Running Aces Casino

MSPT Champ Lee Rzentkowski Bags the Top Stack to Lead 35 Survivors After Day 1B of the MSPT Season 17 Minnesota Poker State Championship!

Another full day of action was played to its conclusion at the MSPT Season 17 $1,110 Minnesota Poker State Championship at Running Aces Casino & Racetrack as Day 1b hit its hard stop at the end of Level 15.

The second of three flights drew 316 entries, bringing the two-day total to 483 and ensuring the $500k guarantee will be surpassed with one flight still remaining tomorrow.

Of the 316 entries, only 35 players remained when pens went to slips, with MSPT Champ Lee Rzentkowski (668,000) edging out Yuchen Chen (610,000) for the overall top stack thus far.

Andre Brown secured the final elimination of the night to end the night with 595,000, while two-time MSPT Champ Miike Estes (546,000) and Wild Bill Romer (522,000) rounded out the top five stacks of the flight.

Several other familiar players will also be joining the aforementioned five which include MSPT champ Wes Cannon (382,000), Jesse Green (365,000), and MSPT Hall of Famer’s Umut Ozturk (337,000),Gerald Cunniff (295,000), Aaron Johnson (124,000), Kou Vang (118,000), and DQ Dan Hendrickson (82,000), are just a few more of the players to add their names to the Day 2 roster along with the 19 to have already advanced from Day 1a.

Among those to try and fall on Day 1b included Vic Peppe, Theresa Brown, Greg Asche, Blaise Poupore, Elizabeth Ethridge, and Erick Wright, just to name a few.

The final starting flight will get underway tomorrow at noon. Late registration and re-entries will remain open through Level 12 (approximately 9:10 p.m.).

Make sure to tune in to see who makes it through to Day 2.

MSPT Season 17 Minnesota Poker State Championship Remaining Schedule

End Day 1B Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Lee Rzentkowski	668,000	516,000
Yuchen Chen	610,000	425,000
Andre Brown	595,000	595,000
Michael Estes (IA)	546,000	550,000
Bill Romer	522,000	565,000
Jeff Petronack	481,000	400,000
Taylor Maas	407,000	407,000
Wesley Cannon	382,000	275,000
Brenden Sandy	374,000	374,000
Jesse Green	365,000	518,000
Gene Boyer	363,000	363,000
Umut Ozturk	337,000	403,000
Gerald Cunniff	295,000	245,000
Michael Dehen	288,000	288,000
Matthew Dodd	283,000	220,000
Aidan Ferguson	240,000	240,000
Andrew Francis	227,000	227,000
Justin Thurlow	215,000	155,000
Cory Cove	187,000	145,000
Louis Hillman	181,000	181,000
Shek Wong	173,000	173,000
Jason Sell	170,000	180,000
Josh Barstow	161,000	161,000
Preston Willier	152,000	152,000
Stuart Luhm	152,000	152,000
Jon Hanner	133,000	65,000
Aaron Johnson	124,000	35,000
Rodney Colson	120,000	280,000
Kou Vang	118,000	268,000
Mike O'Malley	112,000	112,000
Peter Creese	108,000	100,000
Zachary Beasy	107,000	107,000
Eric Eelkema	102,000	0
Shane Stegora	100,000	220,000
DQ Dan Hendrickson	82,000	125,000

Phia Vue Straightened Out on the Bubble

Photo: Phia Vue

Andre Brown raised from middle position, and Phia Vue defended his big blind to see a flop.

Action was checked to the turn, where Vue’s remaining 105,000 chips got into the middle, and he was called.

Phia Vue:
Andre Brown:

It was an action flop with Brown holding the best of it after he flopped the nuts, and the river ended Vue’s night on the bubble.

Andre Brown - 595,000
Phia Vue - 0

Hand-for-Hand Begins

With 36 players remaining, the hand-for-hand process has started, as only 35 will make it to Sunday’s Day 2.

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Bill Romer	565,000	200,000
Michael Estes (IA)	550,000	300,000
Lee Rzentkowski	516,000	340,000
Jeff Petronack	400,000	179,500
Wesley Cannon	275,000	428,000
Gerald Cunniff	245,000	130,000
Cory Cove	145,000	114,500
Kevin McMahon	0	100,000
Kanat Ozturk	0	14,000
Carl Carodenuto	0	210,000
Jessica Anderson	0	121,300
DJ Buckley	0	74,000
John Reading	0	87,000
Rob WazWaz	0	28,500

Basim Habib Wins $400 Regional Event!

For the first time this season, the MSPT made its way back home to the tundra, and over the past week, players have been inside Running Aces Casino & Racetrack for the Season 17 Minnesota Poker State Championship!

In Event #5: $400 Mini Main NLH, a whopping 1,099 entries were tallied after two starting flights, generating a $366,665 prize pool, which paid out the top 123 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Rodney Colson (11^th Place - $5,075), Mike Wilklow (14^th Place - $3,988), two-time MSPT Champ Mike Estes (26^th Place - $1,149), DJ Buckley (38^th Place - $1,233), Season 15 Minnesota Poker State Champ Sean Hinton (63^rd Place - $1,015), and MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang (110^th Place - $689).

When the dust settled, Minnesota native Basim Habib was the last man standing, taking home the $58,227 top prize, along with his first Gold Card!

Final Table Results

Eelkema Flips Well to Stay Alive

Photo: Eric Eelkema

Eric Eelkema raised all-in from under the gun and found one caller from middle position.

Eric Eelkema:
Opponent:

Eelkema found himself in a race, and took the lead after a king appeared in the window on the flop.

The turn kept Eelkema out in front, and the river secured his double-up.

Eric Eelkema - 90,000

Chip Collectors & Givers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Jesse Green	518,000	240,000
Umut Ozturk	403,000	340,000
Lee Rzentkowski	340,000	300,000
Carl Carodenuto	210,000	70,000
Bill Romer	200,000	352,000
Justin Thurlow	155,000	130,000
DQ Dan Hendrickson	125,000	80,000
Michael Wilklow	120,000	70,000
Phia Vue	110,000	310,000
Jon Hanner	65,000	110,000
Saad Ghanem	0	80,000
Yi (KitKat) Klassen	0	50,000
Shawn Libersky	0	78,500
Mark Sandness	0	140,000
Blake Bohn	0	80,000

All Time Main Event Cashes

After notching his first-ever Main Event cash back in 2014, DJ Buckley has become one of the most consistent players on the tour, earning himself a record 85 Main Event cashes, and has started off the new Season by notching six in the first nine events.

With a full season remaining, Buckley will look to keep notching the cashes underneath his belt, as he will look to become the first player ever to earn 100 Main Event cashes and take his seat in the coveted MSPT Hall of Fame.

All-Time Main Event Cashes

WazWaz Can't Hold on to Lady Luck

Photo: Rob WazWaz

There was all-in action preflop between MSPT Hall of Famer Rob WazWaz from the hijack and Andrew Boomer from the big blind, with WazWaz holding the effective stack.

Rob WazWaz:
Andrew Boomer:

WazWaz rolled over a dominated hand, but the flop paired his queen, giving him the lead while Boomer picked up a Broadway draw.

The then fell on the turn, keeping WazWaz in the front, but the dealer followed with a heartbreaking on the river to end his night.

Rob WazWaz - 0