The Venetian

Day 1c of the MSPT $1,600 New Years Poker Open at the Venetian Resort attracted 148 runners, which, along with 1a's 76 and 1b’s 125, brought the total field up to 349 entries.

At the end of the third and final flight, just 17 players bagged and tagged, with Wai Kiat Lee bagging the top stack with 920,000, good enough for second overall for Day 2.

Another player to catch steam throughout the day was Miquel Maimes, who ended the night with an impressive 754,000 stack into his bag to end the night.

Others to bag big stacks were two-time bracelet winner John Riordan (660,000), Shijia Liu (560,000), and MSPT champ Kfir Nahum (532,000), as they rounded out the top five stacks of the final flight.

They were joined by 2013 WSOP Main Event Champ Ryan Riess (189,000), Yingge Yan (168,000), Lily Kiletto(118,000), and 2023 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Adam Walton (114,000).

Among those not as lucky at the felt included MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Massey, three-time WSOP bracelet winner James Collopy, MSPT champ Steve Wilkie, fellow three-time bracelet winner Joao Simao, Spencer Champlin, and reigning WSOP Main Event champ Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.

The surviving players from all three flights – 40 in total (9 from Day 1a, 14 from 1b, and 17 from 1c) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, January 4^th, to play down to a winner.

The MSPT live reporting crew will be on the floor throughout the remainder of the tournament to provide updates, so keep it here to catch the action!

MSPT Venetian Season 16 Opener Remaining Schedule

Photo: Kent Stephens

Kent Stepehns raised all in for 66,000 from early position and was called by Nicholas Rogers from the cutoff.

Kent Stephens:
Nicholas Rogers:

Stephens found a strong made hand to roll with, only to run into a better one, and the runout ended his night on the bubble.

Nicholas Rogers - 419,000
Kent Stephens - Eliminated

Wai Kiat Lee opened for 12,000 from middle position, and then called MSPT champ Brad Gafford’s 122,000 three-bet jam from the small blind.

Brad Gafford:
Wai Kiat Lee:

Gafford was racing for his tournament life and fell way behind after the fell, giving Lee a set of sevens.

The turn was an even worse sight for Gafford as it improved Lee to a full house, leaving him drawing dead to the river, starting the hand-for-hand process.

Wai Kiat Lee - 860,000
Brad Gafford - Eliminated

Photo: Kenneth Jacobs

There was all-in action after a flop between Kenneth Jacobs from under the gun and Joshua Stewart from the big blind, with Jacobs holding the effective stack.

Kenneth Jacobs:
Joshua Stewart:

Jacobs was ahead, holding a pair of ladies, but had a sweat as Stewart held an open-ended straight flush draw.

Luckily for Jacobs, both the turn and river kept him in the lead, securing his double-up.

Kenneth Jacobs - 230,000
Joshua Stewart - 120,000

WSOP bracelet winner Chad Holloway & MSPT Season 12 Player of the Year Kyna England break down the Season 16 POY photo finish, MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson winning WPT Prime, and fellow Hall of Famer Kou Vang becoming an MSPT Millionaire.

Watch here

Photo: Lee Markholt

Lee Markholt open-jammed 85,000 from under the gun, and Jonathan Burns looked him up from the hijack.

Lee Markholt:
Jonathan Burns:

It was a classic for the ages, with the flop not changing a thing.

The turn then left Markholt needing help on the river, but the fell, improving Burns to a full house, ending his tournament.

Jonathan Burns - 450,000
Lee Markholt - Eliminated

: Talking Stick Resort - Scottsdale, AZ

: Jan. 24 - Feb. 1, 2026

: DIAMOND POKER CHAMPIONSHIP (MAJOR = 1.5X POY)

: $1,100 / $1 MILLION GTD Main Event (Jan. 29 - Feb. 1)

$3,500 MSPT Championship Seat ADDED to Main Event 1st Place

: 6 Gold Card Events

: BOOK TODAY -> https://msptpoker.com/.../book-now-for-the-diamond-poker...

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.aspx?eventID=492

msptpoker.com

Photo: Mitch Garshofsky

Mitch Garshofsky raised from the hijack, only to have Shijia Liu fire out a 20,000 three-bet from the button.

Action then quickly folded back to Garshofsky, who moved his 162,000 stack in the middle, and Liu called holding 164,000.

Mitch Garshofsky:
Shijia Liu:

Garshofsky was at risk holding two overs, but he wasn’t able to find either on the runout, ending his tournament.

Shijia Liu - 336,000
Mitch Garshofsky - Eliminated