Grand Falls Casino

From Morocco to Minnesota: Ahmed Taleb Wins MSPT Grand Falls for $54,089

The 2017 MSPT Grand Falls Casino $1,100 Main Event drew 216 entrants (105 on 1A, 111 on 1B), which was up from last year’s 187 runners. After two days of play, 25-year-old Ahmed Taleb, who was literally the last player to enter the tournament, emerged victorious to capture a $54,098 prize for his first-ever MSPT cash.

“I’m feeling great, man,” said Taleb, who came to the United States four years ago from Morocco to study. “My first tournament, and my first buy-in in a MSPT. I came here, I fired a bullet in the qualifier and didn’t qualify. I was debating should I play, should I not, and then I played cash and ran really good. I decided to fire a bullet at the last minute.”

Taleb, who works and studies at a university while playing poker on the side, said that we will next see him at the MSPT Running Aces in September. In the meantime, he enjoyed his first visit to a new casino.

“This was my first time at Grand Falls,” he said. “It’s great. Probably lucky for me it’s my first time here and I’m winning.”

Final Table Results
1 Ahmed Taleb (Moorhead, MN) $54,089
2 Lucas Christoffer (Marshall, MN) $32,243
3 JW Nelson (Alta, IA) $20,594
4 Aaron Johnson (Red Wing, MN) $14,769
5 Harold Brenden (Rapid City, SD) $11,441
6 Wesley Ismay (Vale, SD) $9,361
7 Swadeep Mishra (Sioux Falls, SD) $7,801
8 Kurt Bales (Cedar Falls, IA) $6,449
9 Ted Takasaki (Sioux Falls, SD) $5,409
10 Erick Woehlhaff (Sioux Falls, SD) $4,160

Day 2 started with 41 players returning to action, but with only 27 of them getting paid more than a dozen would leave empty handed. Among them were two-time MSPT champ John Hayes, Wisconsin’s Yao “YY” Yin, and bubble boy Doug Ficken.

Those who cashed but fell short of the final table included MSPT regular Todd Melander (26^th - $1,872), last year’s 10th-place finisher Robbin Green (18^th - $2,392), 2017 South Dakota State Poker Champion Ryan Skluzak (17^th - $2,392), last year’s 3^rd-place finisher Joe Barnard (14^th - $3,120), and Bill Eichel (11^th - $4,160).

Swadeep Mishra began the final table as the only player over a million (1.188 million), while his next closest competition was Aaron Johnson (724,000) and JW Nelson (649,000). The other seven players were all under 413,000 with the blinds at 6,000/12,000/2,000.

Erick Woehlhaff was the first to go after his five-six suited failed to get there against the ace-eight of Mishra, and then defending champ Ted Takasaki, a professional fisherman and member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, followed him out the door in ninth place. It happened when Takasaki jammed eight big blinds with pocket tens only to run into Nelson’s pocket queens.

Kurt Bales was the next to go after he failed to win a race with ace-queen suited against Mishra’s two black eights. Surprisingly, Mishra took his leave shortly thereafter. He had clashed numerous times with Nelson, who got the better of him time and again. However, it was Lucas Christoffer who dealt the biggest blow with aces and eights against Mishra’s aces and deuces.

Wesley Ismay, who was second in chips at the time, wound up busting in sixth place after getting it in with straight and flush draws, plus two overs, to Nelson’s flopped middle pair. It ended up being too many outs for Ismay and he bricked both the turn and river.

The short-stacked Harold Brenden was bounced in fifth when his queen-six fell to Christoffer’s ace-queen, and then Johnson exited in fourth when his ace-nine suited ran into Taleb’s pocket kings.

Nelson, the Day 1B chip leader, was ousted in third place after flopping a pair of threes and getting it in against Taleb, who had him crushed with pocket fours. That set up a heads-up match with Taleb holding 2.7 million to Christoffer’s 1.6 million, but the counts soon flipped when the latter doubled holding ace-king against the former’s pocket jacks.

The two proceeded to battle back and forth for the next 90 minutes, and eventually Taleb sealed the deal after flopping two pair with eight-nine and getting it in on the turn, which gave Christoffer top pair with top kicker.

Season 8 of the MSPT continues in three weeks at Minnesota’s Running Aces Casino, which is just north of the Twin Cities. For more information on that stop, click here.

Lucas Christoffer Eliminated in 2nd Place ($32,243)

Lucas Christoffer raised to 135,000 from the button and Ahmed Taleb called from the button.

When the flop came down , both players checked and the dealer burned and turned the .

Taleb checked, Christoffer bet 150,000, and Taleb check-raised all in. Christoffer snap-called off.

Christoffer:
Taleb:

Christoffer turned top pair but he needed to hit as Taleb had flopped two pair. The river was of no consequence and Christoffer had to settle for second place.

Lucas Christoffer – Eliminated in 2nd Place ($32,243)

Ahmed Taleb Doubles Through Lucas Christoffer

Lucas Christoffer raised to 140,000 from the button and then called when Ahmed Taleb moved all in for 1.4 million.

Christoffer:
Taleb:

Taleb had the better kicker and it earned him the double after the board ran out .

Ahmed Taleb - 2.8 million (56 bb)
Lucas Christoffer - 1.5 million (30 bb)

No knockout yet

Ahmed Taleb and Lucas Christoffer have been throwing jabs for the last two levels, with neither opponent doing much damage.

When came out on the flop, Taleb jammed all in and Christoffer called looking for the knockout.

Christoffer:
Taleb:

Taleb paired the board, but Christoffer could eliminate him with his many draws. The gave Christoffer the straight, but the gave Taleb the flush and this match is far from over!

Lucas Christoffer 3,100,000 (62 bb)
Ahmed Taleb 1,200,000 (24 bb)

Lucas Christoffer Doubles Through Ahmed Taleb

Ahmed Taleb limped the button and Lucas Christoffer raised the big blind to 130,000. Taleb then popped it to 330,000 and called when Christoffer moved all in for 1.336 million.

Christoffer:
Taleb:

It was a classic flip, but not after the flop paired Christoffer. Neither the turn nor river changed a thing and Christoffer took over the chip lead.

Lucas Christoffer - 2.7 million
Ahmed Taleb - 1.6 million

JW Nelson Eliminated in 3rd Place ($20,594)

Ahmed Taleb limped the small blind and JW Nelson, who finished Day 1B as chip leader, checked from the big blind to see a flop.

Taleb check-called a bet of 100,000 and then checked for a second time on the turn. Nelson moved all in for 660,000 and Taleb wasted little time in making the call.

Taleb:
Nelson:

Taleb was ahead and he scored the KO after the appeared on the river.

JW Nelson – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($20,594)

Aaron Johnson Eliminated in 4th Place ($14,769)

Action folded to Aaron Johnson in the small blind and he just limped. Ahmed Taleb then exercised his option from the big with a raise to 180,000, and he snap-called when Johnson moved all in.

Taleb:
Johnson:

The flop left Johnson drawing dead, and he watched helplessly as the turn and river came the and respectively.

Ahmed Taleb - 1.95 million (65 bb)
Aaron Johnson – Eliminated in 4th Place ($14,769)

Harold Brenden Eliminated in 5th Place ($11,441)

Action folded to Lucas Christoffer in the small blind and he just limped. Harold Brenden, who had been nursing the short stack, then moved all in for 185,000 and Christoffer snap-called.

Christoffer:
Brenden:

Brenden had a kicker problem and he ended up getting straightened out after the board came down .

Harold Brenden – Eliminated in 5th Place ($11,441)

Lucas Christoffer Doubles Through JW Nelson

JW Nelson limped the button and then called when Lucas Christoffer raised to 80,000 from the small blind. Christoffer led out for 100,000 on the flop, Nelson called, and the dealer burned and turned the .

Christoffer checked, Nelson bet 100,000, and Christoffer moved all in for 317,000 more. Eventually Nelson called and the cards were turned up.

Christoffer:
Nelson:

Christoffer was way out in front and shipped the double after the appeared on the river.

JW Nelson - 1.35 million (56 bb)
Lucas Christoffer - 1.2 million (50 bb)

Wesley Ismay Eliminated in 6th Place ($9,361)

Immediately after break, chip leader JW Nelson and second in chips, Welsey Ismay, got into a preflop raising war before seeing a flop.

Ismay opened for 180,000 and Nelson figured out the amount needed to raise, finally putting in 360,000. Ismay immediately raised all in and Nelson hit the tank for three minutes before finally calling.

The cards were turned over and Nelson was ahead with middle pair, but Ismay held an over card, straight draw, and flush draw!

Nelson:
Ismay:

The board ran out the on the turn and then the on the river. With that, Nelson took down the massive pot and sent Ismay to the rail.

JW Nelson: 2,000,000 (83 bb)
Wesley Ismay - Eliminated in 6th Place ($9,361)