2014 MSPT Golden Gates Day 2: Colpoys Leads; Vang Makes Third Final Table in a Row
On Sunday, the remaining 121 players of a 453-player field returned to play down to a final table in the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Golden Gates Casino from Blackhawk, Colorado. Over the course of 10 levels, Dan Colpoys ran over the field like a freight train, ending the night with 3,907,000 in chips, well over double of Kris Wagner's second-place stack of 1,668,000.
Another interesting story is that of Kou Vang, who ended eighth in chips. Vang finished runner-up at the Belle of Baton Rouge last month, and followed that up with an eighth-place finish last week at the Majestic Star Casino. Golden Gates marks Vang’s third MSPT final table in a row, which is a remarkable feat considering it’s just the fourth stop of the season.
Here’s a look at the final 10:
The MSPT Golden Gates Final Table
| Seat | Player | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kris Wagner | 1,668,000 |
| 2 | Kou Vang | 309,000 |
| 3 | William Givens | 1,066,000 |
| 4 | Danny Gonzales | 1,238,000 |
| 5 | Jonathan McCray | 1,429,000 |
| 6 | Phanora Prom | 314,000 |
| 7 | Rosie Paules | 401,000 |
| 8 | Jonathan Haidsiak | 256,000 |
| 9 | Brad Zotti | 770,000 |
| 10 | Dan Colpoys | 3,907,000 |
The day was full of eliminations — 111 of them to be exact — and along the way a slew of notables hit the rail including Brett Schwertley, Blake Bohn, Matt Kirby, Matt Alexander, Jeff Fielder, John Hayes, Mark Sandness, and Patrick Steele.
Steele, who was the MSPT Season 4 Player of the Year, fell in Level 17 (5,000/10,000/1,000) when start-of-the-day chip leader Gene Gioia three-bet to 75,000 from late position after Steele had opened for 28,000. Steele jammed for about 200,000, and Gioia called.
Gioia: Q♣Q♥
Steele: A♦J♣
Gioia had the lead with queens, and nothing changed as the board ran out a dry 8♣9♠9♥K♦3♣. Steele finished in 23rd place for $3,398.
As for Colpoys, he had already build a solid stack when Olimpia May shoved all in before the flop and got called immediately by Colpoys in the small blind.
Colpoys: A♣A♦
May: 7♦7♣
May's tournament life was in trouble, and she almost pulled out a chop when the first four cards came Q♠J♠9♠4♠, meaning she needed a spade on the river to survive or the 7♥ to win the pot. Unfortunately for her, she didn't get there and had to settle for 12th place and $7,701. Meanwhile, Colpoys hit the 3,000,000 mark when other players were struggling to break seven figures.
A short time later, Colpoys ousted Gioia when he checked to Gioia on a board of 10♦5♣2♦J♦. Gioia fired 130,000, and Colpoys announced all in after getting a count. Gioia snap-called.
Gioia: 10♥10♣
Colpoys: A♦4♦
Gioia had flopped the nuts, but Colpoys had turned the nuts. Gioia needed the board to pair, but it didn’t happen as the 9♥ ended his tournament in 11th place for $7,701.
Some other notable finishes included Michael Martinez (45th - $2,265), Darren Hicks ($2,265), Aaron Gardner (35th - $2,718), Lance Harris (30th - $2,718), Phil Mader (28th - $2,718), Blake Bohn (22nd - $3,398), Brett Schwertley (20th - $3,398), and Dan Dreyfuss (13th - $5,889).
Also of note, the berths of Williams Givens and Rosie Paules mean two of the three Day 1 chip leaders made it to the final table, which is an impressive feat of consistency.
The third and final day will kick off at 12 p.m. local time, and the PokerNews team will be on the scene to bring all of the live updates.
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