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Awarded to date

The Venetian

June 3 - 8, 2018

 
  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Iaron Lightbourne Leads Final 39 Players in MSPT Venetian; Who Will Walk Away with $548,341 Top Prize?
Created 6/8/2018 2:46:06 AM CST by Admin System

The $1,100 buy-in, $3.5 million guarantee MSPT Venetian Main Event attracted 4,411 runners (477 on 1A, 750 1B, 1,312 1C and 1,872 1D), over four flights, which made it the largest poker tournament in both MSPT and Venetian history.

On Thursday, 647 players (63 from 1A, 105 1B, 175 1C, and 306 1D – minus some best stacks forward) returned for Day 2 action but after 14 levels of play the field was whittled down to the final 39. Leading the way with 7,330,000 is Iaron Lightbourne, who won the biggest pot of the night in the closing minutes of the evening.

Lightbourne, who has nearly $1.4 million in lifetime earnings including a career-high $308,766 for winning the 2015 WPT Nottingham, is seeking his second MSPT cash after finishing 17th in this very event back in Season 5. Of course, back then there were only 854 runners in the field.

The only other players over the 4-million mark are Young Eum (4,770,000), Dustin Goff (4,750,000), and Jonatan Simchon (4,430,000).

Others still in contention for the $548,341 first-place prize are Michael Del Vecchio (3,230,000), James Rodriguez (2,975,000), Owen Crowe (2,200,000), Eric Maier (1,960,000), Sammy Aweida (1,640,000), Joe Elpayaa (1,390,000), Nick Pupillo (1065,000), and the short-stacked Rob Maier (710,000).

With only 450 slated to get paid, nearly 200 players left Hall G of the empty handed including last year’s fourth-place finisher Jake Balsiger, MSPT Potawatomi champ Alex Aqel, inaugural MSPT Venetian champ Drake Bronk, and WSOP bracelet winner Nick Jivkov.

One the bubble burst – Maurice Hawkins, Keven Stammen and Rich Dixon all fell at the same time to split some prize money – the eliminations came fast and furious. Among the hundreds to cash were MSPT Season 7 FireKeepers champ Aaron Massey (83rd - $6,795), 2017 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Champ Richard Bai (108th - $5,505), MSPT Season 5 Running Aces champ Mark Sandness (115th - $5,505), Minnesota’s all-time money leader Blake Bohn (139th - $5,505), MSPT Season 4 Player of the Year Pat Steele (202nd - $4,215), Kimo Sabe Mezcal MSPT Season 8 Player of the Year Chris Meyers (236th - $3,612).

Day 3 will kick off at Noon local time on Friday and play down to a winner. Not only will we capture the action here in the live updates, for the first time ever we will be live streaming the action on our RFID table complete with hole cards and commentary.

  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Day 3 Seat Draw
Created 6/8/2018 2:44:42 AM CST by Admin System
48 1 Ken Rawlinson - Riverside, RI 890,000
48 2 William Cascioli - Pembroke Pines, FL 2,440,000
48 3 Shane Martin - Chicago, IL 2,150,000
48 4 Nicholas Pupillo - Addison, IL 1,065,000
48 5 Luong Trinh - Katy, TX 2,350,000
48 6 Jonatan Simchon - Israel 4,430,000
48 7 Steven Sarmiento - Queens, NY 1,615,000
48 8 Derek Wolters - Las Vegas, NV 2,230,000
49 1 Young Eum - Los Angeles, CA 4,770,000
49 2 Alexander Zeligman - London, UK 1,280,000
49 3 Felipe Davila - Lima 950,000
49 4 Scott Massimiano - Scottsdale, AZ 2,950,000
49 5 Eric Maier - Littleton, CO 1,960,000
49 6 Emil Gramatikov - Bulgaria 1,816,000
49 7 Gregory Yeager - Sabina, OH 2,455,000
49 8 Ivan Galinec - Osijek, Croatia 1,725,000
50 1 Owen Crowe 2,200,000
50 2 Jesus Cabrera - Atlanta, GA 2,105,000
50 3 Frank Williams Kansas City, MO 1,440,000
50 4 Sonny Franco - Morroco 2,505,000
50 5 Ivan Uzunov - Plovdiv, Bulgary 1,675,000
50 6 Eiji Matsumura - Tokyo 1,505,000
50 7 Michael Del Vecchio - Las Vegas, NV 3,230,000
50 8 Curtis Daye - Miami, FL 2,335,000
51 1 Joseph Elpayaa - Forrest Park, IL 1,390,000
51 2 Matthew Hunt Las Vegas, NV 2,765,000
51 3 William Pan - Frisco, TX 2,325,000
51 4 Osama Aweida - Broomfield, CO 1,640,000
51 5 David Levine - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 1,995,000
51 6 Lou Garza - San Antonio, TX 2,750,000
51 7 Phong Nguyen - Briston, VA 850,000
51 8 Iaron Lightbourne - United Kingdom 7,330,000
52 1 Robert Mead - Pataskala, OH 1,140,000
52 2 James Rodriguez - Denver, CO 2,975,000
52 3 Seth Kugler - Tenafly, NJ 960,000
52 4 Dustin Goff - Las Vegas, NV 4,750,000
52 5 Tyreem Williams - Philadelphia, PA 3,120,000
52 6 Rob Maier - Little Canada, MN 710,000
52 7 Ira Friedman - Woodland Hills, CA 1,695,000
  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
End-of-Day 2 Chip Counts
Created 6/8/2018 2:44:05 AM CST by Admin System
Iaron Lightbourne - United Kingdom 7,330,000
Young Eum - Los Angeles, CA 4,770,000
Dustin Goff - Las Vegas, NV 4,750,000
Jonatan Simchon - Israel 4,430,000
Michael Del Vecchio - Las Vegas, NV 3,230,000
Tyreem Williams - Philadelphia, PA 3,120,000
James Rodriguez - Denver, CO 2,975,000
Scott Massimiano - Scottsdale, AZ 2,950,000
Matthew Hunt Las Vegas, NV 2,765,000
Lou Garza - San Antonio, TX 2,750,000
Sonny Franco - Morroco 2,505,000
Gregory Yeager - Sabina, OH 2,455,000
William Cascioli - Pembroke Pines, FL 2,440,000
Luong Trinh - Katy, TX 2,350,000
Curtis Daye - Miami, FL 2,335,000
William Pan - Frisco, TX 2,325,000
Derek Wolters - Las Vegas, NV 2,230,000
Owen Crowe 2,200,000
Shane Martin - Chicago, IL 2,150,000
Jesus Cabrera - Atlanta, GA 2,105,000
David Levine - Rancho Cucamonga, CA 1,995,000
Eric Maier - Littleton, CO 1,960,000
Emil Gramatikov - Bulgaria 1,816,000
Ivan Galinec - Osijek, Croatia 1,725,000
Ira Friedman - Woodland Hills, CA 1,695,000
Ivan Uzunov - Plovdiv, Bulgary 1,675,000
Osama Aweida - Broomfield, CO 1,640,000
Steven Sarmiento - Queens, NY 1,615,000
Eiji Matsumura - Tokyo 1,505,000
Frank Williams Kansas City, MO 1,440,000
Joseph Elpayaa - Forrest Park, IL 1,390,000
Alexander Zeligman - London, UK 1,280,000
Robert Mead - Pataskala, OH 1,140,000
Nicholas Pupillo - Addison, IL 1,065,000
Seth Kugler - Tenafly, NJ 960,000
Felipe Davila - Lima 950,000
Ken Rawlinson - Riverside, RI 890,000
Phong Nguyen - Briston, VA 850,000
Rob Maier - Little Canada, MN 710,000
  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Four More Hands
Created 6/8/2018 2:18:34 AM CST by Admin System

The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play three more hands before bagging and tagging on Day 2. Stay tuned for a list of chip counts as well as a recap of the day’s action.

  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Iaron Lightbourne Vaults Into Chip Lead in Biggest Pot of Tournament
Created 6/8/2018 2:16:31 AM CST by Admin System

A massive hand just went down here in the closing minutes of Day 2.

The preflop action escaped us but we do know it resulted in a three-way all-in pot worth around eight million. Punal Patel (pictured left) was in for roughly 1.3 million, Iaron Lightbourne (middle) for 2.78 million, and Frank Williams (right) had them both covered.

Lightbourne:
Patel:
Williams:

Williams had the best of it but not when the flop paired Lightbourne. Neither the turn nor river changed a thing and Lightbourne scooped both pots, which vaulted him into the chip lead and sent Patel to the rail.

Iaron Lightbourne - 8,000,000 (100 bb)
Frank Williams - 720,000 (9 bb)
Punal Patel - Eliminated

  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Dustin Goff Gets The Late Night Double
Created 6/8/2018 2:11:14 AM CST by Admin System
Dustin Goff

We found Dustin Goff raking in a mountain of chips, and Nick Pupillo was kind enough to tell us how Goff was able to bink a double.

Pupillo opened to 160,000 from the lojack, and Jamie OConnor three-bet to 1.1 million in the cutoff. Goff four-bet jammed to 2.08 million from the small blind, and after Pupillo folded, OConnor called.

Goff:
OConnor:

Goff’s rockets held on a runout and he shipped the big double.

Dustin Goff - 4.4 million (55 bb)
Jamie OConnor - 550,000 (7 bb)

  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Eugene Duplessis Falls to Shane Martin
Created 6/8/2018 2:03:36 AM CST by Admin System
Eugene Duplessis

Eugene Duplessis moved all in for 950,000 and Shane Martin called.

Martin:
Duplessiss:

“You’ll get a sweat,” Martin assured his opponent. Indeed, the flop gave Duplessiss the lead with a pair of threes.

Unfortunately for him, the running turn and river put four spades on the board and Martin won it with a flush.

Shane Martin - 2,100,000 (26 bb)
Eugene Duplessis - Eliminated

  • Level: 29
  • Blinds: 40000 / 80000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Derek Wolters With The River Bomb
Created 6/8/2018 2:00:18 AM CST by Admin System
Derek Wolters

Matthew Hunt raised to 205,000 from the cutoff, and was three-bet to 615,000 by Derek Wolters on the button. Hunt made the call.

Hunt led out for 435,000 on a flop, and Wolters called after some thought.

The two players both tank-checked a turn, and Hunt checked the river as well. After some thought, Wolters bet 1.5 million, and Hunt didn’t take long to muck his hand.

Derek Wolters - 5 million (62.5 bb)
Matthew Hunt - 2.8 million (35 bb)

  • Level: 28
  • Blinds: 30000 / 60000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Ivan Uzunov Doubles Through David Levine
Created 6/8/2018 1:47:13 AM CST by Admin System
David Levine
Ivan Uzunov

Alexander Zeligman opened for 125,000 from middle position and David Levine, who was next to act, moved all in. Ivan Uzunov then called off from the big blind for 965,000 and Zeligman got out of the way.

Levine:
Uzunov:

Uzunov had the best of it and held when the board ran out .

Ivan Uzunov - 2,200,000 (37 bb)
David Levine - 500,000 (8 bb)

  • Level: 28
  • Blinds: 30000 / 60000
  • Ante: 10000
 
 
Tyreem Williams Wins A Huge Flip Against Dustin Goff
Created 6/8/2018 1:44:27 AM CST by Admin System
Dustin Goff
Tyreem Williams

Dustin Goff raised to 125,000 from UTG, and Tyreem Williams three-bet to 300,000 from the lojack. Action folded back to Goff, who snap-jammed for 1.54 million effective, and Williams called after a moment of thought.

Goff:
Williams:

“Classic flip!” Goff said, but just like his last flip we caught, Goff was on the wrong side of the coin, as the flop surged Williams into a lead he wouldn’t surrender on a turn and river.

Tyreem Williams - 3.2 million (53 bb)
Dustin Goff - 2.5 million (42 bb)

 
 
LEVEL INFO
Level
29
Blinds
40000 / 80000
Ante
10000
TOURNAMENT INFO
Entries
4411
Players Remaining
39
Average Chip Stack
2,262,051
Total Chips
88,220,000
TOP 10 CHIP COUNT
RANK
PLAYER
CHIPS
1 
Iaron Lightbourne
7,330,000
2 
Young Eum
4,770,000
3 
Dustin Goff
4,750,000
4 
Jonatan Simchon
4,430,000
5 
Michael Del Vecchio
3,230,000
6 
Tyreem Williams
3,120,000
7 
James Rodriguez
2,975,000
8 
Scott Massimiano
2,950,000
9 
Matthew Hunt
2,765,000
10 
Lou Garza
2,750,000
SEASON TOP 10 POY POINTS
RANK
PLAYER
POINTS
1 
Anthony Scarborough
3,892
2 
Ryan Eamon
3,700
3 
Umut Ozturk
3,367
4 
Carl Carodenuto
3,000
5 
Jacob Long
2,966
6 
DJ Buckley
2,958
7 
Timothy Thorp
2,542
8 
Clint Wolcyn
2,433
9 
Corey Wick
2,400
10 
Harrison Genson
2,300