Ameristar Casino St. Charles

MSPT Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff Soars to the Top to Lead 22 Survivors After Day 1B of the MSPT Season 17 Missouri Poker State Championship

Another full day of action was played to its conclusion at the MSPT Season 17 $1,110 Missouri State Poker Championship at the Ameristar Casino as Day 1b hit its hard stop at the beginning of Level 16.

The second of three flights drew 198 entries, bringing the two-day total to 241 and guaranteeing that the $300k guarantee will be surpassed with one flight remaining.

Of those 198 entries, only 22 players remained when pens went to slips with MSPT Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff rising to the top to put a monstrous 614,000 on his slip to end the night, taking the overall chip lead into Day 2 thus far.

Cunniff bagged was able to edge out Stephen Green (571,000), Caleb Rodgers (505,000), Blake Obrien (480,000), and James Miller (413,000) as they rounded out the top five stacks of the flight.

Several other familiar players will also be joining the aforementioned five which includes MSPT Champ Mike Estes (379,000), Brandon Butler (370,000), Justin Coliny (354,000), Saad Ghanem, (349,000), Jessica Anderson (73,000), and MSPT Hall of Famer Umut Ozturk (60,000), are just a few more of the players to add their names to the Day 2 roster along with the five to have already advanced from Day 1a.

Among those to try and fall on Day 1b included WSOP bracelet winner Blair Hinkle, Dave Gutfreund, Dalton Jones, MSPT champ Jeffrey Copeland, James Grimes, and MSPT Hall of Famer Keith Heine, just to name a few.

Those players, along with any newcomers, will have one last chance to find a Day 2 appearance, as the final starting flight will get underway tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. with late registration and re-entries remaining open through Level 12 (approximately 10:40 p.m.).

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

MSPT Season 17 Missouri Poker State Championship Remaining Schedule

End Day 1B Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Gerald Cunniff	614,000	500,000
Stephen Green	571,000	355,000
Caleb Rodgers	505,000	368,000
Blake Obrien	480,000	300,000
James Miller Sr (IL)	413,000	300,000
Michael Estes (IA)	379,000	420,000
Brandon Butler	370,000	375,000
Justin Coliny	354,000	324,000
Saad Ghanem	349,000	370,000
Jarrett Jasper	244,000	90,000
Zdenek Borsky	240,000	200,000
Ryan Julius	211,000	170,000
Jeffrey Roberson	208,000	100,000
Carlton Taylor	196,000	100,000
Delvonte Gathright	151,000	100,000
George Rafeedie	142,000	255,000
Greg Sullivan	127,000	100,000
Anthony Decicco	114,000	100,000
Eric Bryant	106,000	95,000
Jessica Anderson	73,000	133,500
Cory Bogert	68,000	110,000
Umut Ozturk	60,000	30,000

Stephen Green Eliminates Jason Rogers on the Bubble, Ending Play

Photo: Stephen Green

James Miller opened for 16,000 from middle position and was called by Stephen Green from the small blind, along with Jason Rigers from the big blind.

Once the flop hit the felt, Rogers got his remaining stack in the middle, and only Green called.

Jason Rogers:
Stephen Green:

Rogers was behind holding a flush draw, but neither the turn nor the river completed it, ending his night on the bubble.

Stephen Green - 571,000
Jason Rogers - 0

Hand-for-Hand Begins

After the elimination of MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard, just 23 players remain meaning, the hand-for-hand process has now started as only 22 of them will be making Day 2.

Day 1A Chip Counts

So far, just five players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and another group of 22 hopefuls will look to add their names to that list tonight.

The surviving players from the three starting flights will then return for Day 2 at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 29^th, and will play until a winner is crowned.

Miller Flips Well to Drop One

Photo: James Miller

James Miller raised from under the gun and then called the cutoff’s three-bet jam.

Opponent:
James Miller:

It was a classic flip, with Miller calling the correct side, as the runout secured him the knockout.

James Miller - 314,000

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Gerald Cunniff	500,000	320,000
Brandon Butler	375,000	277,000
Saad Ghanem	370,000	303,000
Caleb Rodgers	368,000	145,000
Stephen Green	355,000	338,000
Ryan Julius	170,000	60,000
Cory Bogert	110,000	117,000
Jarrett Jasper	90,000	40,000
Carlton Taylor	80,000	118,000
Dino Galic	0	30,000

Green Flops the Goods and Gets Paid by Jasper

Photo: Stephen Green

There was heads-up action between Jarrett Jasper from the hijack and Stephen Green from the small blind, with a completed board showing.

With over 130,000 already in the pot, Green moved his remaining 94,000 stack into the middle, and Jasper decided to look him up.

Green then tabled the nuts holding and collected the pot after Jasper released into the muck.

Stephen Green - 338,000
Jarrett Jasper - 40,000

Chip Collectors & Givers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Michael Estes (IA)	420,000	493,000
Stephen Green	338,000	83,000
Justin Coliny	324,000	347,000
Gerald Cunniff	320,000	240,000
Michael Estes (MO)	197,000	180,000
Josh Reichard	190,000	50,000
Carlton Taylor	118,000	179,000
Cory Bogert	117,000	105,000
Trey Bartlett	115,000	35,000
Ryan Julius	60,000	30,000
Jarrett Jasper	40,000	275,000
Chris Audrain	0	81,500
Merritt Kuhn	0	15,000

Mike Estes is a Four Card Master

Over the past week, players have been inside the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, MO, duking it out for their MSPT Season 17 Missouri Poker State Championship!

In Event #5: $300 Pot-Limit Omaha, 125 four-card specialists took to the tables, generating a $30,625 prize pool that was paid out to the top 15 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Chad Buzinski (10^th Place - $628), David Kowalski (11^th Place - $628), MSPT Champ Chris Audrain (12^th Place - $628), Satar Al-Sadoun (13^th Place - $483), Austin Schaal (14^th Place - $483), and Robert Keeling (15^th Place - $483)

Walking away the victor was St. Louis native Mike Estes, who secured the outright win to go along with his first Gold Card!

Final Table Results