Ihringer Leads 20 Day 1b Survivors; Vang in Second

The field is set for Day 2 of Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls Casino after Ken Ihringer bagged 275,500 to lead the 20 survivors of Day 1b. Kou Vang, who is trying to retake the lead in the MSPT Player of the Year race after Mike Deis caught him in the last event, finished the night with the second-biggest stack with 236,500.

Ihringer, who has no recorded live cashes, started his climb in Level 11, when he cracked Steve Senger's with , making trips to score the elimination. A bit later, he was the one holding when he fired 10,000 on the turn against Mark Sandness on a board of . Sandness called, then paid off 20,000 more on the river.

Ryan Skluzak (235,000), Ahmed Ouda (150,000), Jason Robertson (142,000), Marty Rahbusch (105,000), Jeff Bryan (101,000), "Red Bull" Robbie Thompson (87,500) Adam Zych (86,000), former champion Sandness (80,500), Lance Harris (53,500), and Renee Kessel (45,500) were also among those advancing after the 14 levels of play.

Thompson is a popular tournament director and announcer at the World Series of Poker who hails from South Dakota. He was able to cruise to the end of the day after doubling to more than 90,000 when he busted an opponent by getting all in with , good for aces up on the turn against a player holding on a board of . The river didn't help Thompson's opponent.

Among those failing to make it through the day: Dan Dykhouse, Mark Hodge, MSPT Meskwaki winner Jonathan Olson, Matt Alexander, Matt Kirby, Brian Soja, Everett Carlton, and John Morgan.

Soja took one of the more brutal beats of the day when he got all in against Sluzak on a flop of . Sluzak had for an open-ended straight flush draw, but he was crushed by Soja's . Sluzak hit a four on the river to pair up, enabling him to bag a massive stack while a dejected Soja wondered what might have been.