Farmer Phil Rolls on Day 1b at Riverside
Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour Riverside saw an already hefty field of 354 boosted with a massive turnout of 508 more entries. That number represents a new state record for the buy-in level, according to a tweet from the tour.
Of those 508, 64 advanced to Day 2, and nobody had a better day than "Farmer" Phil Mader. The Nebraskan had a big stack early on and was pacing the field by the time the stretch run came about.
He claimed it was good luck that propelled him to bagging 559,000, but Mader has an established track record on the MSPT with 23 cashes and five final tables. However, he has never managed to reach the heights of his first cash on tour, a third-place finish, and is consequently still seeking his first trophy.
Kamal Mousavi almost caught him, finishing with 556,000. Others making it through included Kyna England (444,000), Jeremy Brown (272,000), Larry Ormson (235,000), Carter Myers (86,000), Mike Rieck (78,000) and PokerNews' own Chad Holloway (209,000).
The tournament will bring back 112 Day 2 players and should be very close to the money. It will play down to a winner on Sunday, so keep an eye out here to see who emerges as champion.