Canterbury Park

Day 1A of the latest MSPT Canterbury Park attracted 112 entries, but by the end of the night just 14 remained with MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup and his stack of 320,500 leading the way.

Others to bag big stacks were two-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn (248,500), Brett Hansen Begg (241,500), 2017 Fall Poker Classic Main Event champ Dennis Stevermer (222,000), and Yevgeniy Minakrin (178,500), who round out the top five.

They were joined by the likes of Tyler Caspers (149,500), Dan “DQ” Hendrickson (99,500), and the short-stacked Victor Hoffman (66,000). Action ended on Day 1A with 8:50 left on the clock in Level 15.

Among those to try and fall on Day 1A were Alex Winter, 2017 MN Poker Mag POY Todd Melander, Tom Hammers, Matt Alexander, 3-Putts, and World Series of Poker bracelet winner John Reading. Likewise, former MSPT champs Ahmed Taleb, Ben Marsh, Mark Sandness, and Mark Wadekamper, Jason Sell, and defending champ Rob Wazwaz all hit the rail.

Two more flights remain for the MSPT Canterbury Park starting with 1B at Noon local time on Friday. 1C will take place at the same time on Saturday. Late registration will remain open until 9:10 p.m. both nights. The surviving players from all flights will then return at 11 a.m. on Sunday to play down to a winner.

Also, on Friday there will be a $250 TURBO satellite at 9:00 a.m. That satty features 15-minute levels with 20% advancing to the Main Event.

Brett Hansen Begg raised to 12,000 from the lojack, and Blake Bohn, who freerolled Hansen Begg into this tournament, called from the hijack, as did Rick Rothausen on the button.

All three players checked through the flop, and Hansen Begg bet 18,000 on the turn. Bohn called and Rothausen folded.

The fell on the river, and Hansen Begg fired 27,000. Bohn didn’t take long to slam calling chips in the pot.

“Nice hand,” Hansen Begg said before rolling over for just ace-high. Bohn tabled for queens and eights and the winner.

Brett Hansen Begg - 300,000 (100 bb)
Blake Bohn - 210,000 (70 bb)

Zeph Baer (pictured left) raised to 6,000 from the hijack and Rich Alsup (right), the MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year, three-bet all in for 88,200 from the cutoff. Action folded back to Baer and he called.

Alsup:
Baer:

It was a flip and Alsup was just looking to hold to stay alive. That’s just what he did too when the board ran out a lowly .

Rich Alsup - 180,000 (60 bb)
Zeph Baer - 32,000 (11 bb)

Jesse Rockowitz raised to 6,300 from UTG, and Jodene Jensen three-bet to 15,000 from UTG+1. Brett Hansen Begg cold called in the lojack, and Rockowitz came along as well.

Rockowitz checked the flop over to Jensen, who fired 15,000. Hansen Begg raised to 45,000, and Rockowitz pushed for his last 130,000. Jensen folded, but Hansen Begg made the call.

Rockowitz:
Hansen Begg:

Rockowitz was in front with his trip jacks, but Hansen Begg binked a king on the turn to take a hammerlock on the hand, leaving Rockowitz with a single out to double. The wasn’t it, however, and Rockowitz was left with a bad beat story to tell, while Hansen Begg, who just this morning chopped a $35 tournament here at Canterbury Park, now sits with the chip lead going late into Day 1A of the $1,100 MSPT Canterbury Park.

Brett Hansen Begg - 330,000 (110 bb)
Jesse Rockowitz - Busted

Yevgeniy Minakrin raised to 6,500 from the lojack, and Aaron Johnson three-bet shoved for 22,400 from the hijack. Tyler Caspers four-bet shoved for 78,500 from the small blind, and Minakrin called to put both players at risk.

Minakrin:
Johnson:
Caspers:

Caspers stayed ahead with his jacks on the flop, and the turn meant he was looking to fade a king, queen or ace to score a knockout of the Kimo Sabe Mezcal POY Race leader in Johnson, but Johnson was able to find his three-outer on the river, giving him a triple, while Caspers secured the healthy side pot.

Yevgeniy Minakrin - 180,000 (75 bb)
Tyler Caspers - 112,200 (47 bb)
Aaron Johnson - 73,600 (31 bb)

Jesse Rockowitz (pictured left) opened for 6,000 on the button and MSPT Season 5 Ho-Chunk champ Jason Sell (right) three-bet all in for around 25,000 from the small blind. Rockowitz quickly called and the hands were turned up.

Rockowitz:
Sell:

The flop paired Rockowitz and Sell was left drawing dead on the turn. The was run out on the river and Sell wished the table luck before heading for the exit.

Jesse Rockowitz - 135,000 (56 bb)
Jason Sell - Busted

Rich Alsup raised to 6,000 from the lojack and was called by Aaron Johnson in the cutoff. Brandon Kelzenberg three-bet jammed for 66,500 from the small blind, and Alsup called, while Johnson folded.

Alsup:
Kelzenberg:

Kelzenberg survived on a board and doubled up.

Brandon Kelzenberg - 145,000 (60 bb)
Rich Alsup - 62,000 (26 bb)

For the third and final time in Season 9, the MSPT is headed to Meskwaki Casino in Tama, Iowa. From October 27 through November 4, a series of satellites will feed into the 21^st MSPT Main Event ever held at the venue.

The $1,100 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed Main Event will run the weekend of November 2-4.

Click here for a look at the full schedule.

Information on Hotel Rates as low as $49/night here.

Back in March, the first MSPT Meskwaki of Season 9 drew 414 entries and saw Nathan Trenkamp, who qualified via a $250 satellite, walk away with an $88,018 first-place prize. Then, in July, Minnesota’s Brian Soja bested a 455-entry field to win the 2018 MSPT Iowa State Poker Championship. In the same event last year, Max Havlish prevailed over 424 entrants to win the tournament for $90,152.

Located in Tama, Iowa — between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids on Highway 30 — Meskwaki Casino, which was constructed in 1992, features a huge bingo hall, nine different types of table games, off-track betting, active craps tables, more than 1,350 slots, good blackjack games, horse book, indoor pool, exercise room, spa, and 404 hotel rooms.

In the last hand of Level 13, Victor Hoffman raised to 4,800 under the gun and Jericka Duncan called from the cutoff. Aaron Johnson came along from the big blind and three players went to the flop.

All three players checked and the dealer burned and turned the .

Johnson led out for 7,500 and Hoffman paused for a few beats before shoving in his entire stack aside from 1,800 he left behind. Duncan got out of the way and Johnson thought for over a minute before letting go of his hand.

Victor Hoffman - 60,000 (30 bb)
Aaron Johnson - 32,000 (16 bb)