Through 14 levels of play, just 37 survived with Calmar, Iowa's Marty Faldet bagging the chip lead on 317,000.

Faldet, who is no stranger to success here in Tama, having made 19th here in March and 16th back in 2013, doubled through early leader Tim Colby with pocket kings versus the nut-flush draw to climb into the lead halfway through the day. He then cemented it by sending 2014 MSPT Meskwaki runner-up Mike Lang home late in the day when he got it in with two red queens versus two black ones and managed to make a heart flush.

While MSPT Pro Nick Pupillo and MSPT Player of the Year contender Mark Hodge were among the casualties today, Team Pro Matt Alexander flourished and will take a healthy stack of 184,500 with him into Day 2 beginning at 11 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Other notables who will be joining Alexander include perpetual short stack Allen Kessler, World Poker Tour final table participant Jose Serratos, and one-time World Series of Poker heartbreak kid Adam Friedman, who got on a late heater to bag 242,500 and put him second in chips to Faldet.

The MSPT Iowa Main Event continues with the second of two starting flights set for 4 p.m. Saturday and an even bigger field is expected.

As always, the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand for all the action from beginning to end, and you can follow along right here.

Tags: Adam FriedmanAllen KesslerMark HodgeMarty FaldetMatt AlexanderMike LangNick PupilloTim Colby

End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)

Level 14 : 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
Player Chips Progress
Marty Faldet
Marty Faldet
317,000 107,000
Adam Friedman us
Adam Friedman
WSOP 5X Winner
242,500 146,500
Rich Alsup us
Rich Alsup
WSOP 1X Winner
176,000 176,000
Tim Thompson
Tim Thompson
167,500 129,800
Vic Hoffman
Vic Hoffman
163,000 -9,000
Kipp Smith us
Kipp Smith
152,500 112,500
Rick McGown
Rick McGown
150,500 31,500
David Gutfreund us
David Gutfreund
139,500 139,500
Derek Dempster
Derek Dempster
134,500 15,500
Jose Serratos us
Jose Serratos
124,500 124,500
Darrell Prevail us
Darrell Prevail
123,500 123,500
Kurt Kasper
Kurt Kasper
120,500 120,500
Hamid Feiz us
Hamid Feiz
114,000 32,000
Matt Kaldenburg
Matt Kaldenburg
110,500 110,500
Jason Seitz us
Jason Seitz
108,000 108,000
Jeff Bryan us
Jeff Bryan
104,000
Tom Hammers us
Tom Hammers
103,500 103,500
James Wilson us
James Wilson
102,000 8,000
Todd Melander us
Todd Melander
101,000
Randy Perkins us
Randy Perkins
96,000 96,000
Ryan Watts
Ryan Watts
77,000 26,000
Dustin Peck us
Dustin Peck
60,500 60,500
Shaun Burnett
Shaun Burnett
60,000 60,000
Ron Rusch
Ron Rusch
60,000 60,000
Sara Allgood
Sara Allgood
59,500 59,500

Read full

Final Three Hands

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

With 10 minutes left in the level the clock was stopped and a draw was conducted to determine the number of hands left to play before Day 1a is done. They drew a three.

Pupillo Put Down

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

Facing a raise and a call as he basked in the afterglow of his recently reported chopped pot, MSPT Pro Nick Pupillo looked down at {q-Hearts}{q-Clubs} from the big blind and let it fly again.

The original raiser was the only caller and his {a-Clubs}{k-Diamonds} won the classic flip after a {k-Clubs}{4-Clubs}{5-Hearts}{a-Spades}{7-Diamonds} board ran out, taking Pupillo with it.

Player Chips Progress
Nick Pupillo us
Nick Pupillo
WSOP 1X Winner
Busted

Tags: Nick Pupillo

Everyone Loves A Chopped Pot

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

On his second bullet today, MSPT Pro Nick Pupillo just got it in with the {8-Spades}{8-Clubs} versus one opponent's {j-Diamonds}{j-Spades} and looked to be on his way out the door yet again.

Instead, the flop fell {10-Diamonds}{j-Clubs}{9-Hearts} giving him plenty of outs. Despite giving him a set, the {8-Diamonds} turn wasn't a great card for Pupillo, as his opponent had already flopped a bigger one.

However, the {7-Spades} worked, putting a straight on the board and chopping the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Nick Pupillo us
Nick Pupillo
WSOP 1X Winner
30,000 -8,000

Alexander On A Heater

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

MSPT Pro Matt Alexander made it 5,500 and the player on the button bumped it to 15,500.

Alexander pushed in, having the button's 35,000 behind well covered. The button called with the {k-Clubs}{k-Spades}, but was on the wrong end of a classic cooler with Alexander holding the {a-Spades}{a-Clubs}.

Aces held on a board pf bricks and Alexander is now close to 200,000.

Player Chips Progress
Matt Alexander us
Matt Alexander
188,000 33,000

Tags: Matt Alexander

Level: 14

Blinds: 1,200/2,400

Ante: 400

Alexander Shoves

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

Heads-up on a {7-Clubs}{3-Clubs}{2-Hearts} flop with some 25,000 in the middle already, MSPT Pro Matt Alexander called a 15,000-chip bet.

The {4-Clubs} turn brought a check from his opponent and Alexander promptly shoved, dragging the pot when his opponent quickly mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Matt Alexander us
Matt Alexander
155,000 15,000

Tags: Matt Alexander

Queens Over Queens

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Marty Faldet
Marty Faldet

Marty Faldet just felted Mike Lang to take the chip lead and become the first player over 200,000. But it's how he got it done that truly makes this hand worth noting.

It was Lang's {q-Clubs}{q-Spades} versus Faldet's {q-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} with Faldet four-flushing Lang's hopes down the toilet.

Player Chips Progress
Marty Faldet
Marty Faldet
210,000 105,000
Mike Lang us
Mike Lang
Busted

Tags: Marty FaldetMike Lang