Riverside Casino

MSPT Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff Soars to the Top to Lead 21 Survivors After Day 1B of the MSPT Season 17 Iowa Poker State Championship

A lengthy day of 16 levels has wrapped up during the MSPT Season 17 Iowa Poker State Championship at Riverside Casino as Day 1b drew 189 entries to bring the two-day total thus far to 258, guaranteeing that the $300K GTD will be surpassed with tomorrow’s final flight still to go.

Of those 189 entries, only 21 players remained when chips went into bags, with MSPT Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff going on a late-night heater to bag the overall top stack thus far with 774,000.

Coming in hot behind Cunniff’s tail was John Roberts, who collected 618,000 to put in his bag, while Danny Yoshiba (495,000) and WSOP bracelet winner John Reading (435,000) were the only others to clip the 400k.

Boshuang Gao (390,000) found himself inside the top five, while Chris Wahl (376,000), MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard (367,000), Joseph Saltanovitz (350,000), and Vinny Wolrab (339,000) were able to bag north of 300k.

Others who survived the second starting flight included Dheeraj Aryasomayajula (286,000), Joe Landazzi (224,000), MSPT Champ Justin Lynch (325,000), Mark Fink (117,000), and Josh Smith (107,000), as they were just a few more of the players to add their names to the Day 2 roster along with the 8 to have already advanced from Day 1a.

Among those to fire and fall on Day 1b included MSPT champ Tim Gundrum, Jennifer Francis, Andy Rogowski, Greg Asche, and fellow MSPT Riverside Champ Jake Wilding, to name a few.

Those players, as well as any newcomers, have one last starting flight to jump back into action with Day 1c starting tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.

Late registration and re-entries will remain open through Level 12 (approximately 10:40 p.m.).

Congratulations to everyone who advanced to Day 2.

We will be back tomorrow for coverage of Day 1c on MSPTPoker.com, providing updates straight from the tournament floor at Riverside Casino.

MSPT Season 17 Iowa Poker State Championship Schedule

End Day 1B Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Gerald Cunniff	774,000	735,000
John Roberts	618,000	550,000
Daniel Yoshiba	495,000	263,000
John Reading	435,000	122,000
Boshuang Gao	390,000	260,000
Christopher Wahl	376,000	300,000
Josh Reichard	367,000	191,000
Joseph Saltanovitz	350,000	383,000
Vincent Wolrab	339,000	300,000
Dheeraj Aryasomayajula	286,000	300,000
Joseph Landazzi	224,000	265,000
Justin Lynch	146,000	205,000
Scott Vonspreecken	135,000	30,000
Jesse Bowman	130,000	110,000
Mark Fink	117,000	187,000
Ken Auker	112,000	150,000
Josh Smith (IA)	107,000	170,000
Jacob Woggon	79,000	75,000
Steve Roussel	72,000	30,000
John Hutton	62,000	30,000
Paul Ewen	57,000	120,000

Chris Wahl Bursts the Bubble

The hijack tossed out their remaining short stack, and Chris Wahl looked them up from the big blind.

Hijack:
Chris Wahl:

Wahl was ahead holding a suited ace, and he faded the 1 runout to burst the bubble.

Chris Wahl - 376,000

Hand-for-Hand Begins

After the elimination of Houston Hubble, just 22 players remain, meaning the hand-for-hand process has begun, as only 21 of them will be making Sunday’s Day 2.

2026 MSPT Wisconsin Poker State Championship Series Set!

: Potawatomi Casino I Hotel - Milwaukee, WI

: September 22-29, 2026

: Wisconsin Poker State Championship

: $1,110 Main Event / $1,000,000 GTD
$3,500 MSPT CHAMPIONSHIP SEAT ADDED TO MAIN EVENT 1ST PLACE

: 11 Gold Card Tournaments

: Coming Soon

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.ashx?eventID=495

Woggon Wins Race for Survival

Photo: Jacob Woggon

Jacob Woggon was all-in preflop for 36,000 and found one caller.

Jacob Woggon:
Opponent:

Woggon found himself in another race, with the flop giving him more outs with a wheel draw.

The turn left Woggon needing help on the river, and fortunately for him, the fell, keeping his Day 1b hopes alive.

Jacob Woggon - 75,000

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Gerald Cunniff	735,000	280,000
Joseph Saltanovitz	383,000	240,000
Boshuang Gao	260,000	315,000
Josh Reichard	191,000	140,000
Mark Fink	187,000	220,000
Josh Smith (IA)	170,000	100,000
Ken Auker	150,000	70,000
John Reading	122,000	265,000
Jesse Bowman	110,000	155,000
Jacob Woggon	75,000	90,000
Jessica Anderson	19,000	50,000
Brian Berthiaume	0	58,000
Darin Utley	0	230,000

Hubble Flops the Goods to Double Through Saltanovitz

Photo: Houston Hubble

There was heads-up action after a flop between Houston Hubble from the small blind and Joseph Saltanovitz from the big blind.

Hubble check-jammed for 55,000 after Saltanovitz fired out a 10,000 bet and was called.

Houston Hubble:
Joseph Saltanovitz:

Hubble flopped the goods and was able to fade a chop as the turn and river secured his double-up.

Joseph Saltanovitz - 240,000

Find Your Photo in the Day 1B Photo Gallery!

Playing Day 1b of the MSPT Season 17 $1,110 Iowa Poker State Championship at Riverside Casino?

Have family or friends in action?

Have a look through our Photo Gallery Tab to see if you can find their photo, courtesy of event photographer Jess Beck.

Anderson Flushes Gao for Survival

Photo: Jessica Anderson

Boshuang Gao raised from the cutoff and then called Jessica Anderson’s 24,000 three-bet jam from the small blind.

Jessica Anderson:
Boshuang Gao:

Anderson was ahead holding a pair of threes, and the flop kept things spicy as it gave Gao the lead.

The turn left Anderson hoping for some help on the river, and luckily for her, the dealer answered her prayer as they dropped the , giving her a flush to secure her double-up.

Boshuang Gao - 300,000
Jessica Anderson - 50,000