Meskwaki Casino

Ken Komberec Follows In Footsteps of Childhood Friend John Sun, Wins MSPT Meskwaki for $93,922

The Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Main Event began with 405 entries (195 Day 1a; 210 Da 1b) – which surpassed the $300K advertised guarantee by creating a $405,000 total prize pool -- but after three days it was Wisconsin’s Ken Komberec who finished as the last player standing to capture a $93,922 first-place prize.

Interestingly, Komberec’s win comes just four months after his best friend, Iowa State Poker Champ and current MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year points leader John Sun, won his MSPT title at Meskwaki. Komberec, a 40-year-old poker player and proprietor of midwestsportsinvestors.net, was on the rail for that one, so it was only fitting his buddy was there for him.

“Feels good. I don’t play in a lot of these, so it feels great,” Komberec said after the win. “John won here in July. Hopefully you’ll keep having us back. We’ll be playing some more tournaments in the next six months for sure.”

“I just knew he was going to do it today, I just knew it,” added Sun, who moved to the United States from Korea at the age of 13 and has been best friends with Komberec ever since. Appropriately, Sun had 3% of his friend, their customary swap when playing in the same tournament.

“I think my wife, son, and i will be moving in the next year, so house money,” Komberec said when asked about his plans for the prize money.

Final Table Results

1 – Ken Komberec (Grafton, WI) … $93,922
2 – Drew Woodke (Omaha, NE) … $56,746
3 – Tom Hammers (Burnsville, MN) … $36,983
4 – Josh Reichard (Janesville, WI) … $25,633
5 – DJ Buckley (Eden Prairie, MN) … $19,568
6 – Carl Carodenuto (Bloomington, MN) … $15,067
7 – Ron McMillen (Cambridge, IA) … $12,523
8 – Anthony Knepper (Asbury, IA) … $10,371
9 – Keith Neuzil (Oxford, IA) … $8,766
10 – John Whitacre (Newton, IA) … $6,653

Day 2 saw 69 players return to action, but with only 45 slated to get paid, 24 players are destined to leave empty handed. Among them were MSPT Season 6 Meskwaki champ Rich Alsup, NFL free agent running back Fred Jackson, and Omaha poker pro Ryan Phan.

After Charles Anderson fell as the bubble boy in 46^th place, players began to make their way to the payout desk including MSPT Pro Blake Bohn (43^rd - $1,957), former MSPT champs Jason Seitz (37^th - $1,957), Rodger Johnson (32^nd - $2,348), and Kou Vang (26^th - $2,935); MSPT Pro Matt Alexander (17^th - $3,796), and World Series of Poker bracelet winner John Reading (14^th - $5,088).

Another player to go deep was MSPT FireKeepers champ Aaron Massey, who is engaged in a tight race with Sun for Player of the Year honors. Massey fell in 20^th place for $2,935 and 200 POY points, which brought his total up to 3,100 with three stops remaining on the calendar. Sun has 3,300 points, so it’s definitely coming down to the wire.

The final table kicked off with a bang as two players – John Whitacre (10^th - $6,653) and Keith Neuzil (9^th – $8,766) – hit the rail at the hands of Josh Reichard. From there, Anthony Knepper and Ron McMillen, the last two players from Iowa, exited in eighth and seventh respectively, and then one player’s shot at MSPT history came to a halt.

Carl Carodenuto, who won the MSPT Canterbury Park last December and then successfully defended his title in April, fell in sixth place after losing a big race. Carodenuto, who began the final table as chip leader, saw his chance at a record three MSPT titles go out the door, but he did get his third cash on the tour. Amazingly, two of them are wins and the other a final table appearance.

After DJ Buckley bowed out in fifth place at what was his fifth MSPT final table, the last tour champ in the field followed him out the door in fourth place for $25,633. Reichard, who ran pocket deuces into jacks, bested his father’s sixth-place finish in the same event back in July while notching the third-largest score of his career.

Tom Hammers was the next to go after his pocket aces were cracked by the jacks of Komberec, who then took a more than 2-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Omaha’s Drew Woodke. The two jostled for a bit, but eventually Komberec sealed the deal when his pocket aces held against Woodke’s open-ended straight draw.

The win marked just the second tournament cash of Komberec’s career, the other being $3,528 for an 18^th-place finish in the MSPT Potawatomi last season.

The MSPT continues next weekend with a $200,000 GTD Main Events at Golden Gates in Black Hawk, Colorado. Click here for more information on that event.

Drew Woodke Eliminated in 2nd Place ($56,746)

In what would be the final of the tournament, Ken Komberec raised the button to 240,000 and Drew Woodke called from the big blind. When the flop came down , Woodke checked and Komberec bet 320,000. Woodke check-raised to 820,000, Komberec moved all in, and Woodke called off for right around 2.7 million.

Woodke:
Komberec:

Komberec had the rockets, but Woodke was drawing to an open-ended straight draw. The turn wasn’t what he needed, and neither was the river.

Drew Woodke – Eliminated in 2nd Place for $56,746

Tom Hammers Eliminated in 3rd Place ($36,983)

Drew Woodke raised to 250,000 from the button and Tom Hammers moved all in for 485,000 from the small blind. Ken Komberec flatted from the big, Woodke called, and then the two active players checked the flop.

Komberec then bet 110,000 on the turn, Woodke called, and the completed the board on the river.

Komberec bet 360,000, Woodke raised to 960,000, and Komberec moved all in. Woodke snap-called off with the , and Komberec rolled over the same hand with the .

Hammers then showed and exited in third place.

Tom Hammers - Eliminated in 3rd place for $36,983

Ken Komberec Gets Lucky to Crack Aces

Tom Hammers limped the small blind and Ken Komberec raised to 275,000 from the big. Hammers woke up with a check-raise to 800,000 and then snap-called when Komberec moved all in for 2.35 million.

Hammers:
Komberec:

Komberec was in big trouble, and the flop didn’t do much for him. However, the dealer delivered salvation by putting the on the turn. The river wasn’t what Hammers needed, and he watched a massive pot pushed to Komberec.

“Everyone loves a trainwreck,” Hammers joked.

Ken Komberec - 4.61 million
Tom Hammers - 685,000

Ken Komberec Doubles Through Drew Woodke

Ken Komberec moved all in from the button for 1.04 million and Drew Woodke called from the small blind.

Komberec:
Woodke:

Komberec had the better ace, and it scored him the double after the board ran out .

Drew Woodke - 2.17 million
Ken Komberec - 2.13 million

Drew Woodke Doubles Through Ken Komberec... Twice!

Drew Woodke scored a double through Ken Komberec ace-king to king-queen, and a short time later did it again.

On a flop, Komberec checked and Woodke bet 220,000. Komberec moved all in and Woodke quickly called off for 1.34 million.

Komberec:
Woodke:

Komberec had two pair, but it was no good as Woodke held trips. The turn changed nothing, while the river improved Woodke to quads.

Drew Woodke - 3.15 million
Ken Komberec - 2.065 million

Time for Another Break

The final three players are now on a 10-minute break.

Josh Reichard Eliminated in 4th Place ($25,633)

Josh Reichard, the last MSPT champ remaining in the field (he won the MSPT Ho-Chunk back in Season 4), moved all in from the small blind for around 1 million after Tom Hammers had opened for 130,000 under the gun. Hammers made the call and the cards were turned up.

Hammers:
Reichard:

The flop gave Hammers a boat, and that meant Reichard needed to catch running ducks to survive. The took away any shot of that happening, and Reichard bowed out in fourth place -- besting his dad’s sixth-place finish back in July. The $25,633 he earned for his performance marks the third-biggest score of the young Reichard’s career.

Josh Reichard – Eliminated in 4th place for $25,633

DJ Buckley Eliminated in 5th Place ($19,568)

In the very next hand after being crippled by Ken Komberec, DJ Buckley called off for 55,000 from the button. Komberec called from the small blind, Josh Reichard checked his option from the big, and then both active players checked the flop as well as the turn.

When the paired the board on the river, Komberec checked and then folded when Reichard bet. Reichard tabled the for trip tens, and that was good enough to beat Buckley’s .

DJ Buckley - Eliminated in 5th place for $19,568

Ken Komberec Doubles Big Through DJ Buckley

Picking up the action on the turn with the board reading , DJ Buckley checked from the small blind and then called when Ken Komberec bet 200,000 from the big. When the completed the board on the river, Buckley led out for 300,000 and then called when Komberec moved all in.

Buckley tabled the for a straight, but it was no good as Komberec held a bigger one with the .

Ken Komberec - 3.5 million
DJ Buckley - 85,000