The third and final starting flights in the $1,100 MSPT Denver Poker Open at Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado drew 178 entrants, which along with Day 1B’s 147 runners and Day 1A’s 88 brought the total field up to 413 entries.

After 14 levels, Jason Beasley of Salem, Oregon emerged as the chip leader among the 34 Day 1C survivors with a stack of 315,500. That is behind of Day 1B leader Jay Daignault, who bagged 456,000, but ahead of Day 1A chip leader Terry Wheeler, who made it through on Thursday with 230,000.

Beasley is seeking his first MSPT cash, but he’s found success outside the tour with $159,358 in tournament earnings dating back to 2004. His biggest cash of $66,820 came way back in 2005 when he won the $500 Fall Poker Round Up Main Event in Pendleton.

Others who bagged big stacks were Baptiste Chavaillaz (241,500), Gerald Cunniff (268,500), Jason Su (220,500), and Nils Bardsley (199,500), who round out the top five.

They will be joined by the likes of Rick Lehman (161,000), Matt Fisher (95,500), Shane Faulk (65,500), 2016 MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship Brett Blackwood (59,000), Sammy Aweida (58,500), and MSPT Season 7 Golden Gates Regional Champ “Money” Mike Maruna (31,000).

Among those to fire and miss on Veterans Day were former Air Force intelligence analyst and SHRPO Ambassador Jessica Dawley, Las Vegas poker pro Tim West, Wisconsin’s Ty Veras, MSPT Season 8 Golden Gates Regional Champ Corey Zedo, and local favorites Patti O’Rourke-Perkovich and Tom Bouziden.

At 11:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, 76 players (20 from 1A, 23 from 1B, and 33 from 1C) will returned to action and play down to a winner. The payouts will be posted first thing in the morning, so be sure to join us tomorrow to see who leaves empty handed, and who walks away with some cash in the 2017 MSPT Denver Poker Open.