MSPT Sycuan $360 Regional Event Day 1a | 2021 MSPT Showdown Series

04-30-2021 02:13 UTC-7

Happy Spaulding Leads After Days 1a of MSPT Sycuan $360 Regional Event

Chad Holloway

Level 15 : 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

Day 1a of the MSPT Sycuan $360 Regional Event, the first event in the inaugural “Showdown Series,” attracted 305 entrants and set the stage for what’s sure to be a busy weekend with two starting flights still to go.

After 15 levels of play, the field was whittled down to 40 players with Happy Spaulding and his stack of 786,000 leading the pack. That was more than double his next closest competitor in Nathan Trimble, who advanced with 370,000.

Others to bag big stacks were Andrew Gay (364,000), [Removed:249] (359,000), and “Tim Daly (344,000), who round out the top five. They were joined by Adrianne Hall (228,000), Don Burr (158,000), Brad Sailor (123,000), and Alan Wentz (110,000).

Of course, not everyone was so fortunate. Among those to fire and fall on Day 1a were Hannah Spaulding, DJ Buckley, Brad Tyler, Bob Chow, Tavish Margers, Spencer Tep, and poker vlogger Cato “PokerBEAST”.

Day 1b will begin at 5 p.m. local time on Friday, while the third and final flight, Day 1c, will take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday. PokerNews will be on-hand bringing you all the updates from start to finish, so be sure to join us then.

Tags: Happy Spaulding

04-30-2021 00:57 UTC-7

Spaulding Increases Chip Lead

Chad Holloway

Level 15 : 3,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

As Day 1a of the tournament nears its conclusion, one player has emerged as the clear chip leader.

In a recent hand, Happy Spaulding raised to 16,000 from middle position and the player in the big blind defended.

Action went check-check on both the flop and turn before the completed the board on the river.

The player in the big blind bet 20,000 and Spalding paused for a few beats before putting in a small raise to 42,000.

His opponent flicked in a chip to make the call only to muck when Spaulding tabled the for a flopped set.

Player	Chips	Progress
Happy Spaulding	750,000

Tags: Happy Spaulding

04-30-2021 00:35 UTC-7

Rip Fritzer Rips It In

Chad Holloway

Level 14 : 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Rip Fritzer moved all in for 49,000 from the cutoff and action folded to the player in the big blind, who thought long and hard before making the call.

Rip Fritzer:
Big Blind:

Fritzer was ahead but his opponent was drawing to two live cards. The flop wasn't too exciting, but the turn was as Fritzer paired but his opponent picked up a Broadway straight draw to a queen.

The river was a paint card, but fortunately for Fritzer is was the to give him the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rip Fritzer	105,000

Tags: Rip Fritzer

04-29-2021 22:15 UTC-7

Minnesota's DJ Buckley Hops Into the Field

Chad Holloway

Level 10 : 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

The MSPT has a throng of regular grinders, and one of them is Minnesota's DJ Buckley, who just entered the field after traveling to San Diego.

Buckley has amassed an impressive MSPT resume dating back to 2014. He has $220,309 in earnings from three Regional Event cashes, 27 Main Event cashes, and seven Main Event final table appearances.

Buckley has yet to capture a MSPT title, but he's come close on several occasions. In 2015, he finished third in the MSPT Running Aces for $29,544, and the following year he took fifth in the MSPT Meskwaki for $19,568. More recently, in April 2019 he finished runner-up to Mark Jaroslawski in the MSPT Canterbury Park, good for $59,160.

Buckley has jumped into action late hoping to spin up a stack here on Day 1a.

Player	Chips	Progress
DJ Buckley	25,000

Tags: DJ Buckley

04-29-2021 22:01 UTC-7

"Nice Call on the Turn. You Knew."

Chad Holloway

Level 9 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Brad Sailor raised to 2,500 from middle position and the player on the button called. The big blind came along and it was three-way action to the flop.

After the big blind checked, Sailor continued for 4,400 and the button folded. The player in the big blind check-called and the check-called a bet of 10,000 on the turn.

On the river, the big blind checked for the third time and Sailor checked behind.

The player in the big blind showed the but it was no good as Sailor rivered a pair of aces with his .

"Nice call on the turn," Sailor admitted. "You know. I was trying to get you off a small pair."

Player	Chips	Progress
Brad Sailor	90,000	55,000

Tags: Brad Sailor

04-29-2021 21:03 UTC-7

Check Out San Diego's Own Popular Poker Vlogger “PokerBEAST"

Chad Holloway

Level 8 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

If you've ever watched poker vlogs on YouTube, there's a good chance you've come across “PokerBEAST" (AKA Cato), who is in action today.

As he says, "I am a low-stakes poker player who wants to push out great poker content and build a community of PokerBEASTs, where we can learn, grow, and enjoy this beautifully complex game together.”

Cato's rise in the poker world has been rapid as he launched his channel, which you can follow here, back in February and has already uploaded 27 vlogs and amassed more than 13,500 subscribers.

His high-quality videos are often filled with fast action and big pots. If you don't believe us check out his latest vlog below.

Player	Chips	Progress
Cato “PokerBEAST"	15,000	5,500

Tags: Cato PokerBEAST

04-29-2021 19:51 UTC-7

Wentz Flushes Daly

Chad Holloway

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante

Four players each committed 2,000 preflop and saw a flop of .

The player in the big blind checked, Veronica Daly bet 8,000, and the player in the cutoff folded. Alan Wentz called from the button, the big blind got out of the way, and the dealer burned and turned the .

Daly bet again, this time 5,200, and left herself just 1,500 behind. Wentz raised it up and Daly called off.

Veronica Daly:
Alan Wentz:

Daly was ahead with top pair but Wentz had a flush draw with an over. The river completed the club flush and Wentz sent Daly to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alan Wentz	41,500	16,500
Veronica Daly	Busted

Tags: Veronica Daly Alan Wentz

04-29-2021 19:42 UTC-7

2021 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship Coming Up May 14-16

Chad Holloway

Level 5 : 300/500, 500 ante

After the MSPT leaves California, they’ll head back to the Midwest to Silverado-Franklin Casino in Deadwood for the $1,100 South Dakota State Poker Championship from May 14-16, 2021.

In the past, the South Dakota State Poker Championship has been a standalone event at Silverado-Franklin dating back to 2011, but in 2018 they joined forces with the MSPT. In 2017, Ryan Skluzak topped a field of 136 entries to win the 2017 South Dakota State Poker Championship for $37,500. The first year partnered with the MSPT, the field grew to 286 runners and saw Rick Burleson take it down for $63,462, and in 2019 it was Sergio Mireles besting a 258-entry field to win it for $60,946.

The Silverado-Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex offers more than 360 different slot machines, Deadwood’s largest table games area (Caribbean Stud, 4-Card Poker, Let It Ride, and 3-Card Poker all with a $1,000 betting limit), and a poker room. In addition, there is great food and drink options at Legends Steakhouse, Silverado Grand Buffet, and the Veranda, which offers unique views of historic Mount Moriah Cemetery, White Rocks, and the town of Deadwood.

Deadwood is known for many things but for poker players it's perhaps best known for aces and eights, otherwise known as the Deadman’s Hand. In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok held that hand in a game of poker at a saloon just a few blocks from the present-day Silverado when he was shot by Jack McCall.

Travel Information

The Black Hills are serviced from Rapid City Regional Airport by three major airlines: Northwest, United, and Delta, which provide direct flights from Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, and Chicago. Interstate 90, which runs along the eastern and northern boundaries of the Black Hills, is the region's major thoroughfare.

04-29-2021 19:32 UTC-7

Are You Ready to Chow Down?

Chad Holloway

Level 5 : 300/500, 500 ante

Did you know there’s a poker millionaire in today’s field?

Robert “Bob” Chow, originally from Illinois but now residing in Las Vegas, has more than $1.1 million in lifetime tournament winnings. That includes a career-best $393,584 for winning the 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Horseshoe Hammond $1,600 Main Event.

Not only is he a three-time WSOPC gold ring winner, he’s also both a Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) and America’s Poker Tour champion. Regarding the former, he won the 2013 HPT Gary for $171,534, and the latter he took down the 2016 America’s Poker Tour Chicagoland Event #1: $210 Deepstack for $24,310.

As for the MSPT, Chow has $22,440 in lifetime earnings from a pair of Main Event cashes. Of that, $17,017 came when he took fourth place in the 2014 MSPT Majestic Star.

Only time will tell if Chow can add a MSPT title to his impressive poker résumé.

Tags: Bob Chow