Riverside Casino

MSPT Champ Chris Audrain Leads Final Batch of 21 into Day 2

Day 1c of the MSPT Season 17 Riverside $1,110 Main Event drew 186 runners; combined with 1a’s 69 and 1b’s 151, the field totaled 406 entries, shattering the $300k guarantee.

The field generated a $392,320 prize pool, which will pay a minimum of $2,146, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $85,838 first-place prize, along with the Main Event trophy, and a $3,500 into the ROCK ‘N’ ROLL POKER OPEN MSPT Championship at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, FL.

At the end of the third and final flight, just 21 players bagged and tagged, with MSOPT Champ Chris Audrain claiming the top spot with 705,000 to take into Day 2, which is good enough for the second overall chip lead.

Audrain went on a late-night heater to distance himself from John 'Farmboy' Kurfman (586,000), Kanat Ozturk (540,000), “Wild” Bill Romer (518,000), and Mark Larson (393,000) for the top spot as they rounded out the top five stacks.

Others who survived the final flight included two-time Player of the Year Umut Ozturk (358,000), Zac Campbell (327,000), Kelly Mahana (232,000), MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson (116,000), the MSPT’s top casher DJ Buckley (65,000), and three-time MSPT Champ Nick Barksdale (61,000).

Of course, not everyone was so lucky, as 2024 MSPT Riverside Champ Jake Wilding, WSOP bracelet winner Garrett Dwire, Gabe Neighbors, two-time MSPT Champ Dan Sun, Jack Armstrong, and Sammy “Whammy” DeSilva all fell short of clinching a Day 2 berth.

All surviving players from the starting flights – of which there are 46 (8 from Day 1a, 17 from 1b, and 21 from 1c) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 8^th, to play down to a winner.

The MSPT live reporting crew will be on the floor throughout the rest of the tournament to provide updates, so keep it here to catch the action!

MSPT Season 17 Festival at Riverside Casino Remaining Schedule

End Day 1C Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Chris Audrain	705,000	635,000
John 'Farmboy' Kurfman	586,000	220,000
Kanat Ozturk	540,000	475,000
Bill Romer	518,000	260,000
Mark Larson (MN)	393,000	350,000
Umut Ozturk	358,000	340,000
Rory Linton	349,000	305,000
Zac Campbell	327,000	265,000
Brian Payne (WI)	280,000	148,000
Kelly Mahana	232,000	150,000
Brett Slezak	195,000	250,000
Matthew Dodd	189,000	219,000
Jacob Woggon	168,000	125,000
Cory Boyer	159,000	200,000
Bruce Moore	118,000	200,000
Aaron Johnson	116,000	103,000
Josh Spilman	110,000	100,000
Stan Webb	100,000	170,000
DJ Buckley	65,000	75,000
Nick Barksdale	61,000	199,000
Daniel Schmidt	31,000	50,000

Sriram Sitaraman Bubbles Day 1C

After having his pocket kings cracked in the previous hand, Sriram Sitaraman moved his remaining 22,000 into the middle from the cutoff, and was called by three-time MSPT Champ Nick Barksdale from the button, along with Jacob Woggon from the big blind.

Once the flop hit the felt, Woggon bet into the side pot, pushing Barksdale off the pot.

Sriram Sitaraman:
Jacob Woggon:

Woggon was well ahead after flopping trip fives, and the turn left Sitaraman drawing dead to the river, ending his night on the bubble.

Jacob Woggon - 168,000
Sriram Sitaraman - Eliminated

Tomlin Loses Race to Ozturk

Photo: Brent Tomlin

Kanat Ozturk opened for 12,000 from early position and then called Brent Tomlin’s 70,000 three-bet jam from middle position.

Brent Tomlin:
Kanat Ozturk:

Tomlin found himself racing for his tournament life, only to fall behind after the flop paired Ozturk’s ace.

The turn then left Tomlin needing an eight to fall on the river to stay alive, but the completed the board and ended his tournament.

Kanat Ozturk - 500,000
Brent Tomlin - Eliminated

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Chris Audrain	635,000	162,000
Kanat Ozturk	475,000	391,000
Mark Larson (MN)	350,000	260,000
Umut Ozturk	340,000	346,000
Zac Campbell	265,000	310,000
Sriram Sitaraman	260,000	165,000
Bill Romer	260,000	161,000
Brett Slezak	250,000	120,000
Josh Spilman	200,000	100,000
Nick Barksdale	199,000	190,000
Stan Webb	170,000	165,000
Mike Wilklow	155,000	150,000
Kelly Mahana	150,000	220,000
Leo Pinamonti	125,000	60,000
Jacob Woggon	125,000	120,000
Aaron Johnson	103,000	195,000
DJ Buckley	75,000	107,000
Brent Tomlin	70,000	30,000
Daniel Schmidt	50,000	30,000
Kou Vang	0	120,000
Charlie Reichard	0	200,000
Alan Baker	0	65,000
Tony Olguin	0	85,000

Day 2 Line Up Thus Far

So far, 25 players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and the final group of 21 hopefuls will look to add their names to that list tonight.

All who make it through until the end of play will return tomorrow, Sunday, November 8^th, at 11:00 a.m. for Day 2, where the remaining players from all starting flights will combine and play until a winner is declared.

Lawson Runs into Ozturk's Aces

Photo: Kanat Ozturk

Jonathan Lawson raised all-in for 44,000 from middle position, and action on the table folded to Kanat Ozturk, who looked down at his cards and called from the big blind.

Jonathan Lawson:
Kanat Ozturk:

Lawson was in rough shape after Ozturk rolled over a pair of aces, and the runout didn’t provide any help, ending his tournament.

Kanat Ozturk - 391,000
Jonathan Lawson - Eliminated

Chip Collectors & Givers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Kanat Ozturk	391,000	220,000
Rory Linton	305,000	180,000
Kelly Mahana	220,000	190,000
John 'Farmboy' Kurfman	220,000	280,000
Matthew Dodd	219,000	83,000
Charlie Reichard	200,000	133,000
Aaron Johnson	195,000	160,000
Sriram Sitaraman	165,000	192,000
Chris Audrain	162,000	130,000
Brian Payne (WI)	148,000	105,000
Jacob Woggon	120,000	70,000
DJ Buckley	107,000	170,000
Tony Olguin	85,000	125,000
Alan Baker	65,000	30,000
Leo Pinamonti	60,000	30,000
Wayne Tweeton	0	70,000
Sam DeSilva	0	143,200
Garrett Dwire	0	32,000
Andros Ioakimides	0	61,000
Jonathan Lawson	0	30,000

♠️ MSPT Season 17 Leaders ♠️

All Leaderboards: https://msptpoker.com/statistics/Default.aspx

Heine Apart of Barksdale's Double Knockout

Photo: Keith Heine

Three-time MSPT Champ Nick Barksdale opened under the gun for 9,000, and MSPT Hall of Famer Keith Heine called from the small blind before the big blind squeezed their remaining 17,000 stack into the middle.

With action back on Barksdale, he moved out a 50,000 four-bet, putting Heine to the test, and after some careful thought, Heine called off his 30,000 stack.

Big Blind:
Keith Heine:
Nick Barksdale:

Heine was ahead holding a pair of deuces until an ace appeared in the window on the flop, putting Barksdale out in front.

The then paired the board on the turn, keeping Barksdale in the lead, while the river secured him the double knockout.

Nick Barksdale - 190,000
Keith Heine - Eliminated