Nolan Dalla joins Remko Rinkema to talk about his introduction to poker and Las Vegas; offer some stories about Chris Moneymaker and the legendary Binion family; and emphasize the importance of writing, blogging, and podcasting to continue poker's story.
NOTE: There was a brief audio mishap in the middle of this interview. Apologies for the less-than-desired quality from that point forward.
Among the players grinding in the early going: Nebraskan Jeff Bryan. Bryan finished runner-up in this event last year, falling to Blake Bohn heads up. He's perhaps most well known for a deep run in the 2007 Main Event, when he got a bit of TV coverage en route to a 27th-place finish for more than $300,000.
mnuwwarah
Aaron Johnson is among those expected to turn up for Day 1b after busting Day 1a.
With 14 levels and one day in the books, it's time for Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls Casino to get underway here just outside of Sioux Falls, S.D. Action kicks off at 4 p.m. under the Allen Kessler-approved structure that allots each player 20,000 starting chips and one reentry apiece until the beginning of Level 10. Players will play three 40-minute levels in a row followed by a 10 minute break until 14 levels have been completed or 15 percent of the field remains.
Day 1a saw 110 runners, a step up from last year's turnout of less than 100, and 80 players are already registered for Day 1b. Alan Curl booked the chip lead when the dust settled, bagging more than 240,000, and Mark Hodge trailed in a distant second with 145,000. He's trying to catch Blake Bohn on the player of the year leaderboard.
The final satellite winners are grabbing their seating assignments and action should begin shortly.
