Canterbury Park

Day 1A of the MSPT Season 9 finale at Canterbury Park drew 199 runners but after 15 levels of play, just 26 remained with Brad Berman (pictured) and his stack of 294,000 leading the way.

Others to bag big stacks were Thao “Scratch” Thiem (285,000), Nathan Lohmer (256,000), former MSPT Mark Sandness (236,500), and 2016 MN Poker Mag POY Saad Ghanem (236,000), who round out the top five.

They were joined by Phil Mader (210,500), Brian Altman (207,500), Umut Ozturk (158,500), Ian Matakis (139,000), three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto (71,500), and MSPT champ Jason Seitz (53,500).

One of the big stories on Day 1A was the start of the $30,000 Platinum Pass Giveaway, which will see one lucky winner win their way to next month’s PokerStars Players NL Hold’Em Championship (PSPC) in the Bahamas!

Three names were drawn at random to determine who will return for Sunday’s eight-player heads-up Flipout Tournament and they were Jolene Jensen, MSPT Season 6 Canterbury Park champ Dan “DQ” Hendrickson, and Sandness!

Among those to try and fall were three-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn, former MSPT Canterbury Park winners Jon Kim and Rob Wazwaz, Season 8 finale winner Ben Marsh, radio personality Cory Cove, WSOP bracelet winner Ben Keeline, WPT champ Kevin Eyster, MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup, and Matt Kirby, who needs a cash to continue is streak as of one of four players to cash every season of the MSPT alive.

Days 1B and 1C will get underway at 3 p.m. local time on Friday and Saturday respectively. Between the two five more players will advance in the Platinum Pass Giveaway, so be sure to check back then as we bring you all the action straight from the tournament floor of Canterbury Park!

The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play two 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.

Kou Vang was recently eliminated from the tournament and joins current Season 9 Player of the Year points leader Aaron Johnson and three-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn on the rail.

As the only three players mathematically alive in the MSPT Season 9 POY race, they’ll have to wait for 1B for another chance to shake up the standings.

Umut Ozturk raised to 7,000 from UTG, and was called by Mark Sandness from UTG+1 and the first player to qualify for the PokerStars Platinum Pass Flipament, Jodene Jensen, in the cutoff.

Action checked to Jensen on a flop, and she elected to jam for 21,900. Ozturk confirmed the amount, then called, and Sandness, who was the third player to qualify for the PokerStars Platinum Pass Flipament, let his hand go.

Ozturk:
Jensen:

Ozturk lost his pair outs but picked up a flush draw when the fell on the turn. The on the river was safe for Jensen, and her rungood from being selected for the Flipament continues as she more than doubles up.

Umut Ozturk - 210,000 (88 bb)
Jodene Jensen - 72,000 (30 bb)

The player in the cutoff moved all in for 19,600 and Ian Matakis called from the button.

Both blinds folded and Matakis said, “I’m flipping good today.”

Matakis:
Opponent:

Indeed Matakis was as the flop paired his queen.

Neither the turn nor river changed a thing and Matakis scored the elimination.

Ian Matakis - 210,000 (87.5 bb)

With around 10,000 in the pot on a flop, Umut Ozturk bet 5,400 from the small blind, and Aaron Johnson called from the lojack.

The fell on the turn, and Ozturk bet 20,000. Johnson called.

Ozturk emptied the clip by jamming for 46,600 effective on the river, sending Johnson into the tank. After a minute, he stuck a few chips in the pot to call, but mucked upon seeing Ozturk’s , leaving only Kou Vang as our remaining POY candidate in today’s field.

Umut Ozturk - 200,000 (83 bb)
Aaron Johnson - Busted

2017 MN Poker Mag POY Todd Melander moved all in for 14,500 from middle position and action folded to Reg Powell, who call out of the big blind.

Melander:
Powell:

It was a flip but Melander needed to improve to stay alive. That proved easier said than done as the board ran out an unhelpful .

Reg Powell - 85,000 (42.5 bb)
Todd Melander - Busted

A player ripped his last 11,300 from middle position, and Mark Sandness made the call from the hijack.

Sandness:
Opponent:

Sandness spiked a set on the flop, but his opponent was able to pick up a few outs on the turn. No gutshot came on the river, however, and the former MSPT champ picks up another pot to send his stack over the quarter-million plateau.

Mark Sandness - 260,000 (130 bb)