The Venetian

A full day of action occurred during Day 1b of the MSPT $1,600 Heart Poker Championship at the Venetian Resort, with the hard stop being reached in Level 15, where there’s 38:20 remaining.

The second of three flights drew 146 runners, bringing the two-day total to 214 thus far with two flights remaining.

Of those 146 entries, just 17 players remained when pens went to slips, and it was WSOP bracelet winner Joe Serock, who got close to the milly mark by bagging a whopping 923,000, which is good enough for the overall chip lead so far.

Following behind Serock was Aaron Messmer, who ended the night putting 547,000 in his bag as he and Kelly Gall (518,000) were the only others to top the 500k mark, while Matt Davenport (481,000) and MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang (410,000) rounded out the top five stacks.

Others who will be joining the aforementioned five include fellow bracelet winner’s Stephen Song (406,000) & Will Givens (365,000), Ben Palmer (311,000), Jessica Shu (171,000), and three-time bracelet winner James Collopy (164,000), as they are just a few more of the players to add their names to the Day 2 roster along with the eight to have already advanced from Day 1a.

Among those not as lucky at the felt included WSOP bracelet winner Jared Jaffee, Kristen Doyle, Victoria Livschitz, two-time bracelet winner Barry Shulman, and five-time bracelet winner Martin Kabrhel, with at least a few, if not all of them, likely to be seen back in action for the final flight.

All who have yet to advance will have two more starting flights to jump back into the action.

Day 1c will get underway tomorrow at 11:10 a.m., and Day 1d will take place at the same time on Saturday, July 18^th.

Late registration and re-entries will remain open through Level 9 (approximately 5:55 p.m.) for all flights.

The surviving players from all starting flights will then return for Day 2 at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 19^th, and will play until seven players remain.

MSPT Venetian Remaining Schedule

We will be back tomorrow for coverage of Day 1c right here on MSPTPoker.com from the Venetian Las Vegas Poker Room!

WSOP bracelet winner Will Givens opened under the gun with a raise, only to call fellow bracelet winner Ankush Mandavia’s 103,000 three-bet jam from middle position.

Ankush Mandavia:
Will Givens:

“Come on ten," Givens exclaimed just before a flop fell, pairing Mandavia’s ace.

“Ten,” exclaimed Givens once again, only to see a fall on the turn.

“Come on, Tim, put down a ten,” Givens pleaded to the dealer, and as fate would have it, the came crashing down on the river, giving him a set of tens to eliminate Mandavia on the bubble.

Will Givens - 365,000
Ankush Mandavia - 0

After the elimination of Ken Einiger, just 18 players remain, meaning the hand-for-hand process has started, as only 17 of them will be making Day 2.

Photo: John Riordan

Two-time bracelet winner John Riordan raised all-in from the cutoff, and Keith Schleis looked him up from the big blind.

John Riordan:
Keith Schleis:

“Well, I’m ahead right now,” Riordan said just before the dealer dropped a flop, giving Schleis a full house.

Riordan was looking for either a king or nine to come on the turn, but the fell and left him drawing dead to the river.

Keith Schleis - 325,000
John Riordan - 0

Photo: Will Givens

After two initial limpers, WSOP bracelet winner Will Givens fired out a 20,000 raise from the big blind, and only Ken Einiger called from the cutoff.

Once the flop hit the felt, Givens led out with a 20,000 continuation bet, and Einiger called to see the turn.

Givens then knocked on the table, and Einiger announced “fifty,” before moving out a 50,000 bet.

“Really,” Givens responded just before making a smooth call, and the dealer dropped the on the river, completing the board.

This time, Givens led out with a 35,000 bet and Einiger just called.

“Ship it,” Givens said just as he tabled for a king-high flush, and it was good as Einiger released into the muck.

Will Givens - 360,000
Ken Einiger - 300,000

Photo: Ronnie Bardah

Action on the table folded around to MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang, who raised all-in from the small blind, and Ronnie Bardah snapped off his 82,000 stack from the big blind.

Ronnie Bardah:
Kou Vang:

Bardah woke up with a premium hand in the big blind and saw a king in the window on the flop to take a commanding lead.

The turn then sealed the deal for Bardah as he collected his double after the paired the board on the river.

Kou Vang - 300,000
Ronnie Bardah - 180,000

After notching his first-ever Main Event cash back in 2014, DJ Buckley has become one of the most consistent players on the tour, earning himself a record 88 Main Event cashes.

With half the season remaining, Buckley will look to keep notching the cashes underneath his belt, as he will look to become the first player ever to earn 100 Main Event cashes and take his seat in the coveted MSPT Hall of Fame.

All-Time Main Event Cashes