MAY 2018 - Mid-States Poker Tour · try field in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event...
Transcript of MAY 2018 - Mid-States Poker Tour · try field in the WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Council Bluffs Event...
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
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 5
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
Meskwaki CasinoBuy-in: $1,100 ♣ 414 Entrants
why settle for tequila?step up to kimo sabe
triple award winner
why settle for tequila?step up to kimo sabe
triple award winner
COMPETE FOR CASH AND PRIZES EVERY DAY AT
BLACK HAWK’S BEST POKER PARLOR!FEATURING:
17 action-filled tablesFive-table overflow room
Daily tournaments
300 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 • 303-582-2600 • GoldenMardiGras.com
Must be 21 years or older and an A-Play® Club member to participate. Management reserves all rights. See Guest Services for complete details. Gambling Problem? Call 800-552-4700.
PUT ON YOUR BEST POKER FACE
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 9
MSPTPOKER.COM
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
Poker Open (November 8-11).
COMPETE FOR CASH AND PRIZES EVERY DAY AT
BLACK HAWK’S BEST POKER PARLOR!FEATURING:
17 action-filled tablesFive-table overflow room
Daily tournaments
300 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 • 303-582-2600 • GoldenMardiGras.com
Must be 21 years or older and an A-Play® Club member to participate. Management reserves all rights. See Guest Services for complete details. Gambling Problem? Call 800-552-4700.
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
*Denotes six-way ICM chop
Golden Gates CasinoBuy-in: $360 ♣ 878 Entrants
Barry Faecher
Final Table
Find your
WIN.Our comfortable 20-table poker room features tableside service and caters to real players with daily promotions and big-time tournaments like WSOP Circuit Events and the Mid-States Poker Tour: Wisconsin State Poker Championship (November 10—18) and other national/regional events.
Choose from Texas Hold ’Em Limit, No-Limit Texas Hold ’Em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi and Hi/Lo, and Seven-Card Stud, plus a Bad Beat Jackpot with consistently large pots.
1721 WEST CANAL STREET | MILWAUKEE, WI 53233 | 1-800-PAYSBIG | MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLDWINNERS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TAXES | MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS | GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-426-2535
©2018 FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI COMMUNITY, WISCONSIN
PAGE 12 Mid-States Poker Tour MAY 2018
MSPTPOKER.COM
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
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 13
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
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 15
MSPTPOKER.COM
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)
Main Event 126 – $5,000: June 15-17 ($1,000,000 GTD)
Main Event 127 – $1,600: June 18-22 ($3,000,000 GTD)
Main Event 128 – $3,500: June 25-30 ($3,500,000 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
PAGE 16 Mid-States Poker Tour MAY 2018
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
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 17
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
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 19
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.
Package includes $10,000 Main Event #65 entry plus $1500 hotel/travel allowance.
$250 BUY-INMAY 12, 19 & 26 • 4:00 PM
$65 SUPER SATELLITES: MAY 3, 10, 17, 22 - Top 20% win $250 Event Entry
WIN A $10K MAIN EVENT PACKAGE:
WIN A COLOSSUS EXPERIENCE EVENT PACKAGE:
$150 BUY-INFRIDAY, MAY 4 • 6:00 PM
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 21
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.
$250 BUY-INMAY 12, 19 & 26 • 4:00 PM
$65 SUPER SATELLITES: MAY 3, 10, 17, 22 - Top 20% win $250 Event Entry
WIN A $10K MAIN EVENT PACKAGE:
WIN A COLOSSUS EXPERIENCE EVENT PACKAGE:
$150 BUY-INFRIDAY, MAY 4 • 6:00 PM
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
• EARN $1 COMP per hour
• DAILY NLHE TOURNAMENTS (except Wed & Fri)
• WEEKLY REWARDS / GIVEAWAYS
•Monday Early Bird Promotion plus Food Voucher
• Tuesday Early Bird Promotion plus Food Voucher
• Wednesday High Hand of the Hour plus Door Prizes
• FREE FOOD every Friday & Saturday
• Daily HOTEL RATES
• Thursday Gas / Gift Card
• Friday Gas Coupons at Promotional kiosk Buy in 100 chips and receive $20 bonus chips
• Every Dollar of your rebuy / add-on goes to prize pool
MAY 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 23
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
MORE THAN
$31 MILLIONIN GUARANTEED PRIZE POOLS
Experience the larger than life DeepStack Championship Poker Series at The Venetian®
Las Vegas. For the first time ever poker players can compete in this extravagant venue with over 100 tables, bars, lounges, exhibits, and much more—this is one of the most
energetic and engaging poker events of the year.
Follow all the action at VENETIAN.COM/DEEPSTACK