button in Safari
Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Potawatomi Casino
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2015 Mid-States Poker Tour Potawatomi Casino
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$635,000
Total Entries
635
Level
32
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000
Players Left 1 / 635
Filter
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
The 2015 Mid-States Poker Tour returned to Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino in a big way Friday.
After setting a Wisconsin state record for field size by attracting 487 entries at this very same venue this past September, the first of two starting flights drew a whopping 309 entries today.
With another starting flight set for 4 p.m. local time Saturday, the MSPT has already obliterated the event's $200,000 guarantee, and if the numbers for the second starting day are anywhere near what the event drew today, both state and tour records should fall hard.
After 14 levels of play on the day, just 69 players survived. They will be joined by anyone who can make it through Day 1b to play down to a winner Sunday beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time.
2014 MSPT Gary, Indiana, runner-up Leon Morford, who also has a Heartland Poker Tour title under his belt, jumped out to the early chip lead thanks to one set-over-set hand and another where he made a full house against an opponent's flush. He found a comfortable gear as the day moved on, finally bagging 247,000.
However, Brett Reichard, who has twice made the MSPT final table in Tama, Iowa, managed to bag the biggest stack when all was said and done.
Reichard made a set of fours that held against a pair and a flush draw early to push past 100,000 in chips. He picked off a bluff later to push up near 200,000, and while he dipped a bit as the day wore on, Reichard made a late push to bag 290,500 and the chip lead.
While recognizable names like Allen Kessler, World Poker Tour title holder Ravi Raghavan, Wisconson's own Mark Kroon, and PokerNews Senior Editor and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Chad Holloway all found a way out the door, MSPT sponsored pro Matt Kirby and MSPT regulars Michael Ross and Steve Anderson were among those to build contending stacks before Day 1a was done.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team return to Saturday at 4 p.m. local time to capture all the Day 1b action.
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
290,500 | |
|
247,000 | |
|
191,500 | |
|
170,000 | |
|
162,000 | |
|
|
161,500 | |
|
160,500 | |
|
153,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
149,000 | |
|
|
143,000 | |
|
132,000 | |
|
|
126,000 | |
|
121,500 | |
|
|
112,500 | |
|
110,000 | |
|
108,500
11,500
|
11,500 |
|
|
107,000 | |
|
|
105,500 | |
|
|
103,500 | |
|
|
102,000 | |
|
|
99,500 | |
|
99,500 | |
|
|
98,000 | |
|
95,000 | |
|
|
94,000 |
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
Rich and Donnie break down the epic slowroll at the Irish Poker Open, look ahead to the WPT500 at ARIA, discuss Christian Lusardi's sentencing, and the Global Poker Masters announcement.
You can subscribe to the entire iBus Media Network on iTunes here, or you can access the RSS feed here. The PokerNews family of podcasts is now available on Stitcher.
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
With 10 minutes left in the 14th level the clock was stopped.
Tournament staff drew to determine the number of hands left to play and came up with four.
Level 14
: 1,200/2,400, 400 ante
The following players appear to have the biggest stacks in the room now well into the final level of play on the day:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
245,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
240,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
|
205,000
64,000
|
64,000 |
|
|
175,000 | |
|
|
145,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
125,000
29,000
|
29,000 |
|
|
120,000
49,000
|
49,000 |
|
|
120,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
116,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
99,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
90,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
25,000
121,000
|
121,000 |
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 400
Level 13
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Steve Anderson made it 5,700 only to see one opponent three-bet to 13,000.
Anderson called and the flop came 
. Anderson promptly checked, but when his opponent led out for 18,000, he check-raised all in.
With little fanfare his opponent folded and Anderson is suddenly climbing the leaderboard.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
129,000
19,600
|
19,600 |
Level 13
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Since busting Mark Koon in the early part of the day to jump up near the chip lead, Bill Wagner has been on a slow descent to obscurity.
Moments ago he called a 4,500-chip open from one player only to see a third bump it to 12,000. Only Wagner called and they went heads-up to a 
flop.
Wagner checked, his opponent bet 21,000 and Wagner was forced to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
51,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
Level: 13
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 300
