The Venetian

It was a long road to the finish line for Day 1d of the MSPT $1,100 Main Event 316 at the Venetian Resort, after 111 runners were whittled down to just 13, taking almost a full 17 levels to reach that number.

When chips were finally placed into bags, it was Kieran Heller sitting atop the chip counts after bagging a healthy 729,000, good enough for third overall for Day 2 so far.

Similar to Heller, Steven Lyons was another player who caught some late-night steam to end the night with an impressive 630,000 stack, while WSOP bracelet winner Mike Wilklow (509,000), Methavee Taveekitavtee (483,000), and Octavio Borra (443,000) rounded out the top five stacks of the flight.

They were joined by Minnesota’s Arlo Strozewski (270,000), Randy Shamo (251,000), Xiang Zou (224,000), Liam McDonough (231,000), and WSOP bracelet winner Michael Jukich (152,000), as each will be returning for Day 2 action.

Among those not as lucky at the felt included Ben Palmer, Kristen Deardorff, three-time bracelet winner Michael Wang, Tanner Pray, and fellow bracelet winner Brek Schutten.

All who have yet to advance will have two more starting flights to jump back into the action tomorrow, Monday, July 13^th, with Day 1e starting at 10:10 a.m. and Day 1f (turbo) starting at 6:10 p.m.

The surviving players from each flight will then return at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14^th, and will play down to a winner.

MSPT Venetian Remaining Schedule

Make sure to tune into tomorrow’s doubleheader with live updates following today’s format, as coverage for Day 1e will begin after the second break (Level 7 ~ 2:40 p.m. local time), and coverage for 1f (turbo) will follow after the first flight has completed.

Photo: Robert Bull

Robert Bull raised to 40,000 from the cutoff, leaving himself just 2,000 behind, and he had to toss it out after WSOP bracelet winner Mike Wilklow three-bet to 60,000 from the big blind.

Robert Bull:
Mike Wilklow:

Bull was ahead holding a pair of sixes, and nothing changed after the flop hit the felt.

However, the dealer quickly turned the , putting Wilklow out on front, and then followed with the on the river, ending Bull’s night on the bubble.

Mike Wilklow - 509,000
Robert Bull - 0

So far, 39 players have punched their tickets into Day 2, and another group of 13 hopefuls will look to add their names to that list tonight.

All who make it through to the end of play will return Tuesday, July 14^th, at 2:00 p.m. for Day 2, and the remaining players from all starting flights will combine and play until a winner is declared.

After the elimination of Derek Wang, only 14 players remain, meaning the hand-for-hand process has started, as only 13 of them will be making Day 2.

Photo: Alan Nacinovic

Alan Nacinovic had his remaining chip stack in the middle from the big blind, and Liam McDonough from the hijack called.

Alan Nacinovic:
Liam McDonough:

Nacinovic was behind holding a live suited hand, but the flop didn’t change much.

The dealer then turned the , keeping things interesting, but the completed the board on the river, ending Nacinovic’s night.

Liam McDonough - 210,000
Alan Nacinovic - 0

: Ameristar Casino East Chicago, IN

: August 25-30, 2026

: Indiana Poker State Championship

: $1,110 Main Event / $300,000 GTD
$3,500 MSPT CHAMPIONSHIP SEAT ADDED TO MAIN EVENT 1ST PLACE

: 11 Gold Card Tournaments

: https://msptpoker.com/.../reserve-today-for-the-mspt...

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.aspx?eventID=733

Photo: Jeff Lutes

There was all-in action preflop between Kiernan Heller from the button and Jeff Lutes from the big blind, with Lutes holding the effective stack.

Jeff Lutes:
Kiernan Heller:

Lutes was at risk holding two live cards, but he bricked the runout, ending his night.

Kiernan Heller - 477,000
Jeff Lutes - 0

Playing Day 1d of the MSPT Season 17 $1,100 Main Event at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas?

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Click here to browse our Photo Gallery tab and see if you can find their photo, courtesy of the event photographer, German Marin.