MAY 2018 - Mid-States Poker Tour · try field in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #4: $365 NLH Turbo for $12,596 and his first ring. Nick Jivkov, one of only two players

NATION'S #1 POKER TOURMAY 2018

MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 3

Players are what make the MSPT great. Without them, the tour wouldn’t be what it is today. As such, we always like to recognize when MSPT regulars strike it big, even if it’s not with us.

For example, two-time MSPT champ Jeremy Dresch recently had some success when he topped a field of 567 entries to win the World Series of Poker Circuit Planet Hollywood Event #2: $365 NLH for $35,723 and his first gold ring.

Likewise, David “The Maven” Gutfreund emerged victorious in a 150-en-try field in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #4: $365 NLH Turbo for $12,596 and his first ring.

Nick Jivkov, one of only two players in history with both a MSPT title and WSOP bracelet, was another player to hit it big, though he did it at the Chicago Poker Classic. Jivkov cashed four events including a win in Event #6: $600 NLH DeepStack 8-Max for $18,853. It marked Jivkov’s first win at his home casino.

Minnesota pro Aaron Johnson had a breakout win when he took down the HPT Belterra for $86,189, while 2015 MSPT Tropicana Evansville champ Mike O’Neill won the HPT The Meadows for $93,340.

Finally, a shout out to MSPT Season 8 Potawatomi champ Ari Engel, who navigated a massive field of 6,087 entries to win the Bicycle Casino’s Mega Millions XVIII Quantum Reload for $315,142. That brought his lifetime earnings up over $5.8 million and moved him into 12th place on Canada’s all-time money list.

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. 3/No. 5

Letter from the Editor

Dresch, Jivkov & Gutfreund Among MSPT Players to Find Success Across CountryBY MSPT POKER STAFF

Jeremy Dresch, David Gutfreund & Ari Engel

PAGE 4 Mid-States Poker Tour MAY 2018

MSPTPOKER.COM

Event Recap

NATHAN TRENKAMP TURNS $250 SATELLITE INTO $88,018 PAYDAY IN MSPT MESKWAKI MAIN EVENTBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

Despite a late season snowstorm, the first MSPT

Meskwaki Main Event of Season 9 attracted 414 en-

tries to Tama, Iowa.

At each of its stops, the Mid-States Poker Tour offers $250

qualifiers in which the top 20 percent of the field win a seat

into the $1,100 Main Event. That’s how Nathan Trenkamp

came to play the MSPT Meskwaki over the weekend, and it

turned into a life-changing score of $88,018.

Prior to the win Trenkamp’s best score was a modest $1,600

for winning a weekend $100 buy-in tournament at his local

casino.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Trenkamp said after the win. “This

is incredibly awesome, way more than my previous win. I’m

getting into real estate investment, so probably put some of

the winnings in there. Maybe go on a vacation. Boring stuff.”

Bubble BoyDay 2 saw 79 players (34 from 1A, 45 from 1B) return to ac-

tion. The top 45 were slated to get paid, which meant 34 would

leave empty handed. They included former MSPT Meskwaki

champ Andy Van Blair, Iowa cash game legend Dustin Dirk-

sen, Day 1B chip leader Kanat Ozturk, and bubble boy Rob

Wazwaz.

Once in the money, the bust outs came quick. Among those

to cash but fall short of the final table were MSPT Season 8

Potawatomi Regional champ Craig Trost (42nd - $2,200), Day

1A chip leader Josh Reichard (40th - $2,200), MSPT Season 5

Meskwaki champ Jonathan Olson (29th - $2,400), 2016 MSPT

Wisconsin State Poker champ Andy Rubinberg (20th - $3,761),

Chip Leader Coaching member Brad Sailor (16th - $4,401),

and final table bubble boy John Rausch (11th - $6,401).

Rausch actually came up one spot shy of making back-to-

back MSPT Meskwaki final tables, and it took a bad beat to

stop him. It happened in Level 23 (10,000/20,000/3,000) when

Chad Ellis raised to 50,000 from the button with the Q♠Q♦ and

Rausch, who finished fourth back in November when Max

Havlish won, three-bet to 170,000 from the big blind with the

A♦A♥.

Ellis responded by moving all in for 525,000 and Rausch,

who barely had him covered, made the call. Unfortunately

for Rausch, the flop fell Q♣3♥2♦ and Ellis spiked a set. Nei-

ther the J♠ turn nor 2♠ river helped Rausch and he was

knocked down to an extreme short stack before busting two

hands later.

Final Table Action

In the fourth

MSPT he ever

played, Tren-

kamp earned

his first MSPT

cash by top-

ping a tough

final table

that included

former MSPT

champs Ken

Komberec and

Blake Bohn.

Komberec,

who won

the MSPT

Meskwaki in

Season 7, bust-

ed first after

running kings

into Reg Powell’s queens, and he was followed out the door

by Josh Smith, who couldn’t win a flip with ace-queen against

the pocket threes of Yanni Orfanos.

Chad Ellis was next to go after getting it in with the 8♠8♦ only to run into Orfanos’ Q♦Q♥. The board ran out 5♠Q♠4♦9♦5♦ and Ellis had to settle for eighth place and $10,402 in prize

money.

Theo Lee then exited after getting his last three bigs in

with the J♥10♠ against the A♦5♠ of Bohn. The latter made two

pair on the A♥7♠10♦4♠4♦ run out and Lee headed to the pay-

out desk to collect $13,203 for his seventh-place finish.

Wisconsin’s Steven Pike was left with crumbs after he got

it in preflop with aces against Orfanos’ queens and the latter

spiked a set. Pike busted a few hands later in sixth place for

$16,803.

It was then that Trenkamp dealt a big blow to Bohn, a

two-time MSPT champ and Minnesota Poker Hall of Famer.

It happened when Trenkamp three-bet all in with ace-nine

suited and won a flip against Bohn’s pocket sevens.

Nathan Trenkamp


MSPTPOKER.COM

Meskwaki CasinoBohn busted shortly thereafter in fifth place for $22,004,

which brought his lifetime earnings up to $2.7 million. That

saw him leapfrog Poker Hall of Famer Lyle Berman on Min-

nesota’s all-time poker money list.

Shem Yusuf, who also won his way in via a $250 satellite,

jammed his last eight bigs from the button with the A♥5♣ and

Orfanos isolated by jamming from the small blind with the

A♣10♣. Yusuf called for a five and got one on the 5♥J♠Q♣ flop.

Unfortunately for him, the running K♣ turn and J♣ river gave

Orfanos a rare Royal Flush!

Despite that big hand, Orfanos was next to fall after his

pocket nines lost a race to the queen-jack of Powell. After

Orfanos exited in third place for $39,608, it set up a heads-up

match between Powell and Trenkamp with the former hold-

ing a slight chip lead.

Within a few hands, Trenkamp overtook his opponent and

then began chipping away. In the final hand of the tourna-

ment, which took place in Level 32 (80,000/160,000/20,000),

Powell limped holding the A♦8♣ and Trenkamp exercised

his option to raise by making it 450,000 to go with the A♥J♣.

Powell woke up with an all-in check-raise, Trenkamp

called, and the board ran out 2♠5♣7♥A♠3♥. Powell had to

settle for second place (he also finished runner-up in the

MSPT Season 4 Northern Lights Casino) and a $54,416 conso-

lation prize. It brought Powell’s lifetime MSPT earnings up

to $109,594.

“I knew he was conservative and wasn’t going to get it in

without something decent,” Trenkamp said of Powell. “I

thought he’d go all in sooner, want to get it in sooner, but man,

he is a grinder.”

Final Table

Place Name City, State Prize1 Nathan Trenkamp Grand Mound, IA $88,018

2 Reg Powell Elk River, MN $54,416

3 Yanni Orfanos Park Ridge, IL $39,608

4 Shem Yusuf Kansas City, MO $29,206

5 Blake Bohn Eden Prairie, MN $22,004

6 Steven Pike Madison, WI $16,803

7 Theodore Lee Des Moines, IA $13,203

8 Chadwick Ellis Lansing, MI $10,402

9 Josh Smith Bettendorf, IA $7,602

10 Ken Komberec Grafton, WI $6,401

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Faecher. “I know people who fire multiple bullets, go after

draws to try and double up. I don’t criticize it, but it’s not my

mentality.”

Prior to his win, his largest score was $8,375 for finishing

21st in a 2012 HPT Black Hawk event. He also earned $8,329

for finishing 61st in a 2010 WSOP $1,000 NLH tournament.

The MSPT will return to Golden Gates Casino this Novem-

ber for both a $360 buy-in, $150K GTD Regional Event (No-

vember 1-4) and the $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD MSPT Denver

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PUT ON YOUR BEST POKER FACE The MSPT visited

Golden Gates Casi-

no in Black Hawk,

Colorado for the first

time in Season 9 in ear-

ly April. Things kicked

off with a $360 Regional

Event—the seventh ever

held at the venue—and

saw 878 players take to

the felt over four starting

flights.

The tournament end-

ed when the final six

players agreed to an

Independent Chip Mod- el

(ICM) deal. At the time,

71-year-old Barry

Faecher of Lakewood, Colorado was the chip leader, so not

only did he lock up $31,381 in prize money, but he earned the

title of champion. First place was scheduled to earn $51,358.

“I’m a bum. No children at this time, probably forever,”

joked Faecher, who only fired one bullet. “I’ve been playing

poker since I was eight years old, but I didn’t pick up Texas

hold’em until 2003.”

Faecher’s road to victory was a rocky one. On Day 1, he

played a big hand with pocket sevens. He flopped a set on

an all-club flop and managed to turn quad sevens. He slow

played it by checking behind and the river was a non-club

nine. Long story short, his opponent held pocket nines and

the two got it in.

“I didn’t want to scare him away so I did a min-raise and

he snap-moved all in,” Faecher said. “He bloated his nines

to get felted. It worked out perfectly for me. Because I raised

him on the flop, he clearly put me on a flush.”

Faecher bagged 103,500 and on Day 2 had an up-and-down

ride. He won a big pot with kings against ace-queen, and la-

teer in the day he flopped a Broadway straight with a Royal

Flush redraw and busted two players, who held top pair and

flush draws respectively.

“I try to play every tournament as if it’s the Main Event of

the World Series of Poker, so I play as if you can’t rebuy,” said

Regional Event Recap

BARRY FAECHER NAMED MSPT GOLDEN GATES REGIONAL EVENT CHAMPIONBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

Place Name City, State Prize1 Barry Faecher Lakewood, CO $31,381*

2 Chad Copsey Aurora, CO $29,150*

3 Kent Biel Ft. Lupton, CO $28,324*

4 Zach Gutierrez Denver, CO $26,285*

5 Steve Wilkie Arvada, CO $17,511*

6 Evan Shaughnessy Denver, CO $14,163*

7 Rob Hemschik Denver, CO $7,639

8 Dapo Ajayi Littleton, CO $6,058

9 James Shinaut Parker, CO $4,741

10 Stu Brown Denver, CO $3,688

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Event Recap

GREG HIMMELBRAND BECOMES 10TH PLAYER TO WIN MULTIPLE MSPT TITLES, TAKES DOWN POTAWATOMI CASINO MAIN EVENT FOR $125,958BY CHAD HOLLOWAY

The first MSPT Potawatomi of Season 9—the eighth

Main Event held in downtown Milwaukee since 2014—

attracted 635 entries (312 on Day 1A, 323 on 1B) and

saw poker pro Greg Himmelbrand walk away the victor for

$125,958. Not only that, he captured his second MSPT title in

just his third-ever event to become the tenth player to win

multiple titles in the tour’s nine-season history.

“Feeling good,” Himmelbrand said after the win. “This is

the third one of these I’ve played and I’ve won two. It’s pretty

sick. I heard Milwaukee was a cool city so I wanted to check it

out. The tour is run really well. I like how interactive every-

one is, so I love to come out and play when I can. With the big

prize pools, I’m always down.”

The 35-year-old Himmelbrand, who is based out of New

York but previously attended the Ohio State University, pre-

viously won the MSPT Maryland Live! back in 2015, good for

$72,910. The win, which was the third largest score of his ca-

reer, helped move the grinder past $1.6 million in lifetime

poker earnings.

Day 2 saw 113 players return to action, but with only 72 slat-

ed to get paid, 41 would leave empty-handed. They included

2016 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Champion Andy Rubin-

berg, MSPT Season 7 Meskwaki champ Keith Heine, and bub-

ble boy Mark Morris, who fell in 73rd place when his ace-king

failed to win a race against Devin Looney’s pocket nines.

Once the bubble burst, the in-the-money finishes came

quick and included World Poker Tour champ Ravi Ragha-

van (12th - $9,217), Minnesota’s Kou Vang (28th - $2,704), Chip

Leader Coaching member Mike Younan (41st - $2,396), World

Series of Poker Circuit Potawatomi Main Event champ Keven

Stammen (44th - $2,396), MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year

Rich Alsup (53rd - $2,273), and Martin Yates (72nd - $2,028).

Final Table ActionHimmelbrand actually began the final table as the short

stack with just 560,000 going into Level 27 (25,000/50,000/5,000),

while both Kevin “Bel0wA0ve” Saul and MSPT Season 8 Po-

tawatomi Regional Event champ Craig Trost both had 2.1 and

2.8 million respectively.

Madison’s Cole Tautges was the first to go after getting his

last 10 big blinds in with the A♦J♥ only to run it into the A♣Q♠

of Himmelbrand, who by that time had worked his stack up a bit. After that, Trost dispatched Steve Alonzo in ninth place after both players flopped two pair. Unfortunately for Alonzo, his kings and fours were no good against Trost’s kings and queens.

Former MSPT champ Ken Baime, who took down the Sea-son 5 stop at Majestic Star Casino, took his leave in eighth place after jamming his short stack with the K♠10♥ and fail-ing to get lucky against Trost’s A♥K♥ on an A♣4♦9♣2♠3♥ run out.

Umut Ozturk, who was at his second final table of the sea-son, bowed out in seventh place after his ace-queen didn’t win a race against Matthew Buhler’s pocket sixes. The finish gave Ozturk 1,000 Kimo Sabe Mezcal MSPT Season 9 Player of the Year points, which along with the 600 he earned at Can-terbury Park tied him in fifth place on the leaderboard.

It was at this point that Himmelbrand really caught fire and went from a shorter stack to the big one. During this time, Buhler once again picked up pocket sixes and held against Josh Hergott’s ace-nine of diamonds to bust the latter in sixth place.

Saul was the next to go after three-bet shoving with the 4♣4♥ and failing to win a flip against the K♥Q♣ of Trost, who made a full house after the board ran out Q♠A♠2♣2♥Q♥. Saul earned $31,951 for his fifth-place finish.

In the very next hand, James Karamanis, a lawyer who grad-

Greg Himmelbrand


MSPTPOKER.COM

Potawatomi Casino uated from the University of Wisconsin Madison, shoved his

last 10 bbs from the small blind holding the K♥J♦ and Him-

melbrand called with the K♦10♣ out of the big. Karamanis

was primed to double and looked good on both the Q♠K♠2♠ flop and K♣ turn. The only way he’d lose was to a ten on the

river, and unfortunately for him, that’s what came when the

10♣ spiked.

Trost then lost a huge flip with ace-queen against Himmel-

brand’s pocket fives and was left with crumbs. Buhler busted

him in third place shortly thereafter, good for $57,144. That

allowed Himmelbrand to take a more than 2-1 chip lead into

heads-up play against Buhler, a member of the popular Madi-

son Poker Community Facebook group.

In what would be the final hand of the tournament, which

took place in Level 32 (80,000/160,000/20,000), Himmelbrand

raised to 360,000 on the button with the Q♦2♦ and Buhler de-

fended with the J♣10♦.

When the flop came down Q♣7♣5♣, Buhler check-called

a bet of 375,000 and the dealer burned and turned the Q♥.

Buhler checked, Himmelbrand bet 700,000, and Buhler

check-raised all in for 3.305 million.

“Ughhhhh, this is so dumb,” a frustrated Himmelbrand

said. He then thought through the hand for a bit before call-

ing. That meant Buhler needed to catch a non-deuce club

on the river to survive, but it wasn’t meant to be as the 9♥

bricked. Buhler took home $76,806 for his efforts, a far cry

better than his previous best score of $4,546.

“The only hands I’m beating are naked club bluffs,” Him-

melbrand reflected on the final hand. “I would have called

earlier, I even said I might be nit rolling, but the problem was

he double checked his cards deliberately, so it made me hesi-

tate a bit thinking he might’ve flopped a flush. I just thought

he has one club enough of the times for me to call.”

Final Table

Place Name City, State Prize1 Greg Himmelbrand Bayside, NY $125,958

2 Matthew Buhler Madison, WI $76,806

3 Craig Trost Madison, WI $57,144

4 James Karamanis Barrington, IL $42,397

5 Kevin Saul Aurora, IL $31,951

6 Joshua Hergott Highland Park, IL $23,964

7 Umut Ozturk Saint Paul, MN $18,434

8 Kenneth Baime Glenview, IL $14,747

9 Steve Alonzo Beloit, WI $11,060

10 Cole Tautges Madison, WI $9,217

Potawatomi Casino Buy-in: $1,100 ♣ 635 Entrants


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For Season 9 of the

MSPT, we’re expanding

our summer offerings

in conjunction with The

Venetian in Las Vegas to five

events offering $12 million in

guarantees!

In 2014, the MSPT and The Ve-

netian partnered for the first-ev-

er MSPT Venetian $1,100 Main

Event, which drew 854 runners.

The tournament has turned into an annual event that grew

to 3,273 entries last year, which was the largest poker tourna-

ment ever both on the MSPT and at The Venetian.

This year, the keystone $1,100 MSPT The Venetian Main

Event, which has become one of the summer’s most-antic-

ipated tournaments, will take place June 3-8 and offer four

starting flights. Not only that, this year’s guarantee has been

increased to $3.5 million!

In addition, there will be a $600 buy-in, $1 million GTD tour-

nament June 9-13 followed by tournaments with buy-ins of

$5,000, $1,600 and $3,500. Those three tournaments will have

respective GTDs of $1 million, $3 million, and $3.5 million!

The final tables from all those events will be broadcast

LIVE (15-minute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using

RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards.

In addition, the entire $1,100 MSPT The Venetian Main Event

will be reported in the MSPT live blog.

Here’s a look at the MSPT The Venetian summer schedule:

Main Event 124 – $1,100: June 3-8 ($3,500,000 GTD)

Main Event 125 – $600: June 9-13 ($1,000,000 GTD)




*Each event is eligible for MSPT Player of the Year points, but each buy-in $1,100 or greater will be calculated at the same level as our $1,100 Main Events. The $600 buy-in tournament will be calculated at 2/3 points of the $1,100 level.

The MSPT tournaments are a part of The Venetian’s Deep-

stack Extravaganza III, which will feature 150 events from

May 14 through July 29 and offer more than $31 million in

guaranteed prize pools.

Regarding the history of the $1,100 MSPT The Venetian,

Dale Bronk won the inaugural MSPT The Venetian for

$163,870, and in 2015 Angelina Rich became the first and thus

far only woman to win a MSPT title by topping a field of 1,964

entries with a first place payout of $304,386.

In 2016, the field grew to 2,887 entries to smash the adver-

tised $2 million GTD. Thomas Boivin defeated poker pro Mu-

kul Pahuja in heads-up play to win that event with a top pay-

out of $403,178. In last summer’s record-setting affair, which

saw the guarantee upped to $2.5 million, Nader Kakhmazov

prevailed, the first place payout was $440,029. He’d go on to

win a World Series of Poker gold bracelet two weeks later.

The MSPT recently caught up with The Venetian Poker

Room Manager Tommy LaRosa to talk about this summer’s

tournaments.

MSPT: What inspired you to expand your relationship with the MSPT?

LaRosa: Our relationship with Mid-States Poker Tour has

been great. With our expansion into Sands Expo for DSEIII

and the ability to live stream the final tables of five major

events this summer, this is really just the beginning.

MSPT: What’s going to be different about poker at The Venetian this summer as compared to past years?

LaRosa: Moving into Sands Expo for the first time in our

history is the biggest change. This will allow us to provide a

smoke free and slot noise free environment. Without a doubt,

the player experience will be enhanced with a food court,

video lounge for relaxing in between events, and of course, a

final table set up so family and friends can come watch their

loved ones play for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

MSPT: I know you’re excited about everything as a whole, but if you had to single out one event you’re most excited about, what would it be?

LaRosa: Our flagship event with MSPT is the $1,100 No-

Limit Hold’em event in early June. Every year we continue to

drive larger fields. To think we will have a chance to hit a $4

million-dollar prize pool this summer is pretty exciting to me.

To view the DeepStack Extravaganza III schedule, for lodg-

ing or discounted Delta airfare, visit msptpoker.com. Follow

@VenetianPoker on Twitter for more information.

Event Preview

MSPT AND THE VENETIAN EXPAND SUMMER OFFERINGS TO FIVE EVENTS OFFERING $12 MILLION IN GUARANTEES!BY MSPT POKER STAFF

Tommy LaRosa


MSPTPOKER.COM

Event Recap

MAX YOUNG CRUSHES MSPT GOLDEN GATES FINAL TABLE IN RECORD TIME TO WIN $97,810BY CHAD HOLLOWAY

The second weekend of April saw the tour visit Gold-

en Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado. The $1,100

Main Event, which took place the weekend after the

$360 Regional, attracted 469 entries. In the end, 33-year-old

poker pro Max Young emerged victorious to capture a $97,810

first-place prize.

“I feel pretty good, not gonna lie,” said Young, “It’s been

awhile, I’ve been on a little dry spell the past few months.

The year started off great and then I just couldn’t put any-

thing together, so it feels pretty good to have a big result that

turns my year around.”

Young, who fired one bullet in the tournament and bagged

the Day 1A chip lead, is a well-known pro throughout the

country. Prior to the win, he had $648,217 in live tournament

earnings. That includes three World Series of Poker Circuit

gold ring wins (he’s already got a seat locked up in August’s

Global Casino Championship) and a Parx Casino Big Stax

XXII victory for $120,930. Now he’s got an MSPT title on his

résumé.

“The structure is good, you get a 20K starting stack, and it’s

well run,” Young said of the MSPT. “All the people I’ve met

are great. I only have good things to say. I’m traveling the cir-

cuit a lot, just trying to find events within my buy-in range that I think I’ll do well in. The MSPTs are right there, I like them a lot.”

Day 2 saw 61 players (14 from 1A, 19 from 1B, and 28 from 1C) return to action, but with 54 getting paid, seven players needed to leave empty handed before the money was made. Among those to fall short of a payday were Paul Holder, Jesse Worrell, and bubble boy David Johnston.

Among those to leave with a cash were Aaron Thomas (54th - $2,047), Phil Mader (49th - $2,047), Keith Block (36th - $2,457), Day 2 chip leader Nader Wahdan (25th - $3,048), last woman standing Svetlana Martie (21st - $4,140), former MSPT Golden Gates Regional Event winner “Money” Mike Maruna (19th - $4,140), Dash Dudley (17th - $4,549), and Danny Gonzalez (13th - $5,459).

Final Table ActionThe final table began with Bryan Robinson holding the

chip lead with 1.805 million, though four others players had over seven figures. Aaron Frei was the first to go after he

open-shoved a [10♠2♦10♣] flop holding the A♣J♣ only to get

called by the A♥Q♦ of Wyoming’s Jeff Heiberg. Neither the

8♦ turn nor K♠ river helped Frei and he was sent to the rail

in tenth place.A double elimination saw both Daniel Sochacki and Adam

Friedman, who both fell to Young. It happened when Fried-man raised holding the A♣10♣ and Young just flatted. The short-stacked Sochaki then three-bet all in for 315,000 with the 3♠3♥ and Friedman four-bet jammed. Young snap-called with his A♥A♦ and held after the board ran out 6♠5♦7♥K♠Q♥.

Ironically, Friedman had nearly eliminated Young when they were down to the final two tables. Friedman got it in with nines against Young’s jacks and flopped a nine. Young was extremely short after that.

“I kept getting hands against Friedman,” Young explained. “I was on his left so it looked like I was targeting him, but I usually had it. Losing that hand was crushing because I thought that was my chance. I was left with less than 10 big blinds. I managed to come back and things started to go my way, especially at the final table. Monster hands came to me

and I smashed everything.”

Max Young


MSPTPOKER.COM

Golden Gates CasinoWSOP Colossus II champ Ben Keeline, who came straight

to Golden Gates after a one-week vacation to Tokyo, Japan

(he literally flew back and came straight to the venue to late

register Day 1C) was next to go after first losing king-jack

to queens, and then the rest with tens to ace-jack. Keeline

earned $14,558 for finishing in seventh place.

Young then eliminated Ian Sylvester after turning two pair

against the latter’s pocket kings, and Robinson followed him

out the door in fifth when he jammed his short stack holding

the Q♣4♠ on the button and getting called by Sammy Aweida

and his K♣8♦. Robinson took the lead on the A♦7♦Q♠ flop but

the running J♣ turn and 10♠ river gave Aweida a winning

straight.

Young extended his chip lead by eliminating seven-time

WSOP Circuit ring winner Vincent Moscati in fourth place.

It happened when Young raised and Moscati defended his

big blind to see a Q♣5♣10♣ flop. Moscati check-shoved with

the Q♦9♦ only to discover Young had flopped a flush with the

8♣6♣.

From there, Young applied pressure on the short stacks.

Aweida made a stand with the K♥J♠ only to run smack dab

into Young’s A♣K♣, which sent him packing in third place

for $43,309.

The heads-up match between Young and Heiberg didn’t

last long as the former held 95% of the chips in play. In the fi-nal hand of the tournament, Heiberg jammed the button with the A♦3♥ and Young called with the A♠Q♥. The board ran out J♣A♣K♦8♥5♥ and Heiberg finished as runner-up for $60,097.

The MSPT will return to Golden Gates November 1-11 for both another $360 Regional and the $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD MSPT Denver Poker Open Main Event.

Final Table

Place Name City, State Prize1 Max Young Seaside, OR $97,810

2 Jeff Heiberg Buffalo, WY $60,097

3 Osama Aweida Broomfield, CO $43,309

4 Vincent Moscati Verplanck, NY $32,755

5 Bryan Robinson Savannah, GA $24,566

6 Ian Sylvester Hudson, CO $18,652

7 Ben Keeline Oswego, IL $14,558

8 Adam Friedman Gahanna, OH $11,373

9 Daniel Sochacki Avon, CO $8,644

10 Aaron Frei Longmont, CO $6,824

Golden Gates CasinoBuy-in: $1,100 ♣ 469 Entrants

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


MSPTPOKER.COM

This May, the MSPT is returning to FireKeepers Casino,

and if last season is any indication, it’s going to be a

record-breaking stop. In fact, we’re hopeful the stop will

generate a seven-figure prize pool for the third time in a row.

A series of $65 and $250 qualifiers will take place in the

weeks leading up to the $1,100 buy-in, $300,000 guarantee

Main Event, which runs May 17-20. While we hope you’re busy

going deep in that event, we’ve decided to offer a list five

things to do if you find yourself with some free time.

Grab a Drink at Dacey’s TaphouseBattle Creek’s newest craft

beer experience is right at

FireKeepers Casino, at the

all-new Dacey’s Taphouse.

50 taps. Big-screen TVs. An

expanded menu. And a com-

pletely new space, floor to

ceiling, with its own dedicat-

ed entrance. You’re going to love this place.

Beverage service 7 days a week, 7 a.m. - 2 a.m.

Food service available daily, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.

Happy Hour: Sunday through Friday from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

$2 off Drafts $5 Apps

Australia’s Thunder from Down UnderIf good-looking hunks is your thing, then Australia’s Thun-

der From Down Under, the internationally acclaimed male

revue, may be for you. While most know it as Excalibur’s show

in Las Vegas, another aspect of Australia’s hottest export is a

United States tour.

It’s a fully interactive and intimate experience and the

“Perfect Girls’ Night Outback.” Swooning audiences for over

22 years, the show is filled with dynamic dance routines,

barely-there costumes, and state-of-the-art lighting. The show will take place at FireKeepers on Saturday, May 10 at 9 p.m.

Tickets start as low as $39.

Let the Nearby Zoo Surprise YouThe Binder Park Zoo is

a 433-acre zoo that opened

in 1977 near Battle Creek,

the state. It’s one of the

largest zoos in Michigan,

and features a large ar-

ray of animals and plants, including the Wild Africa Exhibit.

Among the animals you can expect to see are an African lion,

Aldabra giant tortoise, blue poison dart frog, and Chinese red

panda.

Located just eight miles from FireKeepers, the zoo is open

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Satur-

days, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets for adults are

$14.25, Seniors $13.25, children ages 2-10 $12.25, and kids un-

der 2 years old get in free.

Visit Motor City Comic ConFrom May 18-20, the Motor City Com-

ic Con, which was founded in 1989 by

comics retailer Michael Goldman, will

take place at the Suburban Collection

Showplace. It’s a good 90-minute drive

east of the casino, but it’s there you’ll

have the chance to meet the likes Arrow’s Stephen Amell,

Xena’s Lucy Lawless, Batman’s Val Kilmer, and Jerome Flynn,

who plays Bronn on Game of Thrones.There are a slew of other media, comic and pop culture

guests. A weekend pass costs $75, while daily passes run from

$25-$45. Visit motorcitycomicon.com for more information.

Get Active at Full BlastFull Blast Recreation Center, located in downtown Battle

Creek across from McCamly Plaza Hotel, is an 88,000 square

foot, multi-purpose recreation facility featuring a full-service

fitness center, locker rooms, indoor walking track, three large

gymnasiums, batting cages, and multi-purpose space.

It’s open from 6:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and

9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Call (269) 966-3667 for

more information.

FIVE THINGS TO DO DURING MSPT FIREKEEPERS CASINOBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

FireKeepers Hot Spots

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

canterburypark.com

MAY HIGHLIGHT:

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

CHEAP & DEEP NLHJune 20-24

SUMMER SERIESJuly 20-28

MSPT REGIONAL$100K GUARANTEE

August 9-12 • $350 Buy-in

Live Racing Returns:Friday, May 4

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

WIN YOUR 2018 LAS VEGAS WORLD SERIES EVENT PACKAGE

Package includes Colossus Experience, $565 Event #7 entry in Las Vegas, hotel and travel allowance.

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Strategy presented by Jonathan Little

MSPTPOKER.COM

canterburypark.com

MAY HIGHLIGHT:

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

CHEAP & DEEP NLHJune 20-24

SUMMER SERIESJuly 20-28

MSPT REGIONAL$100K GUARANTEE

August 9-12 • $350 Buy-in

Live Racing Returns:Friday, May 4

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

WIN YOUR 2018 LAS VEGAS WORLD SERIES EVENT PACKAGE

Package includes Colossus Experience, $565 Event #7 entry in Las Vegas, hotel and travel allowance.

Package includes $10,000 Main Event #65 entry plus $1500 hotel/travel allowance.

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WIN A $10K MAIN EVENT PACKAGE:

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ten for this small sizing.

MSPT: Do you agree with Wiora that Esquivel would’ve been better off raising and bluffing?

Little: I would have certainly

folded the nine-high. If you feel

inclined to play it, I do think rais-

ing is the better of the two options,

mainly because a raise is some-

what likely to make jacks and tens

fold, which should be a large por-

tion of Wiora's betting range.

MSPT: Generally speaking, what sort of things should players be taking into account when deciding whether or not to call with an extremely marginal hand?

Little: Ideally, you want your op-

ponent's range to be extremely po-

larized, meaning they either have

an effective nut hand or a busted

draw. You do not want them to be

betting with a wide range of mar-

ginal value hands, such as top pair

or middle pair, because then, you

lose to many more hands com-

pared to when they are only bet-

ting effective nut hands because there are many more pos-

sible combinations of marginal made hands than effective

nut hands.

The ideal time to make a hero call is when your opponent

bets all three streets, all the draws fail to improve, and your

hand beats the busted draws. Given those parameters, calling

with perhaps jack-high and worse is rarely a good decision

because you will often lose to some of the busted draws. That

said, some players think they have the ability to just know

someone is bluffing. If you know the opponent is bluffing, you

can call with all your bluff catchers.

PokerCoaching.com is an interactive poker learning experience from two-time WPT Champion Jonathan Little. Try it for free at PokerCoaching.com/mspt.

During March’s $1,100 MSPT Meskwaki Main Event—

a tournament that drew 414 entries and awarded an

$88,018 first-place prize—an interesting hand took

place on Day 1B.

In Level 10 (500/1,000/100), Michael Esquivel (36,000) opened

for 2,200 from middle position and Dave Finney (40,000)

called from the button. 2015 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker

champ Ben Wiora (23,000) came along from the big blind and

three players saw a flop of K♥K♦10♦.

All three players checked and then repeated the action on

the 2♣ turn. When the J♣ completed the board on the river,

Wiora bet 2,800 and Esquivel called. Finney folded and Wiora

said, “Good call.”

Esquivel waited for Wiora to show his 8♣5♣. Esquivel then

tabled the 9♣6♣ for the winner.

“That’s the second time in my life I’ve called with nine

high,” said an excited Esquivel.

“It was a bad call,” Wiora responded. “It’d have been a bet-

ter move to raise.”

Michael Esquivel chipped up to 45,000 after the hand while

Ben Wiora dropped to 18,000. It seemed like a strange call,

and we were wondering if Wiora was right in that Esquivel

should’ve raise instead. We consulted poker pro Jonathan

Little of PokerCoaching.com.

MSPT: What do you think of players opening the action from middle position with suited two gappers, like Esquivel did here?

Little: Raising bad suited hands from middle position is al-

most always a mistake. Even if all the players yet to act are

overly tight, they will still each wake up with a premium hand

often enough to make raising junk unprofitable. The only

time raising with an incredibly wide range from middle posi-

tion may make sense is when you have a large stack near the

bubble and everyone else at your table is overly concerned

with getting in the money.

MSPT: Forgetting the end result and considering the action, do you think this is a good call by Esquivel?

Little: I do not think this was a good spot to call with nine-

high. While he does beat a few hands—which may or may not

even be inclined to bluff—given that everyone checked to the

river, it is highly likely that Wiora would value bet a jack or

MICHAEL ESQUIVEL CALLS BEN WIORA WITH NINE-HIGHBY CHAD HOLLOWAY

Michael Esquivel

Ben Wiora

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MSPTPOKER.COM

In Season 6, the MSPT was introduced to Richard “Rick”

Syverud, who earned his first cash of $3,011 for finishing

28th in the MSPT Potawatomi. In the years that followed,

Syverud would notch 11 other Main Event cashes, as well as

a single Regional Event cash for $45,004 in MSPT earnings.

On April 1, the poker world received the sad news that

Syverud, who had stoically battled cancer for several years,

passed away at age 49. Known to many as “Foot” for his large

stature, Syverud became a familiar face on the MSPT and at

poker events across the Midwest.

His intimidating size and the tattoos running up and down

his arm belied a kind and humble man. Syverud made an im-

pression on all those he met, be it for his poker skills or the

grace in which he handled his illness. Needless to say, his

loss was felt by many.

“You were one hell of a human being and you really touched

many with your sense of courage,” wrote Jake Hommen. “You

had Stage 4 cancer, you shared your story, but you never wore

your pain on your sleeve. Very uplifting and cool guy.”

In the summer of 2017, Syverud lived his dream of playing

at the World Series of Poker. It was there that he cashed in

four of the six events he played, including $5,298 for placing

303rd n the Millionaire Maker. While he didn’t cash, Syverud

also took a shot in poker’s big

one, the $10,000 WSOP Main

Event.

“One of the humblest, kind-

hearted people I have ever

met,” #MSPT100 champ Jason

Ramos said of his friend. “I'll

never forget the time we spent

in Vegas together, and the bus

rides we took to the Rio, nor

the conversations we had about

life.”

Outside of poker, Syverud enjoyed spending time with his

dog, Brutus, and was an avid Packers and Brewers fan.

Rick is survived by his mother, Julia (Spencer) Francis; his

brother, James (Heather) Syverud; step-brothers, Jeff and

Steve Syverud; step-sisters, Kim Francis and Tina (David)

Drews; and his niece, Sierra Syverud. He was preceded in

death by his father, Donald.

At his memorial per his wishes, those who knew Rick via

poker each brought a $1 chip from a random casino to add to

his collection. The chips were on display at the funeral so he

could “play his last hand.”

REMEMBERING WISCONSIN’S RICHARD “RICK” SYVERUD (1969-2018)

Richard Syverud

MAY 14 - JULY 29, 2018

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Documents

MAY 2018 - Mid-States Poker Tour · try field in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event #4: $365 NLH Turbo for $12,596 and his first ring. Nick Jivkov, one of only two players