Thus far Season 7 of the Mid-States Poker Tour has visited properties in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Florida, and Colorado. From May 7-15, the MSPT will cross the border into Michigan for its seventh-ever stop at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek.
"Michigan is home to some tough poker players, from two-time MSPT champ Jason Zarlenga to former World Series of Poker Main Event champs Joe Cada and Ryan Riess," said MSPT owner and operator Bryan Mileski. "FireKeepers has proven one of the most competitive stops on the tour, and we look forward to another successful event leading into the summer."
Dozens of satellites will be held in the weeks and days leading up to the Main Event, which will run from Thursday, May 12 through Sunday, May 15. That $1,100 buy-in event will feature three starting flights beginning with Day 1a at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. Days 1b and 1c will then be held at Noon on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14 respectively. Then, on Sunday, May 15, the surviving players from each flight will return to play down to a winner.
The final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards. In addition, the entire Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT's brand new live blog, which can be found on msptpoker.com once the tournament begins. Simply look for the neon green button that reads "Live Updates."
The last time the MSPT visited FireKeepers was back in October, which is when Michael Ferrarotti topped a field of 559 entries to win a $134,642 first-place prize. Other past winners of the event include:
- Harry Tisdale, who topped a field of 614 entries in May 2015 to win $142,637.
- Ryan Dykhouse, who prevailed over 517 entries to win $124,500 in October 2014.
- Jason Zarlenga, who outlasted 410 other entrants to win $101,482 in May 2014.
- Jordan Townsend, who topped a field of 301 entries to win $76,975 in August 2013.
- Tom Midena, who bested a field of 272 entries in the inaugural event to capture a $73,456 first-place prize.
"With each MSPT tournament series we have experienced an increase in player participation as well as notoriety for being a stop on the tour," Kelley Bailey, Poker Manager at FireKeepers, previously told PokerNews. "MSPT has done a wonderful job in expanding their product and establishing their brand in the premier tournament arena. We are pleased to continue to offer players in Michigan and surrounding areas the opportunity to play in this tournament series."
For a full look at the MSPT FireKeepers schedule, click here.