Corey Hochman Leads 75 Players Returning for Today's Finale of the MSPT Venetian $1,100 Main Event
After two days of poker and 671 total entries, the final 75 players will return to the Venetian Poker Room for Day 2 of the MSPT Venetian $1,100 Main Event today to play for the championship and the $647,515 prize pool. The top 72 places will be paid and the min-cash is $2,137.
Corey Hochman of Phoenix, Arizona is the overall chip leader after a big pot late in Day 1b gave him the lead over 48 other surviving players with 703,000 in tournament chips. David Ouellette leads the 27 players from Day 1a with 484,000. Other Day 2 hopefuls include Kathy Liebert, Michael Berk, Ralph Massey, Terry Fleischer, Ryan Laplante, Chris Meyers, Katrina Weaver, and Mark Babekov.
Cards will go in the air at 11:00 a.m. Vegas time and players are encouraged to show up early to remove their chips from the bag. Play will start in Level 15 with 38:23 remaining and blinds of 5000/5000/3000. Blind levels are 40 minutes and play will continue today until there is a winner.
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the day as the live reporting team brings you all the action as it happens on the floor.
on the flop, Saad Ghanem check-raised to 45,000 from the small blind. Action folded around to Kent Buckingham for the three-bet shove to 190,000. Ghanem went deep into the tank for a few minutes, lamenting how "sexy" his hand was before finally making the call. 
for a flopped set of eights. Ghanem showed 
for a flush draw and the chance at a straight. 
and the river fell 
to give Ghanem the flush in a celebration that included chicken noises. 
, Chris Meyers made a 47,000 bet. Kathy Liebert made the check-call. 
and Liebert checked. Meyers bet 55,000 after a short tank and Liebert made the quick call. Meyers showed 
to pick up the big pot while Liebert mucked.
and both Berk and Meyers checked. Ghanem led out for 25,000 and Berk folded while Meyers made the call. 
and Meyers fired 75,000 and Ghanem folded.
against 
. The board ran out with nothing to improve Massey and he was busted. 
, giving Keenan the queen on the flop to eliminate Nack.