march 2018 - mid-states poker tour...march 2018 mid-states poker tour page 3on friday, february 2,...

NATION'S #1 POKER TOURMARCH 2018

MARCH 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 3

On Friday, February 2, the poker world

lost a friend, player, and truly unique

character. Jim Boone, 54, of Lakeville passed

away unexpectedly stemming from heart

attack complications.

Boone was a familiar face on the MSPT

where he amassed $73,440 in 11 cashes

between 2014-17. That included two final

table appearances, the first being sixth in the

MSPT Season 6 Meskwaki Casino for $18,820

and the other third in the MSPT Season 7

Running Aces for $32,321.

Boone also had success outside the MSPT.

In 2014, he placed fifth in the Fall Poker

Classic Championship Event for $22,007, and

in March of last year he took down the 2017

Minnesota State Poker Championship Series

Event #1: $300 NLHE 6-Max for $9,887. More

recently, Boone topped a field of 273 entries

to win October’s 2017 Fall Poker Classic $235 Seniors (50+) event for $13,053. All

told, Boone had $185,263 in lifetime earnings.

“You meet a lot of characters in the poker world, but none better than Jim,”

said friend Jason Sell, winner of the MSPT Season 5 Ho-Chunk. “We all loved his

endless stories, his cheesy one liners, and his crazy antics at the table. But what

we loved the most was his positive attitude and the way he made everyone feel like

they were his best friend.”

Sell continued: “I think it was obvious that he enjoyed the camaraderie more

than the poker, or craps for that matter. His generosity was overwhelming, always

wanting to help people. It’s a unique quality that is hard to find in people. Jim lived

life to the fullest and loved every minute of it. Jim, my friend, your presence will be

missed, on and off the felt.”

Boone is survived by his wife of 30 years, Nancy, and five children Jennifer

(Roger) Cox, Joseph (Amariliz) Boone, Steffanie Boone, Betsy Boone, Samantha

(Mark) Minter; 13 grandchildren; father, Jerry Briski; siblings, Brenda Jonak, Brian

Boone, Cheryl Burgess, Monica Lucking and Jen Dubose; many nieces; nephews;

and friends.

The MSPT, on behalf of our family and players, offers its condolences to Jim’s

family.

President and Publisher Bryan Mileski [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Chad Holloway [email protected]

Art Director Carolyn Borgen [email protected]

Advertising Information [email protected]

Story Ideas [email protected]

Our MissionMSPT Magazine is a monthly magazine dedicated to serving poker players and gaming facilities through MSPT news, results, tour-nament schedules, player profiles and professional tips. Coupled with our website, msptpoker.com, we are the Nation's #1 Poker Tour.

Mid-States Poker Tour Lakeville, MN 612-743-9847

Mid-States Poker Tour is published on or near the first of each month. All claims or guarantees are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. All comments and views of contributing writers are their own and do not reflect official policy of Mid-States Pok-er Tour which assumes no liability for any advertisement not supplied camera ready by the advertiser. Reproduction or use in whole or in part without written consent from the publisher and Copyright owners is prohibited.

Vol. 4/No. 2

Letter from the Editor

REMEMBERING MINNESOTA POKER LEGEND JIM BOONEBY MSPT POKER STAFF

Jim Boone

Mid-States Poker Tour MARCH 2018

MSPTPOKER.COM

Event Recap

ABDUL “DULIE” AMER WINS 2018 MSPT CLEVELAND POKER OPEN FOR $118,350 IN INAUGURAL STOP AT JACK CLEVELAND CASINOBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

The $1,100 buy-in MSPT Cleveland Poker Open, the

tour’s first-ever stop in Ohio, drew 581 entries to JACK

Cleveland Casino. That made it both the largest poker

tournament field and prize pool in Cleveland history!

After three starting flights and Sunday’s Day 2, it was

34-year-old Abdul “Dulie” Amer who emerged victorious to

capture a $118,350 first-place prize. It was the first MSPT cash

for Amer, who hails from Columbus, Ohio. Prior to the win, he

had $95,595 in tournament earnings including a previous best

of $25,230 for finishing third in a 2014 Borgata Winter Poker

Open $560 NLHE event.

“I haven’t scooped a tournament in forever, just always get

deep but hard to break through, especially in these bigger

ones with good players,” Amer said after the win. “It was a

well-run tournament. It was a good time. Everything at JACK

Cleveland was great. Everyone was nice and professional.”

Amer, who is good friends with poker pros Nick Guagenti

and Adam Friedman, can often be found playing pot-limit

Omaha cash games when he’s not spending time with his wife

and two kids, one three years old and the other just eight

months.

“I’ll take care of about $50K to bookies, I’m a big sports

gambler,” Amer joked when asked about what he’ll do with

the six-figure score. “No plans, probably put it in the bank

and keep it rolling.”

The day began with a dozen players needing to fall before

the money was made. Among those to leave empty handed

were Bobby Noel, Edward Mogilnicki, Andy Spears, and bub-

ble boy Tarik Adam.

Some notable players to cash the tournament were 2017

MSPT Indiana State Poker Champ Satish Thakur (62nd -

$2,142), Day 1B chip leader David Michael (47th - $2,254), leg-

endary Cleveland radio show host Michael “Triv” Trivisonno

(38th - $2,423), Mike Ross (28th - $2,705), Day 1C chip leader

Aaron Obstein (17th - $5,636), Day 1A chip leader Frank Lago-

dich (14th - $6,763), and final table bubble boy Kenneth Cop-

pens (11th - $8,454).

On just the third hand of the final table, Luke Edwards

raised to 65,000 from the cutoff and Randall Brooks respond-

ed by three-betting all in for 620,000 from the small blind.

Mike Shanahan flatted from the big, Edwards got out of the

way, and Brooks discovered the bad news.

Shanahan: A♠A♥

Brooks: A♣K♦

Brooks was looking for a miracle, but he didn’t get one as

the board ran out a dry 7♥7♦9♦Q♥3♠.

Not long after Luke Edwards four-bet shoved with the

A♦K♦ and received a call from Amer, who held the 7♦7♥. It

was a flip, and Edwards failed to improve as the board ran

out a lowly 4♣10♦8♣6♠8♦. Edwards took home $10,708 for his

ninth-place finish.

Minnesota’s Brian Berthiaume, who was at back-to-back

Main Event final tables after finishing fifth in December’s

MSPT Season 8 finale at Canterbury Park, was the next to go

after racing with A♠Q♦ against the 6♣6♠ of Shanahan. The

board ran out K♦5♠5♥K♠2♣ and Berthiaume had to settle for

eighth place and $13,526 in prize money.

From there, the short-stacked John Michalak shoved his

last eight big blinds from the button with the Q♦9♦ only to run

it into the Q♣Q♠ of Dan Wagner in the big blind. Michalak

picked up a straight draw on the 5♠J♣K♥ flop, but he missed

it when the K♣ blanked on the turn followed by the 6♠ on the

river. Michalak earned $17,471 for finishing seventh.

Mike Pempin exited in sixth place for $2,543—the result of

Abdul “Dulie” Amer


MSPTPOKER.COM

JACK Cleveland Casinogetting his short stack all in against two players and having

them checking it down—and then Ronnie Lamb bowed out

in fifth place after jamming his short stack with the K♦5♦ from the small blind and getting a call from Shanahan, who

held the 8♥7♥ in the big. The board ran out 3♦7♣J♠5♠10♥ and

that was all she wrote for Lamb.

Four-handed play was an action-packed affair, and during

it MSPT Season 8 FireKeepers champ Mike Shanahan went

from the big to the short stack. That is when he jammed for 1.1

million under the gun with the A♣Q♠ and Wagner called from

the button with the 8♥8♣. Shanahan was unable to improve

on the 10♠5♥6♠4♥8♦ runout, and the last former champ in the

field hit the rail in fourth place for $39,450.

Interestingly, the score brought Shanahan’s MSPT earnings

up to $278,607, which put him into 10th place on the tour’s all-

time money list.

Falling in third place after losing a flip with the Q♦J♦ against the 10♦10♠ of Wagner was World Series of Poker

bracelet winner Adam Friedman. While he came up short of

his first MSPT title, he did join the MSPT six-figure club by

earning a tour-high $52,976 (his previous best was $45,000 for

finishing third in a Season 5 FireKeepers Casino stop, which

brought his tour earnings up to $133,649.

Wagner began heads-up play with 8 million in chips to Am-

er’s 3.6 million, but it turned into a lengthy back-and-forth

battle. The chip lead exchanged hands several times before

it got to Level 33 (100,000/200,000/30,000), which is when Amer

raised to 400,000 holding the A♣8♣ and called when Wag-

ner shoved for 4.6 million with the A♠5♠. The board ran out

4♦K♥3♣10♠8♦ and Wagner had to settle for second place and

a $72,701 consolation prize.

“Blinds were big, I know he’s going to shove with any ace,”

Amer said when asked about why he decided to take a shot in

the last hand. “He shoved earlier with queen-jack, so I know

he’s a capable player.”

Final Table

Place Name City, State Prize1 Abdul Amer Columbus, OH $118,350

2 Daniel Wagner Buffalo, NY $72,701

3 Adam Friedman Gahanna, OH $52,976

4 Mike Shanahan Avon, IN $39,450

5 Ronnie Lamb Denver, CO $29,869

6 Michael Pempin Strongsville, OH $22,543

7 John Michalak Cleveland, OH $17,471

8 Brian Berthiaume Cottage Grove, MN $13,526

9 Luke Edwards Columbus, OH $10,708

10 Randall Brooks Detroit, MI $8,454

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From March 17-25, the MSPT will be in Tama, Iowa for

the first of three Season 9 events at Meskwaki Casino.

The $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD Main Event will take place

the weekend of March 23-25, and while we hope you’re busy

playing poker, we thought we’d offer you a list of five things

to do off the felt.

Rock and Roll with Exit 185 On Friday and Saturday,

March 23 & 24, Exit 185 will be

playing on stage at The Lounge

inside Meskwaki Casino. Based

out of nearby Marshalltown,

Iowa, the band is a fun, high en-

ergy cover band playing a wide

variety of current and classic

pop and rock hits with a splash

of country mixed in. Band members include Matt Downey,

Mike Smith, Jeremy Lindsenemeyer, Samantha Vance, Matt

Hagedon and Mitch Downey.

Play in a TreehouseTen miles away in Marshalltown is the Big Treehouse. What

began as a hobby for Mick Jurgensen and his family in 1983

has evolved into a 12-level, 55-feet plus high Treehouse with

over 5,000 square feet of floor space, complete with music,

electricity, telephone, microwave oven, refrigerator, running

water, grill, 13 porch swings, Shady Oaks Museum, a spiral

stairway, and much more.

Visits are by appointment only, so either call (641) 752-2946

or email [email protected] to set one up.

Do a Tasting at John Ernest Vineyard & WineryIt may be the offseason, but that shouldn’t stop you from

trying some delicious wine. Located in Tama, the Kopsa fam-

ily vineyard and winery is nestled in the picturesque rolling

hills of central Iowa above the beautiful Iowa River Valley

and located along the historic Lincoln Highway. JEV produc-

es wonderful grape and fruit wines. Wine tasting, access to

the gift shop and touring are offered year-round. Call (641)

484-8048 for more information.

Grill Your Own Steak at Rube’sJust down the road from Meskwaki Casino in Montour, Iowa

is Rube’s Steakhouse & Lounge.

It all started in 1973 when Glen Rubenbauer "Rube" opened

a tavern in tiny Montour, Iowa. His philosophy was to allow

guests the experience of grilling generously-portioned, hand-

cut premium steaks over an indoor, open-hearth grill. It’s the

original grill your own steakhouse.

This is a favorite dining experience among the poker

crowd. The restaurant is open 5-10 p.m. on Friday and Satur-

day, and from 5-8:30 p.m. on Sunday. The rest of the week their

hours are 5-9:30 p.m.

Have a Slice of AmericanaTama, Iowa is a small town, but it has some hidden gems

including Bumblebees, a bar and pizzeria located at 112 N

Broadway Street. It’s clean, comfortable, and community

minded. In addition to pizza, you can choose from sandwich-

es, fries, and margaritas. Call (641) 484-5007 for more informa-

tion.

OFF THE FELT: FIVE THINGS TO DO AT IOWA’S MESKWAKI CASINOBY MSPT POKER STAFF

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The MSPT is headed back to Potawatomi Hotel & Casino

in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first time in Season

9. From March 31 through April 8, the venue will play

host to a series of satellites that will culminate in an $1,100

buy-in Main Event that will feature a $300K GTD.

“Milwaukee is always one of the biggest and most competi-

tive stops on the MSPT schedule,” said MSPT President Bry-

an Mileski. “Players come from across the Midwest, including

Minnesota and the Chicagoland area, not only for the great

poker action, but because the city has tons to offer. From the

nightlife to the Harley Davidson Museum just down the street

from the casino, there’s so much to do.”

The Main Event will take place the weekend of April 6-8.

There will be two starting flights beginning with Day 1A on

Friday, April 6 at 4:00 p.m. Day 1B will take place at the same

time on Saturday, April 7. Players are allowed a single re-

entry per flight. The surviving players from both flights will

return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 8 to play down to a winner.

The Main Event final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-min-

ute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using RFID technol-

ogy allowing all viewers to see the hole cards. In addition, the

entirety of the Main Event will be live reported in the MSPT's

live blog.

The MSPT visited Potawatomi back in November for the

2017 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship, which

drew 701 entries to become the largest major poker tourna-

ment ($1,000+ buy-in) in Wisconsin history. Rich Bai, who had

previously made three MSPT Potawatomi final tables, finally

broke through with a win for a career-high $139,086.

With 1,658 entries, last July’s MSPT $350 Regional Event

proved to be the biggest tournament ever held in Wiscon-

sin. Local attorney Matthew Vignali won that tournament for

$70,240 after a heads-up deal with Alexander Hill.

This will mark the first time the MSPT has visited Potawa-

tomi under new poker room manager Ken Lambert, former

Regional Director of Operations at Beau Rivage Resort & Ca-

sino and for the Heartland Poker Tour. Lambert, an industry

veteran, took over from interim manager John Doyen, who

spearheaded the room for a year after the departure of for-

mer manager Jeff Gemini.

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino features six award-winning res-

taurants, the intimate 500-seat Northern Lights Theater and

more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 381-room, 19-story

hotel opened in August 2014.

For those in town, Potawatomi is offering a slew of free en-

tertainment while the MSPT is on site. If you’re not busy play-

ing poker, you can catch Kirk Tatnall perform at Bar 360 on

Thursday, April 5 at 8 p.m. Likewise, on Friday, April 6, The

WhiskeyBelles will put on a show at the Fire Pit’s Side Bar at

8:30 p.m., while Xeno & Joe will offer their rockin’ orchestral

sounds and blistering solos at Bar 360 at 9 p.m.

Potawatomi has come a long way since its opening in

1991 when the Forest County Potawatomi first launched as

a 45,800-square foot bingo hall, making it the first tribal off-

reservation gaming operation in the country.

Aside from gaming, Potawatomi offers seven great dining

options to choose from including beautiful Italian cooking at

Bella Italiana, down-home cooking at Canal Street Café, and

authentic Asian cuisine and sushi bar at Ruyi.

For more details on this event including event sched-

ule, lodging options or discounted Delta airfare, visit

msptpoker.com

Event Preview

MSPT HEADS TO POTAWATOMI CASINO MARCH 31 – APRIL 8 WITH $300K GTD MAIN EVENTBY MSPT POKER STAFF


MSPTPOKER.COM

Event Recap

KFIR NAHUM WINS MSPT POKER BOWL II AT THE VENETIANBRANDON TEMPLE

The $1,100 buy-in MSPT Poker Bowl II, which coincides

yearly with NFL Super Bowl weekend, drew 827

entries (268 on Day 1A and 559 on Day 1B) to The

Venetian, crushing the $500,000 guarantee with an $806,325

prize pool and surpassing last year’s field of 695.

After two starting flights and Saturday’s Day 2 (instead of

Sunday, to allow players to be free to watch Super Bowl LII),

it was 43-year-old Kfir Nahum, who recently relocated to Las

Vegas, earning the victory after a four-way chop (chops are

allowed per The Venetian policy during events with no final

table broadcast), netting him $108,410 and the current lead in

the Season 9 Kimo Sabe Mezcal POY Standings.

“I feel great, my wife and parents are here,” said Nahum,

a businessman who owns a travel agency. He’s also a father

of two boys and a girl, the latter having just graduated high

school.

As for who he wanted to win the NFL Super Bowl between

the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots, Nahum

was quick to answer: “I will go with the Eagles. It’s a business

decision. If they win, my brother will make a lot of money in

Philly.”

The win brought Nahum’s career earnings up to $587,960. It

was the latest notch on his poker belt which includes finish-

ing 61st in the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event for a

career-high $121,188, and a pair of wins in Bay 101 $1K event

for $100,000 and $79,330 respectively. He also won the 2014

Israel Poker Tour Summer Edition Main Event for $73,689.

On Day 2 of Poker Bowl II, 115 players returned to action,

which meant 25 players left without a payday. Some of those

unfortunate players that didn’t make the money include

Osama “Sammy” Aweida, “DQ” Dan Hendrickson, 2017 MN

Magazine POY Todd Melander, and poker pro Darren Rabi-

nowitz. Nikhil Gera was the bubble boy, getting his set of

kings cracked by Daniel Frumkin’s queens when the latter

rivered a flush.

Notable players that were able to score a cash in the tour-

nament include Ryan “protentialmn” Laplante (85th - $2,096),

Washington’s all-time tournament earnings leader Scott

Clements (83rd - $2,096), 2016 WSOP Colossus II Champ Ben

Keeline (75th - $2,177), MSPT Poker Bowl I fourth-place fin-

isher Jordan Cristos (70th - $2,258), Day 1B chip leader Val-

entin Vornicu

(59th - $2,419),

Jon “Pearl-

J a m m e d ”

Turner (55th

- $2,419), 2010

WSOP Main

Event third-

place fin-

isher Joseph

Cheong (47th

- $2,580), Day

1A chip leader

Dylan Thom-

assie (45th -

$2,903), Kathy

Liebert (42nd

- $2,903), Eric

“Basebaldy”

B a l d w i n

(23rd - $5,725),

MSPT Season 3 Running Aces champ Rodger Johnson (12th

- $11,289), and a double elimination prior to the final table

that saw Connor Arlia (11th - $11,289) and Marc Bernal (10th -

$11,289) make it a nine-handed final table from the start.

Final Table ActionEarly on, Daniel Perkins was unfortunate enough to run his

K♠K♣ into Ana Freitas’ A♣A♦ and after a 4♥K♦A♥ flop left him drawing to one out, he found no help on a 7♦ turn or 2♦ river and was crippled and subsequently eliminated in ninth place for $14,514.

Season 8 MSPT Grand Falls Champion Ahmed Taleb was next to go, after he jammed his last 450,000 from the cutoff, and was called by Matthias De Cercq in the big blind.

Taleb: K♣9♦De Cercq: K♠K♥Taleb found no love on a 5♦Q♥2♦2♣8♥ board and the former

MSPT Champion had to settle for eighth place and $18,454 as a consolation prize.

Freitas’s demise came in two hands, first when her jacks ran into Nahum’s kings in a monster pot, then two hands

Kfir Nahum


MSPTPOKER.COM

The Venetianlater, when her sixes weren’t able to hold when Mike Lang

spiked an ace on the turn, to leave her with seventh place

and $23,383 for her efforts.

The next player to fall was Steve Buell, after Nahum

jammed from the small blind for Buell’s last ten blinds and

Buell snapped him off.

Nahum: 8♠7♥Buell: A♦8♥Buell’s lead was short lived after the 8♣Q♠7♠ flop brought

Nahum two pair, and the 10♦ on the turn and 7♦ on the river

filled Nahum up. That sent Buell to the payout desk in sixth

place with a $30,640 payday waiting for him.

Lang was the next to go losing a flip with eights against De

Cercq’s ace-king. That gave Lang, the last MSPT regular in

the field, a fifth-place finish and $40,316 in winnings, enough

to propel him into the top 40 all-time for MSPT tournament

earnings.

After Lang’s elimination, the four remaining players struck

a deal as follows:

Nahum = $108,410 and the title (via chip count)

De Cercq = $108,410

John Ploski = $84,743

Bob Shao = $76,926

“The blinds were so high. It was more luck than skill at that

point. It was going too long without anybody busting, the av-

erage got down to about 20 bigs, so we decided to do away

with the luck and chop. As for the money, I’ll be playing more

poker and taking care of my family,” said Nahum.

The MSPT will return to The Venetian in Las Vegas this

June. Be sure to check msptpoker.com for details.

Final Table

Place Name City, State Prize1 Kfir Nahum Henderson, NV $108,410

2 Matthias De Cercq Belgium $108,410

3 John Ploski Chicago, IL $84,743

4 Bob Shao Berkely, CA $76,926

5 Michael Lang Waukee, IA $40,316

6 Steve Buell Green Bay, WI $30,640

7 Ana Freitas Brazil $23,383

8 Ahmed Taleb Moorhead, MN $18,545

9 Daniel Perkins Las Vegas, NV $14,514

10 Marc Bernal Oak Forest, IL $11,289

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PUT ON YOUR BEST POKER FACE For the first time in Season 9, the MSPT is headed to

Black Hawk, Colorado for both a $360 buy-in, $150,000

guaranteed Regional Event and $1,100 buy-in,

$300,000 guaranteed Main Event. Both guarantees have been

increased from prior years in Colorado!

From April 4-15, Golden Gates Casino, which is about an

hour west of Denver, will play host to a series of satellites,

side events, as well as two headliner events. The first, the

MSPT Golden Gates $360 Regional, will feature four starting

flights at Noon each day from Wednesday, April 4 through

Saturday, April 7. The surviving players from each flight will

then combine for Day 2 on Sunday, April 8 to play down to a

winner

The last time the MSPT visited the property for a Regional

Event was back in November when Gerald Morrell navigat-

ed a field of 848 entries to take it down. In March 2017, 871

entrants packed the poker room and saw Corey Zedo claim

the title and a $47,420 prize after a heads-up chop with Drew

Schulz. The upcoming stop will mark the seventh time the

MSPT will host a Regional Event at the stop.For the first time as part of the series, the MSPT and Gold-

en Gates will partner to offer a $300 buy-in NLHE Seniors event (50+) on Monday, April 9. We’ve also added a $200 PLO event on Wednesday, April 11. Both events will kick off at noon. Multiple $200 NLHE events will also be offered (Sun-day, April 8 and Wednesday, April 11). Those events begin at

noon as well.The second weekend as always is the highly-anticipated

$1,100 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed MSPT Main Event. That event will feature three starting flights beginning with Day 1A at Noon local time on Thursday, April 12. Days 1B and 1C will then be held at the same time on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14 respectively. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday, April 15 at 11:00 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned.

The last time the MSPT visited Golden Gates was back in November when Jason Beasley topped a field of 413 entries to win the Denver Poker Open for $88,134. The time before that, Fred Garcia prevailed over a field of 472 entries to win a $109,881 first-place prize. In November 2016, Carl Carodenuto topped a field of 490 entrants to win his record-breaking third

title and a $114,072 first-place prize.

Before that, in April 2016, 439 entrants turned out for the

Main Event to more than double the guarantee. Josh Crain

emerged victorious in that tournament to capture a $102,199

first-place prize. In November 2015 Phanora Prom topped a

field of 510 entries to win $123,180.

Others past winners of the MSPT Golden Gates include

Kane Lai, who topped a field of 409 entries to win the March

2015 Main Event for $101,365; Reza Yazdi, who outlasted 499

other entrants to win the November 2014 Main Event for

$120,765; and Dan Colpoys, who won $114,156 after emerging

victorious over a 453-entry field in March 2014.

The MSPT has worked a special hotel rate of $69.99/night

Sunday through Thursday and $109.99 Friday and Saturday

from April 3-15 at the Grand Z Casino Hotel. Call (800) 924-

6646 and use code “MSPT18” to book your room today.

For more details on this event including event sched-

ule, lodging options or discounted Delta airfare, visit

msptpoker.com.

Event Preview

MSPT HEADS TO GOLDEN GATES CASINO IN BLACK HAWK, COLORADO FOR $360 REGIONAL AND $1,100 MAIN EVENT—SENIOR NLHE AND PLO EVENTS ALSO ADDED TO THE DOCKET!BY MSPT POKER STAFF


MSPTPOKER.COM

The first tournament of the MSPT Season 9 was a $350

Regional Event at Tropicana Evansville, Indiana,

which attracted 658 entries. The tournament marked

the tour’s 22nd Regional Event ever held, and the third at

Tropicana Evansville (though the first since it moved from a

riverboat to a land-based venue).

The latest edition was the largest to date, easily surpassing

the 416 and 511 entries from Seasons 7 and 8 respectively.

MSPT Season 4 Ho-Chunk champ Dan Bekavac sat atop the

Day 1A chip counts with 439,000, which gave him the overall

lead headed into Day 2 with 95 players returning. Meanwhile,

Timothy Puckett (363,500) finished as the chip leader on Day

1B, while Charles Cole (264,000) did it on 1C.

Among the top 72 players to earn a piece of the prize pool

were Bekavac (57th - $667), three-time World Series of Poker

Circuit ring winner Robert Castoire (53rd - $704), Cole (49th

- $704), Henry Tran (48th - $704), MSPT Season 5 Tropicana

Evansville champ Charles Dawson (39th - $743), MSPT Sea-

son 7 Tropicana Evansville Regional champ Adam Thom-

as (29th - $838), Puckett (15th - $2,286), TM Williams (10th -

$2,857), and Matthew Steiner (9th - $3,429).

With eight left, the remaining players opted to work a

chop based upon their stack sizes (Independent Chip Model

or ICM). At the time, Craig Smith of Lexington, Kentucky, who

was playing in his first-ever MSPT event, held the chip lead

with 3.14 million. That translated to a $24,750 payday, well

ahead of the $17,488 William Willman, who had 2 million in

chips, received for second place.

The 51-year-old Smith is married to wife, Jill, with whom

he has two daughters, Hailee (16) and Evelyn (12). While he

enjoys the competition aspect of poker and plays often, he

also owns a paint and dent repair company.

“One hand that was pivotal in the MSPT Trop Regional was

when I had pocket kings,” said Smith. “I raised under the gun

and the player in the big blind, it was clear to me he was good,

I think he thought he could outplay me. I feel great about my

postflop play. Long story short, we eventually got it in, he held

middle pair and a flush draw to my turned set. Fortunately,

the river paired the board and I made a full house.”

Given the tournament ended with an eight-way chop, Smith

chose pocket kings to hold in his winner photo.

Event Recap

CRAIG SMITH WINS MSPT TROPICANA EVANSVILLE $350 REGIONALBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

Craig Smith

Place Name City, State Prize ICM1 Craig Smith Lexington, KY $39,048 $24,750

2 William Willman Mount Vernon, IN $23,810 $17,488

3 Sidney Dill Evansville, IN $17,714 $16,042

4 Steven Frischkorn Indianapolis, IN $13,143 $15,817

5 David Dang Evansville, IN $9,905 $14,275

6 James Will Evansville, IN $7,429 $12,990

7 Barry Wolff Clarksville, TN $5,714 $10,516

8 Christopher Allgood Evansville, IN $4,571 $9,455

9 Matthew Steiner Avon, IN $3,429

10 TM Williams Indianapolis, IN $2,857

Buy-in: $350 ♣ 658 EntrantsTropicana Evansville

“I wasn’t inclined to chop, but everyone else wanted to,”

Smith said of the chop. “I usually don’t mind chopping three

ways, so when I realized I would already be getting three-way

money at that point, it made sense, especially when I learned

I’d get the title as well.”

Must be 21 or older. Schedule subject to change. Management reserves all rights.

FireKeepersCasino.com

I-94 to Exit 104 | 11177 Michigan Avenue

DO BACK TO BACK $1 MILLION PRIZE

POOLS CHANGE YOUR TOURNAMENT PLANS?

FireKeepers’ MSPT events are exploding!October saw over 1,067 players and the

prize pool cracked $1 million! 2nd consecutive MSPT pool over $1 million. You read right.

One. Million. Dollars. Enter the Super Satellites, Main Event Qualifiers or fly in for the Main Event.

It’s time to Get Your Game Face On at FireKeepers.

MSPT RETURNSSPRING 2018!

MAIN EVENT MAY 12 – 20$300,000 GUARANTEED

MAIN EVENT PRIZE POOLSUPER SATELLITES AND

MAIN EVENT QUALIFIERSNOW – MAY 16

Visit FireKeepersCasino.com or call the Poker Room directly at 269.660.5631 for more details.

FK-30699_March_MSPTad_8.375x10.75.indd 1 2/15/18 12:27 PM


Strategy presented by Jonathan Little

MSPTPOKER.COM Must be 21 or older. Schedule subject to change.

Management reserves all rights.

FireKeepersCasino.com

I-94 to Exit 104 | 11177 Michigan Avenue

DO BACK TO BACK $1 MILLION PRIZE

POOLS CHANGE YOUR TOURNAMENT PLANS?

FireKeepers’ MSPT events are exploding!October saw over 1,067 players and the

prize pool cracked $1 million! 2nd consecutive MSPT pool over $1 million. You read right.

One. Million. Dollars. Enter the Super Satellites, Main Event Qualifiers or fly in for the Main Event.

It’s time to Get Your Game Face On at FireKeepers.

MSPT RETURNSSPRING 2018!

MAIN EVENT MAY 12 – 20$300,000 GUARANTEED

MAIN EVENT PRIZE POOLSUPER SATELLITES AND

MAIN EVENT QUALIFIERSNOW – MAY 16

Visit FireKeepersCasino.com or call the Poker Room directly at 269.660.5631 for more details.

FK-30699_March_MSPTad_8.375x10.75.indd 1 2/15/18 12:27 PM

when you happen to

make an effective nut

hand, or very weak

such that they will fre-

quently check with the

intention of folding to

any bet when they miss

the board.

If your opponents

play well, applying ag-

gression by three-bet-

ting or folding with your

suited connectors—

especially the weaker

ones—is often a better

idea than calling. Espe-

cially as the effective

stack gets shorter, suit-

ed connectors should

usually be folded when

facing a raiser due to

their decreased im-

plied odds.

When you see a very

multi-way flop with

your suited connectors

and you flop a decently

strong hand, be care-

ful to not lose too much

when you happen to

run into a better made

hand.

PokerCoaching.com

is an interactive poker

learning experience

from two-time WPT

Champion Jonathan

Little. Try it for free

at PokerCoaching.com/

mspt.

During the MSPT’s first-ever visit to JACK Cleveland

Casino, an interesting hand developed shortly before

the close of registration on Day 1A. With the blinds at

400/800/100, the under-the-gun player raised to 1,800 and next

to act Vlad Baranov limped. Chris Nguyen then called from

the cutoff, Haad Majied did the same from the big blind, and

four players went to the 10♠J♦Q♠ flop.

Majied led out for 6,500, the original raiser folded, and Ba-

ranov thought for a bit before just calling. Nguyen did the

same and the trio watched the dealer burn and turn the 6♥.

Majied checked, Baranov moved all in for 41,000, and Nguy-

en hit the tank before opting to make the call. Majied folded.

Baranov: A♣K♠Nguyen: 8♣9♣Both players had flopped a straight, but Baranov had the

better end of it. Nguyen was drawing dead headed to the

river, which was the meaningless 8♥. Baranov chipped up to

100K after the hand while Nguyen was left with 34K.

We caught up with poker pro Jonathan Little to get his take

on the hand.

MSPT: How do you feel about Nguyen limping with a hand like eight-nine suited? Do you think there’s more risk or reward to be had from playing hands like that?

Little: I am fine calling a raise with 9♣8♣ as long as you do

not expect to get three-bet too often. Seeing the flop cheaply

with strong suited connectors is an excellent idea.

On the turn, Nguyen hit the tank debating what to do. Do you think there was good reason for him to fold (could he have found a fold?) or do you think calling in that spot was the right thing to do?

Little: I think Nguyen had to make an easy call. He only los-

es to ace-king, which Baranov may elect to three-bet preflop,

and king-nine, which will often be folded preflop. I expect

Baranov to have mostly two-pair or a pair with some sort of a

draw most of the time in this situation.

Any advice for players who like to mix it up with suited connectors? Anything they should be wary of?

Little: In general, you want to play suited connectors when

your opponents will either be very inclined to pay you off

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR—PERILS OF FLOPPING STRONG NON-NUT HANDSBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

Vlad Baranov

Chris Nguyen


MSPTPOKER.COM

In April, the UCCS Mountain Lion Poker Club, which is based out of the University of Colorado Colorado

Springs (UCCS), will be sending six players to compete in the

MSPT Canterbury Park. Among those who’ll be in action are Alastair "alastaira"

Armstrong, Austin "128beems" Thibaudeau, Kyle "turnintres" Collins, and Gabe "thunderkrow" Romero, who are all be-tween 18-20 years old. Joining them will be Justin "jdcole1974" Cole, 43, and Bill "chillbill5" Pandolph, 32.

All of those players are having their airfare and lodging covered by the university, but because of the school’s strict “no gambling” policy, the crew must come up with their own buy-ins. As such, they’re seeking investors on both tastystakes.com and youstake.com.

The club was founded late last year by Cole, an adjunct faculty member at UCCS, and a pair of freshman, Collins, a business major, and Romero, undeclared major. It meets ev-ery Wednesday in Columbine Hall 303 from 6-8 p.m. and then competes online every Sunday in PokerStars home games.

The club, which is supported by the administrators as long as students don’t exchange money, focuses on being an edu-cational tool for students with an emphasis on game theory and management.

The club has proven so popu-lar that this fall a stand-a l o n e course, en-titled Pok-er Theory and Ana-lytics, will be offered to incom-ing fresh-man. In a d d i t i o n to sending players to upcoming MSPT events, the Mountain Lion Poker Club plans to send members to compete in the World Series of Poker; in fact, this summer they will send a four-player team to compete in the tag team event.

Rest assured we’ll be keeping an eye on the UCCS Moun-tain Lion Poker Club to see how they do!

UCCS MOUNTAIN LION POKER CLUB LOOKING TO TAKE THE MSPT BY STORMBY MSPT POKER STAFF

Top Row: Justin Cole, Bill Pandolph, and Gabe Romero. Bot-tom Row: Kyle Collins, Austin Thibaudeau, and Alastair Armstrong.

canterburypark.com

MARCH HIGHLIGHT:

www.canterburypark.com • 952-445-6870 • 866-MN-POKER • 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee, MN 55379

MID-STATES POKER TOUR

April 27-29

WORLD SERIES OF POKER

May 2018

CHEAP & DEEP NLHJune 20-24

RACEBOOK OPEN DAILY

MN STATE POKER CHAMPIONSHIP March 13 - 18

WHEN YOUR CHIP STACK STARTS TO LOOK LIKE A SMALL CITY.

MN STATE POKER CHAMPIONSHIP EVENTS:Event #1: March 15 - 5:00 PM

$250 6-Max NLH

Event #2: March 16 - 5:00 PM$250 Tag-Team NLH

Event #3: March 17 - 12 PM$350 NLH

Event #4: March 18 - 12 PM$250 Seniors NLH

MN STATE POKERCHAMPIONSHIP SATELLITES:

March 13- 6:30 PM$65 NLH Satellite

Top 20% win 200 lammers+$50 cash

March 16 - 12:30 PM $85 NLH Satellite

Top 20% win 300 lammers+$50 cash

march 2018 - mid-states poker tour...march 2018 mid-states poker tour page 3on friday, february 2,...

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