Potawatomi Hotel & Casino - Milwaukee, WI
Potawatomi Casino - Milwaukee, WI
January 5-8, 2017
$350 Regional: 1,228 Entrants (291 on Day 1a; 410 Day 1b; and 527 Day 1c)
Craig Trost Wins Wisconsin’s Largest Ever Poker Tournament for $63,252
Season 8 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) kicked off with a $350 Regional Event at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It proved to be a massive affair as 1,228 entries (291 on Day 1a; 410 Day 1b; and 527 Day 1c) packed the ballroom over three starting flights.
That surpassed July’s field of 1,169 entrants to make it the largest poker tournament in Wisconsin state history. After four days of play, 32-year-old Craig Trost, who works in the life sciences field, emerged victorious to capture the title and a $63,252 first-place prize.
“I ran like Usain Bolt,” Trost quipped after the win. Prior to this weekend, Trost had just two documented cashes. The first came in 2014 when he finished 291st in the World Series of Poker Monster Stack for $6,368, and in 2015 he placed sixth in the inaugural MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship for $21,289.
Trost, who is a respected member of the online Madison Poker Community, is now the winner of the biggest poker tournament ever held in Wisconsin.
“It feels pretty good to win the MSPT Poto Regional, especially now knowing that it’s the largest poker tournament in Wisconsin history,” Trost said after the win. ”At my previous MSPT final table, I didn’t run very well or play my best, so it felt a little redemptive to get this one. I had a blast too. I played with several very tough players over the two days, and I think it really made me raise my game.”
He continued: “Nothing too exciting planned for the money, I’m pretty boring in that regard. After Uncle Sam gets his chunk, I’ll probably play a few more events, throw some at the mortgage, and maybe make an upcoming vacation a little longer.”
On Sunday, 201 players (49 from Day 1a; 63 Day 1b; and 89 Day 1c) returned to action including Day 1a chip leader Tommy Vo (282,000), Day 1b leader Al Wolfensberger Leazer (550,500), and Day 1c leader Eddie Wood (388,000).
Among the 135 players to cash the event were Season 6 MSPT Potawatomi champ Dan Goepel (134th - $606), MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk winner Josh Reichard (91st - $748), start-of-the-day Wolfensberger Leazer (78th - $820), start-of-the-day short stack Howard Hankin (67th - $855), David “The Maven” Gutfreund (50th - $1,033), Jeff Grimes (29th - $1,497), Ryan Leng (23rd - $2,351), Michael Kreitzer (15th - $3,920), and Dan Crawford (12th – $4,989).