Bally's Black Hawk Casino

Day 1c was the final starting flight of the MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship at Bally’s Casino, and attracted a final 344 runners, which, along with 1a's 173 and 1b’s 240, brought the total field up to 757 entries, shattering the $500k guarantee.

The impressive field generated a $732,790 prize pool, paying out a minimum of $2,029, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $144,935 first-place prize, along with the MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship!

At the end of the third and final flight, just 38 players bagged and tagged, with Tan Hoang found himself at the top of the chip counts for the final flight, bagging 685,000, good enough for the second overall stack heading into Day 2.

Luke Wasikowski (587,000), Christopher Haydt (545,000), Sergio Martinez (529,000), and Stefan Berkower (508,000) found themselves a part of the 500k club as they rounded out the top stacks of the final flight.

Others who survived the third and final flight included Graham Griffin (448,000), MSPT Champ Steve Wilkie (286,000), DJ Buckley (227,000), Barb Visher (215,000), Sammy Aweida (195,000), and January’s Main Event Champion Vinny Moscati (124,000).

Among those to try and fall on Day 1c included Gabe Neighbors, WSOP bracelet winner Craig Varnell, Jon McCray, Jason Vanstrom, Daniel Brewer, and last January’s Champ Faraz Jaka, just to name a few.

The surviving players from all three flights – of which there are 85 (20 from Day 1a, 27 from 1b, and 38 from 1c) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, August 2^nd, to play down to a winner.

The MSPT live reporting crew will be on the floor throughout the remainder of the tournament to provide updates, so keep it here to catch the action!

MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship Schedule

Chris Quackenbush raised all-in for 53,000 from the cutoff, and Barb Visher looked him up from the small blind.

Chris Quackenbush:
Barb Visher:

Quackenbush was behind holding a live suited hand, and connected with the flop to take the lead.

The turn kept Quackenbush in the lead, and just as he was looking good to score a double, the dealer dropped the on the river, ending his night on the bubble.

Barb Visher - 215,000
Chris Quackenbush - Eliminated

Kelly Mahana was set up by Sergio Martinez, leaving 39 players remaining, meaning the hand-for-hand process has now begun, as only 38 of them will be making tomorrow’s Day 2.

Our MSPT GOAT Leaderboard tracks those who have amassed the most points ALL TIME (vs World Ranking = last 50 Main Events only, with a weighted multiplier favoring more recent)

Josh Reichard took over the #1 spot this season, surpassing Rob WazWaz, who had held it down since nearly the inception!

Full Leaderboard

Photo: Tan Hoang

There was all-in action on a board between Tan Hoangfrom middle position and Mykel Robble from the hijack, with Pham holding 266,000 effective.

Tan Hoang:
Mykel Robble:

Hoang was ahead holding the nuts, and the river secured him the late-night double.

Tan Hoang - 627,000
Mykel Robble - 84,000

: Ameristar Casino St. Charles - St. Charles, MO

: September 1-7, 2026

: Ameristar Poker Open

: $1,110 Main Event / $300K GTD
$3,500 MSPT CHAMPIONSHIP SEAT ADDED TO MAIN EVENT 1ST PLACE

: 13 Gold Card Tournaments

: https://msptpoker.com/.../book-today-for-the-mspt...

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.ashx?eventID=734

Photo: Francis Gallegos

Francis Gallegos tossed out his last 37,000 from the cutoff, and Tan Hoang looked him up from the small blind.

Francis Gallegos:
Tan Hoang:

It was a flip, with Gallegos calling the wrong side as the runout ended his Main Event.

Tan Hoang - 250,000
Francis Gallegos - Eliminated