Level: 3
Blinds: 100/300
Ante: 0
MSPT Poker Bowl V at Venetian Las Vegas
MSPT Poker Bowl V Main Event
Day: 1b
Gioia Has a Hammerlock
Level 2
: 100/200, 0 ante
With 
on the board, a player in early position splashed his last 7,000 in the middle. Phil Gioia was in there with a quick call from a couple of seats over holding 
. That had 
in awful shape, and the player with sevens took his leave before the river even brought a .
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
45,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
Miller Doubles
Level 2
: 100/200, 0 ante
Bryant Miller was all in for 11,800 out of the small blind on a completed board of 
. That was a bit more than the 9K or so in the pot, but his opponent under the gun decided to look him up. Miller showed 
for flopped trips.
"That's kinda what I thought," the other player said with a sigh.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
33,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
Steele Avoids Paying Off
Level 2
: 100/200, 0 ante
Patrick Steele opened under the gun for 500 and got one caller in the hijack before the player in the cutoff made it 1,400. Both Steele and the hijack called to bring a 
flop three ways. Everyone checked to bring the on the turn. Action checked to the cutoff, who bet 1,500. Only Steele continued to the 
river. Steele check-folded to a final bet of 2,000.
The cutoff showed 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
24,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
More Recognizables
Level 2
: 100/200, 0 ante
Jordan Cristos just lost a pot where a full house was on board — 
— but his opponent had 
for kings full, so he's down to less than half of a starting stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
29,500
29,500
|
29,500 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
21,000 | |
|
17,200
17,200
|
17,200 |
|
9,300
-15,700
|
-15,700 |
|
||
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
History of MSPT Poker Bowl at Venetian
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Back in 2017, the Mid-States Poker Tour expanded its deal with Venetian to include an early February event coinciding with the Super Bowl. Dubbed the Poker Bowl, the tournament built on a relationship that already included a series of monstrous summer events that built some memorable prize pools.
The Poker Bowl began with a somewhat modest $300,000 guarantee, one that proved to be quite a bit smaller than the actual turnout. More than double the required number of entries turned up (695) and it came down to well-known pros Jordan Young and Ankush Mandavia. The two struck a deal that saw both players earn more than $100K, with Young as the official winner.
In 2018, the Poker Bowl returned with an expanded guarantee of $500K. The number would be easily beaten again with 827 entries, and this time, the final four came to a deal. Kfir Nahum and Matthias De Cercq would get the lion's share with $108,410 apiece — the former took home the title via the slightest of chip leads — and John Ploski ($84,743) and Bob Shao ($76,926) got the rest.
The guarantee was upped once again for 2019 with $650,000, but it was again easily surpassed with more than 1,000 entries and a prize pool just shy of $1 million. This time, the last three made a deal, with Eli Ross and Pedro Mendes each getting about $119K but Canada's Brian Wilson snagging $143,929 and the title.
Venetian bumped to number to an even $1 million for 2020 and they finally had a mild sweat with the turnout, but 1,093 entries still made for a prize pool of $1,060,210. Another deal ended play, with five players this time divvying up the remaining monies. Bob Whalen had the most chips by a fair amount, so he secured $140,152 while three European players (Grachia Minasian, George Brady, Thomas Lust) and one other American (Oluwashola Akindele) got between $85K and $100K.
MSPT Poker Bowl at Venetian Event History
| Year | Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner (Prize) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | MSPT Poker Bowl | 695 | $681,100 | Jordan Young ($117,381)* |
| 2018 | MSPT Poker Bowl II | 827 | $806,325 | Kfir Nahum ($108,410)* |
| 2019 | MSPT Poker Bowl III | 1,022 | $996,450 | Brian Wilson ($143,929)* |
| 2020 | MSPT Poker Bowl IV | 1,093 | $1,060,210 | Bob Whalen ($140,152)* |
*reflects final table deal
Faces New and Old
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Many Day 1a players have predictably returned for Day 1b. There are also a few new but recognizable faces in the field, like that of Dan Lowery.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
||
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000 | |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Full House to Start
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
There's already a full house here at MSPT Poker Bowl V, but it's not one at showdown.
All 224 available seats have been paid for to start the day, and there's a list of alternates waiting for seats when players bust out.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 0