Aaron Massey, Shin Among Top Stacks After Day 1b of MSPT Poker Bowl V
Another 15-level day of poker has ended at Mid-States Poker Tour Poker Bowl V, and while the prize pool didn't quite reach seven figures, there's still going to be a handsome sum to play for on Day 2 as 496 more entries combined with the 412 on Day 1a to make for 908 overall. That means the $350K has been left in the dust as the prize pool approaches $900K.
About 70 of the Day 1b entries punched tickets for Day 2, and it proved to be a fairly close and crowded bunch atop the counts. At least eight players bagged between 249,000 and 343,000, the latter count appearing to lead the group.
That number belonged to Trung Le, who scored a late bustout with ace-king over ace-six to edge past his competition.
Meanwhile, two of the more successful players in MSPT history ranked among those top stacks: Aaron Massey (295,500) and Mike Shin (268,500). Each has four final tables and a victory on the tour, with Shin also taking home Player of the Year honors in 2019.
Other notables bagging included Adam Hendrix, Joseph Hebert, Tim Reilly and Jordan Cristos, the latter having gotten under the skin of more than a few tablemates late in the day with his trademark lack of haste. Floor calls for a clock became commonplace by the night's end, but Cristos wouldn't be troubled into giving up his chips after securing a big stack early and riding it throughout the day.
Roughly 115 players will be back for Day 2, and the prize pool should be available early on in the day with the bubble expected to come up early given that only about 13% of the field remain. PokerNews will be on hand to bring live updates starting from 11 a.m. local time.