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.
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 versus Faldet's with Faldet four-flushing Lang's hopes down the toilet.
Kalamazoo, Michigan's Kurtis Kaspar now sits among the leaders after outflopping James Wilson in a massive hand with a ton of preflop action.
It started with a Kip Smith raise to 3,500 and continued with Kaspar three-betting to 10,500. Wilson just called before Adam Friedman came in with a four-bet to 24,000. Smith let it go before Kaspar called.
Wilson then five-bet shoved for 157,100 total, sending Friedman deep into the tank. He emerged a few minutes later with a fold and Kaspar called all in for around 40,000 total.
Wilson:
Kaspar:
The flop came down , giving Kaspar the lead and the turn and river ensured the massive pot was pushed over to him.
Calmar, Iowa's Marty Faldet has emerged as the new chip leader and first player past the 100,000-chip mark here in Tama.
First he doubled through one-time chip leader Tim Colby, holding with pocket kings versus Colby's nut-flush draw. Then he managed to relieve another opponent of heaps of chips turning pocket queens into a full boat against trips.
The Mid-Stakes Poker Tour returns to Iowa and the Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama today for the first of two starting flights in the $300,000 Guaranteed MSPT Iowa Main Event.
The last time the tour stopped here in July, the Main Event drew 410 entries, creating a total prize pool of $396,200 with MSPT Pro Blake Bohn dominating on the way to a $101,229 win and his second MSPT title.
Due to other commitments, Bohn is not expected to turn up to defend the crown, but all indications are the field size will be about the same.
The Allen Kessler designed "Chainsaw Approved" structure will see players begin with 20,000-chip stacks and attempt to survive and thrive through 14 40-minute levels on Day 1a with a break after every three.
The MSPT Main Event is a 2-day structure with a second starting flight planned for Saturday and the play down to a champion set for Sunday.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand for all the action from start to finish and you are welcome to follow along right here in this space beginning at 4 p.m. local time.
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versus Faldet's 
with Faldet four-flushing Lang's hopes down the toilet.
, giving Kaspar the lead and the 
turn and 
river ensured the massive pot was pushed over to him.
. It went check-check on the 
turn was revealed.
river did not pair the board.