Created (8/17/2025 11:35:20 PM by Anthony Thompson)
For the second time this season, the MSPT traveled to the Ameristar Casino in East Chicago, to host the Season 16 Indiana Poker State Championship, and the turnout did not disappoint.
A total of 534 entries were tallied after three starting flights, and generated an $516,480 prize pool.
On Sunday, 59 players returned for Day 2 action, and after roughly 12 hours of action, it was John ‘Farmboy’ Kurfman who outlasted the challenging field to secure a career payday of $90,324, while claiming the MSPT 2025 Indiana Poker State Championship!
“It feels great”, Kurfman said after his victory, “I’ve gotten two of these gold cards in the last two weeks while the POY leader doesn’t have any, so that makes it even better”, Kurfman jokingly said before walking away with his trophy.
MSPT Season 16 Indiana Poker State Championship Final Table Results
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
POY |
| 1 |
John ‘Farmboy’ Kurfman |
$90,324* |
1,400 |
| 2 |
Jason Mendoza |
$84,000* |
1,400 |
| 3 |
Pawel Kotara |
$48,087 |
1,300 |
| 4 |
Paul Choi |
$36,368 |
1,200 |
| 5 |
Ben Stuart |
$27,276 |
1,100 |
| 6 |
Mike Holm |
$20,710 |
1,000 |
| 7 |
Ariel Pressman |
$16,164 |
900 |
| 8 |
Varkey James |
$12,628 |
800 |
| 9 |
Lee Rzentkowski |
$9,597 |
700 |
Day 2 Action
The final day came back with 59 players already in the money, and action kicked right into gear with George Pappas being the first elimination of the day while 2023 Ameristar champ Marc Bernal and Jill Bryant followed him to the payout desk as part of the first batch of eliminations.
2023 Ameristar East Chicago Champ Mark Bernal
Players then continued dropping like wildfire while other making moves to gain chips as MSPT Hall of Famer Josh Reichard (45th Place - $2,475), Dennis Stevermer (39th Place – $2,475), MSPT champ’s Richard Bai (28th Place - $2,728), & Jeff Copeland (28th Place - $2,728), all fell in quick succession, along with the MSPT’s top casher DJ Buckley (20th Place - $4,597).
MSPT Top Casher DJ Buckley
Only five former champs then remaind in the field on the hunt for their second title, but Kyna England took a 19th place for $4,597, while Matt Porter (14th Place - $6,061) and Corey Wick (12th Place - $7,577) both fell before the final table as well, leaving just two remaining in the quest.
2025 Michigan Poker State Champion Corey Wick
Final Table Action
Once the players took their seats, action picked right up with the two remaining former champs getting into a raising war which saw Lee Rzentkowski jam his made hand of tens, only to run into Jason Mendoza’s pocket aces to become the first final table elimination.
A few hands later, Mendoza found himself sending another to the rail after winning a race against Varkey James to send him home in eighth place, while Ariel Pressman lost a race of his own to take a seventh place finish.
Ariel Pressman
Michael Holm sat down at the final table second in chips, but ended up next on the chopping block after calling the wrong sipe of a flip against Pawel Kotara, ending his run in sixth place for $20,710.
After Holm’s departure, Kotara would continue his elimination spree after he won a battle of the blinds against Ben Stuart, ending his run in fifth place for $27,276.
While Paul Choi started the final table with the chip lead, he ran into ‘Farmboys’ pocket aces in back-to-back levels to take a fourth-place departure for $36,368.
Paul Choi
With Kurfman starting to gain some momentum, Mendoza was able to stop him in his tracks after he won a flip against Kotara to send him home third place for $48,087, taking a 2:1 chip advantage in the heads-up duel.
Even with Mendoza holding a 2:1 chip lead, it didn’t take long for the final two to agree upon an ICM deal, which saw the play tighten up a little bit until ‘Farmboy’ secured two doubles to take the chip lead.
It wouldn’t take long from that point for Kurman to finish off Mendoza in second-place finish for $84,000, denying him his second title, while Kurfman secured the MSPT Season 16 Indiana Poker State Championship for his first career title and career score of $90,324.
This wraps up our coverage of another eventful tournament, so make sure you join us when we make our way back to the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, MO, for the for their $1,110 Main Event August 19th - 24th and as always, the MSPT live reporting team will be on hand providing updates for that event so make sure to come back!