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Congrats to Jermaine "Lion" Gerlin on Winning the MSPT Bestbet Jacksonville​ Main Event for $94,310!

The first $1,100 Main Event of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Season 8 took place this weekend at bestbet Jacksonville. The tournament, which drew 392 entrants (164 on Day 1A, 28 Day 1B) and created a $380,240 prize pool, was the culmination of a 10-event series that began the week before.

After two long days of play, which included one of the longest and toughest final tables in tour history, 39-year-old hometown hero Jermaine “Lion” Gerlin emerged victorious to capture the trophy and a $94,310 first-place prize.

Amazingly, Lion’s win came one year after he finished fourth in the same event for $32,062. In that tournament, Lion held the chip lead four handed only to see the title slip through his hands.

“Last year I came here and got fourth place,” Lion recalled after 16 hours of play on Day 2. “It feels good to come back this year and take it all.”

A regular at both the bestbet Orange Park and Jacksonville properties, Lion plays poker to support his family, which includes two daughters – Ziza (3) and Shaniya (7).

“Those two poker rooms are among the best in Florida,” he said of his stomping grounds. “I definitely recommend people come check them out.”

Prior to the win, Lion had $278,445 in live lifetime earnings including a career-best $106,732 for finishing first in the 2016 Heartland Poker Tour Daytona Beach Main Event. In May of the same year, he also took down a bestbet $350 Recurring Tournament for $25,907.

With 74 players returning for Day 2 action, more than half the field needed to fall for the money to be made. Among those to leave empty handed were the short-stacked Nghia Le, who didn’t even show up and let his four-big-blind stack be blinded out, and Jeffrey Flaschen, who fell as the bubble boy after shoving his short stack with jack-nine and running into both aces and queens.

Once in the money, the pace of eliminations increased. Some of the players to walk away with a payday were MSPT bestbet Jacksonville Regional Event runner-up Jonathan Cronin (31^st - $2,377), WPTDeepstacks champ Anthony Astarita (20^th - $3,018), 2015 MSPT bestbet runner-up Jeff Klein (18^th – $3,772), and 2016 Wisconsin State Poker champ Andy Rubinberg (16^th - $3,772).

The final table kicked off with a double elimination after Lion’s Big Slick rivered a pair of aces after getting it in preflop against Day 1B chip leader Robert Woodward and Georgia’s Pete Theodocion, who held pocket threes and tens respectively.

Not long after, Davian Santana fell after he called off holding pocket sevens on a queen-high flop. Unfortunately for him, Chris Fabozzi had flopped top pair. He was soon joined on the rail by Minnesota transplant Dusty Nelson, who lost pocket tens to Fabozzi’s ace-queen.

Jose Delacruz bowed out in sixth after his ace-king failed to win a race against Ryan Dunn, who followed him out the door in fifth when his queen-jack didn’t get there against Hans Brown’s ace-ten.

That set up a tough final four where no players gave up ground easy. Eventually the blinds forced the action, and John O’Neal, who the year before finished fifth, picked the wrong time to shove with his queen-ten as Brown held pocket queens.

Three-handed play was an epic affair, truly one for the ages. Brown, Fabozzi, and Gerlin each took turns holding the chip lead over many hours. At one point, Gerlin doubled huge with ace-king over Fabozzi’s deuces, and that gave him an overwhelming chip lead. It looked like he was about to close it out, but amazingly both Brown and Fabozzi whittled away at him.

Gerlin lost a couple of big pots, and instead of working a stack of over 60 big blinds, he was left with four. It looked as if history was going to repeat itself, and Lion was clearly dejected.

“I was upset a little, I guess maybe I was frustrated a little,” Lion admitted. “I knew through all these years to just be patient and get it in the best you can.”

After Brown was bounced in third place, the result of running ace-jack into Fabozzi’s ace-queen, Lion found himself in heads-up play, albeit at a big chip disadvantage. Still, he held strong, exchanged the lead with Fabozzi several times, and finally, at 3 a.m. in the morning, he finished off his opponent.

In the final hand of the tournament, Fabozzi raised to 500,000 with the and then called off for 3 million after Lion jammed with the . The board ran out and Fabozzi had to settle for runner-up and a $56,586 consolation prize.

As for Lion, he took down the second-largest cash of his burgeoning career.

“I’m going to the bank and talk to them about getting me a crib,” he said when asked if he has any plans for the money.

In addition to the regular prize pool distribution, Stephen Strout was awarded $2,000 and Woodward $1,000 for finishing as the Day 1A and 1B chip leaders respectively.

Season 8 of the MSPT continues on Thursday with the $1,100 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed “Poker Bowl” at The Venetian in Las Vegas. That tournament will run Thursday through Saturday, ensuring players are finished by Sunday so that can enjoy the Super Bowl.

Final Table Draw & Counts

The final 10 players are now combining down to the feature table. They will then be sent on a 45-minute dinner break with action resuming at 7:00 p.m. local time. The live stream is on a 30-minute delay, so be sure to tune in at 7:30 p.m.

We won’t be reporting anymore of the action here in live blog (other than an end-of-day recap), so if you want more in-depth coverage we encourage you to tune into the live stream.

MSPT Live Stream on msptpoker.com -> CLICK HERE

MSPT Live Stream on Twitch -> CLICK HERE

The biggest story line is the back-to-back final tables of not one, but two players. Both John O’Neal and Jermaine “Lion” Gerlin, who finished fourth and fifth last year out of a field of 459 entrants, are back at it seeking redemption. Both are well-known players here at bestbet Jacksonville and looking to keep the title on home turf.

The only two players capabale of taking the title across state lines are Pete Theodocion and Hans Brown, who hail from Georgia and South Carolina respectively.

Final Table

1 - Dustin Nelson (Tallahassee, FL) ... 348,000
2 - Chris Fabozzi (Tallahassee, FL) ... 1,600,000
3 - Hans Brown (Columbia, SC) ... 1,800,000
4 - Ryan Dunn (Tallahassee, FL) ... 160,000
5 - Robert Woodward (Jacksonville, FL) ... 412,000
6 - Davian Santana (Orlando, FL) ... 625,000
7 - Pete Theodocion (Augusta, GA) ... 414,000
8 - John O’Neal (Jacksonville,FL) ... 1,700,000
9 - Jermaine “Lion” Gerlin (Jacksonville,FL) ... 630,000
10 - Jose Delacruz (Flagler Beach, FL) ... 182,000

Tim Alters Eliminated in 11th Place ($7,168)

In one of the first hands after coming back from the break, a short-stacked Tim Alters moved all in for 190,000 under the gun and Robert Woodward called from the small blind.

Woodward:
Alters:

Alters was looking for an eight to avoid being the final table bubble boy, but it wasn’t in the cards as the board ran out a dry .

Tim Alters – Eliminated in 11th Place for $7,168

Let's Have Ourselves a Break

The final 11 players are now on a schedule 15-minute break.

Andrew Dykeman Eliminated in 12th Place ($7,168)

Hans Brown raised to 50,000 from middle position and Andrew Dykeman three-bet all in for 315,000 from the button. Both blinds folded and Brown thought for a bit before making the call.

Dykeman:
Brown:

It was a flip, and Dykeman was just looking to hold to double. That proved easier said than done though as the board ran out and Brown won with caes and sevens.

Andrew Dykeman – Eliminated in 12th place for $7,168

Stephen Strout Eliminated in 13th Place ($5,281)

Stephen Strout, who began the final table as the chip leader, got his last 300,000 or so all in preflop and was at risk against Hans Brown.

Brown:
Strout:

Strout was in bad shape, but the flop did deliver him a flush draw. Unfortunately for him, neither the turn nor river completed it.

Hans Brown - 1.35 million
Stephen Strout – Eliminated in 13th place for $5,281 + $2,000 Day 1A chip leader bonus

Meskwaki to Host Historic 100th MSPT Main Event March 18-26th

Since its inception in 2009, the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) has awarded millions of dollars to players across the country. Entering Season 8, the tour had hosted 96 Main Events. Stops in Jacksonville, Las Vegas, and Minnesota will bring that number to the precipice of our historic 100^th Main Event, which will take place at Meskwaki Casino in Tama, Iowa.

From March 18-26, the venue, which requires players be just 21 years old to play, will host a series of satellites, bonus events, and a capstone $1,100 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed Main Event the weekend of March 24-26.

“When the MSPT launched in 2009 as the Minnesota State Poker Championship, I never imagined we’d have grown to host 100 events in more than a dozen states,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “In 2012, the tour crossed the state border and rebranded. That was thanks to Meskwaki Casino, who welcomed us in with open arms. Ever since, it’s proven one of the most popular stops on our schedule, and I can’t think of a better place to host our historic 100^th event.”

The stop will hold its Main Event from Friday, March 24 through Sunday, March 26. Day 1A will kick off Friday evening with Day 1A at 4 p.m. with the plan of playing 14 levels. Day 1B will then take place at the same time on Saturday. Players who advance from Main Event Flight 1A to Day 2 are not eligible to play in Flight 1B. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned.

The Main Event 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 entirety of the Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT 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 MSPT has visited Meskwaki, which won “Best of Iowa” in Casino Player’s 2016 Best of Gaming awards, 15 times over the years (three times each season). In last year’s March event, 34-year-old Keith Heine topped a field of 409 entries back in March to capture a $100,981 first-place prize.

In July, John Sun topped a field of 451 entries to win the 2^nd Annual Iowa State Poker Championship for $104,627, while his good friend, Ken Komberec bested 405 entrants to win the November event for $93,922.

Other past winners of the MSPT Meskwaki include Rich Alsup (November 2015 for $101,229), MSPT Pro Blake Bohn (July 2015 for $101,229), and Chad Willett (March 2015 for $96,760), just to name a few.

In addition to the satellites and Main Event, Meskwaki Casino will host two bonus events. The first is on Monday, March 20 at 7:00 p.m. and is a $30 no-limit hold'em rebuy event with 20-minute levels. The second, a $20 no-limit hold'em rebuy, will be held at the same time on Tuesday, March 21.

Here's a look at the schedule for our 100^th stop:

Located in Tama, Iowa — between Des Moines and Cedar Rapids on Highway 30 — Meskwaki Casino, constructed in 1992, offers guests over 67,000 square feet of casino space, 404 hotel rooms, a pool, exercise room, whirlpool, spa, salon, as well as a lounge featuring live music, an upscale steak house, and a food court. In addition, there is a huge bingo hall, table games, active craps tables, blackjack games, and a horse book.

With more than 1,350 slots, the loosest in Iowa when compared to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission payout statistics, their selection is plentiful. The lobby features many museum-quality displays of Meskwaki artifacts and photos, showing guests a long and proud Native American heritage.

James Anderson Eliminated in 14th Place ($5,281)

A short-stacked James Anderson moved all in for his last 65,000 from the button and start-of-the-day chip leader Stephen Strout called from the big blind.

Strout:
Anderson:

Anderson got it in good, but he was straightened out after the board came .

Stephen Strout - 350,000
James Anderson – Eliminated in 14th place for $5,281

Cooler Cripples Davian Santana

Davian Santana raised to 67,000 from the cutoff and John O’Neal three-bet to 200,000 from the big blind. Santana called, the flop came down , and O’Neal bet 325,000. Santana called and then called when O’Neal moved in for 357,000 on the turn.

Santana:
O’Neal:

It was a cooler for Santana, and he sent over most of his stack after the bricked on the river.

John O’Neal - 1.8 million
Davian Santana - 180,000

Chris Fabozzi Fades Diamonds

We missed the action, but we do know that there was around 250,000 in the pot and a flop of when action exploded between Chris Fabozzi and Pete Theodocion.

Fabozzi:
Pete Theodocion:

Fabozzi was looking to dodge a diamond, and that’s just what he did when the appeared on the turn followed by the on the river.

Chris Fabozzi - 1.35 million
Pete Theodocion - 370,000