Golden Gates Casino

Max Young Wins MSPT Golden Gates for $97,810

The latest MSPT Golden Gates Main Event attracted 468 entries (113 on Day 1A, 152 1B, and 203 1C) to Black Hawk, Colorado, marking the ninth MSPT Main Event ever held at the property. In the end, 33-year-old poker pro Max Young emerged victorious to capture a $97,810 first-place prize.

“I feel pretty good, not gonna lie,” said Young, “It’s been awhile, I’ve been on a little dry spell the past few months. The year started off great and then I just couldn’t put anything together, so it feels pretty good to have a big result that turns my year around.

Young, who fired one bullet in the tournament and bagged the Day 1A chip lead, is a well-known pro throughout the country. Prior to the win, he had $648,217 in live tournament earnings. That includes three World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring wins (he’s already got a seat locked up in August’s Global Casino Championship) and a Parx Casino Big Stax XXII victory for $120,930. Now he’s got a MSPT title on his résumé.

“The structure is good, you get a 20K starting stack, and it’s well run,” Young said of the MSPT. “All the people I’ve met are great. I only have good things to say. I’m traveling the circuit a lot, just trying to find events within my buy-in range that I think I’ll do well in. The MSPTs are right there, I like them a lot.”

Final Table Results
1 Max Young (Seaside, OR) $97,810
2 Jeff Heiberg (Buffalo, WY) $60,097
3 Sammy Aweida (Broomfield, CO) $43,309
4 Vincent Moscati (Verplanck, New York) $32,755
5 Bryan Robinson (Savannah, GA) $24,566
6 Ian Sylvester (Hudson, CO) $18,652
7 Ben Keeline (Longmont, CO) $14,558
8 Adam Friedman (Gahanna, OH) $11,373
9 Daniel Sochacki (Avon, CO) $8,644
10 Aaron Frei (Longmont, CO) $6824

Day 2 saw 61 players (14 from 1A, 19 from 1B, and 28 from 1C) return to action, but with 54 getting paid, seven players needed to leave empty handed before the money was made. Among those to fall short of a payday were Paul Holder, Jesse Worrell, and bubble boy David Johnston.

Among those to leave with a cash were Aaron Thomas (54^th - $2,047), Phil Mader (49^th - $2,047), Keith Block (36^th - $2,457), Day 2 chip leader Nader Wahdan (25^th - $3,048), last woman standing Svetlana Martie (21^st - $4,140), former MSPT Golden Gates Regional Event winner “Money” Mike Maruna (19^th - $4,140), Dash Dudley (17^th - $4,549), and Danny Gonzalez (13^th - $5,459).

The final table began with Bryan Robinson holding the chip lead with 1.805 million, though four others players had over seven figures. Aaron Frei was the first to go after he open-shoved a flop holding the only to get called by the of Wyoming’s Jeff Heiberg. Neither the turn nor river helped Frei and he was sent to the rail in tenth place.

A double elimination saw both Daniel Sochacki and Adam Friedman, who both fell to Young. It happened when Friedman raised holding the and Young just flatted. The short-stacked Sochaki then three-bet all in for 315,000 with the and Friedman four-bet jammed. Young snap-called with his and held after the board ran out .

Ironically, Friedman had nearly eliminated Young when they were down to the final two tables. Friedman got it in with nines against Young’s jacks and flopped a nine. Young was extremely short after that.

“I kept getting hands against Friedman,” Young explained. “I was on his left so it looked like I was targeting him, but I usually had it. Losing that hand was crushing because I thought that was my chance. I was left with less than 10 big blinds. I managed to come back and things started to go my way, especially at the final table. Monster hands came to me and I smashed everything.”

WSOP Colossus II champ Ben Keeline, who came straight to Golden Gates after a one-week vacation on Tokyo, Japan (he literally flew back and came straight to the venue to late register Day 1C) was next to go after first losing king-jack to queens, and then the rest with tens to ace-jack. Keeline earned $14,558 for finishing in seventh place.

Young then eliminated Ian Sylvester after turning two pair against the latter’s pocket kings, and Robinson followed him out the door in fifth when he jammed his short stack holding the on the button and getting called by Sammy Aweida and his . Robinson took the lead on the flop but the running turn and river gave Aweida a winning straight.

Young extended his chip lead by eliminating seven-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Vincent Moscati in fourth place. It happened when Young raised and Moscati defended his big blind to see a flop. Moscati check-shoved with the only to discover Young had flopped a flush with the .

From there, Young applied pressure on the short stacks. Aweida made a stand with the only to run smack dab into Young’s , which sent him packing in third place for $43,309.

The heads-up match between Young and Heiberg didn’t last long as the former held 95% of the chips in play. In the final hand of the tournament, Heiberg jammed the button with the and Young called with the . The board ran out and Heiberg finished as runner-up for $60,097.

Season 9 of the MSPT continues next weekend with a brand-new stop on the schedule. For the first time ever, the MSPT will be in Deadwood for the 2018 MSPT South Dakota State Poker Championship at the Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex. Click here for details.

Jeff Heiberg Eliminated In 2nd Place ($60,097)

Jeff Heiberg jammed his last 400,000 from the button and Max Young snapped him off in the big blind.

Heiberg:
Young:

Heiberg needed a three to keep his tournament hopes alive, but the flop brought some chop outs for Heiberg instead. The turn meant that Heiberg was down to one card to stave off elimination, but the sealed the victory for Young, and Heiberg finishes as our runner-up here at MSPT Golden Gates.

Jeff Heiberg - Eliminated in 2nd place for $60,097

Osama "Sammy" Aweida Eliminated In 3rd Place ($43,309)

Jeff Heiberg raised to 225,000 from the button, and Sammy Aweida jammed for 1.15 million from the small blind. Max Young snap-jammed on top, and Heiberg said, “You’re both all in?” before mucking his hand.

Aweida:
Young:

Young woke up with another monster, and the flop meant Aweida needed to hit a jack to keep his hopes of snagging his first title alive.

The turn was paint, but the wrong one, and the turn ended Aweida’s run. With this cash, Aweida jumps to 29th on the all-time MSPT earnings list with $184,330 in lifetime earnings.

Max Young - 8.5 million (142 bb)
Sammy Aweida - Eliminated in 3rd place for $43,309

Vincent Moscati Eliminated in 4th Place ($32,755)

Max Young raised to 125,000 on the button and Vincent Moscati defended his big blind to see a flop.

Moscati checked, Young bet 135,000, and Moscati check-raised all in for around 800K. Young snap-called.

Young:
Moscati:

Young had flopped a flush and Moscati needed to go runner-runner to stay alive. The turn took away and shot of that happening and Moscati hit the rail after the was run out on the river.

Max Young - 7,500,000 (125 bb)
Vincent Moscati - Eliminated in 4th place for $32,755

Bryan Robinson Eliminated In 5th Place ($24,566)

Bryan Robinson jammed his last 240,000 from the button, and Sammy Aweida called from the big blind.

Robinson:
Aweida:

Robinson paired his queen on a flop, but the turn gave Aweida a gutshot straight draw. Sure enough, the river filled the straight and Robinson bows out in fourth.

Sammy Aweida - 1.2 million (20 bb)
Bryan Robinson - Eliminated in 5th place for $24,566

Sammy Aweida Gets Lucky to Double Through Bryan Robinson

Bryan Robinson raised to 100,000 on the button and then called when Sammy Aweida moved all in for 505,000 from the button.

Aweida:
Robinson:

Aweida was in a bad spot but pulled out the win after the board came to give him a flush.

Sammy Aweida - 1,050,000 (21 bb)
Bryan Robinson - 380,000 (8 bb)

Ian Sylvester Eliminated In 6th Place ($18,652)

Ian Sylvester raised to 105,000 from the cutoff, and Max Young called in the big blind.

The flop was checked by Young, and Sylvester bet 150,000. Young called.

Young checked the turn over to Sylvester, who bet 225,000. Young check-raised to 500,000 using the newly introduced white 100k chips, and Sylvester said, “Oh, shit.”

Sylvester paused a few more seconds, then jammed for a million total.

“The ‘oh shit’ all-in, eh?” Young said before calling.

“I just got one pair,” Sylvester said.

Sylvester:
Young:

Young’s turned two pair proved to be the winner as the hit the river, and Sylvester hits the rail while Young continues steamrolling this final table.

Max Young - 5.4 million (108 bb)
Ian Sylvester - Eliminated in 6th place for $18,652

Ben Keeline Eliminated in 7th Place ($14,558)

Ben Keeline, who was fresh off a weeklong trip to Tokyo, late registered this tournament last night after coming from the airport. He managed to make it all the way to the final table before two back-to-back hands led to his demise.

In the first, he jammed the button and Bryan Robinson called off for 515,000 from the big blind.

Robinson:
Keeline:

The board ran out and Robinson doubled through. Keeline was left with just 100,000.

In the very next hand, Vincent Moscati raised to 100,000 under the gun and Keeline called off for 95,000. Ian Sylvester came along from the big blind and then check-folded to a bet of 100,000 on the flop.

Keeline:
Moscati:

Keeline was ahead with a set. The turn meant a queen would chop it, but it was the on the river that’d give both players a full house. Unfortunately for Keeline, his was second best.

Vincent Moscati - 1,450,000 (29 bb)
Bryan Robinson - 1,100,000 (22 bb)
Ben Keeline - Eliminated in 7th place for $14,558

Daniel Sochacki Eliminated In 9th Place ($8,644); Adam Friedman Eliminated In 8th Place ($11,373)

Adam Friedman raised to 105,000 from UTG, and Max Young called from UTG+1. Daniel Sochacki three-bet jammed for 315,000, and when action folded back to Friedman, he four-bet jammed for around 1 million, which Young snapped off.

Friedman:
Young:
Sochacki:

Friedman was distraught at Young’s slowplayed pair of aces, and the flop left him drawing to runner-runner, while Sochacki improved to a gutshot straight draw in addition to his set outs. The officially eliminated Friedman, while the eliminated Sochacki, and Young picks up a monster pot to pad his chip lead.

Friedman does pick up a consolation prize, however; with the 800 POY points he picked up in this event, he takes over first place in the Kimo Sabe Mezcal POY race.

Max Young - 3.6 million (72 bb)
Adam Friedman - Eliminated in 8th place for $11,373
Daniel Sochacki - Eliminated in 9th place for $8,644

Daniel Sochacki Doubles Through Bryan Robinson

Daniel Sochacki moved all in for 130,000 from the button and Bryan Robinson called from the big blind.

Robinson:
Sochacki:

The board ran out and Sochaki held to score the double.

Daniel Sochacki - 300,000 (6 bb)
Bryan Robinson - 450,000 (9 bb)