Saturday marks the second of two starting flights in the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Venetian $1,100 Main Event.
Day 1b looks to build on the momentum from Friday's Day 1a, which drew 485 entries and surpassed the tournament's guaranteed prize pool of $200,000 in the first level of play. Given an increased table capacity on the weekend, an even higher number is expected show and look to add their name to the list of 63 players that have already advanced to Sunday's Day 2.
Cards are scheduled to fly at 11:10 a.m. local time with masks required for everybody who joins. All players receive starting stacks of 25,000 and blinds will start at 100/100, increasing every 40 minutes throughout the tournament. There will be 15-minute breaks at the end of every three levels and a 45-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9 (approximately 6:25 p.m.).
All players may enter or re-enter as many times as they wish until the end of the dinner break, which will mark the last chance to compete for what could end up being a total prize pool of more than $1 million. At that time, tournament registration will officially end and prize pool information will be released. From there, play will continue until the end of Level 15 unless 11% of the field is reached before that time.
Of the 63 who advanced on Day 1a, Alan Findlay (612,500) is the one to catch. Findlay was well clear of his next-closest finisher in Benjamin Craig (425,000), bagging a stack that may or may not be contested in the final starting flight. Other MSPT mainstays like Nick Pupillo, Steve Wilkie, and Ralph Massey were among those to find themselves dry on chips before the end of the night and are expected to be back in on the action from the get-go.
Once again, PokerNews will be providing coverage from beginning to end, so make sure to follow along.