Jim Morrison Rides the Storm, Lights a Fire to Bag Chip Lead
Thus far at Mid-States Poker Tour Denver Poker Open $1,110 Main Event, one thing is for sure: players at Golden Gate Casino aren't worried about trying to eke their way into Day 2. For the second straight day, a hard stop was in play as 12% of the field was reached, this one even earlier at 26 minutes remaining in Level 14 (1,500/3,000/3,000).
Jim Morrison was tops among the 15 players who bagged, as he finished with 413,000, just barely ahead of the 411,500 bagged by Caleb Meyer. Nick Boll reached 393,500 for third place, and all three rank above Day 1a leader Phil Kiphardt.
Morrison had an unremarkable stack after the final break, but he caught fire in the aftermath. He made two sets to win huge pots, and then he busted Khoa Nguyen in a large flip with ace-king over jacks.
Meyer put a nasty cooler on Edo Zucker to end the night, with a flopped ace-high flush prevailing over a king-high flush.
A robust turnout of 132 also enabled the tournament to inch past its guarantee, as that made for 205 entries total while the guarantee sits at $200,000. With one flight still remaining, loftier goals are doubtless on the minds of organizers.
Some MSPT regs who advanced alongside the big stacks were "Farmer" Phil Mader, Cooper Wanty and WSOP bracelet winner Ben Keeline.
Among the notables still seeking a bag are Aaron Frei, Derek McMaster, Jason Vanstrom and Todd Melander.
They'll have their chance on Saturday with Day 1c, the third and final flight. The biggest turnout yet is expected, so come back to PokerNews at noon local time to follow the action.