Running Aces Casino

Leo Fussy Bags Overall Chip Lead As 49 Players Survive Final Flight

Day 1c of the MSPT (Mid-States Poker Tour) $1,110 Minnesota State Poker Championship at Running Aces Casino attracted a massive 386 runners, which along with 1a's 172 and 1b’s 303 brought the total field up to 861 entries, blasting past the $500k guarantee.

The massive field generated a $833,670 prize pool and the top 90 players will get paid a minimum of $2,168, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $162,566 first-place prize, along with the Minnesota State Poker Championship trophy.

At the end of the third and final flight, 49 players bagged and tagged with Leo Fussy bagging the top stack 831,000, edging out MSPT champ Mark Jaroslawski (723,000) to take the overall chip lead into Day 2.

Others to bag big where Tanner Pray (691,000), Pete Bigelow (650,000), Leo Pinamonti (602,000), and MSPT champ Gerald Cunniff (543,000) who rounded out the top five stacks.

They were joined by Dan Warner (517,000), three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto (321,00), Ian Pearson (365,000), and MSPT Hall of Famer’s “DQ” Dan Hendrickson (280,000), Aaron Johnson (230,000), and Kou Vang (146,000).

The surviving players from all three flights – of which there are 105 (20 from Day 1A, 36 from 1B, and 52 from 1C) – will return at 11:00 a.m. local time tomorrow, Sunday, April 28^th to play down to a winner.

Season 15 Minnesota Poker State Championships $1,110 Main Event Payouts

Season 15 MSPT Minnesota Poker State Championship Remaining Schedule

End Day 1C Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Leo Fussy	831,000	750,000
Tanner Pray	691,000	720,000
Pete Bigelow	650,000	400,000
Leo Pinamonti	602,000	360,000
Gerald Cunniff	543,000	400,000
Daniel Warner	517,000	485,000
Carl Carodenuto	436,000	181,000
Michael Meneely	429,000	365,000
Leon Theis	425,000	100,000
Ian Pearson	365,000	360,000
Ashton Henry	327,000	100,000
Miguel Martinez	323,000	100,000
Bee Yang	315,000	300,000
DQ Dan Hendrickson	280,000	167,000
Joe Matheson	254,000	385,000
Dylan Hanson	248,000	100,000
Michael Estes	246,000	235,000
Aaron Johnson	230,000	250,000
David Bashel	220,000	122,000
Wayne Sonnentag	219,000	210,000
Thai Dinh	185,000	132,000
Andy Hammell	184,000	155,000
Scott Sisler	182,000	146,000
Rodney Colson	175,000	90,000
Blaise Poupore	172,000	100,000
Zachary Beasy	164,000	100,000
Michael Ketola	159,000	150,000
David Vig	153,000	200,000
Kou Vang	146,000	215,000
Aaron Knudson	145,000	85,000
Nghia "3 Putts" Le	144,000	150,000
Tria Vue	134,000	110,000
Joe Beasy	125,000	65,000
Tyler Westra	123,000	40,000
Joel Terhaar	121,000	100,000
Todd Ingemansen	121,000	105,000
Dejan Nikitovic	102,000	100,000
Tyler Caspers	101,000	65,000
Duane Anderson	100,000	50,000
Denis Ward	85,000	100,000
Kanat Ozturk	79,000	155,000
Paul Carney	76,000	155,000
Chris Jones (MN)	75,000	100,000
Freddie West	74,000	192,000
David Gonia	69,000	65,000
Steven Veres	67,000	100,000
Stahlien Khaikham	51,000	147,500
Cody Torke	42,000	100,000

Final Four Hands

The tournament director has just announced the final for hands of the evening.

Erick Wright Takes Down Monster Stack

The MSPT traveled back home to host the Season 15 Minnesota State Poker Championship and players have been duking it out over the past week inside Running Aces Casino for its 16-trophy event series!

In Event #12: $250 No-Limit Monster Stack, 162 hunters took to the tables and created a $32,400 prize pool which was reserved for the top 18 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Bob Van Syckle (10th Place - $616), Jerry Fuhrer (11th Place - $616), Brandon Kelzenberg (14th Place - $518), and Rob Maier (17th Place - $545).

In the end, it was local grinder Erick Wright who tamed the Monster to take down the lion's share of the prize pool along with the Sapdey trophy!

Final Table Results

* denotes chop

Prize Pool Information

MSPT Season 15 Minnesota Poker State Championship at Running Aces Casino
Entrants: 861
Prize Pool: $833,670

Top Bagged Stacks Thus Far

So far, 56 players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and a final group of hopefuls will look to add their names to that list today.

All who make it through until the end of play will return tomorrow, Sunday, April 28th, at 11:00 a.m. for Day 2, where the remaining players from all starting flights will combine and play until a winner is declared.

Alan Berlin Finds an Epic Win

For the eighth stop of its 15th season, the MSPT traveled back home to host the Minnesota State Poker Championship and players have been duking it out over the past week inside Running Aces Casino for its 16-trophy event series!

In Event #11: $200 No-Limit Hold'em Epic Stack, 150 epic players took to the felt and generated a $24,000 prize pool that was paid out to the top 15 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Tyler "TK" Kolness (10th Place - $492), Peter Greese (11th Place - $492), MSPT champ Max Havlish (12th Place - $492), Kyler McKnight (13th Place - $408), Richard Larson (14th Place - $408), and David Kramber (15th Place - $408).

When the dust settled, it was Alan Berlin of Shoreview, MN who came out on top with the lion's share of the prize pool, along with the Sapdey trophy!

Final Table Results

* denotes chop

Vang Saved by the River

Joseph Von Schrader opened under the gun for 10,000 and then called MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang’s 58,000 three-bet jam from the hijack.

Kou Vang:
Joseph Von Schrader:

Vang was flipping for his tournament life and didn’t mind the flop that came paired.

The turn left Vang needing help on the river and luckily for him, the dealer delivered with the to keep his Main Event hopes alive.

After the hand, Schrader was left short and eliminated a few hands later.

Kou Vang - 120,000
Joseph Von Schrader - Eliminated

Late Night Counts & Bust Outs

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Tanner Pray	510,000	310,000
Joe Matheson	385,000	160,000
Michael Meneely	365,000	465,000
Ian Pearson	360,000	124,300
Daniel Warner	242,000	140,200
Joe Beasy	220,000	220,000
Todd Ingemansen	212,000	212,000
Dedric Henderson	175,000	255,000
Jon Hanner	125,000	65,000
Dana Castaneda	0	145,000
Anthony Dunne	0	87,000
Matthew Hamilton	0	20,000

Largest Midwest Poker Tournament Set for May 16th - 19th!

Don’t look now, but Michigan is one of the country’s hottest spots for poker, a fact evidenced by massive tournament fields.

Case in point, recent stops of the MSPT, which will visit FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek for the first time in Season 15 May 16th - 19th.

A series of $70 and $265 qualifiers will take place in the weeks leading up to the $1,110 buy-in, $1,000,000 guarantee Main Event, which is once again expected to draw a massive field.

The Main Event, which requires players be 21 years of age to participate, will feature three starting flights beginning with Day 1a at Noon on Thursday, May 16th.

The next two starting flights, Days 1b and 1c will then be held at the same time on Friday, May 17th, and Saturday, May 18th respectively. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday, May 19th at 10:00 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned.

Last May, a venue record of 2,473 entrants packed the poker room and, in the end, it was MSPT Hall of Famer Kou Vang who took home a career-best $314,145 for the win.

That event was followed up by the MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship in October which set a new bar with 2,883 entrants tallied and saw Travis Young walk away with a $297,977 first-place prize.

Some others who've notched wins at FireKeepers are Matthew Davis (October 2022 for $344,446), Dan Bekavac (May 2022 for $198,175), Bobby Noel (October 2019 for $262,145), and Chris Moon (May 2019 for $258,407).

For more information, visit firekeeperscasino.com.

For a full look at the MSPT FireKeepers schedule, click here.