Running Aces Casino

Mike Nelson Leads First Batch of 25 Survivors After Day 1A of Winter Poker Classic Main Event

Day 1a of the MSPT Season 16 Winter Poker Classic $1,110 Main Event is officially in the books with 219 total entries tallied for the first starting flight.

After a hard stop was reached in Level 14 with 10:00 remaining, it was Mike Nelson who found himself atop of the chip counts, putting a whopping 730,000 on his slip to end the night.

Coming in behind Nelson was Justin Gish, who ended the night with 648,000, while MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard secured the final elimination of the night, as he was the only other player to eclipse the 500k, ending with 541,000.

Last year’s Running Aces Regional champion Arlo Strozewski was a late arrival, but that didn’t stop him from rounding up a 443,000 stack, while fellow Minnesotan Ashish Gandhi rounded out the top five stacks with 425,000.

Others to survive the night include Daniel Kennedy (423,000), Tony Moses (293,000), MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang (284,000), Loki Abboud (255,000), and WSOP bracelet winner Chad Holloway (144,000).

Of course, not everyone was fortunate enough to survive the night. Among those to fire and fall in Thursday’s flight were two-time MSPT champ David Gonia, Kristin Dahl, Matt Fox, Heidi Roggenkamp, WSOP bracelet winner John Reading, and fellow two-time MSPT champ Jeremy Dresch, to name a few.

Those players, as well as any newcomers, have two more starting flights to jump back into action.

Day 1b will kick off at 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday, December 5^th, while the third and final flight, Day 1c, will take place at noon on Saturday, December 6^th.

The surviving players from each flight will then return at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 7^th, to play down to a winner.

MSPT Winter Poker Classic Weekend Schedule

Make sure to tune back in for live updates throughout the entire tournament!

End Day 1A Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Michael Nelson	730,000	612,000
Justin Gish	648,000	620,000
Josh Reichard	541,000	400,000
Arlo Strozewski	443,000	230,000
Ashish Gandhi	425,000	385,000
Daniel Kennedy	423,000	398,000
Leo Fussy	367,000	475,000
Tony Moses	293,000	90,000
Eric Eelkema	291,000	253,000
Andrew Pickett	87,000	60,000
Kou Vang	284,000	325,000
Leo Pinamonti	282,000	200,000
Loki Abboud	251,000	255,000
Gene Boyer	216,000	200,000
Uri Foox	185,000	100,000
Rob Maier	179,000	122,000
Chad Holloway	144,000	105,000
Michael Snyder	128,000	100,000
Yi (KitKat) Klassen	114,000	145,000
Joseph Larson (MN)	106,000	96,000
Paul Carney	104,000	106,000
Daniel Warner	102,000	145,000
Natan Lidukhover	97,000	30,000
Buzhyew Ansha	94,000	30,000
Chuck Kersey	29,000	171,000

MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard Eliminates Prabhakar Karri on the Bubble

Photo: Josh Reichard

Prabhakar Karri raised from middle position, and MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard defended his big blind to see a flop.

Reichard check-raised to 42,000 after Karri fired out a continuation bet, and Karri called to see the turn.

Another knock on the table from Reicahrd saw Karri move his 122,000 stack in the middle, and he was met with a quick call from Reichard.

Prabhakar Karri:
Josh Reichard:

Karri was behind needing to see a jack on the river to stay alive, but the completed the board and ended his night on the bubble.

Josh Reichard - 540,000
Prabhakar Karri - 0

Hand-for-Hand Begins

After the elimination of Rory Linton, 26 players remain, meaning the hand-for-hand process has begun, with only 25 players making a Day 2 berth.

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Justin Gish	620,000	280,000
Michael Nelson	612,000	225,000
Josh Reichard	400,000	385,000
Ashish Gandhi	385,000	280,000
Kou Vang	325,000	230,000
Loki Abboud	255,000	360,000
Eric Eelkema	253,000	182,000
Arlo Strozewski	230,000	100,000
Chuck Kersey	171,000	240,000
Andrew Pickett	60,000	200,000
Matt Fox	0	60,000
Phong Vang	0	182,000
Michael Wilklow	0	210,000
Rory Linton	0	79,000
Jacob Long	0	42,000
Phil Mader	0	70,000
Matt Alexander	0	78,000
Blake Bohn	0	30,000
Wesley Cannon	0	55,600
Jeremy Dresch	0	115,000

Get Ready for the 2026 Golden State Poker Championship Series!

Mark your calendars for the 2026 Golden State Poker Championship Series at Sycuan Casino, featuring 19 Gold Card Events and a $300,000 GTD Main Event

: THREE (3) $1,110 Main Event Seat Drawings
: ONE (1) Flip & Go FREEROLL Seat giveaway to the $3,500 MSPT Championship in 2026

: Sycuan Casino Resort - San Diego, CA
: January 8-19, 2026
: Golden State Poker Championship
: $400 / $100,000 GTD Mini Main Event (Jan. 8-11)
: $1,110 / $300,000 GTD Main Event (Jan. 15-28)
: 19 Gold Card Events

: https://msptpoker.com/.../book-today-for-the-golden-state...

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.aspx?eventID=577msptpoker.com

Moses Triples with Cowboys, Johnson Dropped by Vang

Photo: Tony Moses

There was three-way all-in action preflop between MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson from middle position, fellow Hall of Famer Kou Vang from the hijack, and Tony Moses from the cutoff, with Moses holding an effective starting stack.

Tony Moses:
Aaron Johnson:
Kou Vang:

Moses was ahead holding a made hand of cowboys, and the runout secured him a triple-up, while Vang collected his fellow Hall of Famer’s remaining stack.

Kou Vang - 285,000
Tony Moses - 100,000
Aaron Johnson - 0

Updated Chip Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Leo Fussy	475,000	430,000
Daniel Kennedy	398,000	150,000
Josh Reichard	385,000	308,000
Loki Abboud	360,000	302,000
Prabhakar Karri	300,000	220,000
Ashish Gandhi	280,000	105,000
Justin Gish	280,000	230,000
Chuck Kersey	240,000	109,000
Michael Wilklow	210,000	30,000
Phong Vang	182,000	150,000
Eric Eelkema	182,000	130,000
Daniel Warner	145,000	135,000
Rob Maier	122,000	45,000
Jeremy Dresch	115,000	60,000
Paul Carney	106,000	40,000
Chad Holloway	105,000	218,000
Joseph Larson (MN)	96,000	30,000
Tony Moses	90,000	30,000
Umut Ozturk	0	30,000
Adithya Pailla	0	114,000
Mark Larson (MN)	0	90,000
Jeff Leeps	0	65,000
David Gonia	0	60,000
Marc Harrell	0	30,000
Scott Geier	0	70,000
Jerric Jiang	0	79,000
Aaron Johnson	0	80,000
Jason Sell	0	92,100
Bruce Simmons	0	105,000
Dennis Stevermer	0	45,000

Registration Closed

Level 13 has started, meaning registration for Day 1a of the annual MSPT Winter Poker Classic $1,110 Main Event at Running Aces Casino in Columbus, Minnesota, is now closed, with the first starting flight tallying an impressive 219 total entries.

The plan is to play until 11% of the field (rounded up to 25 players) is reached, with the tournament clock reading 41 players remaining.

Karri Straightens Out Bohn and Simmons for a Double KO

Photo: Prabhakar Karri

Bruce Simmons moved his 33,500 stack into the middle from under the gun, only to have five-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn go over the top for 53,000, and Prabhakar Karri call from the big blind to put them both at risk.

Bruce Simmons:
Blake Bohn:
Prabhakar Karri:

Simmons rolled over the best made hand, until a flop fell, giving Bohn a set of sevens, while Karri picked up a gutshot straight draw.

The turn wasn’t much of a sewat for Bohn, and just before the dealer could complete the board, Karri yelled, “FIVE,” just before the fell on the river to complete his staright, securing him the double elimination.

Prabhakar Karri - 220,000
Blake Bohn - 30,000
Bruce Simmons - 0