Day 1a of the Mid-States Poker Tour's annual visit to Grand Falls Casino just outside of Sioux Falls, South Dakota ended with 23 runners surviving out of 110 entrants. A familiar name lurks in second place after 14 levels: Mark Hodge, who has already racked up six cashes on the tour this year for more than $50,000. The Minnesota native bagged 145,000, second only to Alan Curl's 241,500.
That's not the only place Hodge finds himself in second. MSPT Team Pro Blake Bohn has built a solid lead with 3,000 Player of the Year points after taking down MSPT Meskwaki, but Hodge sits well within striking distance at 2,590.