Welcome to Day 1a of Mid-States Poker Tour Belle of Baton Rouge
The Mid-States Poker Tour rolls on with its third event in three weeks, this one at Belle of Baton Rouge in Louisiana, a far cry from the mountains of Black Hawk, Colo., that housed the last event.
It's the tour's second stop here this year. The first one was won by local grinder Shawn Schoreck, who took home $34,105 for defeating a field of 118, including an exciting heads-up win over MSPT team pro Kou Vang. Other notable players to make their way to the tournament included Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler and Will Souther.
In fact, it was at that very tournament in February that Kessler designed his special structure that will be in use today. Players will begin with 20,000 in chips and levels will last 40 minutes. A total of 14 levels will be played here on Day 1a, set to begin at 4 p.m. local time. The first blind level will be 50/100, and we'll watch as the blinds escalate from there, bringing you all of the relevant live updates.