Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

Day 1 of the 2018 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship attracted 156 runners to Potawatomi’s Hotel & Casino, but after 15 levels of play, just 26 survived the night with Joseph McArthur and his stack of 274,500 leading the way.

Others to bag big stacks were three-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn (233,000), Bradley Jansen (212,500), Jordan Moan (187,000), and Igor Hot (165,000), who round out the top five.

They were joined by Cody Brinn (157,500), 2015 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Champ Ben Wiora (124,000), Larry Wagner (64,500), MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Josh Reichard (55,500), and Aaron Johnson (32,000).

With just this stop and December’s season finale at Canterbury Park remaining on the schedule, the MSPT Season 9 Player of the Year Race is heating up. Aaron Johnson, who earlier this week locked up the HPT POY title, sits atop the leaderboard with 5,617 points, while Bohn is in second with 4,400. Both punched their tickets to Day 2 and are primed to add to their totals here in the final stretch.

Among those to try their luck on 1A but come up short were recent MSPT Meskwaki champ Taylor Howard, Paul “Big Daddy” Elfelt, poker pro Nick Pupillo, WSOP bracelet winner Ben Keeline, and former MSPT champs Ken Baime, Keith Heine, Dan Bekavac, Jason Ramos, and Kou Vang.

Day 1B will get underway at 3 p.m. local time on Friday, with the third and final flight, Day 1C, taking place at the same time on Saturday. The surviving players from all flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday to play down to a winner.

The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play six more hands before bagging and tagging on Day 1A. Stay tuned for a list of chip counts as well as a recap of the day’s action.

The preflop action escaped us but we do know that Kou Vang got his stack of approximately 45,000 all in against Shawn Quinn, who barely had him covered.

Vang:
Quinn:

It was a flip and Vang, the first player to win his way into the MSPT Hall of Fame, was looking to hold. Unfortunately for him, that proved easier said than done as the flop paired Quinn.

Neither the turn nor river helped Vang and he took his leave in the last level of the night.

Shawn Quinn - 95,000 (32 bb)
Kou Vang - Busted

David Grandin moved all in for 20,700 from early position and action folded around to Shawn Quinn, who call out of the big blind.

Grandin:
Quinn:

It was a flip but not after the flop came down to pair Quinn.

The turn was of no consequence but the river was as Grandin filled up to double.

David Grandin- 42,000 (17.5 bb)
Shawn Quinn - 80,000 (33 bb)

James Ruszkiewicz opened for 5,500 under the gun and Michael Wolff, who was next to act, three-bet to 18,500. Action folded back to Ruszkiewicz and he called to see a flop.

Ruszkiewicz checked, Wolff bet 6,000, and Ruszkiewicz check-raised all in for 29,000. Wolff snapped him off.

Ruszkiewicz:
Wolff:

Neither the turn nor river helped Ruszkiewicz and he headed for the exit while Wolff was pushed the pot.

Michael Wolff - 115,000 (48 bb)
James Ruszkiewicz - Busted

Action folded to Zixiao Zhang on the button and he moved all in for roughly 45,000. James Reynen, who had 46,500, made the call from the big blind.

Zhang:
Reynen:

Zhang was caught with his hand in the cookie jar and it cost him his tournament life after the board ran out clean.

James Reynen - 90,000 (37.5 bb)
Zixiao Zhang - Busted

We just took a stroll through the field to scope out big stacks, and right now there are only two players sitting with more than 200K.

MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Josh Reichard got his stack of 29,100 all in preflop and at risk against Leroy Cheeseman.

Cheeseman:
Reichard:

Reichard was way out in front and stayed there as the board ran out .

Josh Reichard - 60,000 (30 bb)
Leroy Cheeseman - 18,200 (9 bb)

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