2015 MSPT bestbet Jacksonville Day 1b: Greg Raymer Sits Third in Chips as 40 Advance
After Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour bestbet Jacksonville, which attracted 236 players and saw 40 survive the night, the Day 2 field is set and Jeff Klein will go in as the overall leader with 400,000. Notable as that is, a far bigger name in the poker world looms as a major threat to capture the crown on Sunday. That's because 2004 Main Event champ Greg Raymer bagged 266,500, the third-biggest count of the night.
Top 10 Day 1b Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Klein | 400,000 |
| 2 | Rod Rodrigue | 301,000 |
| 3 | Greg Raymer | 266,500 |
| 4 | Hal Lewis | 238,000 |
| 5 | Andrew Dykeman | 220,000 |
| 6 | Daren Wooten | 215,000 |
| 7 | Scott Brewer | 215,000 |
| 8 | Brian Arbaugh | 194,000 |
| 9 | Jason Murray | 172,500 |
| 10 | Saum Sharifi | 159,500 |
Raymer fired on Day 1a but found no success busting relatively early and choosing to pack it in and regroup for Day 1b. That proved a wise decision. Raymer stayed patient for most of the day before he finally started running hot after the dinner break. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team noted him with 174,000 during Level 11 (600/1,200/200), and shortly after that Raymer added a considerable chunk to his stack in a battle with the active Thad McNulty.
Raymer called McNulty's middle-position open from the cutoff and the two saw 3♣A♦K♣ flop. McNulty continuation-bet 5,200 and Raymer called. McNulty then slowed down as a three-flush came with the 7♣, check-calling 10,000. He came out firing again on the Q♠ river with 16,000, to which Raymer responded with a small raise to 37,000. McNulty called, and Raymer showed him 9♣8♣ for a winning flush, which inspired McNulty to muck the K♥7♥ face-up.
Klein also dragged a monster pot late. He bet 20,000 from the big blind during Level 13 (1,000/2,000/300) against a player in the small blind, who shoved all in for 49,900 more on the A♠10♦9♣ flop. Klein made the call with 10♥10♠, and his unfortunate opponent had flopped aces up with A♣10♣.
"What a sick hand," the player said after he bricked the last two streets.
Klein had 220,000 at that point, and similar big pots during the last level to solidify the chip lead and a $2,000 bonus. Joining Klein and Raymer for in making it through were Rod Rodrigue (301,000), Hal Lewis (238,000), Andrew Dykeman (220,000), Jim Boone (106,500), Glenn Strickland (105,500), and Ryan Dykhouse (67,000).
Strickland's advancement came with a $500 bounty, gained at the expense of MSPT Team Pro Matt Kirby's tournament life. Others who joined Kirby on the rail during the course of play included "East Coast" Mike Ross, Joseph Dichiaro, Adam Lamphere, and Eddy Mroczkowski.
The survivors will link up with the 31 from Day 1a to make a 71-player Day 2 field that will begin play at 11 a.m. local time on Sunday. More live coverage can be found right here on PokerNews, so come back and see who pockets more than $100,000.
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