Day 1A of the 2017 MSPT Grand Falls Casino $1,100 Main Event drew 105 runners, which was up from 87 the year before. After14 levels of play, just 15 remained with local player James Klosterbuer and his stack of 243,500 leading the way.

Klosterbuer had just $11,020 in live tournament earnings, of which $8,614 came when he finished third in a 2014 Ante Up Poker Tour event at Running Aces. He is seeking his first MSPT cash.

Rounding out the top five stacks were Trevis Devericks (242,500), Derrick Fish (218,500), Aaron Johnson (19,500), and Jared Mohnen (172,500).

Others who survived the night were 2017 South Dakota State Poker Champion Ryan Skluzak (147,000), Minnesota’s Joe Barnard (130,500), and MSPT Season 8 Golden Gates Regional runner-up Drew Shulz (85,000).

Of course, not everyone was so lucky. Among those to try and fall on Day 1A was defending champ Ted Takasaki, MSPT Season 8 Grand Falls Regional winner Travis Gant, four-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner Mark Fink, MSPT Season 6 Player of the Year Mark Hodge, and former champs Rodger Johnson, Carter Myers, Erv Bjerga, and John Hayes.

Those players and any newcomers to the field will have the opportunity to play Day 1B at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Before that, at 10 a.m., there will be a last-chance $250 satellite with the top 20% advancing to the Main Event.