2014 MSPT Golden Gates Day 1b: Field Already Reaches 300; William Givens Leads
The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Golden Gates Casino continued Friday with Day 1b action from Blackhawk, Colorado. Day 1a had attracted 137 entries the day before, and the second starting flight surpassed that with 163 entries, bringing the total field up to 300 with Day 1c yet to come.
After 10 50-minute levels of play, just 41 players remained with William Givens and his stack of 267,400 leading the way. Others who bagged big stacks were Dan McCabe (249,900), Reza Yazdi (230,500), Teresa Hemingway (193,000), and Justin Cole (190,600).
Top 10 Day 1b Stacks
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Givens | 267,400 |
| 2 | Dan McCabe | 249,900 |
| 3 | Reza Yazdi | 230,500 |
| 4 | Teresa Hemingway | 193,000 |
| 5 | Justin Cole | 190,600 |
| 6 | Lou Mortellaro | 176,500 |
| 7 | Daniel Howell | 152,100 |
| 8 | Mike Pennetta | 150,700 |
| 9 | Joseph Triolo | 137,400 |
| 10 | Danny Gonzales | 136,500 |
Givens seemed to run hot all day, winning a pot early on when he got value after flopping quads. Kings seemed to be the hand of the day for Givens, as he used them to bust two Minnesota stalwarts.
First it was Team SPT Pro Blake Bohn, who check-called a bet of 5,000 from Givens after a flop of 5?8?10?.
"I hope you check the turn," Bohn said.
"I will," Givens replied as the 4? peeled off on the turn. Sure enough it went check-check. The dealer then burned and put out the 3? on the river. Bohn checked once more, and Givens put him all in for 15,000 or so. Bohn thought briefly before announcing a call. Givens tabled K?K? for an overpair.
"It's good," Bohn said, tossing A?5? face up into the muck.
Then, on one of the last hands of the night, Givens took an unorthodox line against Lance Harris. Givens opened to 5,000 in early position, and Harris three-bet to 13,000 on the button. Givens made the call, and the two saw a flop of 4?2?K?. Givens bet out 8,000, and Harris moved all in after thinking for a bit. Givens beat him into the pot with K?K?.
"Nice hand," Harris said, showing 9?9?. He was drawing dead after the 4? turn.
Givens' biggest pot came when he got it in behind and got lucky. He got all in for 76,000 with AxQx on a queen-high flop. Unfortunately for him, his opponent held QxJx for top two. Givens spiked an ace on the turn and went from the brink of elimination to a big double.
Some players who failed to make it through on Day 1b and will likely return on Saturday are Kou Vang, Matt Alexander, Matt Kirby, John Hayes, Jeremy Dresch, Patrick Steele, and Bill Romer.
While all of those players failed to get anything going, some other notables managed to make it through including Jeff Fielder (124,800), Brett Schwertley (106,900), and Todd "sharkslayerr" Breyfogle (96,500), just to name a few.
The Day 1c flight will commence Saturday at 5 p.m. local time, and PokerNews will be on the scene to bring all of the live updates.
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