Despite heavy competition across the country, Day 1a of the Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Main Event attracted an unexpected 195 entries, which set a flight record in the tour’s 15 visits to the property. That puts the field well on pace to crush the $300,000 guarantee as Saturday’s Day 1b is expected to be even bigger!

After 14 levels of play, just 33 players remained with Troy Repp and his stack of 269,000 leading the way, though MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Josh Reichard is hot on his heels with 268,000

However, the story of the day was the appearance of free agent NFL running back Fred Jackson, who survived the night with a stack of 92,000.

Jackson, who spent nine seasons with the Buffalo Bills (2006-2014) and a season with the Seattle Seahawks (2015), has roots in Iowa as he attended Coe College, a Division III university, in nearby Cedar Rapids. It was there that Jackson was named to four All-American teams in 2002 after rushing for 2,702 yards and 29 touchdowns.

On December 24, 2000, Jackson became the first Division III running back to start a NFL game. In the years that followed, Jackson would enjoy a stellar career, ultimately finishing third on the Bills’ all-time rushing list. Now, he has a chance to make a name for himself in the poker world.

Others who bagged and tagged on Day 1a were Tom Hammers (217,000), Kou Vang (179,000), Mike Holm (103,500), MSPT Pro Blake Bohn (95,000), Jason Seitz (82,000), and MSPT Meskwaki Season 6 champ Rich Alsup (46,000).

Of course not everyone was so lucky. Among those to fall over the course of the day were Michigan State Poker champ Brett Blackwood and runner-up Cy Church, MSPT Season 1 Running Aces champ Joe Matheson, reigning Iowa State Poker champ and Season 7 Player of the Year leader John Sun, and Nebraska farmer Phil Mader.

All of those players will have the chance to try against on Day 1b at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday. We’ll be there to capture all the action, so be sure to join us then.