FireKeepers Casino

Day 1a of the MSPT Season 17 Michigan Poker State Championship at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, is in the books after pulling an impressive 588 total entries.

A full day of action was needed to hit the hard stop of 65 players as 4:36 minutes remained in Level 16 (4,000/8,000/8,000) when chips hit the slips with Joshua Koetje seizing the top as he bagged a whopping 825,000 to take into Day 2.

Bagging behind Koetje was Vance Essak, who put an impressive 643,000 in his bag to end the night, while Srikanth Inja (635,000), Luc Lucaj (633,000), and Dustin Bowling (617,000) rounded out the top five stacks.

Other players to survive the first flight were Imran Sajwani (583,000), MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard (560,000), three-time MSPT Champ & fellow Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson (433,000), Michigan’s Finest Shkelzen “Scotty” Gocaj (247,000), and fellow Hall of Famer Rob WazWaz (229,000), just to name a few.

Among those to try and fall on 1a include Dave Gutfreund, MSPT Champ Brett Blackwood, Allen Pritchett, Kim Schinco, and two-time bracelet winner Dan Heimiller.

Those players, as well as any newcomers, have two more starting flights to jump back into action.

Day 1b will kick off at Noon local time on Friday, while the third and final flight, Day 1c, will take place at the same time on Saturday.

The surviving players from each flight will then return at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 17^th, and will play down to a winner.

MSPT Season 17 Michigan Poker State Championship Remaining Schedule

Join us tomorrow as we continue to bring you all the action and eliminations straight from the tournament floor of FireKeepers Casino!

The player under the gun raised all-in for 62,000 and found three callers, which included MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard from the hijack.

Once the flop hit the felt, Reichard led out with a 48,000 bet, and only the button called to see the turn.

Reichard then moved his remaining stack in the middle, pushing the button off the side pot.

Opponent:
Josh Reichard:

Reichard was ahead, holding a pair of tens, and faded the river to burst the bubble.

Josh Reichard - 560,000

Over the past week, players have been inside the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, MI, duking it out for the MSPT Season 17 Michigan Poker State Championship!

In Event #4: $400 Mixed PLO/ NLH, 109 mixed game specialists took to the felt, generating a $36,515 prize pool, which paid out the top 12 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Shawn Quinn (10^th Place - $767), Jaosn Peterson (11^th Place - $767), and Edward Speer (12^th Place - $767).

In the end, it was Patrick Bernhardt who mixed his way to victory, earning the top prize along with her first Gold Card!

Final Table Results

These 14 Players have already earned a $3,500 Seat to the $2M GTD RRPO MSPT Championship Main Event

Matthew Wantman

Kevin Meyers

Zilong Zhang

Vincent Moscati

June 'Oh Geez' Kim

Alex Foxen

Umut Ozturk

Jorden Helstern

Aaron Johnson

Wesley Cannon

Michael Estes

Yuchen "Carson" Chen

Lee Rzentkowski

Hamid Izadi

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL POKER OPEN (RRPO)

MSPT Championship (MAJOR)

: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood, FL

: Nov. 18 - Dec. 2, 2026

: $3,500 Main Event (1.5X POY) / $2M GTD (Nov. 27 - Dec. 2)

: MSPT will be ADDING a $3,500 RRPO MSPT Championship Seat to every Main Event 1st Place in 2026

After notching his first-ever Main Event cash back in 2014, DJ Buckley has become one of the most consistent players on the tour, earning himself a record 86 Main Event cashes, and has started off the new Season by notching seven in the first 13 events.

With a full season remaining, Buckley will look to keep notching the cashes underneath his belt, as he will look to become the first player ever to earn 100 Main Event cashes and take his seat in the coveted MSPT Hall of Fame.

All-Time Main Event Cashes

Photo: Bruce Fagan

There was all-in action preflop between Mark Ader from middle position and Bruce Fagan from the button, with Fagan holding 10,000 effective.

Bruce Fagan:
Mark Ader:

Fagan was ahead holding an ace, until a jack appeared in the window on the flop, giving Ader the lead.

The turn then left Fagan needing an ace or six to fall on the river to stay alive, but the completed the board and ended his night.

Mark Ader - 200,000
Bruce Fagan - 0

For the first time this season, the MSPT made its way to Battle Creek, MI, and players have been duking it out over the past week inside the FireKeepers Casino for the Season 17 Michigan Poker State Championship!

In Event #3: $300 Monster Stack NLH, 232 monster hunters took to the trenches and generated a $56,840 prize pool that was divided out between the top 24 hunters.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Dustin Bowling (10^th Place - $1,023), April Gibbons (15^th Place - $853), KC Vaughn (16^th Place - $767), Jamie Eisenhunt (20^th Place - $631), and Matthew Radcliffe (24^th Place - $546).

In the end, it was Ohio native Brian Patton who tamed the monster, earning the top prize along with her first Gold Card!

Final Table Results