The Venetian

Pantaleo Leads The Final Day Of The $1,600 MSPT Venetian Main Event

The second day of registration has come and passed and the turnout ended up being 151 for the day. This brings the total number of players up to 238 and will leave the final 17 from today, joining the final 10 from yesterday. Each one of them secured a minimum of $3,469, with all eyes on the first place prize of $73,019 as well as the title of MSPT champion.

Leading the way is Giuseppe Pantaleo, who bagged 958,000. The German born player has amassed $1,772,384 over his career and has one prior MSPT cash. Most of his chips came from a massive clash between him and Bin Weng where his queens held up against Bin Weng’s six-five, in a pot worth over 150 big blinds. With the biggest stack in the tournament so far, he looks to turn his stack into his first MSPT win.

Adam Walton (556,000) and Nicholas Pupillo (506,000) round out the podium, both of whom have plenty of MSPT experience as well as with each other. In the summer iteration of the $1,100 Main Event, Walton finished in third place and Pupillo in second. They went on to have successful summers where Pupillo won his first WSOP bracelet and Walton final tabled the WSOP 2023 Main Event. Each one will be looking for another chance at their first MSPT title. Others who bagged included MSPT regulars Francis Anderson (304,000), Brendan Shiller (200,000), Mike Lang (183,000), Nick Marchington (124,000), and Qing Liu (112,000).

Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts

Not all were as fortunate. Yesterday’s MSPT $1,100 Main Event champion Eric Baldwin found himself falling as the day progressed. MSPT hall of famer Umut Ozturk also couldn’t find a bag as the night wound down. MSPT all time cash leader DJ Buckley joined the likes of Rodger Johnson, John Morgan, Christina “BabyShark” Gollins, Kathy Liebert and 2013 Main Event Champion Ryan Riess on the rail. Their quests for an MSPT championship (or in Johnson’s case a second) will have to wait until the next stop.

Play ended with 24 minutes left in Level 15 on Day 1a with blinds at 3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante. This flight ran later than the prior flight meaning that players will return to this level on Day 2.

Stay tuned to MSPTPoker.com for all updates regarding The MSPT Venetian

End Of Day Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Giuseppe Pantaleo	958,000	978,000
Adam Walton	556,000	403,000
Nicholas Pupillo	506,000	124,000
Stephen Sola	394,000	394,000
Sergey Kislinskii	354,000	354,000
Kenny Deffrasnes	306,000	306,000
Francis Anderson	304,000	307,000
Zlatin Penev	262,000	262,000
Brendan Shiller	200,000	301,000
Mike Lang	183,000	79,000
Sergio Fernandez	150,000	150,000
Nick Marchington	124,000	83,000
Qing Liu	112,000	61,000
Mitchell Halverson	56,000	56,000
Timothy Chang	33,000	33,000
Karapet Galstyan	30,000	30,000
Cody Raymond	20,000	20,000

Sola Sends One Out On The Bubble

Action was picked up on the turn in a pot between Stephen Sola and another player with cards on their backs.

The board read and Sola had put his opponent all in for his last 79,000 which his opponent called.

Opponent:
Stephen Sola:

The river changed nothing leaving Sola’s nut straight as the best hand against his opponent’s straight.

Stay tuned for full chip counts and an end of day recap.

Stephen Sola - 394,000

Walton Takes From Raymond With Quads

Action was picked up in a pot between Kenny Deffranses in the small blind, Adam Walton in the big blind, and Cody Raymond in middle position.

The flop of saw actino check around to Raymond who bet 11,000 which saw Deffranses fold and Walton raised to 26,000 which Raymond called.

On the turn, Walton bet 26,000 whcih Raymond called.

Walton sized up on the river to 85,000 and Raymond went into the tank. After some thought he called and mucked when Walton showed for quad queens.

Adam Walton - 501,000
Cody Raymond - 36,000

Walton Cracks Romero's Kings; Hand For Hand

Kenny Deffranses raised to 12,000 from the hijack which saw Adam Walton flat in the cutoff while James Romero three bet all in for 21,000 from the button which saw Nicholas Pupillo call in the small blind and Deffranses call. Walton moved all in for 311,000 which saw both Pupillo and Deffranses fold.

James Romero:
Adam Walton:

The board ran out and the ace-king cracked Romero’s kings to send the 2023 MSPT Poker Bowl champion out of the tournament.

The tournament has now progressed to hand for hand play.

Adam Walton - 419,000
James Romero - Eliminated

Pantaleo Knocks Out Weng In The Biggest Pot of The Tournament

Bin Weng raised to 11,000 in the hijack and on the button, Giuseppe Pantaleo three bet to 33,000, which saw action fold back to Weng who four bet to 87,000. Pantaleo five-bet to 150,000, which saw Weng move all in for 410,000 which Pantaleo called.

“Oh no,” lamented Weng “I have five-six off.”

Bin Weng:
Giuseppe Pantaleo:

The flop of left Weng’s outs slim and the turn left Weng drawing dead before the river. Pantaleo took down the biggest pot of the night, while Weng exited the tournament.

Giuseppe Pantaleo - 978,000
Bin Weng - Eliminated

Pupillo's Turn With Aces

Adam Walton raised to 10,000 in the hijack which saw Nicholas Pupillo three bet to 30,000 on the button. In the small blind, Qing Liu moved all in which saw Walton fold and Pupillo snap called for 116,000 total.

Nicholas Pupillo:
Qing Liu:

The board ran out and the aces held up for Pupillo to double late in the night while Liu was left short.

Nicholas Pupillo - 252,000
Qing Liu - 39,000

A Clash of Illinois Poker Royalty

After a pot was opened up, Nicholas Pupillo three bet to 40,000 on the button. In the big blind, Brendan Shiller moved all in for 54,000 total and Pupillo rolled his eyes when action got back to him and called.

Brendan Shiller:
Nicholas Pupillo:

The flop of left few roads for Pupillo to win and the turn locked the pot up for Shiller before the river came out. Shiller raked in the pot from Pupillo as the two players originally from Illinois went back to their playing.

Nicholas Pupillo - 142,000
Brendan Shiller - 124,000

More Late Night Casualties

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Joseph Cheong	0	59,000
Patrick Leonard	0	64,000
Kathy Liebert	0	61,000
Uri Reichenstein	0	126,000
Lee Rzentkowski	0	63,000
Jack Salter	0	68,000
Shannon Shorr	0	25,000
Jeffery Viergutz	0	30,000

"This is Your Room"

Qing Liu raised to 12,000 in the small blind and the player in the big blind moved all in for 61,000 which Liu quickly called.

Big Blind:
Qing Liu:

The flop of kept Liu in the lead and the turn locked up the hand for Liu which saw yesterday’s runner up rake in the pot.

“This really is your room,” tablemate Brendan Shiller mentioned, referring to Liu’s success in this poker room.

Qing Liu - 145,000