A Tie for the Top Spot After 31 Players Survive Day 1a
Day 1a of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Running Aces $1,110 Main Event is officially in the books with 238 total entries tallied by night's end.
After a full 15 levels were played to their completion, just 31 players were able to find a Day 2 birth with two players tying for the top spot.
Matt Wolff's late-night heater soared him to the top of the counts where he is joined by Kirby Rogers for the chip lead with 506,000.
The top five is rounded out by the only other three players to bag north of 300k: Anthony Sedlak (363,000), Loki Abboud (361,000), and Luke Struck (326,000).
$1,110 MSPT Running Aces Event Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Name | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Wolff | 506,000 |
| 2 | Kirby Rogers | 506,000 |
| 3 | Anthony Sedlak | 363,000 |
| 4 | Loki Abboud | 328,000 |
| 5 | Luke Struck | 326000 |
| 6 | Russell DeVilbliss | 287,000 |
| 7 | Chris Knapp | 278,000 |
| 8 | Matt Alexander | 269,000 |
| 9 | Yer Vang | 220,000 |
| 10 | Ian Matakis | 218,000 |
The action hit a new gear in the final two levels of the evening, which saw the remaining players in the field ultimately drop from 49 down to 31.
Of course, not everyone was fortunate enough to make it through the night. Among those to fire and fall in Thursday’s flight were MSPT Hall of Famer's Rob Wazwaz, Blake Bohn, Kou Vang, Aaron Johnson, Jason Seitz, and Pat Steele.
Day 1b will get underway at Noon on Friday, December 9th. Late registration and re-entries will remain open through Level 12 (approximately 9:10 p.m.). PokerNews will be on hand to capture all the action, so be sure to join us then.
MSPT Winter Poker Classic Remaining Schedule
| *Date | Time (CDT) | Tournament | |
| Friday, 12/9 | 10:00 AM | $265 Satellite - 1 in 5 advance to $300K GTD | |
| Friday, 12/9 | 12:00 PM | $1,110 MSPT $300K GTD Main Event NLH Day 1B (2-Day Event) | |
| Friday, 12/9 | 7:00 PM | $265 Satellite - 1 in 5 advance to $300K GTD | |
| Saturday, 12/10 | 9:00 AM | $265 Turbo Ironman Satellite - 1 in 5 advance to $300K GTD | |
| Saturday, 12/10 | 12:00 PM | $1,110 MSPT $300K GTD Main Event NLH Day 1C (2-Day Event) | |
| Saturday, 12/10 | 7:00 PM | $135 Nightly NLH | |
| Sunday, 12/11 | 11:00 AM | Day 2: $1,110 MSPT $300K GTD Main Event NLH (2-Day Event) | |
| Sunday, 12/11 | 12:00 PM | $250 Last Chance NLH | |
| Sunday, 12/11 | 3:00 PM | $135 Last Dance NLH |
PokerNews will be on hand all week long bringing you all of the action, so be sure to come back for Friday's Day 1b at Noon local time.
runout secured his double-up.
, Bekavac continued for 9,000 and then called the 50,000 all in raise from Wright. 
turn nor the 
river improved Wright as he made his exit from the tournament field.
showing. 
for a turned two-pair but it was second best as Sedlak showed 
turn nor the 
river changed a thing as she collected her double-up.