MSPT Venetian $1,600 Main Event ($2M GTD) Day 1a | MSPT Venetian $1,600 Main Event ($2M GTD)

06-10-2021 23:28 UTC-7

Osmin "Oddie" Dardon Bags Day 1a Chip Lead of MSPT $1,600 Main Event

Dan O'Hair

Level 15 : 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Day 1a of the Mid-Stakes Poker Tour $1,600 Venetian Main Event ($2 Million GTD) has come to an end with Osmin "Oddie" Dardon of Los Angeles emerging as today’s chip leader with 618,000 in chips.

Dardon is no stranger to poker success, having already cashed for over $2 million in live tournaments, including a first-place finish in an $1,100 Venetian Deepstack Event in 2017, according to thehendonmob.com. Not far behind him is Tommy Tran with 553,000.

Day 1a attracted 314 entries and by the day’s end, just 44 remained. Some notables who bagged into Day 2 include Andrew Moreno (279,000), Faraz Jaka (307,500), Ralph Perry (222,500), Justin Young (159,000), and Denise Pratt (372,500).

Other notables who were not as fortunate include Allen Kessler, Ralph Massey, Chris Moon, Jacob Rich, and Lee Markholt.

All players who failed to bag today will have plenty of chances going forward, as the MSPT $1,600 Venetian Main Event ($2M GTD) will hold two more day 1's on Friday and Saturday.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for another full day of poker action as the MSPT Venetian $1,600 Main Event ($2M GTD) continues with Day 1b tomorrow at 11:10 a.m. local time.

06-10-2021 20:40 UTC-7

Big Slick Does The Trick For Lujan

Dan O'Hair

Level 12 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Jimmy Lujan was seen all in against a single player he had covered on a completed board of .

Lujan held for kings and fives against his opponent's and sent him to the rail.

Lujan, who got eighth place in the MSPT $1,100 Main Event a few days ago, is sitting pretty with 250,000 in chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jimmy Lujan	250,000	105,000

06-10-2021 19:56 UTC-7

Bensimhon Runs Into Aces

Dan O'Hair

Level 11 : 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

The player first-to-act opened for 3,500 and action folded to Eyal Bensimhon in the lojack position, who three-bet to 10,000. It was then folded around to the player in the big blind, who went all in for 16,500.

The original raiser folded and Bensimhon called.

Bensimhon:
Big blind:

"This is how I crack aces," Bensimhon declared.

However, the board ran out and Bensimhon was forced to double his opponent up.

Bensimhon is back down to a starting stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Eyal Bensimhon	30,000	-38,000

06-10-2021 19:48 UTC-7

MSPT Heads Back to Iowa's Riverside Casino July 23-25

Chad Holloway

Level 11 : 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Season 12 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) continues next month with the tour’s second-ever visit to Riverside Casino. PokerNews will be on-site to provide live updates.

For the second time this year, the MSPT is headed to Riverside Casino & Golf Resort in Riverside, Iowa from July 23-25 for the $1,110 buy-in, $200K GTD 2021 Iowa State Poker Championship.

A series of $70 and $260 satellites, which will begin in early July, will feed into the Main Event. That tournament will feature two starting flights starting with Day 1a at 3 p.m. local time on Friday, July 23. Day 1b will take place at the same time on Saturday, July 24, while the surviving players from both flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, July 25 to play down to a winner.

The Main Event, which will be live reported by PokerNews, will start players with 25,000 in chips and play 40-minute levels.

The MSPT first visited Riverside Casino back in March when it attracted a state record 862 entries. 27-year-old Daniel Sepiol emerged victorious in that tournament to claim a career-high score of $162,750.

"I've played a lot of these tournaments and made some deep runs but never really made runs at the final table," he said after the win. "So, it feels good."

July's edition is expected to be another large affair, so don't hesitate in making your plans today.

MSPT Riverside Schedule

Date	Time (CST)	Event	Starting Stack
Thursday, July 1	6 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Sunday, July 4	1 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Thursday, July 8	6 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Sunday, July 11	1 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Thursday, July 15	6 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Saturday, July 17	Noon	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Sunday, July 18	1 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Tuesday, July 20	1 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Tuesday, July 20	6 p.m.	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Wednesday, July 21	1 p.m.	$70 Satellite – 1/5 advance to $260 satellite	12,000
Wednesday, July 21	6 p.m.	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Thursday, July 22	Noon	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Thursday, July 22	6 p.m.	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Friday, July 23	10 a.m.	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Friday, July 23	3 p.m.	$1,110 Main Event Day 1a	25,000
Saturday, July 24	9 a.m.	$260 Satellite – 1/5 advance to Main Event	15,000
Saturday, July 24	3 p.m.	$1,110 Main Event Day 1b	25,000
Sunday, July 25	11 a.m.	$1,110 Main Event Day 2 Finale	-
Sunday, July 25	Noon	$360 Last Chance Shodwon NLHE	15,000

MSPT Riverside Hotel Rates

The fantastic Riverside Casino Hotel is offering MSPT players some great rates during this event.

Reserve online: https://www.riversidecasinoandresort.com/index.html
Call: (319) 648-1234
CODE - MSPT Poker Tournament

RATES

July 21- $99.95 + tax
July 22 - $99.95 + tax
July 23 - $129.95 + tax
July 24 - $129.95 + tax
July 25 - $99.95 + tax

For more on the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), including the upcoming schedule, a comprehensive database, player profiles, and more, visit msptpoker.com.

06-10-2021 16:57 UTC-7

Young Cruising

Dan O'Hair

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante

On a flop of , Justin Young appeared to have bet 2,200 from middle position and was check-raised to 6,500 by a lone player under-the-gun. Young called.

Both players checked on the turn and Young's opponent checked once again on the river, prompting a 10,000 bet from Young. His opponent slammed down his chips and looked distraught over the bet, but eventually flung in two 5,000-denomination chips for a call.

Young revealed for a straight and his opponent mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Justin Young	155,000

06-10-2021 14:54 UTC-7

Jaka Takes Out Smith

Dan O'Hair

Level 6 : 300/500, 500 ante

On a board of , Jerod Smith checked from the big blind to Faraz Jaka in middle position, who bet 7,500. A player in the hijack folded and Smith called.

The completed the board and Jaka went all in for about 18,000. Smith tanked, but eventually called all in for about 17,000 and Jaka showed . It was good against the of Smith and he was sent to the rail.

Smith was seen re-entering shortly after busting.

Player	Chips	Progress
Faraz Jaka	36,000	36,000
Jerod Smith	30,000	30,000

06-10-2021 13:42 UTC-7

Kessler Cracks Aces

Dan O'Hair

Level 4 : 200/300, 300 ante

A player in the hijack open limped and the cutoff, button, and small blind all followed suit. Allen Kessler checked his option in the big and the flop came . Action checked to the player in the hijack, who bet 1,100. Everyone folded but Kessler.

The turn brought the and Kessler checked, prompting an all-in bet for about 7,000 from his opponent. Kessler called and hands were revealed.

Kessler:
Hijack:

Kessler had turned the flush, and the river bricked out for his opponent — sending him to the rail and chipping Kessler up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Allen Kessler	33,000	13,000

06-10-2021 12:47 UTC-7

Moreno Trippin'

Dan O'Hair

Level 3 : 100/300, 0 ante

On a board of , Andrew Moreno had a bet of 5,000 in front of him from the big blind. It appeared that his lone opponent had raised to 13,200 on the button and Moreno called.

The completed the board and both players checked. Moreno tabled for rivered trips and his opponent mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrew Moreno	80,000	53,000

06-10-2021 10:05 UTC-7

Welcome to Day 1a of the 2021 MSPT Venetian $1,600 Buy-in $2 Million GTD Main Event

Dan O'Hair

Last week, the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) hosted an $1,100 Main Event with a guaranteed $1.5 million prize pool. By its conclusion this past Monday, that prize pool had swelled by over a million dollars, with Harlen Miller taking home the lions share after emerging victorious over a 2,790 entry field.

Starting today, the MSPT will host another main event featuring a larger $1,600 buy-in and $2 million guarantee. Unlike last week, this week’s event will only feature three starting days instead of four.

The tournament is set to begin at 11:10 a.m. local time. Players will start with 30,000 in chips and levels will last 40 minutes each, with level 1 starting at 100/100 blinds. A big blind ante will be introduced at the start of level four (200/300/300). Players will go on a 15-minute break after every three levels and a 45-minute dinner break at the end of level nine.

Late registration will be available until the end of dinner break (approximately 6:25 p.m.) and players will have the option re-enter an unlimited amount of times before then. Fifteen levels are scheduled to be played, which means action will conclude at around 10:40 p.m. The surviving players will bag and tag their chips and advance to Sunday's Day 2. Play will be nine-handed and tables no longer have dividers on them.

Stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you action from the felt throughout this prestigious MSPT event!