Meskwaki Casino

Jon McKamie Leads as 52 Advance from Day 1B of Record-Breaking #MSPT100

The #MSPT100, which is what we’ve been calling this weekend’s 100^th Main Event, proved to be a record-breaking affair at Meskwaki Casino in Tama, Iowa. In the tour’s 15 previous stops, the largest field was 451 entrants. Thanks to turnouts of 211 and 255 entries on Days 1A and 1B respectively, the total field grew to 466 runners!

That means the prize pool will be distributed to the top 45 players with the eventual winner taking home $108,120. Of the 52 Day 1B survivors, Jon McKamie is best positioned to make a run at it with his stack of 250,500. That is a good bit behind that of Gabriel Neighbors, who bagged the Day 1A lead with 317,500.

McKamie is looking for his first tournament cash since 2010, which is when he took down a $230 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo tournament at the Gold Strike Winter Classic in Tunica. He took home $3,702 for that win.

Others who made it through on Day 1B were Vlad Revniaga (218,000), last year’s MSPT Meskwaki spring champ Keith Heine (212,000), four-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner Mark Fink (199,500), and 2016 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker champ Andy Rubinberg (196,500), who round out the top five Day 1B stacks.

Some players that made it through on smaller stacks were MSPT Season 5 Running Aces champ Mark Sandness (166,000), 2016 MSPT Iowa State Poker champ John Sun (143,000), PokerNews reporter Mo Nuwwarah (117,000), and MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Josh Reichard (100,500).

On Sunday, they will join survivors from 1A that include reigning champ Ken Komberec (111,000), the first-ever MSPT Meskwaki champ Moon Ahmed (68,500), MSPT Season 6 Player of the Year Mark Hodge (54,500), and former NFL running back Fred Jackson (37,000).

Among those who failed to make it through to Day 2 were Minnesota poker pro Kou Vang, Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup, WSOP bracelet winner John Reading, and former champs Jason Sell, Dan Sun, Peixin Liu, and Blake Bohn.

Day 2 will get underway at 11 a.m. on Sunday and will play until a winner is crowned. Remember, the final table will be live streamed worldwide both here and on Twitch. Be sure to join us then as we bring you all the latest and greatest from the #MSPT100.

End-of-Day 1B Chip Counts

Jon McKamie 250,500
Vlad Revniaga 218,000
Keith Heine 212,000
Mark Fink 199,500
Andrew Rubinberg 196,500
Matthew Roling 195,000
Joel Klipping 190,500
Jason Ramos 188,000
Eric Eelkema 180,500
Mark Hubble 166,000
Mark Sandness 166,000
Jason Bender 154,500
David Hengen 148,500
Nikki Nelson 146,500
John Sun 143,000
Marius Toderici 118,000
Mo Nuwwarah 117,000
James Maxey 103,000
Josh Reichard 100,500
Jerry Hapunik 100,000
Tracy Porter 94,500
Sherry Hammers 94,000
Everett Carlton 92,500
James Livingston 92,500
Ryan Leng 87,500
Jared Lofland 85,500
Jeff Grimes 82,000
Joe Barnard 79,500
Chase Kinchen 78,500
Mathew Wyngarden 75,000
Nathan Crookshank 74,000
Gary Tsui 74,000
James Schelling 72,500
Ryan Phan 66,000
David Kimbrell 62,500
Matt Alexander 57,000
Matthew Sztamburski 57,000
Neil Patel 54,500
Aaron Johnson 40,000
Brian Weipert 39,000
Brandon Pratt 38,500
Darin Utley 38,500
Terry Eisenman 37,000
DJ Buckley 34,500
Ken Auker 34,500
Parminder Singh 33,500
Josh Smith 33,000
Thomas Peebles 30,500
Tom Hammers 29,000
Brian Gonder 27,500
Michael Thul 21,000
Taylor Howard 20,000

Four More Hands

The remaining players will play four more hands before bagging and tagging on Day 1B. Stay tuned for a recap of the day’s action as well chip counts and the Day 2 seat draw.

Big Slick Doesn't Do the Trick for Loren Lettingto

MSPT Season 5 Running Aces champ Mark Sandness and Loren Lettington engaged in a preflop raising war that saw the duo get around 100,000 in the middle. Lettington then jammed his last 30,000 all in on the flop and Sandness called.

Lettington:
Sandness:

Lettington needed to catch to stay alive in the tournament, but it didn’t happen as the blanked on the turn followed by the on the river.

Mark Sandness -175,000
Loren Lettington - Busted

Mark Fink Catches Fire

It’s been a good last two levels for Mark Fink, a four-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner.

In a recent hand, Thomas Peebles raised to 5,700 under the gun and Fink defended the button. Both blinds folded, the flop came down , and action went check-check.

Peebles then check-called a bet of 7,500 on the turn before check-calling one of 13,000 on the river.

Fink then rolled over the for a pair of jacks.

“Nice river,” Peebles said before mucking.

Mark Fink - 190,000
Thomas Peebles - 31,200

Goodbye Sweet Blake

MSPT Returns to Milwaukee's Potawatomi Hotel & Casino April 1-9

The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is headed back to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. From April 1-9, the venue will play host to a series of satellites that will culminate with an $1,100 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed Main Event.

That tournament, which will take place the weekend of April 7-9, will feature two starting flights – Day 1A and Day 1B at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 respectively. The survivors from both those flights will combine for Day 2 at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 9 and play until a champion is crowned.

“Milwaukee has proven itself to not only be one of the hottest poker destinations in the Midwest, but in the entire country,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “Between locals, players from nearby Chicago and Madison, and those comings from surrounding states, Potawatomi is consistently setting new state records for largest fields and prize pools. We’re looking forward to another big one come April.”

The 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 entire Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT's 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 last time the MSPT visited Potawatomi for a Main Event was back in November when Alex Aqel topped a field of 596 entrants to win a $138,385 first-place prize. Amazing, Aqel had another big score at the property just six months later when he won the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event there for $208,184.

More recently, the MSPT kicked off Season 8 at Potawatomi back in January with a $350 Regional Event, which set what was then a state record for largest poker tournament with 1,228 entries. Craig Trost came out on top in that event to take home $63,252.

In April 2016, Travis Lauson topped a field of 556 entries to win a $129,077 first-place prize in the Main Event. Before that, in September 2015, Dan Goepel topped a field of 462 entries to win a $114,117 first-place prize. Amazingly, Lauson had finished runner-up in that event!

Prior to Goepel’s win, the MSPT had visited the property two other times – in April 2015 when Jason Mirza topped a field of 635 entries to win $147,529, and in September 2014 when Jason Zarlenga became a two-time champ by emerging victorious over a 487-entry field to win $120,164.

Click here for a look at the full MSPT Potawatomi schedule.

Set in the heart of Milwaukee, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino is Wisconsin’s premier entertainment destination, offering guests the best in gaming, dining and entertainment. The property features six award-winning restaurants, the intimate 500-seat Northern Lights Theater and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 381-room, 19-story hotel opened in August 2014.

It has come a long way since its opening in 1991 when the Forest County Potawatomi first opened as a 45,800-square foot bingo hall, making it the first tribal off-reservation gaming operation in the country.

Aside from gaming, Potawatomi offers seven great dining options to choose from including beautiful Italian cooking at Bella Italiana, down-home cooking at Canal Street Café, and authentic Asian cuisine and sushi bar at Ruyi.

To discover more visit https://www.paysbig.com/.

Mark Sandness with the Old Check-Raise

Matt Alexander raised to 4,500 from the hijack and Mo Nuwwarah called from the button. MSPT Season 5 Running Aces champ Mark Sandness came along from the big blind and three players saw a flop of .

Sandness checked, Alexander continued for 6,500, and Nuwwarah called. Sandness then woke up with a check-raise to 23,000, and that did the trick as both Alexander and Nuwwarah folded.

Matt Alexander - 100,000
Mo Nuwwarah - 90,000
Mark Sandness - 80,000

Jason Ramos Sends One to the Rail

On a flop, Jason Ramos and another player jostled back and forth until the former jammed and the latter called off for around 50,000.

Ramos:
Opponent:

Ramos’ overpair was behind, but not after the dealer burned and turned the to counterfeit his opponent. The river improved Ramos to a full house and he sent his opponent to the rail.

Jason Ramos - 175,000

MSPT Grand Falls $350 Regional Event Added to the Schedule in Season 8

One of the new events on the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Season 8 schedule is May’s $350 Regional Event at Grand Falls Casino, which is located just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The event, which requires players be 21 or older, will take place May 4-7 and feature a $50,000 guarantee.

The stop will kick off April 1 with a series of satellites. Then, in May, the satellite schedule will be bolstered by two side events. First is the $40 Omaha Hi/Lo Spread Limit Grand Falls Weekly at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 1. At 1:00 p.m. the following day, there will also be a $40 No-Limit Hold’em Grand Falls Weekly event.

As for the Regional Event, the tournament will feature three starting flights. Days 1A and 1B will take place at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5 respectively. Day 1C will then be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The surviving players will then combine for Day 2 action at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, May 7 and play down to a winner.

“Over the past five years, the Grand Falls Casino has continued to grow, which is why we thought Season 8 was the perfect time to add a Regional Event to the schedule,” said MSPT President Bryan Mileski. “Of course this will be in addition to our annual Main Event.”

Schedule for August, the MSPT Grand Falls $1,100 Main Event features a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool and tends to draw players from across the Midwest. Last year, the tournament attracted 187 entrants and saw Fishing Hall of Famer Ted Takasaki top a tough final table to walk away with $52,360.

The first visit at Grand Falls took place way back in 2012 when Dan Sun topped a field of 215 entrants to win $60,486 and become the MSPT's first back-to-back champion. Other winners of the MSPT Grand Falls Casino include Josh Smith, who topped a field of 218 to win $59,221 in August 2013; MSPT Pro Blake Bohn, who outlasted 200 other entrants to win in August 2014 for $54,607; and 2015 champ Alan Curl, who topped a field of 238 entrants to win $64,655.

“Our players look forward to the MSPT every year,” said Grand Falls poker room manager Renee Thomas. “It’s a great way for our local players to have the opportunity to satellite into a large tournament without having to travel. Because of our location we bring in players from multiple states and because of our amenities, many of them treat it like a mini vacation with their spouse.”

Here’s a look at the MSPT Grand Falls Regional schedule:

Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort was granted an operator's license for a casino in May of 2010, which followed the passage of a referendum approving a gaming structure by the citizens of Lyon County, Iowa in September of 2008. Since then, the property has won a number of awards including Midwest Gaming and Destination Magazine 2016 Readers’ Choice Awards for “Best Amenities,” “Best Golf Course,” and “Best Casino Personnel.”

It also ranked as the second-best overall property in Iowa, second-best for amenities in the entire Midwest, and having the best golf course in the entire Midwest!

“Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort has so much to offer our guests and it’s a great destination for a mini vacation,” Thomas concluded. “You can relax at the spa or pool, play golf, shop in our boutique and then have dinner at Ruthie’s, Robert’s Buffet or the Big Drop.”

For more information on the property, visit grandfallscasinoresort.com.