Ameristar East Chicago

Perrin Hendrick Leads the Final 29 Players into Day 2

Day 1c was the final starting flight of the MSPT Season 16 $1,110 Main Event at the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, and attracted a final 259 runners, which, along with the 255 totals from the previous two flights, brought the total field up to 514 entries, shattering the $300k guarantee.

The impressive field generated a $497,080 prize pool, paying out a minimum of $2,197, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $104,983 first-place prize and the final MSPT 2025 Main Event trophy!

At the end of the third and final flight, just 29 players bagged and tagged with Perrin Hendrick (666,000), edging out Yoon Kim (615,000) for the top stack of the final flight.

Rounding out the big stacks were Arnestas Armonas (565,000), Andy Tran (493,000), and Charlie Reichard (474,000).

Others who survived the third and final flight included Mike Reisner (370,000), Angel Saurez (317,000), MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson (305,000), Mike Suggs(290,000), George Dietz (115,000), and Marius Toderici (46,000).

Among those to try and fall on Day 1c included MSPT champ Matthew Eng, Sarah Stefan, DJ Buckley, Jill Bryant, Angela Gambino, and MSPT champ Matt Porter, just to name a few.

The surviving players from all three flights – 59 in total (9 from Day 1a, 20 from 1b, and 29 from 1c) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 23^rd, to play down to a winner.

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

MSPT Season 16 Indiana Poker State Championship Schedule

End Day 1C Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Perrin Hendrick	666,000	430,000
Yoon Kim	615,000	545,000
Arnestas Armonas	565,000	250,000
Andy Tran	493,000	243,000
Charlie Reichard	474,000	310,000
Jerry Miller	432,000	440,000
Brian Yoder	385,000	300,000
Mike Reisner	370,000	245,000
Nickson Tigers	324,000	300,000
Matt Miller	319,000	245,000
Angel Saurez	317,000	240,000
Greg Koutelidakis	313,000	259,000
Aaron Johnson	305,000	300,000
Xi Nguyen	294,000	230,000
Michael Suggs	290,000	270,000
Wayne Smith (MI)	194,000	90,000
Francis Sherman	190,000	100,000
David Kowal	173,000	30,000
Brian Chassee	133,000	100,000
Varkey James	131,000	100,000
Nikolay Kirev	124,000	130,000
Brian Wepprecht	121,000	100,000
George Dietz	115,000	240,000
Alin Cotolan	104,000	170,000
Joseph Saltanovitz	101,000	150,000
Danny Phillips	96,000	100,000
Clarence Philipneri	48,000	78,000
Marius Toderici	46,000	220,000
Uwen Goodrich	32,000	30,000

John Gordon Bubbles Day 1C

Photo: John Gordon

Action on the table folded to Yoon Kim, who raised to 80,000 from the small blind, and John Gordon called off his 22,000 stack from the big blind.

John Gordon:
Yoon Kim:

Gordon rolled over a dominated hand, with nothing changing after the flop hit the felt.

However, the dealer would then turn the , giving Kim top pair, leaving Gordon drawing dead to the rver.

Yoon Kim - 615,000
John Gordon - Eliminated

Kirev Dominates Koutelidakis for a Double

Photo: Nikolay Kirev

Greg Koutelidakis raised from middle position and then called Nikolay Kirev’s 60,000 three-bet jam from the hijack.

Nikolay Kirev:
Greg Koutelidakis:

Kirev rolled over a dominating hand, but the flop came with a sweat as it gave Koutelidakis some more outs with a gutshot straight draw.

Fortunately for Nikolay Kirev, both the turn and river kept him in the lead, securing his double-up.

Greg Koutelidakis - 340,000
Nikolay Kirev - 130,000

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

Saltanovitz Hooks Reichard for a Double, VanderWoude Falls to Start Hand-for-Hand

Photo: Joseph Saltanovitz

Joseph Saltanovitz was all in preflop for 75,000 from under the gun, and Charlie Reichard called from middle position.

Joseph Saltanovitz:
Charlie Reichard:

Saltanovitz rolled over the better-made hand and faded a seven on the runout to stay alive.

On another table, Michael VanderWoude lost with against Clarence Philipneri’s , leaving 30 players reamining and starting the hand-for-hand process.

Charlie Reichard - 310,000
Joseph Saltanovitz - 150,000

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Yoon Kim	545,000	370,000
Jerry Miller	440,000	251,000
Perrin Hendrick	430,000	380,000
Michael Suggs	270,000	110,000
Mike Reisner	245,000	130,000
Xi Nguyen	230,000	57,000
Joseph Saltanovitz	150,000	125,000
Sami Shurbaji	0	145,000
Anthony Babic	0	200,000
Casey Blakeley	0	120,000
Kanat Ozturk	0	135,000
Christopher Weber	0	120,000

Day 2 Line Up

So far, 29 players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and the final group of 29 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 23^rd, 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.

Cotolan Doubles Through Kirev with Two Ladies

Photo: Alin Cotolan

There was all in action preflop between Nikolay Kirev from the cutoff and Alin Cotolan from the big blind, with Cotolan holding 87,000 effective.

Alin Cotolan:
Nikolay Kirev:

Cotolan rolled over the superior made hand, and faded a seven on the runout to collect a double-up.

Alin Cotolan - 170,000
Nikolay Kirev - 60,000

Top Gold Card Collectors!

After securing his third win here at the Ameristar Casino, Jake Long has now jumped ahead of Michael Starek with five Gold Cards to sit atop the leaderboard.