The Venetian

Valentin Vornicu Bags Monster Lead as 80 Players Make It Through Day 1B of 2018 MSPT Poker Bowl II at The Venetian

The 2018 MSPT Poker Bowl II at The Venetian attracted 827 entries (268 on 1A, 559 on 1B) – up from last year’s 695 entries – which blew by the advertised $500K guarantee by creating an $806,325 prize pool. That will be paid to the top 90 players with a min-cash being worth $2,096 and first $157,234.

After 15 levels of play on Day 1B, 80 players bagged and tagged with Valentin Vornicu and his stack of 633,500 leading the way. That is way ahead of Day 1A chip leader Dylan Thomassie, who advanced with 324,000.

Vornicu is seeking his first MSPT cash on his already impressive résumé. You see, Vornicu is currently tied with Maurice Hawkins for most gold rings (10) on the World Series of Poker Circuit. All told, Vornicu has won over $1 million playing tournament poker, which includes a career-high $269,430 for finishing 23^rd in the 2016 WSOP Main Event.

Rounding out the top five big stacks from the 1B flight are Wilson Chan (402,500), MSPT regular Mike Lang (353,500), former November Niner Joseph Cheong (349,500), and WSOP bracelet winner Eric Baldwin (305,500).

Others to advance to Saturday’s Day 2 are Sal Dicarlo (304,000), WPT & WSOP champ Scott Clements (165,000), WSOP bracelet winners Leo Wolpert (161,000) and Anthony Spinella (160,500), Maury Solano (145,500), 2017 MN Magazine Player of the Year Todd Melander (122,000), and Jeff Fielder (97,000).

Of course, not everyone was so lucky. Among those to try and fall on 1B were former MSPT champs Andy Rubinberg, Keith Heine, Jon Kim, Jason Seitz, Mike Shanahan, and Bobby Sanoubane. Likewise, defending champ Jordan Young fell today when he ran ace-queen smack dab into the ace-king of Tony Ruberto.

Day 2, which will see 115 players return to action (35 from 1A, 80 from 1B) will get underway at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday and play down to a winner.

Be sure to join us tomorrow as we bring you all the actions and eliminations straight from The Venetian tournament floor.

End-of-Day 1B Chip Counts

Seven More Hands

The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play seven more hands before bagging and tagging on Day 1B. Stay tuned for a list of chip counts, a recap of the day’s action, and the Day 2 seat draw.

Pritpal Virdee Eliminates Venerando Villarino

Pritpal Virdee raised to 7,500 from the button and then called when Venerando Villarino moved all in for 40,900 from the small blind.

Virdee:
Villarino:

It was a flip, but not after the flop came down to pair Virdee. Neither the turn nor river was what Villarino needed, and he sent his chips across the table before taking his leave from the MSPT Poker Bowl II.

Pritpal Virdee - 160,000 (53 bb)
Venerando Villarino - Busted

"Action Val" Vornicu Sniffs Out A Monster Bluff

We arrived at the table to see Valentin Vornicu dragging in a monster pot and his foe leaving the table, and he was kind enough to share the details that lead up to the elimination.

Vornicu raised to 5,500 from the cutoff, and was three-bet to 11,000 by the small blind. Vornicu called and the two saw a flop. The small blind continued for a small bet of 6,000, and Vornicu called.

The fell on the turn, and the small blind checked. Vornicu bet 20,000, and was called by the small blind.

The fell on the river, and the small blind checked a third time. Vornicu bet a hefty 60,000, and the small blind check-shoved for 145,600.

“...repping quads...” Vornicu said, trying to piece the hand together. Finally, he called.

The small blind could only muster for a busted bluff, and Vornicu tabled for a straight and the winner of the monster pot.

“I almost folded!” Vornicu said with a wide grin, while he scooped up the tremendous pot in the penultimate level of Day 1B.

Valentin Vornicu - 380,000 (158 bb)

Pocket Rockets Propel Damon Johnson to a Double

The preflop action escaped us, but we do know Damon Johnson got his stack of 45,000 all in preflop and was at risk against Avery Bass.

Bass:
Johnson:

Johnson was well out in front and he stayed there as the board ran out a lowly .

Damon Johnson - 100,000 (36 bb)
Avery Bass - 68,000 (28 bb)

#canyouFilit

Joseph Cheong raised to 5,500 from UTG and was called by Fil Ghebre on the button and the big blind.

The big blind checked the flop, and Cheong bet 7,500. Ghebre raised to 20,000, and after some thought, the big blind called, while Cheong made a quick fold.

Both players checked the turn, and the big blind led for 15,000 on a river, which Ghebre quickly called.

“I missed, nice hand,” the big blind said before rolling over for bottom pair and a missed flush draw.

Ghebre tabled for a pair of kings and the winner.

Fil Ghebre - 150,000 (62.5 bb)

2017 MN Magazine POY Todd Melander Doubles Through Maury Solano

We happened upon the pot with roughly 15,000 in the middle and a flop of .

Minnesota’s Todd Melander (pictured in Seat 1), who is fresh off winning the 2017 MN Magazine Player of the Year, checked from the big blind and Texas’ Maury Solano, who placed third is last summer’s record-breaking MSPT Venetian, bet 7,600 from middle position.

Melander responded by check-raising all in for 36,700 and Solano gave it some thought before making the call.

“Diamonds?” Solano asked.

Melander indicated that he did not and tabled the . Solano shook his head, showed his , and said, “I didn’t think you’d have an ace.”

Melander got it in good, but then the dealer burned and turned the to give Solano the lead with two pair. An unhappy Melander slapped the table and stood up. However, all hope was not lost as he had plenty of outs.

The dealer burned one last time and put out the on the river. Melander made Broadway and stayed alive to fight another hand.

Maury Solano - 100,000 (42 bb)
Todd Melander - 88,000 (37 bb)

Late Night Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Joseph Cheong	230000	145000
Valentin Vornicu	210000	190000
Todd Rodgers	165000	130000
Anthony Spinella	140000	225000
David Levy	130000	170000
Eric Baldwin	115000	105000
Victor Davalos	110000	80000
David To	110000	45000
Charles Workman	100000	55000
Fil Ghebre	100000	130000
Jeff Fielder	85000	70000
Vlad Tkachuk	62000	104000
Osama Aweida	60000	40000
Scott Clements	50000	65000
Dustin Smith	0	130000

Five Things to Do in Deadwood, South Dakota During MSPT Silverado Franklin

For the first time ever, the MSPT is partnering with the historic Silverado-Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex, which is located on Main Street in Deadwood, for the 2018 South Dakota State Poker Championship from April 14-22.

Deadwood, known for its gold rush history, is one of the most fabled cities in the United States. Founded in 1876 and country seat of Lawrence County, Deadwood – as in the entire city – was actually named a National Historic Landmark in 1961. That’s because it’s home to such legendary figures as “Wild” Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Al Swearengen, all immortalized in the critically-acclaimed HBO series Deadwood.

In 1989, gaming was reinstated in Deadwood. Combine that with the fact that it’s home to the “Dead Man’s Hand” (more on that below) and it’s the perfect place for a poker championship.

While we hope you’re busy all weekend long playing the South Dakota State Poker Championship, we also wanted to give you some suggestions on things to do in the case you find yourself with some extra time on your hands.

Have a Shot at Saloon #10

Nuttal & Mann’s is landmark saloon located at 657 Main Street and open until 2 a.m. daily. It was here that Wild Bill Hickok met his demise. With sawdust on the floor and thousands of artifacts and antiques decorating the walls, it’s really is a one-of-a-kind place.

Complimenting all that are historical re-enactments, live nightly music, unique signature shopping, live action gambling, and South Dakota's largest whiskey selection, offering over 171 Bourbons, Scotches & whiskeys.

Stroll Through Mount Moriah Cemetery

Mount Moriah, situated on a mountainous plateau overlooking Deadwood Gulch, is the burial place of famed icons like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, Seth Bullock and other notable figures of the Wild West.

The cemetery is more than just a graveyard. It offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy a Late Victorian cemetery set in the backdrop of the northern Black Hills. The paved roads in the cemetery provide an excellent opportunity to explore the site.

The cemetery is open seven days a week 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. There is a $2.00 entrance fee.

Pay a Visit to Adams Museum

Opened in 1930 by W.E. Adams, the Adams Museum’s purpose is to preserve and display the history of the Black Hills. It’s there that you can see such treasures as Potato Creek Johnny’s 7.346 troy ounce gold nugget, N.C. Wyeth’s pencil sketch drawing of Western Legend Wild Bill Hickok, and a rare one-of-a-kind plesiosaur.

The Adams Museum is just a three-minute walk from Silverado Franklin Casino. It’s open from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday in April. A suggested donation of $5 for adults and $2 for children.

Check Out Deadwood Distilling Company

Located at 645 Lower Main Street just a few blocks from the Silverado Franklin Casino, the Deadwood Distilling Company is a relatively new attraction in town. It’s there that you can take advantage of their “Free Moonshine Tasting,” which includes eights jars of their moonshine in flavors like apple pie, blackberry, strawberry, peach, red hot cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, and plain apple.

The 70-proof moonshine runs about $25 a bottle. You can also visit the retail shop for local jams, t-shirts, and other souvenirs. For more information, call (605) 920-8240.

Visit Mount Rushmore

Every American should visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is a massive sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Completed in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln, the sculpture's roughly 60-ft.-high granite faces depict U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It’s just an hour drive south of Deadwood, so if you’re coming to the MSPT Silverado, try not to miss it.