The Venetian

The $1,100 buy-in MSPT Poker Bowl II, which coincides yearly with NFL Super Bowl weekend, drew 827 entries (268 on Day 1A and 559 on Day 1B) to The Venetian, crushing the $500,000 guarantee with an $806,325 prize pool and surpassing last year’s field of 695.

After two starting flights and Saturday’s Day 2 (instead of Sunday, to allow players to be free to watch Super Bowl LII), it was 43-year-old Kfir Nahum, who recently relocated to Las Vegas, earning the victory after a four-way chop (chops are allowed per The Venetian policy), netting him $108,410 and the current lead in the Season 9 Kimo Sabe Mezcal POY Standings.

“I feel great, my wife and parents are here,” said Nahum, a businessman who owns a travel agency. He’s also a father of two boys and a girl, the latter having just graduated high school. “I bought in three times to this tournament. The same guy knocked me out two times. The third time was the charm.”

As for who he wants to win tomorrow’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, Nahum was quick to answer: “I will go with the Eagles. It’s a business decision. If they win, my brother will make a lot of money in Philly.”

The win brought Nahum’s career earnings up to $587,960. It was the latest notch on his poker belt which includes finishing 61^st in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event for a career-high $121,188, and a pair of wins in Bay 101 $1K event for $100,000 and $79,330 respectively. He also won the 2014 Israel Poker Tour Summer Edition Main Event for $73,689.

On Day 2, 115 players returned to action, which meant 25 players left without a payday. Some of those unfortunate players that didn’t make the money include Osama “Sammy” Aweida, “DQ” Dan Hendrickson, 2017 MN Magazine POY Todd Melander, and poker pro Darren Rabinowitz. Nikhil Gera was our bubble boy, getting his set of kings cracked by Daniel Frumkin’s queens when Frumkin rivered a flush.

Notable players that were able to score a cash in the tournament include Ryan “protentialmn” Laplante (85th - $2,096), Washington’s all-time tournament earnings leader Scott Clements (83rd - $2,096), 2016 WSOP Colossus II Champ Ben Keeline (75th - $2,177), MSPT Poker Bowl I fourth-place finisher Jordan Cristos (70th - $2,258), Day 1B chip leader Valentin Vornicu (59th - $2,419), Jon “PearlJammed” Turner (55th - $2,419), 2010 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Joseph Cheong (47th - $2,580), Day 1A chip leader Dylan Thomassie (45th - $2,903), Kathy Liebert (42nd - $2,903), Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin (23rd - $5,725), MSPT Season 3 Running Aces champ Rodger Johnson (12^th - $11,289), and a double elimination prior to the final table that saw Connor Arlia (11^th - $11,289) and Marc Bernal (10^th - $11,289) give us a nine-handed Final Table from the start.

Final Table Action

Early on, Daniel Perkins was unfortunate enough to run his into Ana Freitas’ and after a flop left him drawing to one out, he found no help on a turn or river and was crippled and subsequently eliminated in ninth place for $14,514.

Season 8 MSPT Grand Falls Champion Ahmed Taleb was next to go, after he jammed his last 450,000 from the cutoff, and was called by Matthias De Cercq in the big blind.

Taleb:
De Cercq:

Taleb found no love on a board and the former MSPT Champion had to settle for eighth place and $18,454 as a consolation prize.

Freitas’s demise came in two hands, first when her jacks ran into Nahum’s kings in a monster pot, then two hands later, when her sixes weren’t able to hold when Mike Lang spiked an ace on the turn, to leave her with seventh place and $23,383 for her efforts.

The next player to fall was Steve Buell, after Nahum jammed from the small blind for Buell’s last ten blinds and Buell snapped him off.

Nahum:
Buell:

Buell’s lead was short lived after the flop brought Nahum two pair, and the on the turn and on the river filled Nahum up. That sent Buell to the payout desk in sixth place with a $30,640 payday waiting for him.

Lang was the next to go losing a flip with eights against De Cercq’s ace-king. That gave Lang, the last MSPT regular in the field, a fifth-place finish and $40,316 in winnings, enough to propel him into the top 40 all-time for MSPT tournament earnings.

After Lang’s elimination, the four remaining players struck a deal as follows:

Nahum = $108,410 and the title (via chip count)
De Cercq = $108,410
John Ploski = $84,743
Bob Shao = $76,926

“The blinds were so high. It was more luck than skill at that point,” Nahum said of the decision to work a deal. “It was going too long, the average was about 20 bigs, so we decided to do away with the luck and chop. As for the money, I’ll be playing more poker and taking care of my family.”

Season 9 of the MSPT continued February 23-25 at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota. That $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD will offer two starting flights on Friday and Saturday culminating with Day 2 on Sunday. The stop will also mark our first live-streamed final table of the year.

The final four players have agreed to a deal in regards to the remaining $378,489 prize pool. Here’s what they’ll get as well as their chip counts at the time of the chop.

Kfir Nahum (6.3 million) = $108,410
Matthias De Cercq (5.57 milion) = $108,410
John Ploski (2.17 million) = $84,743
Bob Shao (1.97 million) = $76,926

Matthias De Cercq raised to 250,000, then snapped off a three-bet shove from Michael Lang for 2,000,000.

De Cercq:
Lang:

De Cercq flopped well with a flop, leaving Lang down to two outs. “C’mon eight!” Lang said, rooting for his two-outer to come in.

The brought some chop outs for Lang, but the hit the river, ending Lang’s third MSPT Final Table in fifth place. With the cash, Lang moves into 39th on the MSPT All-Time Earnings list, with $168,474 in earnings for his excellent career on tour.

Matthias De Cercq - 5,000,000 (42 bb)
Mike Lang - Eliminated in Fifth Place for $40,316

The final five players are on a fifteen-minute break.

Kfir Nahum shoved for Steve Buell’s last 1,000,000 effective from the small blind, and Buell snapped him off.

Nahum:
Buell:

Buell was in command of the hand, but not after the flop brought Nahum two-pair and the advantage. The on the turn left Buell looking for an ace, queen, or ten, but the fell on the river, filling up Nahum and eliminating Buell in sixth place for $30,640.

Steve Buell – Eliminated in sixth place for $30,640

Kfir Nahum raised to 225,000 from UTG+1, and Ana Freitas three-bet to 625,000 next to act. Nahum then four-bet shoved for 2,245,000 and was called by Freitas.

Nahum:
Freitas:

Nahum’s kings were out in front, and the flop changed nothing. The turn was a good one for Nahum, as was the river, and Freitas was left with around 900,000.

Two hands later, Freitas jammed her last 860,000 in the pot from UTG, and Mike Lang three-bet shoved for 1,400,000 from the button, chasing everyone else out of the way.

Freitas:
Lang:

Freitas held on a flop, but the spiked on the turn to pull Lang out in front. Freitas didn’t catch a six or a spade on the river, and we lose Freitas in seventh place.

Ana Freitas – Eliminated in Seventh Place for $23,383

Kfir Nahum raised to 215,000, and was called by Ana Freitas on the button, and Ahmed Taleb in the small blind.
The trio checked a flop through, and Taleb led for 375,000 on the turn, getting called by only Freitas.
Taleb checked the river, and Freitas snap-jammed for 820,000. Taleb went into the tank for about a minute, then called for around two-thirds of his remaining stack.

Freitas tabled for the nuts, and Taleb could only show for a pair of jacks, and Freitas scored the double.
Two hands later, Taleb ripped his last 450,000 from the cutoff, and after confirming the amount was called by Matthias De Cercq in the big blind.

Taleb:
De Cercq:

Taleb found no love on a board and the former MSPT Champion takes his leave in eighth place.

Ahmed Taleb – Eliminated in eighth place for $18,545

Ana Freitas jammed for her last 795,000 from the lojack, and Daniel Perkins shoved for 820,000 on the button, chasing out the blinds.

Freitas:
Perkins:

Perkins had been coolered, and his two outs became one on a flop. He didn’t find the case king on a turn or river, and he was left with 25,000, which he lost on the next hand, giving him ninth place here at the MSPT Poker Bowl II.

Daniel Perkins – Eliminated in Ninth Place for $14,514

Marc Bernal jammed for 705,000 from UTG, and got called by Steve Buell on the button, who had him covered by a single 5k chip.

Bernal:
Buell:

Bernal flopped well with a flop giving him a flush draw, but he couldn’t catch up with a turn and a river, and he fell in tenth place.

Steve Buell - 1,500,000 (25 bb)
Marc Bernal - Eliminated in Tenth Place for $11,289