McKuin Leads The Final 17 From Day 1A
It was a large turnout for Day 1A of the MSPT $1,110 Missouri State Championship at Hollywood Casino. A total of 142 found their way into the tournament with only 17 surviving at the end of the day. These players will join the survivors of the following two flights on Sunday February 5th to play for the lionshare of the $300,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Leading the way is Steven McKuin who ended the day with 492,000. McKuin late registered the day, and hung around the middle of the pack for most of play. A hero call against Scott Brodkin with an underpair put him up in the top five chips, and the final hands of the day saw him knock out two players to bring the field down to 17. Though relatively new to the poker circuit, McKuin has been making a name for himself, playing event ranging from Vegas to Joplin throughout 2022.
Top Ten Chip Counts Day 1A
| Rank |
Name |
Chip Count |
Hometown |
| 1 |
Steven McKuin |
492,000 |
Fisk, MO |
| 2 |
Dillon Saffle |
477,000 |
Eureka, MO |
| 3 |
Bradley Beetz |
441,000 |
O'Fallon, IL |
| 4 |
Mark Koeln |
366,000 |
St. Louis, MO |
| 5 |
Joe Batterman |
246,000 |
Downers Grove, IL |
| 6 |
Mike Budde |
225,000 |
Williamsburg, MO |
| 7 |
Samrat Chaudur |
169,000 |
St. Louis, MO |
| 8 |
Clint Applegarth |
159,000 |
Des Peres, MO |
| 9 |
Scott Brodkin |
149,000 |
Peoria, IL |
| 10 |
John Fagg |
147,000 |
Evansville, IN |
|
Topping off the podium are Dillon Shaffle (477,000) and Bradley Beetz (441,000). Both found themselves at the top of the chip counts throughout the majority of the day, with Beetz dealing a particularly bad beat against KL Cleeton. Others who found their way to bags included Joe Batterman (246,000), Scott Brodkin (149,000), John Fagg (147,000), and Garrett Riley (119,000). Each of them looking to turn a bag into their first MSPT championship.
Not all were as fortunate, as players like Aaron Johnson, Kevin Berthelsen, Jeff Grimes, and KL Cleeton all saw their Day 1As come to an unfortunate end. With unlimited re-entry for the following two flights, it is likely that these players and others will exercise their right to play another flight.
Play ended with time left in Level 14 meaning that on Day 2, barring another flight ending earlier, all players will return with 28:20 left on the clock and blinds returning at 2,000/4,000. After that blinds will resume as normal as they play for the newest spot in the list of MSPT champions.
Stay tuned to MSPT.com for all updates regarding the Missouri State Championship.