Meskwaki Casino

Kanat Ozturk Leads as 45 Players Bag on Day 1B of MSPT Meskwaki

Despite an overnight snowstorm, Day 1B of the MSPT Meskwaki Main Event attracted 211 runners to Tama, Iowa, which along with 1A’s 203 brought the total field up to 414 entries. That means 45 spots will get paid a minimum of $2,200 while the eventual winner will take home $88,018 and 1,500 POY points.

After 14 levels of play, 45 remained with Kanat Ozturk and his stack of 207,500 leading the way. That is behind MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Josh Reichard, who was the Day 1A chip leader with 387,500 leading.

Ozturk is looking for his second MSPT cash. Last August, he finished 56th in the MSPT Canterbury Park Regional Event for $916. He’s in a position to do much better than that here in Meskwaki.

Others to bag big stacks were Ron Amos (194,000), winner of the aforementioned Canterbury Regional Paul Cross (192,200), MSPT Season 8 Potawatomi Regional Event champ Craig Trost (185,500), and Terry Gorsh (170,000), who round out the top five.

They were joined at the end of the night by MSPT Season 8 Grand Falls champ Ahmed Taleb (139,000), two-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn (122,500), MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup (112,500), and former MSPT Meskwaki champs Keith Heine (110,500) and Ken Komberec (87,500).

Among those to play and fall on Day 1B were WSOP bracelet winner John Reading, HPT Belterra champ Aaron Johnson, PokerNews reporter Mo Nuwwarah, and MSPT Season 6 Player of the Year Mark Hodge.

Likewise, former MSPT champs Kou Vang, Ben Wiora, Dan “DQ” Hendrickson, Mark Collins, John Sun, Chris Meyers, Jonathan Kim, and defending champ Max Havlish all fell by the wayside.

Day 2 will get underway at 11 a.m. with 79 (34 from 1A, 45 from 1B) returning players. Be sure to join us then as we bring you all the latest and greatest straight from the tournament floor of Meskwaki Casino.

End-of-Day 1B Chip Counts

Three More Hands

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

Late Night Double for William Knight

MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup raised to 5,000 from early position and Brian Zupancich called from middle position. William Knight then moved all in for 9,300 from the hijack, Alsup isolated by making it 19,000 to go, and Zupancich folded.

Knight:
Alsup:

It was a flip but Knight needed to improve to stay alive. The flop didn’t do much for him, and while the didn’t hit him directly, it did give him a flush draw.

It came in too when the river put four clubs on the board. Ship the double to Knight.

Meanwhile, PokerNews reporter Mo Nuwwarah is headed back home to Omaha after losing a flip queens to ace-king.

Rich Alsup - 125,000
William Knight - 30,000
Mo Nuwwarah - Busted

MSPT Heads to Potawatomi Casino April 6-8 for $300K GTD Main Event

The MSPT is headed back to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first time in Season 9. From March 31 through April 8, the venue will play host to a series of satellites that will culminate in a $1,100 buy-in Main Event that will feature a $300K GTD.

“Milwaukee is always one of the biggest and most competitive stops on the MSPT schedule,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “Players come from across the Midwest, including Minnesota and the Chicagoland area, not only for the great poker action but because the city has tons to offer. From the nightlife to the Harley Davidson Museum just down the street from the casino, there’s so much to do.”

Click here for a look at the schedule.

Click here for special MSPT hotel rates.

The Main Event will take place the weekend of April 6-8. There will be two starting flights beginning with Day 1A on Friday, April 6 at 4:00 p.m. Day 1B will take place at the same time on Saturday, April 7. Players are allowed a single re-entry per flight. The surviving players from both flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 8 to play down to a winner.

The Main Event final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards. In addition, the entirety of the Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT's live blog.

The MSPT visited Potawatomi back in November for the 2017 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship, which drew 701 entries to become the largest major poker tournament ($1,000+ buy-in) in Wisconsin history. Rich Bai, who had previously made three MSPT Potawatomi final tables, finally broke through with a win for a career-high $139,086.

With 1,658 entries, last July’s MSPT $350 Regional Event proved to be the biggest ever held in Wisconsin. Local attorney Matthew Vignali won that tournament for $70,240 after a heads-up deal with Alexander Hill.

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino features six award-winning restaurants, the intimate 500-seat Northern Lights Theater, and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 381-room, 19-story hotel opened in August 2014. For those in town, Potawatomi is offering a slew of free entertainment while the MSPT is on site. If you’re not busy playing poker, you can catch Kirk Tatnall perform at Bar 360 on Thursday, April 5 at 8 p.m. Likewise, on Friday, April 6, The WhiskeyBelles will put on a show at the Fire Pit’s Side Bar at 8:30 p.m., while Xeno & Joe will offer their rockin’ orchestral sounds and blistering solos at Bar 360 at 9 p.m.

Potawatomi has come a long way since its opening in 1991 when the Forest County Potawatomi first launched a 45,800-square foot bingo hall, making it the first tribal off-reservation gaming operation in the country. Aside from gaming, Potawatomi offers seven great dining options to choose from including beautiful Italian cooking at Bella Italiana, down-home cooking at Canal Street Café, and authentic Asian cuisine and sushi bar at Ruyi.

To discover more visit paysbig.com and follow them on Twitter @paysbigpoker.

I call BS

Ahmed Taleb With The Check-Raise

Kyle Wagner raised to 4,700 from middle position, and MSPT Season 8 Grand Falls Champ Ahmed Taleb called from the big blind.

Taleb checked a flop over to Wagner, who bet 4,600. Taleb didn’t take long to check-raise to 15,000, and after a brief stint in the tank, Wagner released his hand.

Ahmed Taleb - 98,000 (49 bb)
Kyle Wagner - 66,000 (33 bb)

Some Late Night Shots

A Look at the Current MSPT Player of the Year Leaderboard Presented By Kimo Sabe Mezcal

The winner of the MSPT Kimo Sabe Mezcal Season 9 POY race will be awarded four MSPT Main Event seats ($4,400 value) to be used at events of their choosing, a seat into the MSPT Venetian summer event with $400 toward travel costs ($1,500 value), and $250 at each Main Event stop they attend up to $4,250 (no $250 will be awarded at stops in which one of the four Main Event seats are used).

In addition, poker tax specialists Kondler & Associates, CPAs will provide the MSPT Season 9 Player of the Year with free tax services for the 2017 tax year ($800 value). This includes preparation of all tax forms (1040, 1099, etc.) as well as year-long tax planning and guidance. The firm has specialized in gambling taxation for over 10 years and has developed a concentration in the gaming industry. Kondler & Associates, CPAs has offices in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and San Diego and prepares tax returns for clients across the country.

The season is just getting started, but here’s how things stack up in the early going.

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