Running Aces Casino

Shane Stegora Clips the Milly Mark to Take the Overall Chip Lead into Day 2

Day 1c of the MSPT Season 16 Winter Poker Classic $1,110 Main Event at Running Aces Casino attracted the largest field of the bunch with 314 entries being tallied, which, along with 1a's 219 and 1b’s 305, brought the field total up to 838 entries.

The massive field generated a $811,360 prize pool, and each player will get paid a minimum of $2,088, while the eventual winner will walk away with a $156,587 first-place prize, along with the 2025 Winter Poker Classic Main Event title!

At the end of the final flight, just 35 players bagged and tagged with Shane Stegora blasting past the milly mark to take the overall chip lead into Day 2 with 1,163,000.

Finishing behind Stegora was MSPt Hall of Famer Gerald Cunniff, who also went on a late-night heater to take 714,000 into Day 2 while Dave Grandin (548,000), fellow Hall of Famer & bracelet winner Rob WazWaz (503,000), and Jeff Kenny (491,000) rounded out the top five stacks of the final flight.

Tanner Pray was able to secure the final elimination of the night to bag 473,000, while two-time MSPT champ Mark Sandness (338,000), Brett ‘Pops’ Reichard (285,000), MSPT champ Jason Sell (281,000), two-time champ Peixin Liu (210,000), and MSPT Hall of Famer’s Aaron Johnson (143,000) and Blake Bohn (140,000) all found a Day 2 berth.

Others not as fortunate to find a bag and fell on Day 1c included 2011 MSPT Player of the Year Nate Fair, Theresa Brown, Sherry Hammers, MSPT Hall of Famer Rich Alsup, DJ Buckley, and Season 16 POY points leader Jake Long, just to name a few.

Day 2 will get underway at 11:00 a.m. local time and play to a winner with 94 players (25 from Day 1a, 34 from 1b, and 35 from 1c) returning to the felt.

Congratulations to everyone who advanced to Day 2, and we’ll see you at 11:00 a.m. for final day coverage of the MSPT 2025 Winter Poker Classic Main Event at Running Aces Casino!

MSPT Season 16 Winter Poker Classic Remaining Schedule

End Day 1C Chip Counts

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Shane Stegora	1,163,000	985,000
Gerald Cunniff	714,000	420,000
David Grandin	548,000	605,000
Rob WazWaz	503,000	230,000
Jeff Kenny	491,000	465,000
Tanner Pray	473,000	60,000
Gary Ewald	355,000	385,000
Mark Sandness	338,000	140,000
Justin Coliny	326,000	240,000
Daniel Tennefos	320,000	300,000
Chris Jones (MN)	311,000	200,000
Brett Reichard	285,000	465,000
Tony Henrickson	282,000	200,000
Jason Sell	281,000	265,000
Steve W	271,000	265,000
Thai Dinh	249,000	230,000
Brad Pausch	234,000	156,000
Peixin Liu	210,000	200,000
Matthew Przybilla	186,000	150,000
Kristin Dahl	176,000	170,000
Jay Philips	168,000	126,000
Cameron Leibfried	162,000	140,000
Matt Fox	157,000	205,000
Devin Lovitz	154,000	220,000
Aaron Johnson	143,000	73,000
Jay Chaudhary	140,000	30,000
Blake Bohn	140,000	135,000
Brian Berthiaume	139,000	155,000
Chogyal Tenzin	129,000	100,000
Jason Perona	118,000	90,000
Jeffrey Birt	104,000	64,500
Derek McMaster	95,000	120,000
Justin Carlson	73,000	30,000
Cody Krause	53,000	30,000
Marius Toderici	42,000	60,000

Tanner Pray Rivers Ace to Eliminate Ki Kyun on the Bubble

Photo: Tanner Pray

Tanner Pray raised from middle position and then called Ki Kyun’s 75,000 three-bet jam from the cutoff.

Ki Kyun:
Tanner Ptay:

Kyun was ahead holding a strong pair of kings, and the flop didn’t change a thing.

The turn kept Kyun in the lead, and just as he was looking good to collect a double, until the dealer peeled off the on the river, ending his night on the bubble.

Tanner Pray - 473,000
Ki Kyun - Eliminated

Perona Fills Up on Kyun for Survival

Photo: Jason Perona

Ki Kyun raised from the cutoff and then called Jason Perona 41,000 three-bet jam from the big blind.

Jason Perona:
Ki Kyun:

Perona was racing for his tournament life and took the lead after the fell, giving him two-pair.

The turn kept things sweaty as it brought possible chop outs with a Broadway draw, but the river improved Perona to a full house, keeping ins Main Event hopes alive.

Ki Kyun - 90,000
Jason Perona - 90,000

Day 2 Line Up

So far, 54 players have punched their ticket into Day 2, and the final group of 35 hopefuls will look to add their names to that list tonight.

All who make it through until the end of play will return tomorrow, Sunday, December 7^th, 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.

Stock Risers & Fallers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Shane Stegora	985,000	640,000
David Grandin	605,000	405,000
Jeff Kenny	465,000	370,000
Gerald Cunniff	420,000	250,000
Justin Coliny	240,000	205,000
Devin Lovitz	220,000	100,000
Matt Fox	205,000	171,000
Peixin Liu	200,000	175,000
Mark Sandness	140,000	245,000
Andy Hammell	140,000	60,000
Ki Kyun	120,000	100,000
Justin Carlson	30,000	30,000
Jason Perona	30,000	30,000
Jacob Woggon	30,000	30,000
Charlie Reichard	0	265,000

Harold Perez Walks Away with an Epic Victory

For the last time this season, the MSPT has made its way back home to Columbus, Minnesota, for the annual Winter Poker Classic, and players have been inside the Running Aces Casino duking it out over this past week for the Season 16 Finale!

In Event #3: $300 Epic Stack NLH, 207 epic players took to the trenches and generated a $50,715 prize pool that was paid out to the top 21 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Tony Lazar (10^th Place - $964), Cody Mondeau (14^th Place - $761), Shawn Quinn (17^th Place - $659), and Nick Kromschroeder (20^th Place - $345).

In the end, it was Minnesota native Harold Perez who came away with the epic win, taking down the $13,184 top prize and his first Gold Card!

Final Table Results

'Pops' Kicks One to the Curb

Photo: Brett ‘Pops’ Reichard

There was all in action on a board between Brett ‘Pops’ Reichard and the cutoff, with Reichard putting his opponent at risk.

Opponnet:
Brett ‘Pops’ Reichard:

Reichard pulled ahead after turning a lucky lady, and the river eliminated his opponent from the tournament.

Brett ‘Pops’ Reichard - 465,000

Chip Collectors & Givers

Player Name	Chip Count	Previous	Progress
Shane Stegora	640,000	340,000
Brett Reichard	465,000	320,000
David Grandin	405,000	73,000
Gary Ewald	385,000	190,000
Jason Sell	265,000	98,000
Thai Dinh	230,000	117,500
Peixin Liu	175,000	150,000
Brad Pausch	156,000	177,000
Brian Berthiaume	155,000	150,000
Jay Philips	126,000	73,200
Tanner Pray	60,000	100,000
Jay Chaudhary	30,000	73,000
Richard Alsup	0	51,000
DJ Buckley	0	20,000
Sherry Hammers	0	74,000
Tom Hammers	0	10,000
Bruce Fagan	0	73,000
Kamden Keleher	0	130,000
Darshan Pathak	0	120,000
Mark Fink	0	151,000
Dennis Stevermer	0	60,000
Justin Thurlow	0	30,000
Erick Wright	0	57,400

A Record That Will Never Be Broken

In December 2009, the Minnesota State Poker Tour (MSPT) launched at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota.

A year and a half later, the MSPT crossed the state border into Iowa, and before long, the tour underwent expansion, rebranding as the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT).

Now in our sixteenth season, the MSPT has grown to over 30 events a year in states across the country and has become The Major Series of Poker Tour.

Throughout the years and all the changes, the one consistency that has stayed the same is the loyalty from our players, one of whom has set a record that none will ever break.

Since our launch in Season 1, only one player has been able to cash a Main Event in every single season, and that player is none other than Minnesota's own Dan Hendrickson a.k.a. 'DQ Dan'.

While his nickname 'DQ' is derived from the fast-food chain Dairy Queen, he has also been a notable figure in the poker community from the beginning.

After securing his first-ever Main Event cash at Jackpot Junction back in 2010, Hendrickson has been able to rack up 29 more of them, with at least one coming in each season.

Hendrickson's 30 Main Event cashes on the tour earned his seat in the MSPT's coveted Hall of Fame back in 2023, and he has accumulated over $287,000 in that span, with his largest score of $106,182 coming after his title win back in 2015.

The consistent play from Hendrickson over the past 15 years has put him in the record books as he holds one that can never be broken.