Narrow Lead for Tucker on Day 1b
Local player Issac "Rungood" Tucker bagged 222,500 to narrowly edge out Kenneth Johnson (213,000) and Blake Warner (210,500) and top the Day 1b chip counts at Mid-States Poker Tour Running Aces Harness Park. The St. Paul native shot up the chip counts late to grab the lead during Level 13 and hang on.
A nice result on the final hand of the night boosted Johnson to the top tier of the counts. Three players saw fifth street, which made the board 
. There was already about 115,000 in the bloated pot, and a player shoved all in for 38,200. William Vincent folded after some thought, and Johnson cut out enough to call, seeming unsure of what to do. After about 30 seconds, he shoved the stack in.
"Two pair," the all-in player said.
Johnson waited for him to reveal, and the player put 
down. Johnson tossed down 
for a better two pair with a loud clap, ending his night with a bang.
Vincent (169,500), Ben Marsh (162,500), Jim Lawrence (127,000), Tony Hartmann (123,500), Mike Wilmes (119,000), Adam Dahlin (97,500), Jeremy Dresch (85,500), John Morgan (76,500), Marc "Poker Joker" Powers (68,500), Matt Kirby (56,500), Jonathan Olson (49,000), and short stack Larry Ormson (24,500) were also among the 37 players punching tickets to Sunday's Day 2. A total of 182 entrants bought in on Day 1b, making a total field of 338.
Morgan, a famed Minnesota business magnate known for participating in some of the highest stakes tournaments on the planet, dragged an exciting late pot to secure his Day 2 berth. One player had moved all in for more than 40,000 on the 
flop, and Morgan called off for about 25,000. A third player folded.
Morgan: 
Opponent: 
"Same hand, except I've got this," Morgan said, pointing at his diamond.
An 
gave him the freeroll win on the turn, and someone called for the straight flush.
The dealer burned and turned the , giving Morgan a royal flush.
"Just like playing the Russian," someone said, referencing the famous hand from the first One Drop in which Morgan got an opponent to fold quads on a board where a straight flush was possible.
"Oh, the Russian didn't know s***," Morgan said as he stacked his chips. "All he had was quad eights."
Many didn't share the good fortune of Morgan, however. Lance Harris, Matt Alexander, Tyler Caspers, Nick Pupillo, Jason Sell, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, Jason Zarlenga, Molly Mossey, David Gonia, Brett Kuznia, Brandon Meyers, Aaron Johnson, and Ryan Hartmann all fell short of the finish line.
In Hartmann's case, a successful trap with aces turned against him when he flatted a late-position open and then saw former MSPT champion Mike Wilmes three-bet in the big blind. When the opener mucked, Hartmann shoved his stack in, only to have Wilmes flop a set with 
.
More beats will surely crop up during the course of Day 2 play on Sunday, and cards will be in the air at 10:30 a.m. local time here in Minnesota. Be sure to come back then for more coverage here on PokerNews as a winner is determined.