$1,100 Main Event Day 1c | 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship

10-12-2019 23:38 UTC-4

Isaac Kratchman Leads as 101 Players Advance from 2019 MSPT Michigan State Championship Day 1c

TylerWarken

Level 15 : 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Day 1c of the 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Michigan State Poker Championship at FireKeepers Casino has come to an end. This was the last of the starting days and it brought in 697 entrants. This brings the event total to 1615, crushing last years total of 1,271 and setting a new Michigan state record for largest poker tournament. 101 players put chips in a bag today and they will join the other 109 players who bagged previously on Day 1a/b.

Kratchman bagged the largest stack of the day which is also good for the overall chip lead heading into Day 2 with 669,000. Andy Rogowski (390,000), Irene Carey (321,000), Nicholas Gualandri (281,500) and Kevin Bavers (281,500) make up the rest of the top five counts for Day 1c.

Click here for the Day 2 seat draw.

Other notables that were able to bag today include Andy Tran (255,500), Ravi Raghavan (165,500), current MSPT Season 10 POY points leader Mike Shin (100,500), MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang (90,500), WPT champ Keven Stammen (80,000) and Aaron Massey (58,500).

Some notables that tried one last time to get into Day 2 but failed today include Maurice Hawkins, Brian Wilson, Eric Stocz, Tom Hammers, Sherry Hammers, Satish Thakur and Dan Heimiller.

The final prize pool has been determined and the 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship will be awarding $1,565,066. The top 171 spots will be paid and a min-cash will be worth $2,035. The lucky winner of this event will go home with the top prize of $262,145.

On Sunday, 210 players will make their way back to compete for the 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship title. The action will get underway at 11:00 a.m. local time and PokerNews will be here to capture all the action. Be sure to join us then!

Tags: Isaac Kratchman

10-12-2019 19:28 UTC-4

Hammers Loses Flip for Tournament Life

Chad Holloway

Level 10 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Minnesota's Tom Hammers got his stack all in preflop and found himself racing for his tournament life against Griffin Abel.

Tom Hammers:
Griffin Abel:

Hammers held the same hand Phil Hellmuth did when he took down the 1989 WSOP Main Event, but they didn't treat him as good as they did the "Poker Brat." Instead, the pocket nines fell behind when the flop paired Abel.

Hammers had a spade flush draw but failed to his it as the appeared on the turn followed by the on the river.

Player	Chips	Progress
Griffin Abel	95,000
Tom Hammers	Busted

Tags: Tom Hammers

10-12-2019 17:39 UTC-4

Stammen Trips Up Opponent to Double

Chad Holloway

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante

The under-the-gun player raised to 2,100 and WPT champ Keven Stammen, younger brother of 2018 MSPT Michigan State Poker Champ Matt Stammen, called from middle position. The player on the button then three-bet to 6,700, both blinds folded, and the original raiser called. Stammen opted to call as well and it was three-way action to the flop.

Two checks saw the player on the button continue for 10,500, the UTG player folded, and Stammen paused for a few beats before making the call, which left him 14,900 back.

After the dealer burned and turned the , Stammen checked and the button moved all in. Stammen called off and the hands were turned up.

Keven Stammen:
Button:

Stammen had flopped trip fours to pull ahead of the kings and he shipped the double after the safe completed the board on the river.

Player	Chips	Progress
Keven Stammen	70,000 66,500	66,500

Tags: Keven Stammen

10-12-2019 15:30 UTC-4

Kettler Turns Straight Flush in Wild Four-Way Pot

Chad Holloway

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante

A player in early position raised to 1,200 and Irene Carey called. The player in the small called and Steve Kettler came along from the big to see a flop.

Two checks saw the original raiser continue for 4,200 and Carey called. The small blind moved all in for 30,200 and Kettler called off for 16,950. The original raiser called off as well, and Carey put everyone at risk by calling.

Irene Carey:
Seat 1:
Small Blind:
Steve Kettler:

The turn was gin for Kettler giving him the straight flush. The meaningless was run out on the river and Kettler took down the large pot while Carey took a hit to her stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Steve Kettler	70,000
Irene Carey	66,400

Tags: Steve Kettler Irene Carey

10-12-2019 14:51 UTC-4

Jeff Fielder Sends One to the Rail

Chad Holloway

Level 4 : 150/300, 300 ante

Jeff Fielder raised to 700 from early position and picked up calls from players in middle position, the cutoff, and in the big blind.

All four players checked the flop and then the player in the big blind jammed for 2,425 after the dealer burned and turned the . Fielder called and the other two players got out of the way.

Jeff Fielder:
Big Blind:

Fielder's ace kicker was good but his opponent was drawing to a gutshot straight flush draw. The dealer burned one last time and put out the . It was a brick for the big blind and Fielder scored the elimination.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jeff Fielder	43,000 43,000	43,000

Tags: Jeff Fielder

10-12-2019 13:43 UTC-4

A Look at the Remaining MSPT Season 10 Schedule

Chad Holloway

Level 3 : 100/200, 0 ante

The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is entering the home stretch in its 10th season, and PokerNews is not only slated to live report the final five Main Events of 2019, but will also offer live updates from the MSPT’s 11th season in 2020.

The MSPT continues to grow and establish itself as one of the premier tours in the United States with a strong presence in the middle of the country. They’re also closing in on a milestone of awarding $100,000,000 in prize money (they’ve currently awarded $97,315,597).

Known for their $1,100 Main Events and $350 Regional Events, the MSPT also offers live streams for most Main Event final tables, a monthly magazine (available for free in both print and digital formats), established its own MSPT Hall of Fame, and has a strong presence on social media.

“We’re excited to partner with PokerNews for our upcoming 11th season, which is shaping up to be the biggest and best yet,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “We look forward to setting more state records, crossing the $100-million mark in prize money awarded, and continuing to offer players great tournaments across the country. Now, players from around the world can follow the action via PokerNews’ live updates.”

Dates	Event	Buy-in	Guarantee
Oct. 10-13	MSPT FireKeepers Casino Main Event	$1,100	$1,000,000
Nov. 1-3	MSPT Meskwaki Main Event	$1,100	$300,000
Nov. 13-17	MSPT Golden Gates Regional Event	$360	$150,000
Nov. 14-17	2019 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship at Potawatomi Casino	$1,100	$300,000
Nov. 21-24	MSPT Denver Poker Open at Golden Gates Casino	$1,100	$300,000
Dec. 5-8	MSPT Canterbury Park	$1,100	$500,000

Visit msptpoker.com for more information on each tournament.

10-12-2019 11:06 UTC-4

Welcome to Day 1c of the 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship

Chad Holloway

Season 10 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) continues today at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan. The $1,100 buy-in, $1,000,000 GTD 2019 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship tends to be the largest Midwest stop on the tour and will eclipse a seven-figure prize pool for the sixth time in a row. Today, the final of three starting flights will get underway at Noon local time.

On Thursday's Day 1a flight, 322 entrants take to the felt and after 15 levels of play, just 36 remained with Nick Davidson and his stack of 498,000 leading the pack. Friday's Day 1b field saw 596 entrants bring the overall total to 918. Of those, 72 players found a bag including chip leader Duston Newton with 448,000.

Last year, the tournament drew 1,271 entries and saw Matt Stammen, the older brother of WPT champ Keven Stammen, take it down for a $218,565 payday. The year before it was Chris Meyers who topped a 1,067-entry field to win $191,196 on his way to capturing Season 8 Player of the Year.

Other past MSPT Michigan State Poker champions include Brett Blackwood (2016 for $188,314), Michael Ferraroti (2015 for $134,642), Ryan Dykhouse (2014 for $124,500), and Jordan Townsend (2013 for $76,975).

About FireKeepers Casino

FireKeepers Casino Hotel opened in August of 2009. The venue features a 111,700-square foot gaming floor with 2,900 slot machines, 70 table games, multiple restaurants and lounges, a live poker room and bingo room.

FireKeepers Casino Hotel is located just off Interstate 94 at Exit 104, has been named Best Casino by audiences in Western Michigan and Northern Indiana, plus earned nine first-place awards in the Casino Player Magazine Best of Gaming 2015 Native Midwest category, including Best Overall Gaming Resort.

FireKeepers was also selected as one of the Best Casinos to Work for by Casino Player Magazine. Their signature restaurant, Nibi, is a multiple recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence.

FireKeepers offers a AAA-rated Four Diamond resort-style hotel with 243 rooms, a functional multi-purpose event center, six distinctive dining destinations, and multiple lounges. FireKeepers is the title sponsor of the FireKeepers Casino 400, a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, and host of the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship a Symetra Tour-Road to the LPGA golf event.