Bally's Black Hawk Casino

Scott Horvath Leads the Final 28 Players into Day 2

Day 1c of the MSPT Season 17 Showdown Series Bally's Black Hawk $1,110 Main Event drew 248 entries, 8the biggest field of all three starting flights, bringing the overall field up to 528.

The combined fields generated a $508,720 prize pool, paying a minimum of $2,247, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $107,376 first-place prize.

At the end of the final flight, just 28 players bagged and tagged with Scott Horvath going on a late-night elimination spree to take a healthy 811,000 into Day 2, good enough for second overall.

Following behind Horvath was Stewart Guolla, who ended the night with 634,000, while Jordan Levine (568,000), Duncan Horst (431,000), and Justin Enger (416,00) rounded out the top five stacks of the final starting flight.

Others who survived the third and final flight included MSPT Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff (373,000), MSPT champ Justin Lynch (314,000), two-time MSPT Champ Tim Thorp (275,000), and WSOP bracelet winners Kevin Eyster (172,000) & Ben Keeline (117,000).

Among those to try and fall on Day 1c included Kim Criter, Joel Verbeck, Graham Griffin, last January’s Main Event runner-up Zach Gutierrez, Stephani Hagberg, and Jennifer Francis, just to name a few.

The surviving players from all three flights – of which there are 59 (12 from Day 1a, 19 from 1b, and 28 from 1c) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, January 25^th, 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 17 Bally’s Black Hawk Showdown Remaining Schedule

End Day 1C Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Scott Horvath	811,000	784,000
Stewart Guolla	634,000	520,000
Jordan Levine	568,000	560,000
Duncan Horst	431,000	350,000
Justin Enger	416,000	400,000
Gerald Cunniff	373,000	300,000
Allen Le Baron	327,000	445,000
Justin Lynch	314,000	167,000
Jim Jannicelli	307,000	350,000
Patrick Rice	300,000	100,000
Timothy Thorp	275,000	230,000
John Sacha	267,000	100,000
Terry "Mike" Wheeler	251,000	240,000
Daniel Moss	219,000	200,000
Fernando Fraire-Galuan	217,000	200,000
Tim Campbell	215,000	337,000
Dinh "Son" Nguyen	208,000	165,000
Luke Wasikowski	203,000	180,000
Kevin Eyster	172,000	145,000
Jacob Chotiner	150,000	100,000
Jeremy Ahillen	118,000	240,000
Ben Keeline	117,000	110,000
Matthew Hayden	117,000	170,000
Tyler Potts	114,000	130,000
Bert Poling	111,000	265,000
Alice Choi	94,000	50,000
Jordan Walker	80,000	100,000
Jesse Lanunziata	17,000	30,000

Jon Hanner Loses Big Flip, Bubbles Day 1C

Photo: Jon Hanner

Two-time MSPT Champ Tim Throp raised from middle position, and then called Jon Hanner’s 69,000 three-bet jam from the big blind.

Jon Hanner:
Tim Thorp:

Hanner was racing for his tournament life, with nothing changing after the flop hit the felt.

The turn left Hanner needing to pair either of his two overs on the river, but the paired the board and ended his Main Event on the bubble.

Tim Thorp - 275,000
Jon Hanner - Eliminated

Day 2 Line Up

So far, 31 players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and the final group of 28 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, January 25^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.

Join Us for the Club Poker Championship!

MAJOR

CLUB POKER CHAMPIONSHIP

: Potawatomi Hotel & Casino - Milwaukee, WI

: February 17-22, 2026

: $1,000,000 GTD Main Event (1.5X POY)

: $3,500 MSPT Championship Seat ADDED to Main Event 1st Place

: 11 Gold Card Events

: https://msptpoker.com/.../book-today-for-the-1m-gtd~1530...

Event Schedule: https://msptpoker.com/showpdf.aspx?eventID=493

Smidinger Out Kicked by Levine

Photo: Jordan Levine

There was three-way action after a flop when Eric Smidinger moved his 122,000 stack in the middle from under the gun and was called by Jordan Levine from middle position.

Eric Smidinger:
Jordan Levine:

Both players flopped top pair, but Smidinger had kicker issues as the turn and river ended his Main Event.

Jordan Levine - 560,000
Eric Smidinger - Eliminated

No Big Blind Special for Martinez, Dropped by Smidinger

Photo: Eric Smidinger

Sergio Martinez was all in after a flop from the big blind, and Eric Smidinger called from the cutoff.

Sergio Martinez:
Eric Smidinger:

Martinez was at risk needing help, but neither the turn, nor the river improved his hand, ending his Main Event run.

Eric Smidinger - 300,000
Sergio Martinez - Eliminated

Zach Gutierrez Claims an Ultimate Victory

Over the past week, players have been inside Bally's Casino, duking it out for the MSPT Season 17 Showdown Series in Black Hawk, Colorado.

In Event #6: $300 NLH Ultimate Stack, 127 ultimate players took to the felt and generated a $31,115 prize pool that was paid out to the top 15 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were David Aguilar (10^th Place - $638), Jeffrey Moskowitz (11^th Place - $638), William Lawrence (12^th Place - $638), William Boortz (13^th Place - $529), Adam Hoffberg (14^th Place - $529), and Jeffrey White (15^th Place - $529).

Walking away with the ultimate victory was last year's Main Event runner-up Zach Gutierrez, who claimed the top prize and his first Gold Card!!

Final Table Results

Lady Luck Keeps Martinez's Main Event Hopes Alive

Photo: Sergio Martinez

Eric Smidinger opened under the gun for 12,000, only to have Matthew Hayden three-bet jam for 115,000 next to act, and Sergio Martinez call off his 23,000 from the hijack.

Sergio Martinez:
Matthew Hayden:

Hayden rolled over the superior pocket pair, but a lady appeared in the window on the flop, improving Martinez to top set.

The then paired the board on the turn giving Martinez a full house, while the river kept his Main Event hopes alive.

Matthew Hayden - 94,000
Sergio Martinez - 60,000

Stock Risers & Fallers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Scott Horvath	784,000	435,000
Allen Le Baron	445,000	330,000
Jim Jannicelli	350,000	85,000
Tim Campbell	337,000	165,000
Gerald Cunniff	300,000	270,000
Jeremy Ahillen	240,000	100,000
Terry "Mike" Wheeler	240,000	115,000
Kevin Eyster	145,000	89,000
Jon Hanner	130,000	30,000
David Levy (CO)	0	145,000
Steve Wilkie	0	60,000
Danny Gonzales	0	120,000
Stephani Hagberg	0	55,000
Daniel Brewer	0	95,000
Samuel Husar	0	55,000