2022 MSPT Venetian: Onikul eliminates two with a pair of nines

2022 MSPT Venetian just got interesting after 23 players landed to compete and made it to the top 17. A turn came when Onikul scored a double-knockout.

MSPT, short for Mid-States Poker Tour, is a series of tournaments that gives players a chance to pick their wins. The tournament was first known as Minnesota State Poker Tour and was designed mainly for the weekend warriors. It was founded in 2009 with the name and later rebranded to the MSPT that it is known today.

The tournament is currently in its thirteenth season. Its strength can be examined by the fact that it organizes over 30 events yearly. MSPT has established its two major hotspots in Las Vegas and Colorado. The main event is titled with a $1,100 buy-in. The 2022 version is underway, and the updates for the $1,600 main event are up and running.

According to the latest update, Ark Onikul scored a double knockout by eliminating Button and Eric Baldwin. Onikul merely picked up a pair of nines to achieve the feat. Baldwin comes with the tag of WSOP 2x Winner, only to lose the spot in the final 17. While his progress has been busted, Ark Onikul has inched upwards with 77,000 more chips in their name, taking the tally to 186,000.

A prize pool of $750,000 waits to be picked by top players in their respective sharing percentages based on the final ranks. Total chips stand at 4,590,000, averaging 270,000. The latest chip count shows Jesse Lonis leading the board with 816,000 chips. He is the WSOP 1x Winner, followed by another WSOP 1x Winner named Jared Jaffee.

Jared has gained 361,000 chips for a total of 688,000. Michael Wang also looks strong, with the total standing at 526,000 after adding 28,000 in the recent progress. Now only 17 survive to see the second day of the event. The first day ended with Onikul being busted as well. Steve Wilkie left the space in the late evening after facing elimination. Lonis got his top spot only after crossing Jared Jaffee for a huge jump.

Lonis will open the second day at the top with uncertainty over who will remove him from the position. Jared looks strong and would want to gain an upscale to take the chair. However, Michael Wang waits to prove why he is the WSOP 2x Winner and not anyone else on the list.