Matt Kirby Bags Big on Day 1a of MSPT South Dakota State Championship
Just a month after becoming the newest inductee into the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Hall of Fame, Matt Kirby headlines the 29 survivors from Day 1a of the South Dakota State Championship, bagging 424,000 chips, which was good enough for third place on the day.
The top stack belongs to Gerald Cunniff of St. Paul, Minnesota who rocketed to the top of the leaderboard late in the day to finish with 649,000 chips.
Sandwiched between Cunniff and Kirby in second place is Joshua Reichard, who finished with 425,000 chips.
South Dakota State Championship Main Event Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerald Cunniff | United States | 649,000 |
| 2 | Joshua Reichard | United States | 425,000 |
| 3 | Matt Kirby | United States | 424,000 |
| 4 | Kevin Ellis | United States | 417,000 |
| 5 | Peter Asmuth | United States | 354,000 |
| 6 | Patrick Rachow | United States | 321,000 |
| 7 | Leroy Stuen | United States | 319,000 |
| 8 | Mo Nuwwarah | United States | 301,000 |
| 9 | Dave Word | United States | 288,000 |
| 10 | Jeff Heiberg | United States | 269,000 |
The 246 entries filled the poker room at the Silverado-Franklin Hotel and Gaming Complex in Deadwood, South Dakota for the event’s opening flight, with the final 12% bringing a hard stop to action with 19 minutes and 16 seconds remaining in Level 15.
Other notables to make it to Sunday’s final day of play included Mo Nuwwarah (301,000), Jeff Heiberg (269,000), Henry Gingerich (230,000), and Eric Eelkema (169,000).
Among those falling short of advancing were Dan Bekavac, who busted just short of advancing after several entries throughout the day, MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson, and MSPT Season 13 Main Event cashes leader DJ Buckley.
They’ll all have the chance to return Saturday at 3 pm local time for Day 1b, which is expected to surpass Friday’s already huge field.
2022 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship Remaining Schedule
| Date | Time (MDT) | Tournament | Late Reg | GTD Prize Pool | Starting Stack | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, May 21 | 10 am | $260 Turbo Satellite – 1 in 5 advance to MSPT Main | 12:10 pm | - | 15,000 | 15 |
| 3 pm | $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 1b | 11:40 pm | $100,000 | 25,000 | 40 | |
| Sunday, May 22 | 11 am | $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 2 | - | $100,000 | - | 40 |
| 12 pm | $250 Last Chance Showdown NLH | 3 pm | - | 15,000 | 20 |
PokerNews will continue to have all the action until a champion is crowned Sunday, so keep it right here.
, bringing Gingerich an ace on the flop to take the hand and send the players home with 19:16 remaining in Level 15.
flop, which Cunniff called.
turn, Bekavac moved all in for approximately 100,000 and was called by Cunniff who showed 
for a turned straight, while Bekavac could only show a failed bluff with 
flop, Asmuth continued for 11,000 and was called in both spots.
, Stuen bet 7,500 from middle position, which was met with a raise from Reichard to 24,500. 
fall on the turn. Again he led out, this time for 25,000. Reichard made the call, leaving himself 85,000 behind.
for a flopped flush, while Stuen could only show 
fell on the river to give Heiberg quad nines and a huge win to boost his stack back over 150,000.
, they piled in over 200,000 chips, with Stanage all-in.
, the small blind led for 5,000 and Bekavac called.
which brought a club flush draw, the small blind bet 12,000 and again, Bekavac called.
, but also gave Bekavac trip sevens. He called a final 20,000 bet from the small blind who mucked his hand.
