Running Aces Card Club

Luke Bohnen Leads 38 Day 1B Survivors; Jeremy Dresch Looking for Title Defense

Day 1B of the MSPT Running Aces Main Event drew 192 runners, which along with Day 1A’s 166 brought the total field up to 358, ahead of the Fall event’s 344 and Spring’s 347. In fact, it was the largest turnout for the MSPT Running Aces in four years!

After 14 levels of play, just 38 players advanced from Day 1B including Luke Bohnen, who bagged the chip lead with 267,000. That is behind the 379,000 Curtis Vierstraete’s bagged on Day 1A. Bohnen, who has $7,628 in lifetime earnings, is seeking his first career MSPT score.

Another player to bag a big stack with 232,000 was two-time MSPT champ Jeremy Dresch. If you recall, Dresch is the reigning champ after topping a field of 344 entrants last September to win $83,045. Dresch, one of only five players to cash in every season of the MSPT, is seeking to become just the second player to win three MSPT titles, the other being Carl Carodenuto.

Others to bag stacks on Day 1B were Ron Olson (235,000), Rob Wazwaz (230,500), Rick Syverud (166,000), Nikki Nelson (150,000), MSPT Pro Blake Bohn (100,000), Erv Bjerga (82,500), MSPT Season 6 Player of the Year Mark Hodge (64,000), and Alan Carty (46,500).

Among those to try and fall on Saturday were former MSPT champs James Gibson, Josh Reichard, Craig Trost, and Kou Vang; reigning Minnesota Poker Player of the Year Saad Ghanem; Iowa’s Jeff Fielder; and Wisconsin’s Michael Miller.

At 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, the 26 Day 1a survivors and 38 from 1B will combine and play down to a winner. The top 36 will earn a minimum $2,178 payday, though each will have their eyes firmly affixed on the $86,440 first-place prize.

Be sure to join us then as we bring you all the latest and greatest straight from the tournament floor of the MSPT Running Aces Main Event.

End-of-Day 1B Chip Counts

Luke Bohnen 267,000
Ron Olson 235,000
Jeremy Dresch 232,000
Leo Fussy 231,500
Rob Wazwaz 230,500
Charles Wiggins 216,500
Thai Van Dinh 183,500
Rick Syverud 166,000
Nikki Nelson 150,000
Aaron Hintz 135,500
Shek Wong 121,500
James Lawrence 112,000
Chad Tagtmeir 105,000
Ryan Ellison 100,500
Blake Bohn 100,000
Tom Swanson 94,500
Mike Headland 90,000
Erv Bjerga 82,500
Kenith Cary 76,500
David Bashel 72,000
Chuck Costanzo 71,000
Mark Hodge 64,000
Jimmy Paulenko 63,000
Judd Greenagle 63,000
Jacob Coughlin 62,000
Jason Sell 57,500
Trish Hazard 57,000
Jason Bender 53,000
Rajesh Mehta 48,500
Alan Carty 46,500
Matt Andrews 46,500
Thao Thiem (Scratch) 41,000
Jon Maras 41,000
Daniel Favreau 33,000
Jesse Scholtes 31,000
Richard Larson 28,000
Andrew Johnson 24,500
Jason Hartwig 18,500

Five More Hands

The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play five more hands before bagging. Stay tuned for a list of chip counts, the Day 1B recap, and of course the Day 2 seat draw.

David Rockvam Fails to Survive the Night

Action folded to a short-stacked David Rockvam in the cutoff and he jammed for 19,000. Charlie Wiggins was in the small blind and he made the call.

Rockvam:
Wiggins:

Rockvam was hoping for an ace, but instead he rapped the table when the flop delivered Wiggins a set. The turn left Rockvam drawing dead, and he hit the rail after the meaningless was run out on the river.

Charlie Wiggins -200,000
David Rockvam - Busted

Blind vs. Blind Battle

Action folded to Jon Maras in the small blind and he raised to 7,000, which prompted Mike Headland to reraise all in for 55,600 from the big. Maras didn’t seem thrilled about it but made the call nonetheless.

Headland:
Maras:

“Come on,” said Headland, seemingly disappointed that his tournament was essentially coming down to a flip.

“Keep ‘em low,” he added after the flop came down . The dealer obliged by putting out the on the turn followed by the on the river.

Mike Headland -112,000
Jon Maras - 11,000

Big Slick Does the Trick for Nikki Nelson

Thomas Lynde opened for 6,400 from early positon, which left him around 21,000 back. Nikki Nelson, who was next to act, then three-bet to 17,000. Action folded back to Lynde and he moved all in. Nelson quickly called.

Nelson:
Lynde:

Lynde had a kicker problem and it didn’t get resolved as the board ran out .

Nikki Nelson - 150,000
Thomas Lynde - Busted

MSPT Returns to Milwaukee's Potawatomi Hotel & Casino April 1-9

The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is headed back to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From April 1-9, the venue will play host to a series of satellites that will culminate with an $1,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed Main Event.

That tournament, which will take place the weekend of April 7-9, will feature two starting flights – Day 1A and Day 1B at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 respectively. The survivors from both those flights will combine for Day 2 at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 9 and play until a champion is crowned.

“Milwaukee has proven itself to not only be one of the hottest poker destinations in the Midwest, but in the entire country,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “Between locals, players from nearby Chicago and Madison, and those comings from surrounding states, Potawatomi is consistently setting new state records for largest fields and prize pools. We’re looking forward to another big one come April.”

The final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards. In addition, the entire Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT's live blog, which can be found on msptpoker.com once the tournament begins. Simply look for the neon green button that reads "Live Updates.”

The last time the MSPT visited Potawatomi for a Main Event was back in November when Alex Aqel topped a field of 596 entrants to win a $138,385 first-place prize. Amazing, Aqel had another big score at the property just six months later when he won the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event there for $208,184.

More recently, the MSPT kicked off Season 8 at Potawatomi back in January with a $350 Regional Event, which set what was then a state record for largest poker tournament with 1,228 entries. Craig Trost came out on top in that event to take home $63,252.

In April 2016, Travis Lauson topped a field of 556 entries to win a $129,077 first-place prize in the Main Event. Before that, in September 2015, Dan Goepel topped a field of 462 entries to win a $114,117 first-place prize. Amazingly, Lauson had finished runner-up in that event!

Prior to Goepel’s win, the MSPT had visited the property two other times – in April 2015 when Jason Mirza topped a field of 635 entries to win $147,529, and in September 2014 when Jason Zarlenga became a two-time champ by emerging victorious over a 487-entry field to win $120,164.

Click here for a look at the full MSPT Potawatomi schedule.

Set in the heart of Milwaukee, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is Wisconsin’s premier entertainment destination, offering guests the best in gaming, dining and entertainment. The property features six award-winning restaurants, the intimate 500-seat Northern Lights Theater and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 381-room, 19-story hotel opened in August 2014.

It has come a long way since its opening in 1991 when the Forest County Potawatomi first opened as a 45,800-square foot bingo hall, making it the first tribal off-reservation gaming operation in the country.

Aside from gaming, Potawatomi offers seven great dining options to choose from including beautiful Italian cooking at Bella Italiana, down-home cooking at Canal Street Café, and authentic Asian cuisine and sushi bar at Ruyi.

To discover more visit www.paysbig.com.

Jason Hartwig Gets Lucky to Score Double Eliminati

Chris Meyers raised to 4,000 only to have Whitney Bell three-bet all in for 20,700. When action reached Jason Hartwig in the big blind, he four-bet all in over the top for 45,800 and Meyers snap-called off for roughly 41,000 total.

Hartwig:
Meyers:
Bell:

Meyers was way out in front with pocket rockets, but after the board ran out to give Hartwig a diamond flush, both he and Bell had no recourse but to head for the exit.

Jason Hartwig - 110,000
Christ Meyers - Busted
Whitney Bell - Busted

Jacob Coughlin Eliminates Cory Cove

We missed the elimination of Cory Cove, but we learned some details after the fact.

As it as related to us, Jacob Coughlin had opened with a raise from the hijack and Cove three-bet all in from the small blind. Coughlin made the call and was the heavy favorite.

Coughlin:
Cove:

The board ran out clean and Cove took his leave from the tournament.

Jacob Coughlin - 80,000
Cory Cove - Busted

Last Break of the Night

Players are now on their last 10-minute break of the night. When they return, they’ll play two more levels before bagging and tagging for the night.