$1,110 Main Event ($200K GTD)
Day 2 Completed
MSPT Black Hawk
$1,110 Main Event ($200K GTD)
Day: 2
Event Info
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) wrapped up another successful stop with the Ballys Black Hawk $1,110 Main Event drawing 651 entries over three starting flights to generate a total prize pool of $631,470. Eighty-three of those players returned for Sunday's Day 2 to play until the end, and ultimately bringing about a three-way chop between Bobby Garcia, Tyler Potts, and Cory Smith that landed all three players $89,038. Garcia was the one holding the chip lead by just one big blind over Potts when all was said and done, earning him the accompanying trophy.
Garcia entered the day with lifetime earnings of $99,573, all of which had been earned in Black Hawk, Colorado over his career. He nearly doubled that amount after entering the day with a below-average stack of 143,000 that he quickly built up to seven figures, becoming one of the chip leaders and staying there throughout most of the tournament.
Potts and Smith also spent most of Day 2 with above-average stacks, with Potts taking home his largest career score as well while Smith's $89K winds up being the second-most of his life after a runner-up finish at WSOP Circuit Tunica in January 2017.
MSPT Black Hawk $1,110 Main Event Final Table Results
| Position | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Garcia | $89,038* |
| 2 | Tyler Potts | $89,038* |
| 3 | Cory Smith | $89,038* |
| 4 | Norm Tanner | $43,571 |
| 5 | Dapo Ajayi | $32,836 |
| 6 | Jon Glendinning | $24,672 |
| 7 | Michael Jagroo | $18,944 |
| 8 | Adam Wilbur | $15,155 |
| 9 | Yohannes Ambaye | $11,366 |
*Denotes three-way deal.
Click here to see who won the MSPT $360 Regional Event
Day 2 Recap
When Day 2 began, 11 players still needed to find their way to the rail before the top 72 made it into the money. Ten of those players fell within the first 45 minutes of play to bring the tournament to the bubble, where more than five doubles and two triples ensued to bring about a 40-minute bubble that finally burst when Alex Wheeler found himself down to one big blind and was eliminated by Potts and David Blankenship (41st - $2,463) when the two each hit a straight to chop.
One-third of the field then dropped in the blink of an eye, including players such as Kane Lai (71st - $2,084) and Krzysztof Stybaniewicz (60th -$2,210), with the likes of Kevin Eyster (50th - $2,336), Eli Loewenthal (46th - $2,336), Max Young (42nd - $2,463), and John Sun (31st - $2,778) dropping over the two hours that followed to bring the field down to 27.
Garcia was the chip leader when the three-table redraw occurred, with March's MSPT Riverside Champion Daniel Sepiol (26th - $3,663) falling shortly thereafter. More players continued to fall from there, including Alex Winter (20th - $5,431), Craig Varnell (19th - $5,431), and Kyna England (15th - $7,578).
Play eventually got short-handed, as did Garcia's stack while Clayton Wilson (10th - $9,472) began to pull away before doubling Garcia and continuing to go south from there before eventually being eliminated on the final table bubble in 10th when his ace-ten could not hold versus the ace-nine of Norm Tanner.
The Final Table
Stacks were largely concentrated when the final table began, with Garcia holding a slight chip lead over Jon Glendinning. Yohannes Ambaye and Michael Jagroo entered as the shortest stacks, though both had more than 20 big blinds and were well within reach of the chip lead should either find a double. Instead, Ambaye bowed out first after losing with ace-king to Gacia's ace-nine.
Adam Wilbur then busted in eighth, re-jamming with pocket fives and running into the nines of Potts, who had a covering stack by less than a one-big-blind difference. Then, Jagroo ran ace-ten into Garcia's aces to bust in seventh, marking three eliminations within the first three levels of the final table and sending six to what wound up to be the final break of the night.
Garcia caught fire out of that break, finding sevens hold versus sixes to knock out Glendinning upon returning. A hand later, recent WPT Choctaw champ Dapo Ajayi shoved king-queen into Garcia's aces blind-on-blind; and he followed it up the next time he was in the big blind by picking up jacks. Tanner, who was in the cutoff, shoved with king-ten and Garcia's jacks remained best to take the field from six to three in just over 10 minutes.
One orbit later, Garcia had Smith at risk in another blind-on-blind situation when Garcia picked up two nines, but Smith woke up with aces and secured the double to avoid the tournament entering heads-up play within a 15-minute period. Smith found himself second in chips, but quickly ceded a double to Potts to fall into third. Potts then chipped up a bit before doubling Smith back when his ace-eight lost to Smith's king-ten, and 10 minutes later chips had fluctuated to bring stacks close to even.
When play had been six-handed, talk of a chop was brought up and quickly shot down by Garcia. However, he reassessed that situation when just he, Potts, and Smith remained, and the three wound up agreeing to an even chop for $89,038 apiece. Final stacks showed Smith with 4.865 million, less than 10 big blinds behind the 5.65 million of Potts with Garcia's 5.775 million just edging him out to officially take the first-place trophy.
The next MSPT tournament will take place this weekend with the MSPT Grand Falls $1,100 Main Event just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota. PokerNews will be on-site to offer live updates, so be sure to join us then. Click here for more information on that event.
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
A couple of orbits passed with chips exchanging hands to bring all stacks within 10 big blinds of each other as Level 29 came to a close. At that time, the three players reassessed their situations and came to terms agreeing upon an even chop, earning all three players $89,038.
Final stacks had Cory Smith with 4.865 million, Tyler Potts with 5.65 million, and Bobby Garcia with 5.775 million, narrowly edging out Potts for the chip lead and winning the first-place trophy as a result.
An end-of-tournament recap will be posted shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
5,775,000
-1,425,000
|
-1,425,000 |
|
5,650,000
1,010,000
|
1,010,000 |
|
4,865,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Tyler Potts limped in on the button and Cory Smith jammed for 2.14 million in the small blind. Potts quickly verbalized a call once it became his turn to do so.
Cory Smith: 
Tyer Potts: 
"I folded the same hand," said Bobby Garcia to Potts. The flop 
put Smith out in front, giving him top pair that remained best as the turn 
and river 
completed the runout to score him the dub.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,640,000
-2,160,000
|
-2,160,000 |
|
|
4,440,000
2,310,000
|
2,310,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Bobby Garcia completed his small blind and saw Tyler Potts check his option in the big blind. The flop came 
and Garcia bet 100,000. Potts called and the turn came 
, where action went check-check.
The river was and Garcia checked. Potts threw out a bet of 400,000 and Garcia thought for about 15 seconds before calling.
Potts turned over 
for the rivered flush and got a muck from Garcia to earn him the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,200,000
-665,000
|
-665,000 |
|
|
6,800,000
520,000
|
520,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Tyler Potts opened on the button and received a call from Bobby Garcia, who defended his big blind. Garcia checked and then called a continuation-bet of 300,000 from Potts on a flop of 
, bringing the turn 
where Garcia led for 1.1 million.
Potts went into the tank for over a minute, counting his stack and then announcing he was all in. Garcia let out a grimace as soon as the announcement was made.
"How much?" asked Garcia. Potts' stack was totaled to be 4.09 million and Garcia thought for a bit more before sending his cards to the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,865,000
-1,060,000
|
-1,060,000 |
|
|
6,280,000
1,460,000
|
1,460,000 |
|
|
2,130,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Tyler Potts completed his small blind and Cory Smith checked his option in the big blind. Both players checked to 
, where Potts bet 200,000 and Smith called. The river fell 
and Potts bet another 500,000.
"All in," said Smith.
"Call," responded Potts immediately.
Tyler Potts: 
Cory Smith: 
Potts' full house bested that of Smith's and he scored the double as a result. His stack was counted be 2.08 million and the pot was shipped his way once it was made correct.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,820,000
2,900,000
|
2,900,000 |
|
|
2,060,000
-3,370,000
|
-3,370,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
All of the chips went into the middle preflop between the at-risk Cory Smith in the small blind and Bobby Garcia in the big blind. Garcia was looking for his fourth knockout in less than 15 minutes, tabling 
, but Smith showed 
and was way out in front.
The board ran out clean for Smith, coming 
to score him the double.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,925,000
-2,375,000
|
-2,375,000 |
|
|
5,430,000
2,305,000
|
2,305,000 |
|
|
1,920,000
-490,000
|
-490,000 |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
"I'm all in," announced Norm Tanner in the cutoff, sliding forward a stack of 1.6 million. Action folded to Bobby Garcia, who looked down at his cards in the big blind and announced a call.
Norm Tanner: 
Bobby Garcia:
"Give me a king," asked Tanner. The flop came 
instead.
"Ah, right on the flop." Tanner was then left drawing to running cards to stay alive and found hope on the turn 
. Unfortunately for him, the river did not bring him quads and he finished in fourth as a result.
"Fourth place for forty-three thousand. I'll take it," said Tanner as the pot was shipped to Garcia, congratulating the table on a good game and wishing everybody good luck before making his way to get paid thereafter.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,300,000
2,300,000
|
2,300,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 27
: 40,000/80,000, 10,000 ante
Dapo Ajayi saw action fold to him in the small blind and open-jammed for 1.3 million. Bobby Garcia called in the big blind.
Dapo Ajayi: 
Bobby Garcia:
Ajayi hit a queen on the turn of a runout 
, but it was not enough to top Garcia's aces and he fell in fifth as a result.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
9,000,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
Busted |