Meskwaki Casino

Day 1B of the MSPT Meskwaki Main Event drew 241 runners, which along with 1A’s 168 brought the total field up to 409 entries. That means the top 45 players will get paid a minimum of $2,174 with the eventual champ taking home $86,494.

After 15 levels of play on Day 1B, 34 were able to secure a bag to Day 2. Leading the way with a stack of 399,500 is Shane Battani, which is behind the 483,500 bagged by Day 1A chip leader Jason Bender. Battani will be looking for his first MSPT cash.

Other big bags include Season 7 MSPT Iowa State Poker champ Hao “John” Sun (333,000), two-time WSOP Circuit Ring winner Nick Pupillo (306,500), Stephen Lewis (288,500), and Jim Lawrence (246,500).

Other players who managed a Day 2 bag include Marquez Davis (237,000), Ryan Hartmann (178,000), Joe Barnard (176,000), former Season 2 MSPT Northern Lights champ Tom Stambaugh (168,500), Kevin Berthelsen (154,000), Sam DeSilva (147,000), Season 10 MSPT Grand Falls Regional champ Eric Atchison (136,500), Nghia “3-Putts” Le (108,000), Season 9 MSPT Canterbury Park champ Rob Wazwaz (98,000), DJ Buckley (80,500), Season 8 MSPT Grand Falls champ Ahmed Taleb (52,000), and Season 9 MSPT POY Aaron Johnson (50,500).

Not everyone was fortunate enough to navigate the day, and among those to fall on Day 1B were three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto, MSPT Hall of Famer Rich Alsup, former MSPT Iowa State Poker champ Carter Myers, #MSPT100 champ Jason Ramos, former MSPT champs Ben Wiora, Erv Bjerga, Jon Kim, and Joe Matheson, MSPT Regional champs Saad Ghanem and Craig Trost, Josh and Brett Reichard, former MNPokerMag POY Todd Melander, Ian Matakis and Ron McMillen.

Day 2 will get underway at 11 AM local time on Sunday with 59 players (25 from 1A, 34 from 1B) returning to action. You can follow the updates here until a winner is crowned. Additionally, the final table will be live streamed worldwide with hole cards.

Players will play two more hands before bagging and tagging for the night. Stay tuned for a full recap of all the action.

Michael Cooper raised to 10,000 from UTG+1, and was called by Rob Wazwaz in the cutoff, Chris Nuthak in the small blind, and Tim Garles in the big blind.

“Check in the dark!” Nuthak said before the flop fell, and everyone else checked behind.

The fell on the turn, and all four players checked again.

The completed the board on the river, and once again, all four players checked. Nuthak tabled , and Cooper turned over . Wazwaz and Garles both mucked, and the table uttered a few words of astonishment over Cooper’s hand somehow holding up.

Michael Cooper - 120,000 (30 bb)

Shane Battani raised to 8,000 from UTG, then snapped off a three-bet shove for 28,500 from Ken Felten in the small blind.

Battani:
Felten:

Felten pulled ahead when the flop provided him with a pair of aces, and he improved to aces-full on the turn and river to secure the double.

Shane Battani - 240,000 (80 bb)
Ken Felten - 63,000 (21 bb)

Kevin Berthelsen limped in from the button, as did James Pupillo in the small blind. Cliff Koltzenburg checked his option in the big blind, and the trio saw an flop together.

Pupillo checked, and Koltzenburg bet 6,000. Berthelsen raised to 25,000, and after Pupillo folded, Koltzenburg thought for a moment before tossing face-up into the muck. Berthelsen didn’t show as he raked in the pot.

Kevin Berthelsen - 125,000 (42 bb)
Cliff Koltzenburg - 120,000 (40 bb)

Ahmed Taleb raised to 8,000 from UTG+1, and found a lone caller in the big blind.

Both players checked the flop, and the big blind led out for 12,000 on the turn. Taleb called.

The hit the river, and the big blind bet 26,000. Taleb quickly jammed for 38,000 total, and the big blind folded.

Ahmed Taleb - 108,500 (36 bb)

John Sun raised to 6,000 from UTG+1, and James Pupillo, Nick Pupillo’s brother, three-bet to 18,000 from the hijack. Action folded back to Sun, who tossed in a call while saying, “Let’s do it!”

Sun checked the flop over to Pupillo, who bet 12,000. Sun called.

Both players checked the turn and river, and Sun rolled over . That was no good, however, as Pupillo tabled for a pair of queens and the winner.

James Pupillo - 180,000 (72 bb)
John Sun - 145,000 (58 bb)

Eric Atchison (pictured, right) raised to 7,000 from UTG, and Nick Pupillo (pictured, left) three-bet to 23,000 from the big blind. Atchison tanked for a bit, then made the call.

Pupillo led for 20,000 on the flop, and Atchison called.

Both players checked the on the turn, and Pupillo jammed for 55,000 on the river. Atchison flicked in a chip to call, but mucked upon being shown the from Pupillo.

Nick Pupillo - 200,000 (80 bb)
Eric Atchison - 130,000 (52 bb)

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