$1,100 Main Event Day 1b | 2021 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship

05-16-2021 02:41 UTC-6

Dale Belden Takes Overall Chip Lead Into Day 2 as 46 Players Survive Day 1b

Anthony Thompson

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

The second and final starting flight of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) 2021 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship is in the books. Day 1b attracted 320 runners during Saturday's action, bringing the grand total to 585 entries (265 from Day 1a; 320 from 1b), making it the largest major ($1,100+ buy-in) in Deadwood history.

After the completion of Level 15, just 46 players bagged and tagged with Dale Belden and his stack of 548,000 leading the way. Belden was seen atop the counts for majority of the evening but the final hand of the night catapulted him into the top spot.

Belden was the only player to eclipse 500,000, with John Schroer (474,000), Phil Mader (435,000), Michael Baker (367,000), and defending champ Sergio Mireles (321,000) round out the top five stacks.

Others to punch their tickets to Day 2 were Tom Hammers (292,000), Travis Gant (230,000), three-time bracelet winner Adam Friedman (185,000), three-time MSPT champ Matt Kirby (117,000), and 2018 MSPT Player of the Year Aaron Johnson (92,000).

Of course, not everyone was fortunate enough to make it through the night. Among those to fire and fall in Saturday's flight were Mikiyo Aoki, Cory Nordstrand, Kyna England, MSPT Regional Champ Eric Atchison, Umut Ozturk and Ben Keeline, just to name a few.

Day 2 will get underway at 11 a.m. local time and play to a winner with 82 players returning to the felt. The top 63 finishers will get paid with the eventual winner walking away with coveted Deadwood custom trophy and the first-place prize.

PokerNews will be on hand to capture all the action, so be sure to join us then.

Tags: Ben Keeline Cory Nordstrand Dale Belden Eric Atchison Kyna England Matt Kirby Michael Baker Mikiyo Aoki Phil Mader Sergio Mireles Umut Ozturk

05-16-2021 01:41 UTC-6

Dale Belden Cracks Eric Sorensen's Aces to Take Chip Lead

Anthony Thompson

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

Eric Sorensen raised from under the gun and Dale Belden three-bet from middle. Action folded back around to Sorensen who four-bet to 65,000 and then called Belden's 279,000 all in jam.

Dale Belden:
Eric Sorensen:

Sorensen got the action he wanted having Belden crushed and nothing changed after the flop. However, the dealer dropped the on the turn giving Beldun a set of tens and the river secured him the massive double-up for the chip lead.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dale Belden	560,000	305,000
Eric Sorensen	120,000	-280,000

Tags: Dale Belden Eric Sorensen

05-16-2021 01:27 UTC-6

Keeline Left With Crumbs After Losing Race to James Curl

Anthony Thompson

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

James Curl open-jammed for 98,000 and action folded to Ben Keeline who called from the big blind.

James Curl:
Ben Keeline:

It was a race with Keeline looking to stay ahead but it was Curl who came out in front after the flop although, Keeline did pick-up a gut shot straight draw.

Unfortunately for Keeline, neither the turn nor the river were any help to his hand and he doubled-up Curl.

Player	Chips	Progress
James Curl	180,000
Ben Keeline	20,000	-70,000

Tags: Ben Keeline James Curl

05-16-2021 00:57 UTC-6

Fink Gets Big Blind Special

Anthony Thompson

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

The player in middle position raised to 10,000 and they were called by Wesley Ismay on the button before Mark Fink three-bet jammed for 46,000 from the big blind. The initial raiser mucked their hand while Ismay called and the two players tabled their hands.

Mark Fink:
Wesley Ismay:

Fink had Ismay crushed and nothing changed after the runout.

Player	Chips	Progress
Wesley Ismay	130,000	-40,000
Mark Fink	100,000	50,000

Tags: Wesley Ismay Mark Fink

05-15-2021 23:22 UTC-6

Joey Lopez Flops the World for a Triple Up

Anthony Thompson

Level 12 : 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Joey Lopez opened for 7,500 from under the gun and was called by Wes Hitchcock from the next seat over before Travis Miller three-bet to 22,000 from middle position.

Action folded back around to Lopez who four-bet all in for 41,500, Hitchcock came over the top for 99,500 and Miller called off his 68,500 stack.

Joey Lopez:
Travis Miller:
Wes Hitchcock:

Miller held the best hand until the dealer dropped the flop which gave Lopez a full house. The turn didn't change a thing nor did the river and Lopez collected his triple-up, while Miller collected 27,000 from Hitchcock.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joey Lopez	131,000
Travis Miller	54,000
Wes Hitchcock	31,000	-44,000

Tags: Wes Hitchcock Joey Lopez Travis Miller

05-15-2021 22:22 UTC-6

Sherry Hammers Hooks Cash Hepper for Double

Anthony Thompson

Level 11 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Sherry Hammers open-jammed for 17,000 from early position and Cash Hepper isolated from the small blind.

Cash Hepper:
Sherry Hammers:

It was a classic race with Hammers looking to hold and she didn't have a sweat as the runout secured her double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Cash Hepper	40,000	-25,000
Sherry Hammers	35,000	5,300

Tags: Cash Hepper Sherry Hammers

05-15-2021 20:59 UTC-6

Ladies Hold for Schock

Anthony Thompson

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

The player from middle position raised to 3,300, Mitch Schock three-bet all and action folded back to the initial raiser who called off their remaining 9,000 stack.

Mitch Schock:
Opponent:

It was a classic race with Schock looking to hold and he did after the board ran out .

Player	Chips	Progress
Mitch Schock	75,000	31,800

Tags: Mitch Schock

05-15-2021 17:06 UTC-6

Nick Owen Travels from Wisconsin to Try His Luck in Deadwood

Chad Holloway

Level 3 : 200/200, 300 ante

Sometimes folks from Wisconsin are referred to as "Cheeseheads," and that's the case with Nick Owen, who hails from Reedsburg, Wisconsin. That's because he works as Saputo Cheese, though this weekend he's taken some vacation time in order to drive 12 hours out west to play the 2021 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship.

When he's not busy working or spending time with his teenage son, Logan, Owen enjoys hosting a weekly home game where $0.50/$1 no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha are the games of choice. For the past couple of days, he's been taking in the local area, including Sturgis, riding motorcycles alongside fellow Wisconsinite, Tim Dunse.

For Owen, competing in the MSPT $1,100 Main Event is a taking a shot of sorts, and if he's managed to make the money, it'll be his first major tournament cash. Only time will tell if he's able to make that happen, and PokerNews will keep an eye on his MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship journey.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nick Owen	25,000	25,000

Tags: Nick Owen

05-15-2021 16:52 UTC-6

Aoki Doubles With Quads

Anthony Thompson

Level 3 : 200/200, 300 ante

There were six players that saw a flop and action was checked to Mikiyo Aoki who fired out 2,500 from the cutoff and was called by Alex Wheeler from the small blind before Peter Shuldiner three-bet to 8,000.

Action folded back to Aoki who four-bet all in for 29,100, Wheeler mucked his hand while Shuldiner snap-called.

Mikiyo Aoki:
Peter Shuldiner:

Shuldiner flopped the goods but the paired the board on the turn giving Aoki a full house and then the dealer dropped the case for good measure.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mikiyo Aoki	75,000	45,000
Alex Wheeler	45,000	20,000
Peter Shuldiner	20,000	-5,000

Tags: Alex Wheeler Mikiyo Aoki Peter Shuldiner

05-15-2021 11:28 UTC-6

Welcome to Day 1b of the South Dakota State Poker Championship!

Anthony Thompson

This weekend, the MSPT is in Deadwood at the Silverado-Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex for the 2021 South Dakota State Poker Championship and Day 1b gets underway at 3 p.m. local time.

Yesterday's starting flight saw a whopping 265 players take to the felt, and after fifteen levels of play, just 36 remained, with Howard Dion leading the way with his stack 476,000.

Following close behind Dion's tail were Paul Jain and Nick Pupillo who both ended the tournament with 468,000. Rounding out the top five big stacks were Paul Camby (392,000), and Whitney Bell (268,000).

Others to punch their tickets to Day 2 were Matthew Mich (264,000), Taylor Howard (245,000), Jason Crews (209,000), DJ Buckley (158,000), Blake Whittington (131,000), and Dave Sanderson (124,000).

Day 1b Schedule

The second starting flight will be identical to its first as the day will end once fifteen 40-minute levels are completed. All players will start with 25,000 in chips and will get 10-minute breaks after every two hours of play. All players are allowed a max of 1 re-entry per starting flight and registration will remain open until the end of Level 12.

Once the final level is completed, all remaining players will bag up for the night and will combine with Day 1a players for Day 2 action on Sunday, May 16th at a.m. local time.

About Silverado-Franklin

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.

When Deadwood legalized gaming in 1989, the Franklin didn't get a major retrofit until the owners of the neighboring Silverado Gaming Establishment purchased the hotel and embarked on an ambitious remodeling project in 2005 that opened up the main ballroom, added a premier casino, and enhanced the overall experience for guests.

The renovated first floor reopened in June 2007, sporting a refinished tin ceiling, restored woodwork, and fluted columns that match early photographs of the hotel lobby. Elaborate chandeliers, colored glass, and gilded fixtures accent the entire level. A restoration project was recently completed that restored the original parapet and flag pole, built from matching cast stone, brick, and fiberglass.

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.

MSPT South Dakota Remaining Schedule

Date	Time	Tournament	Chips
Saturday, May 15	10 a.m.	$260 Satellite - 1/5 advance to $100K GTD Main Event	15,000
	3 p.m.	$1,110 Main Event Day 1b ($100K GTD)	25,000
Sunday, May 16	11 a.m.	$1,110 Main Event Day 2 Restart	-

_{*Visit msptpoker.com for a complete listing of rake and staff fees.}

All survivors from the two starting flights will combine for Day 2 Sunday, May 16 at 11 a.m. local time and will play until a winner is crowned. Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates throughout the entire tournament.

Tags: Blake Whittington Dave Sanderson DJ Buckley Jason Crews Matthew Mich Nick Pupillo Paul Camby Paul Jain Taylor Howard Whitney Bell