Battle Creek in the State of Michigan was the host of a huge poker tournament. Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) events are among the largest tournaments that are held outside of Las Vegas.
A record-breaking number of entries:
FireKeepers Casino Hotel welcomed a record number of 2,471 entries and welcomed gamblers into their new tournament area. The prize pool generated $2,395,370, which is a significant amount of money for this tournament.
The tournament lasted for two days, and the winner was the famous Kou Vang, who is already a member of the MSPT Hall of Fame. He defeated Dash Dudley, the famous poker player who wrote his name in history by winning the WSOP tournament three times. In this tournament, Dudley won a $257.145 prize.
This is the third win in the MSPT tournament for Vang, and the amount of money he won is the record one in his whole career. He won a $314.145 prize for getting on the top and achieving first place in the tournament.
Players at the Final Table:
Of all the players, 252 were paid out. However, the biggest prizes were the ones who reached the final table. Apart from Vang and Dudley, seven other players got significant prizes. The third place took Robert Strunk, and he earned $162.885, while the fourth was taken by George Abi-Zeid, who won the prize of $126.955. The fifth was the only woman among the finalists, Melissa Bertelme, who got the prize of $97.252. She was followed by James Wilson, who earned $76.652. The last three places in the grand finale took Austin Thieleman, with $59.884, Ray Ezzie, who got the prize of $46.710, and Edward “EDub” Dixon, who earned $37.128.
Kelley Bailey, FireKeepers Poker Manager, commented on this tournament: “Our collaboration with MSPT and the hard work of our team has once again resulted in record-breaking attendance and prize pools. The FireKeepers team aims to consistently surpass expectations, ensuring that players return for more exciting events. We are already looking forward to our upcoming major events with great anticipation.”
About MSPT:
The first Mid-States Poker Tour was held at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, in 2009 and back then it had been called Minnesota State Poker Tour. Only a year and a half after the first tournament, the tournament expanded to include other states and changed its name to Mid-States Poker Tour.
Now, the tournament includes more than 30 events per year, and it is popular in various states across the whole country, including Colorado, California, and Las Vegas, where the tournament holds $1.100 Main Events.