Bally's Black Hawk Casino

Eddie Apodaca Finds His Way to the Top Lead 27 Survivors After Day 1B of the MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship

A lengthy day of 16 levels has wrapped up during the MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship at Bally’s Casino as Day 1b drew 240 entries to bring the two-day total thus far to 413, guaranteeing that the $500K GTD will be surpassed with tomorrow’s final flight still to go.

Of those 240 entries, only 27 players remained when chips went into bags, with Eddie Apodaca going on a late-night heater to take 572,000 into Day 2, edging out William Soscia (560,000) and Diego Rodriguez (504,000) for the top stack of the flight.

Brandon Boland sat in the same chair the whole day until the final four tables and collected 422,000 to put in his bag, while Brett Seubert (417,000) and MSPT Hall of Famer Umut Ozturk (415,000) were the only others to clip the 400k mark.

Others who survived the second starting flight included 2023 Black Hawk Champ Alex Cruz (339,000), WSOP bracelet winner Kevin Eyster (207,000), Sean Hoesing (143,000), Sherry Hammers (89,000), and DJ Buckley (34,000), as they were just a few more of the players to add their names to the Day 2 roster along with the 20 to have already advanced from Day 1a.

Among those to fire and fall on Day 1b included MSPT Champ Justin Lynch, Barb Visher, James Coca, Nader Wahdan, and fellow Black Hawk Champ and bracelet winner Faraz Jaka, to name a few.

Those players, as well as any newcomers, have one last starting flight to jump back into action with Day 1c starting tomorrow at Noon.

This is a best-stack forward event: If a player qualifies for Day 2 more than once, they may only play the higher chip stack; any lower stack(s) will be removed from play at the start of Day 2 and receive the lowest Day 2 payout.

Player of the Year points will only be awarded for the higher stack. Players will only receive credit for a single MSPT Main Event cash finish.

Late registration and re-entries will remain open through Level 12 (approximately 9:10 p.m.).

Congratulations to everyone who advanced to Day 2.

We will be back tomorrow for coverage of Day 1c on MSPTPoker.com, providing updates straight from the tournament floor at Bally’s Casino.

MSPT Season 17 Colorado Poker State Championship Schedule

End Day 1B Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Edward Apodaca	572,000	300,000
William Soscia	560,000	400,000
Diego Rodriguez	504,000	560,000
Brandon Boland	422,000	295,000
Brett Seubert	417,000	300,000
Umut Ozturk	415,000	300,000
Alex Cruz	339,000	280,000
Andrew Willis	331,000	300,000
Joshua Feiger	329,000	305,000
Svetlana Gromenkova	315,000	300,000
Brett Schrimsher	288,000	305,000
Mark Darner	268,000	30,000
Kenneth Neyerlin	262,000	30,000
Andre Rieder	260,000	145,000
Scott Horvath	250,000	255,000
Jason Krawczyk	228,000	30,000
Kevin Eyster	207,000	175,000
Michael Malm	174,000	30,000
Cynthia Bardo	173,000	30,000
Miguel Navarro	152,000	152,000
Justin Dreiling	151,000	30,000
Sean Hoesing	143,000	90,000
Bruce Keshtavar	141,000	30,000
Jordan Levine	116,000	30,000
Sherry Hammers	89,000	175,000
Daniel Barron	62,000	30,000
DJ Buckley	34,000	89,000

Zach Gutierrez Bubbles Day 1B

Zach Gutierrez was all-in from the big blind, and William Sosica gave him isolation with a 15,000 raise from early position.

Zach Gutierrez:
William Sosica:

Gutierrez was behind needing help, but the flop left him needing running cards to stay alive.

The turn was a card Gutierrez wanted to see, as it gave him some hope with an open-ended straight draw, but the followed on the river and ended his night on the bubble.

William Sosica - 560,000
Zach Gutierrez - 0

Horvath Flips Well on the Bubble

Photo: Scott Horvath

Justin Dreiling raised all-in from the button, and Scott Horvath called off his 93,000 stack from the big blind.

Scott Horvath:
Justin Dreiling:

It was a classic flip, with Horvath calling the lucky side, as the runout paired his ace on the turn, securing his double on the bubble.

Scott Horvath - 255,000
Justin Dreiling - 145,000

Hand-for-Hand

With 28 players remaining, the hand-for-hand process has started, as only 27 of them will be making Sunday’s Day 2.

Cruz Trips Up Jaka for a Double

Photo: Alex Cruz

MSPT Champ Alex Cruz opened for 10,000 from middle position and was called by Brandon Boland from the small blind before fellow MSPT Black Hawk Champ Faraz Jaka fired out a 38,000 three-bet from the big blind.

With action back on Cruz, he decided to risk his 135,000 stack, and only Jaka called.

Alex Cruz:
Faraz Jaka:

Cruz was at risk needing help, and found it after the flop paired his king.

The dealer then dropped the on the turn, improving Cruz to trip kings, and the followed on the river, securing his double-up.

Alex Cruz - 280,000
Faraz Jaka - 120,000

MSPT Top GOAT

Our MSPT GOAT Leaderboard tracks those who have amassed the most points ALL TIME (vs World Ranking = last 50 Main Events only, with a weighted multiplier favoring more recent)

Josh Reichard took over the #1 spot this season, surpassing Rob WazWaz, who had held it down since nearly the inception!

Full Leaderboard

Navarro Spikes the River for Survival

Photo: Miguel Navarro

Miguel Navarro open-jammed 65,000 from middle position, and Brandon Elbercht went over the top from the small blind, giving him isolation.

Miguel Navarro:
Brandon Elbercht:

Navarro rolled over a dominated hand, but the flop did bring possible chop outs as it gave both players a wheel draw.

The dealer then turned the , keeping Elbercht in the lead, and just as Navarro was getting ready to make his exit, the fell on the river to secure his double-up.

Miguel Navarro - 140,000
Brandon Elbercht - 30,000

Find Your Photo in the Day 1B Photo Gallery!

Playing Day 1b of the MSPT Season 17 $1,110 Colorado Poker State Championship at Bally’s Casino Black Hawk?

Have family or friends in action?

Have a look through our Photo Gallery Tab to see if you can find their photo, courtesy of event photographer Jess Beck.

Stock Risers & Fallers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Umut Ozturk	300,000	289,000
Brandon Boland	295,000	175,000
Zach Gutierrez	220,000	46,000
Faraz Jaka	215,000	255,000
Sherry Hammers	175,000	75,000
William Soscia	170,000	335,000
Andre Rieder	145,000	143,000
Scott Horvath	130,000	105,000
Sean Hoesing	90,000	65,000
Mykel Robble	0	50,000
Jason Vanstrom	0	25,000
Darrin Witten	0	110,000