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FK-33104_FebMSPT_Mag_8.375x10.75.indd 1 1/15/19 4:31 PM $1,000,000 MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 3 CLIENT Letter From the Pub FireKeepers GUARANTEED Casino Hotel PROJECT February MAIN EVENT PRIZE POOL MSPTSOCIAL Mag MADNESS JOBFollow NO. MSPT on Instagram FK-33104 NOW IT’S YOUR MOVE. The nation’s premier poker tour is COLORin its 10th season offering $1,100 main Vol. 4/No. 3 FireKeepers’ MSPT events are exploding! 4/cevents with six-figure paydays across the October 2018 saw 1,271 players and the prize pool country. If you have yet to realize that President and Publisher SIZEMSPT is on Instagram then hurry up to Bryan Mileski cracked $1 million! 4th consecutive MSPT 8.375”check x 10.75” it out! Follow msptpoker on The [email protected] Gram for fun pics and updates! pool over $1 million. You read right. BLEED Art Director One. Million. Dollars. Enter the Super Satellites, .25Follow MSPT on Snapchat Carolyn Borgen Follow msptpoker on Snapchat to view [email protected] Main Event Qualifiers or fly in for the Main Event. interesting interviews and a behind-the- Advertising Information It’s time to Get Your Poker Face On at FireKeepers. scenes look at MSPT events! We will be [email protected] snapping live from each MSPT main event and promise to provide you the Story Ideas best Snapchat experience in the busi- [email protected] MSPT RETURNS ness! Our Mission SPRING 2019! Follow MSPT on Twitter MSPT Magazine is a monthly Yep we’re obviously on Twitter too! magazine dedicated to serving poker players and gaming facilities MAIN EVENT MAY 16 – 19 This is probably the best spot to get the through MSPT news, results, tour- latest and greatest regarding the MSPT. nament schedules, player profiles Our Twitter handle is @msptpoker. Visit FireKeepersCasino.com or call the Poker Room and professional tips. Coupled with directly at 269.660.5631 for more details. our website, msptpoker.com, we SHOUT OUT! are the Nation's #1 Poker Tour. For each MSPT Canterbury Mid-States Poker Tour Park event in Season 10—five Lakeville, MN total events—Hammer Made 612-743-9847

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PAGE 6 Mid-States Poker Tour MARCH 2019 Event Recap SEAN MUNJAL WINS 2019 CLEVELAND POKER OPEN AND $140,654 BY BRANDON TEMPLE

he MSPT Season 10 Cleveland Poker Open at JACK Cleveland Casino drew 725 entries creating a $703,250 Ttotal prize pool, which made it by far the largest major poker tournament ($1K+ buy-in) in Cleveland’s history, break- ing our own record from the previous year of 581. In the end, it was Sean Munjal of Ann Arbor, Michigan, who navigated the field to take down a $140,654 first-place prize. “I feel amazing!” Munjal said while reflecting on his vic- tory. “This is my first huge score. I was never a tournament player, I always played cash, I play a lot of higher stakes PLO cash games across the country, but I never play tournaments much. This was my first tournament of the year, so I’m off to a good start!” Many players with PLO backgrounds have penchants for being action players, but Munjal took a different approach to this tournament. “It’s different skill sets. Tournament No Limit Poker is a game of patience, a game of endurance; it’s a marathon. So, you have to adjust. And, today was my day!” Sean Munjal Munjal’s girlfriend, described as “the love of my life,” was also on the rail through the final table, even bringing him MSPT POY Aaron Johnson (38th - $2,602), Season 4 MSPT POY chocolates at one point. “The first thing I’m going to do is pay Pat Steele (41st - $2,602), Gary Herstein (53rd - $2,391), Alex off all my student loan debt. To be honest, I’ve been playing Winter (60th - $2,250), Cooper Wanty (62nd - $2,250), WSOP poker for close to ten years, and for me this is a dream come Bracelet winner Joe Ebanks (66th - $2,110), and Montana’s Mi- true. I’m really excited about it, and I think I’m going to use kiyo Aoki (73rd - $1,969). this to propel myself into other tournaments, play bigger games and stuff like that.” Final Table Action Munjal also had props for Adam Friedman, who was a A former Cleveland Poker Open final tablist was the first thorn in his side all day. “Adam was one of the toughest op- to fall, when Michael Pempin’s king-queen couldn’t best the ponents in the field today, I actually kinda blew up at him ace-jack suited of Clinton Hubble. Pempin, who finished when I knocked him out, but it was because throughout the sixth last year, joins Adam Friedman as the only two-time day he was difficult to deal with. So, props to him, he came Cleveland Poker Open final tablists. and played a great tournament. He’s phenomenal.” Hubble was the next to fall, when the Midland, Michigan Day 2 saw 109 players return to action, but with only 81 slat- native got tens in on a seven-high flop, only to run into the set ed to get paid, a few had to leave empty handed, including of Anthony Carbone. Hubble, who made a deep run in Season Colorado’s Mace Reed, Chris Moon, former MSPT FireKeep- 8’s Indiana State Poker Championship with a 21st place fin- ers champ Mike Shanahan, Nick Davidson, and bubble boy ish, logged a career best cash of $12,659 with his ninth-place John Michalak, who final tabled this very event last year. finish. The bustouts came swiftly after the bubble burst, and many Carbone added another knockout a short time later, when notables fell short of the final table, including final table his pocket deuces flopped a set and rivered a full house, bubble Sherry Hammers (11th - $10,478), Vance Essak (25th which bested the ace-trey of eighth-place finisher Sean - $4,079), Season 8 MSPT POY Chris Meyers (34th - $3,094), Troha, who flopped a flush and a gutshot and rivered a former WPT champ Ravi Raghavan (37th - $2,602), Season 9 flush. Troha, a two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, recorded

MSPTPOKER.COM MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 7 JACK Cleveland Casino his first MSPT cash. Cleveland native Edward Mogilnicki made his last stand JACK Cleveland with king-jack offsuit on the button a few hands later, but Buy-in: $1,100 ♣ 725 Entrants Sean Munjal’s pocket deuces prevailed on an eight-high board, leaving Mogilnicki to settle for his second career Place Name City, State Prize MSPT cash in seventh. 1 Sean Munjal Ann Arbor, MI 140,654 It took an hour for the next player to fall in sixth, and it was 2 Anthony Carbone Buffalo, NY 86,500 Kentucky’s John Mingus, who came into the final table as the 3 Adam Friedman Gahanna, OH 63,293 chip leader, held jack-ten suited against Munjal’s ace-eight 4 Joel Brink Estero, FL 47,047 offsuit. Mingus now has three MSPT Final Tables in the last 5 Igor Ioffe Reminderville, OH 35,866 year and a half, and this cash marks the second biggest score 6 John Mingus Louisville, KY 27,427 of his career. 7 Edward Mogilnicki Cleveland, OH 21,098 Just a few hands later, Munjal would claim another victim after calling an all-in three-bet shove of Igor Ioffe, who held 8 Sean Troha Cleveland, OH 16,175 ace-nine off. Munjal’s pocket sevens held, and Ioffe was elim- 9 Clinton Hubble Midland, MI 12,659 inated in fifth-place. Ioffe’s first MSPT cash was a career best 10 Michael Pempin Strongsville, OH 10,478 for the Reminderville, Ohio native, who was also the Day 1B chip leader. Carbone: K♥J♦ The other two Day 1 chip leaders wound up clashing a short Munjal: A♥K♠ time later, with Joel Brink jamming ace-ten in the small Carbone needed a jack after the 5♥3♣ 10♥ flop brought and Munjal calling with king-eight suited in the big blind. no immediate help, but the Q♥ turn added an open-ended Munjal spiked a king to send Brink home in fourth place. straight draw for Carbone, while giving Munjal the nut flush Brink, who resides in Erie, Pennsylvania, previously shipped draw. an $1,100 Main Event at Naples Fort Myers for $40,000; this “Always a sweat!” Munjal said with a grin. cash, his first with the MSPT, now stands as his largest cash The 5♠ river bricked off for Carbone, and the twenty-two of his career. year old’s second cash at the MSPT Cleveland Poker Open The most accomplished player at the final table, two-time fell one spot shy of the winner’s podium. Carbone, who had WSOP Bracelet winner Adam Friedman, had spoken all day a substantial rail sweating him for heads up play, improved about how ironic it would be to finish third in this event in vastly on last year’s 60th place finish in this very event, and back to back years. He limped in with an ace-seven from the pushed his lifetime tournament earnings to just over six-fig- small blind, and Munjal checked ace-ten in the big blind. ures with his runner-up finish. An ace-high flop was checked through, and the queen of hearts turn gave both players a flush draw with their kickers. The chips got in, and Friedman had to settle for third and a MSPT career-best $63k cash, along with his fifth ca- reer final table. He also moved up to 36th on the all-time MSPT career earnings list with the cash. Heads up play was swift, and it ended in Level 33 (100,000/200,000/30,000) when Car- bone limped the button, and Mun- jal raised to 700,000. Carbone then shoved for 4 million and Munjal snapped him off. Final Table

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Nathan Trenkamp • Every Dollar of your rebuy / add-on goes to prize pool Last March, the first MSPT Meskwaki Casino event of Season 9 drew 414 entries and saw Nathan Trenkamp, who qualified via a $250 satellite, walk away with an $88,018 first- place prize. Then, in July, Minnesota’s Brian Soja bested a 455-entry field to win the 2018 MSPT Iowa State Poker Cham- • WEEKLY REWARDS / GIVEAWAYS pionship. The 3rd and final MSPT event at Meskwaki Casino in Season 9 was hosted in November where Taylor Howard •Monday • Thursday earned his first MSPT title by outlasting a 423-runner field to pocket $89,939! Early Bird Promotion plus Food Voucher Gas / Gift Card The MSPT Meskwaki Main Event, which requires play- ers be just 18 years old to play, will kick off with Day 1A on • Tuesday • Friday Friday, March 22. Day 1B will then take place on Saturday, March 23. Players who advance from each flight will combine Early Bird Promotion plus Food Voucher Gas Coupons at Promotional kiosk on Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 a.m. and play until a champion is Buy in 100 chips and receive $20 bonus chips crowned. The complete event schedule can be found at mspt- • Wednesday poker.com. The final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) High Hand of the Hour plus Door Prizes worldwide on msptpoker.com and twitch.tv/msptpoker using The property also features Lucky’s Grill & Taproom, which RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards. serves hearty breakfast entrees in the morning and their fa- In addition, the entire Main Event will be live reported in the mous Shredded Chicken Nachos Grande (and more) in the MSPT live blog. evening. Other favorites include the 100% Iowa Angus Beef Located in Tama, Iowa—between Des Moines and Cedar Lucky’s Steak Burger, handmade buttermilk dipped onion Rapids on Highway 30—Meskwaki Casino, which was con- rings, Signature Pizzas, hot subs, and Fried Oreos. You can structed in 1992, features a huge bingo hall, nine different also enjoy a variety of 20 beers on tap (with 10 craft beers that types of table games, off-track betting, active craps tables, are brewed in Iowa) all while watching your favorite team on more than 1,350 slots, good blackjack games, horse book, in- one of 13 HDTVs. door pool, exercise room, spa, and 404 hotel rooms. MSPTPOKER.COM PAGE 10 Mid-States Poker Tour MARCH 2019 Event Recap MIKE SHIN WINS MSPT 141 AT MAJESTIC STAR CASINO BY BRANDON TEMPLE

he MSPT returned to Majestic Star Casino in the Chica- go region for the first time since Season 5 and despite Tthe heavy, local competition, the $1,100 buy-in Main Event attracted 309 entries which eclipsed the largest field of 301 at the property. In the end, Mike Shin of Milwaukee, Wis- consin managed to navigate his way through and walk away with the $68,593 top prize. The win was the second-largest of Shin’s career after the $427,930 he received for finishing 12th in the 2016 WSOP Main Event. "I feel awesome, man! I don't know what else to say." Shin said about his victory. "I try not to miss these events, espe- cially in this region." Shin, who recorded his seventh career MSPT cash with the victory, admitted that he had a game plan for the final table. "There were a couple of good players at the table, and I was trying to stay away from them. There was a couple of players I was trying to pick spots with and play hands with." Shin treated his victory humbly, saying, "It feels good, but you treat this as a business, you don't feel like you're hitting Mike Shin a jackpot, it feels like income that you're suppose to have." Final Table Action When asked if he had any advice for players that just hit a Ashor Ochana was the first to fall, a result of a squeeze play big score of their own, Shin said, "Best thing is invest, but if with his ace-four running into the nines of Mo Nuwwarah. you don't know what to invest in, don't go crazy, hold on to Ochana, who recorded his second MSPT cash, now sits just the money. I see people win a big score, and they think it's under six-figures in Hendon Mob recorded earnings after his going to keep happening. It's hard to win one of these tourna- tenth-place finish. ments." He also credited his family with helping him be mo- Daniel Sepiol fell next, after Mike Shin set a trap in the tivated. "Shout out to my brother, my parents, my cousin John small blind for him with kings, and Sepiol ripped his last fif- (former MSPT champ Hao "John" Sun), especially my brother; teen big blinds with jack-six off. Sepiol, who also earned his he's helped me through a lot." second career MSPT cash, was looking to best his prior ca- Day 2 saw 46 players return to the felt, but with only 36 reer high cash of $52,655 in 2017. slated to get paid, a few left short of a payday, including Jor- Local grinder Bryan Skreens then found himself up against dan Miller, George Dietz, Jill Bryant, and bubble-boy Daniel Nuwwarah and his nines, and Skreens couldn't find a third O'Connor, who lost a flip to John Nelson to fall one spot short six to go with his pocket pair to fall in eighth. Skreens re- of a cash. corded his first MSPT cash to go along with an impressive re- A number of players managed to find a cash before the final sume that finds him with nearly a quarter-million in recorded table kicked off, including Jeffrey Rasch (11th - $5,040), Jason tournament earnings. Mangold (14th - $4,026), Henry Zou (17th - $3,430), Jeff Min- Zachery Schneider was the third victim of Nuwwarah, nerly (19th - $3,131), former WPT Five Diamond champ Ravi as Schneider's king-nine couldn't hold up to Nuwwarah's Raghavan (22nd - $2,386), Season 4 MSPT POY Pat Steele (24th king-four when Nuwwarah found a four on the flop. Schnei- - $2,386), Sam DeSilva (25th - $2,177), Michael VanderWoude der's first MSPT cash for a seventh place finish goes nicely (33rd - $2,088) and Joshua Hergott (36th - $2,088). alongside two WSOP Circuit Rings, including one victory for

MSPTPOKER.COM MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 11 Majestic Star Casino

$302,492. Matt Weller then found one double up with pocket nines, Majestic Star but his next attempt to double with that same hand found Buy-in: $1,100 ♣ 309 Entrants him running into Greg Baird's aces, and Weller was forced to exit in sixth. Along with a 15th place finish at the Season 9 Place Name City, State Prize MSPT Denver Poker Open, Weller now holds two deep runs 1 Mike Shin Milwaukee, WI $68,593 on the MSPT in a three month span. 2 Mo Nuwwarah Omaha, NE $42,349 Brad Oliver lost a massive to Mo Nuwwarah just before 3 Greg Baird Hinsdale, IL $30,718 his elimination in fifth, when his ace-seven couldn't over- 4 Jeremy Brown Bloomington, IN $22,665 come the pocket tens of Jeremy Brown. Oliver made his first 5 Brad Oliver Grand Rapids, MI $16,996 MSPT and second career recorded cash count, and the start of Day 2 chip leader was able to parlay his chip lead into a 6 Matt Weller Minneapolis, MN $13,122 career best payday. 7 Zach Schneider Harvard, IL $10,140 Brown bowed out in fourth after a lengthy four-handed af- 8 Bryan Skreens Winfield, IL $8,052 fair, when he ripped king-five into the aces of Shin. Brown's 9 Daniel Sepiol Michigan City, IN $6,233 second MSPT final table led to the third biggest cash of his 10 Ashor Ochana Elgin, IL $5,040 career, which was topped by a runner-up performance in the 2014 - $260 buy-in Queen City Classic in Cincinnati for $61,256. Baird was the last to go before heads-up play began, Shin: 8♦8♥ as Shin's tens bested Baird's ace-nine. Baird crossed the Nuwwarah found a little help on the 4♦2♠3♦ flop, giving him $200,000 threshold in lifetime earnings with the third-place a pair and a gutshot. The Q♠ on the turn left him drawing to finish, with this marking the largest cash of his career. an ace, three or five to survive, but Nuwwarah was left want- An epic heads-up battle then ensued between Nuwwarah ing with the K♣ on the river. and Shin, with both players coming a card shy of winning the The $42,349 Nuwwarah received for his runner-up finish title, but in the last hand, with blinds at 80,000/160,000/20,000, was the biggest of his playing career. His previous best was Mo Nuwwarah jammed for 2.4 million from the button and $17,170 for finishing sixth in November’s MSPT Meskwaki. A Mike Shin called to put him at risk from the big blind. couple weeks before that, he also shipped a WSOP Circuit Nuwwarah: A♠3♣ ring by taking down a $600 HORSE event for $14,008.

Final Table

MSPTPOKER.COM PAGE 12 Mid-States Poker Tour MARCH 2019 Event Recap BRIAN WILSON WINS 2019 POKER BOWL III AT THE VENETIAN LAS VEGAS BY BRANDON TEMPLE he $1,100 buy-in MSPT Poker Bowl III, which coincides yearly with NFL Super Bowl weekend, drew 1,022 en- Ttries to The Venetian, surpassing last year’s field of 827 and besting the $650,000 guarantee with a $996,450 prize pool. After two starting flights and Saturday’s Day 2 (instead of Sunday, to allow players to be free to watch Super Bowl LIII), it was Brian Wilson of Ontario, Canada, taking home $143,929 after a three-way deal (Deals are permitted at MSPT Vene- tian Main Events). Wilson, who plays poker regularly, said, "I feel great, it's awesome. This is my biggest cash by about seven and a half x." referring to his previous best cash of $18,406 for a 678th place finish in the 2014 WSOP Main Event. Wilson wasn't shaken by the stacked final table lineup, and when asked if he had a specific strategy for the final table, he said, "Not really, it was pretty much the same thing all day. I had a lot of tough tables, a lot of really good regulars, but honestly, I felt really confident in my game and I just took it like one hand at a time and just tried to play the best I could." Even the presence of pros Kou Vang, Eddy Sabat, Eric "Base- baldy" Baldwin, and Shannon Shorr wasn't enough to frazzle Wilson, who went on to say, "I felt super comfortable with them all day, I didn't feel outclassed at all." Brian Wilson Obviously we had to ask him about his thoughts on Super (30th - $4,384), Chris “Moorman1” Moorman (38th - $3,388), Bowl LIII? "It's hard to bet against Brady,” Wilson said. “but former MSPT Canterbury Park champ “DQ” Dan Hendrick- I like the Rams." son (41st - $3,388), Lee Markholt (50th - $3,089), Jordan Cris- Wilson also took the time to thank some of the people that tos (63rd - $2,790), two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Scott Cle- helped encourage him to victory: "Shout out to my mom, my ments (65th - $2,591), Ryan “Protentialmn” Laplante (67th brother, my sister, just all my friends and family back home." - $2,591), two-time WSOP Bracelet winner Upeshka De Silva On Day 2, 132 players of the initial 1,022 returned to the felt. (75th - $2,491), Ian Matakis (84th - $2,391), Season 9 MSPT POY With 108 scheduled to get paid, that meant 24 players would Aaron Johnson (85th - $2,391), and Jewook Oh (105th - $2,093). leave empty-handed. Some of those unfortunate enough to fall before the money included Ryan Remington, Alex Con- Final Table Action don, and bubble-boy Chris Nguyen, when his ace-deuce Brad Libson was the first to fall at the final table after flop- couldn’t overcome the ace-nine of Ira Friedman. ping top pair with ace-queen and running into the kings of From there, a plethora of big names managed to secure a Dylan Thomassie. Libson, a native of Annapolis, Maryland, cash, including last year’s MSPT Poker Bowl II champ Kfir recorded his first MSPT cash to go along with an impressive Nahum (11th - $13,950), Dan “Wretchy” Martin (12th - $13,950), resume of over $500,000 in recorded tournament earnings, in- Eric Worre (15th - $11,957), WSOP November Niner Bryan cluding a third-place finish in a $3,000 Limit Hold’em event at Piccioli (16th - $9,765), WSOP Bracelet winner Jared Jaffee the WSOP in 2016. (22nd - $6,776), Minnesota’s Hank Mlekoday (27th - $5,680) and Next to go was the inaugural MSPT Hall of Famer him- Dedric Henderson (29th - $4,384), Jon “PearlJammed” Turner self Kou Vang. Vang got his last four blinds in with ace-four,

MSPTPOKER.COM MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 13 The Venetian Las Vegas

but Thomassie’s hot streak continued The Venetian Las Vegas when his nine-eight Buy-in: $1,100 ♣ 1,022 Entrants turned a straight to leave Vang out in Place Name City, State Prize ninth. Vang now sits 1 Brian Wilson SS Marie, ON, Canada $143,929* just shy of $400,000 in 2 Pedro Mendes Brazil $119,545* career MSPT earnings 3 Eli Ross San Francisco, CA $119,168* with the cash, and he 4 Eddy Sabat Los Angeles, CA $62,776 also jumps to eighth 5 Shannon Shorr Mobile, AL $47,830 place in the all-time MSPT Career Earn- 6 Dylan Thomassie Las Vegas, NV $36,869 ings leaderboard with 7 Eric Baldwin Las Vegas, NV $28,897 this cash. 8 Chris Coupal Waterloo, ON, Canada $21,922 Chris Coupal was 9 Kou Vang Maplewood, MN $17,936 next to go, his eights 10 Brad Libson Annapolis, MD $13,950 falling on the river to *Denotes Chop Amount Pedro Mendes Shannon Shorr’s Big Slick. Coupal’s second Alabama’s all-time tournament earnings leader Shan- MSPT cash was also the largest overall cash in his career, as non Shorr was ousted in fifth, losing a flip with his sevens Coupal has just a handful of recorded cashes to his name, in- to Mendes’ king-queen. Shorr boasts $6.6 million in lifetime cluding a fourth-place finish in the 2012 - $550 event at the tournament earnings, including a career best $960,690 cash Deepstack Extravaganza at The Venetian. for a victory in the 2006 Bellagio Cup II. This was Shorr’s third One of the most accomplished players fell next in seventh, and by far largest cash on the MSPT. as Eric “Basebaldy” Baldwin couldn’t win a flip with his king- Eddy Sabat had his ace-queen cracked by Eli Ross and his queen against the deuces of Thomassie, who recorded his king-queen a short time later to bow out in fourth. The Cali- third knockout of the final table. Baldwin, a native of Beaver fornia pro boasts over $3.4 million in lifetime tournament Dam, WI, has two WSOP Bracelets and over $6 million in life- earnings, including a fourth-place finish in the 2017 - $2,500 time tournament earnings, including a career-best $1,034,715 No Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP, and he notched his sec- for a runner-up finish in the $25,000 buy-in Five Star World ond career MSPT cash with this final table appearance. Poker Classic in 2010. This was Baldwin’s fourth MSPT cash. Dylan Thomassie fell in sixth when his king-queen found a king high flop, but Pedro Mendes was waiting with Big Slick to felt Thom- assie, who bagged the Day 1A chip lead in this event last year. Thomassie, originally from Illi- nois but now a resi- dent of Las Vegas, made a deep run in the 2016 WSOP Main Event, finishing 79th for $80,721. Final Table

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Strategy presented by Jonathan Little JONATHAN LITTLE DISSECTS MSPT BUBBLE PLAY BY MSPT POKER STAFF Day 2 of the $1,100 MSPT Cleveland Poker Open Onit was on the stone bubble when, in Level 18 (3,000/6,000/1,000), “Italian Mike” Iacovone raised to 13,000 from the cutoff, and John Michalak called in the big blind, ROLL IN with only 10,000 behind. FOR Michalak ripped those 10,000 chips in on the 4♦5♥3♣ flop, OUR and Iacovone called. Iacovone: 10♦9♦ Michalak: J♦2♦

Michalak was ahead with jack-high and an open-ender, but Iacovone still had live cards to draw to. The 5♠ was safe for Michalak, but the 9♥ river sent Iacovone the pot and Micha- lak to the rail as the final player to go home empty-handed LIVE while everyone else locked up a $1,969 payday. Michalak defended light and it cost him his tournament life. We consulted Jonathan Little of PokerCoaching.com to POKER PLAY! get his take on the hand. MSPT: What are your thoughts on this hand on the stone bubble? Would Michalak have been better served to fold to the John Michalak SUNDAY, APRIL 7 raise preflop with his weak holding? From now until March 31, earn 200 hours of live Little: I think Iacovone's preflop raise is perfectly fine, as- but check-calling with Jack-high is not ideal, especially when suming he has generally been playing a snug strategy and no a lead may make Iacovone fold a few better hands. That said, poker play to qualify for the Free Roll Tournament big stacks are left to act who can easily make him fold by ap- he called with 10♦9♦, so Michalak may have no fold equity, on April 7! First Place will receive a $10,000 plying pressure. Michalak should fold, even with a tiny stack but when that is the case, leading extracts value from a few buy-in to the Main Event held in Las Vegas on getting excellent . On the stone bubble, even with worse hands that may otherwise check down. July 3, as well as airfare, hotel accommodations a tiny stack, it is somewhat likely someone else in the field MSPT: Iacovone missed the flop but still called the shove will go broke before he does. The shallow stacks are often in and $2,000 CASH. Plus, there’ll be a $15,000 (10K out of his ~150K stack). In your opinion is this standard or a race to the bottom, resulting on one short stack bubbling guaranteed CASH prize paid out to the top 11% could a case be made for folding? and all the other ones collecting a min-cash. Sometimes play- of the field starting at 2nd place. Little: With two overcards and a backdoor flush draw, call- ing tightly and collecting a "free" min-cash is the best way to ing is mandatory, given he only needs to win about 20% of maximize your equity. Start playing your way to Vegas. the time based on the pot odds. That said, if Michalak was Only at Gun Lake Casino! MSPT: Do you approve of Michalak’s stop-and-go play or thought to be a generally tight and straightforward player, would you prefer he check the flop? Why? folding could be the right play. Little: If I had to call preflop with J♦2♦, open-pushing the PokerCoaching.com is an interactive poker learning experience gunlakecasino.com flop is an excellent idea. He will clearly be getting the correct from two-time WPT Champion Jonathan Little. Try it for free at odds to check-call with his junky draw if he faces an all-in, PokerCoaching.com/mspt. Must be 21+ and have a Passport card and valid photo ID. Must be present to play. See Rewards Center or www.gunlakecasino.com for complete details. ©2019 Gun Lake Tribal Gaming Authority. All rights reserved. MSPTPOKER.COM PUT ON YOUR BEST POKER FACE

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300 Main Street, Black Hawk, CO 80422 • 303-582-2600 • GoldenMardiGras.com MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 17 Event Preview MSPT RETURNS APRIL 3-14 TO GOLDEN GATES CASINO IN BEAUTIFUL BLACK HAWK, CO

BY MSPT POKER STAFF or the first time in Season 10, the MSPT is headed to flight will combine on Black Hawk, Colorado for a series of events April 3-14 Sunday, November 11 Fwhich includes both a $360 buy-in Regional Event and at 11:00 a.m. and play a $1,100 buy-in Main Event. What’s more, the guarantees are until a champion is up for both with the former offering up a $150K GTD and the crowned. latter $300K GTD. At the same time one Golden Gates Casino resides in Black Hawk, which is about year ago, the MSPT an hour west of Denver, will play host to a series of cash tour- Golden Gates Main naments, satellites as well as two headliner events. Event—the ninth ever The first, the MSPT Golden Gates $360 Regional, will fea- held at the venue— ture four starting flights at Noon each day from Wednesday, drew 469 runners and April 3 through Saturday, April 6. The surviving players from saw Max Young steam- Barry Faecher each flight will then combine for Day 2 on Sunday, April 7 at roll the final table to 11:00 AM to play down to a winner. win $97,810. The last time the MSPT visited the property for a Regional The final table will Event was back in November when Adam Wilbur defeated a be broadcast LIVE field of 757 entrants to earn the title and $45,426. Prior to that, (15-minute delay) last April, Barry Faecher navigated a field of 878 runners to worldwide on mspt- earn the trophy. poker.com using RFID The weekend after the Regional Event, the highly-antici- technology allowing all pated $1,100 buy-in MSPT Main Event will kick off. That event viewers to see the hole will feature three starting flights beginning with Day 1A at cards. In addition, the Noon local time on Thursday, April 11. Days 1B and 1C will entire Main Event will then be held at the same time on Friday, April 12 and Satur- be live reported in the day, April 13 respectively. The remaining players from each MSPT live blog. Max Young

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

canterburypark.com MARCH HIGHLIGHT: MSPT - $300K GUARANTEE MN STATE POKER CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES April 25-28 MARCH 14 - 31 Event #1: $125 Crazy Pineapple Event #7: $350 Monster Stack NLH LAS VEGAS SERIES March 14 - 6:30 PM (two-day event) SATELLITES March 23 - 11 AM Event #2: $350 Mix May 23-24 & June 14-15 March 16 - 11 AM Event #8: $125 Ladies NLH March 23 - 6 PM Event #3: $250 Seniors (50+) NLH CHEAP & DEEP NLH March 17 - 1:30 PM Event #9: $150 Double Stack NLH $50K GUARANTEE March 25 - 6 PM Event #4: $350 Black Chip Bounty NLH June 19-23 March 20 - 5 PM Event #10: $1,100 NLH Main Event Event #5: $250 6-Max NLH Day 1A: March 29 - 4 PM Day 1B: March 30 - 4 PM March 21 - 5 PM RACEBOOK OPEN DAILY Event #6: $250 Tag-Team NLH Day 2 plays March 31 - 1:30PM March 22 - 5 PM www.canterburypark.com • 952-445-6870 • 866-MN-POKER • 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee, MN 55379 MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 19 Event Recap WHEN YOUR CHIP STACK STARTS TO NEW REGIONAL SERIES FORMAT LAUNCHED AT LOOK LIKE A SMALL CITY. TROPICANA EVANSVILLE BRINGS RAVE REVIEWS

BY MSPT POKER STAFF he MSPT introduced its new Regional Series format in the $125 MSPT Seniors (50+) Championship. Carl Masters, Albert Tfor the first time at Tropicana Evansville January 30 – Frank, John Gastineau and Mike Wilson worked a 4-way ICM deal to February 3 which included a $250 Tag Team, $125 Seniors wrap up the event, with Masters of Clarksville, TN taking the largest (50+) and a $125 Turbo Deepstack and was capped off with the share. First place was scheduled to pay $5,460. popular $350 Regional Main Event. David Wasson of Union City, IN took down the $125 Turbo Deep- The $250 Tag Team event kicked off the series on Wednesday, Janu- stack on Friday, February 1 by outlasting a field of 115 entrants. Was- ary 30. It was an overwhelming field attracting 79 teams and 301 total son pocketed $3,450 for the win. entrants. In the end it was locals Albert & Robbie Frank that earned Carolyn Adams of Oak Grove, KY won the $350 Regional Main the win, splitting the $8,428 first place prize. Event by defeating a 587-entrant field to take home $35,663. For Ad- On Thursday, January 31, 210 total runners came out to participate ams this was her first ever MSPT cash and her largest career score. Regional Main Event Seniors (50+) Buy-In: $350 ♣ 587 Entrants Buy-In: $125 ♣ 210 Entrants

1 Carolyn Adams $35,663 1 Carl Masters $3,949* 2 Kevin Leek $21,907 2 Albert Frank $3,663* 3 TJ Noll $15,964 3 John Gastineau $3,371* 4 Chris McCowan $11,888 4 Mike Wilson $2,079* 5 Virgil Werner $9,001 5 Larry Porter $1,323 6 Ted Rogers $6,794 6 William Wilson $1,029 7 Jimmy Griffin $5,265 7 Ronnie Burk $777 8 Ahmad Raghebi $4,077 8 James Moore $609 9 Brian Sanders $3,227 9 H. Vandeventer $483 canterburypark.com 10 Todd Knoblett $2,547 10 Leonard Browning $399 *Denotes Chop Amount MARCH HIGHLIGHT: MSPT - $300K GUARANTEE Tag Team Championship Turbo Deepstack MN STATE POKER CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES April 25-28 Buy-In: $250 ♣ 301 Entrants Buy-In: $125 ♣ 115 Entrants MARCH 14 - 31 Event #1: $125 Crazy Pineapple Event #7: $350 Monster Stack NLH LAS VEGAS SERIES 1 A. Frank & R. Frank $8,428 1 David Wasson $3,450 March 14 - 6:30 PM (two-day event) SATELLITES 2 A. Kerns & S. Harrold $5,207 2 Kent Brenneman $2,139 March 23 - 11 AM Event #2: $350 Mix May 23-24 & June 14-15 3 D. Has & F. Thomas $3,763 3 Sidney Dill $1,507 March 16 - 11 AM Event #8: $125 Ladies NLH 4 N. Nickles & B. Nickles $2,814 4 Gregory Lahndorff $1,093 March 23 - 6 PM Event #3: $250 Seniors (50+) NLH CHEAP & DEEP NLH 5 T. Do & D. Espenlaub $2,047 5 Roger Bennett $805 March 17 - 1:30 PM Event #9: $150 Double Stack NLH $50K GUARANTEE March 25 - 6 PM 6 D. Littleken & G. Russell JR $1,565 6 Charles Freimiller $598 Event #4: $350 Black Chip Bounty NLH June 19-23 March 20 - 5 PM Event #10: $1,100 NLH Main Event 7 G. Boyer & T. Daugherty $1,204 7 Timothy Isaacs $483 Event #5: $250 6-Max NLH Day 1A: March 29 - 4 PM 8 N. Estes & S. Bakus $933 8 Charles Jones $391 Day 1B: March 30 - 4 PM March 21 - 5 PM RACEBOOK OPEN DAILY 9 A. Thomas & J. Bradford $753 9 Barry Wolff $311 Event #6: $250 Tag-Team NLH Day 2 plays March 31 - 1:30PM 10 S. Voelkel & K. Prechtel $617 10 Bruce Freimiller $241 March 22 - 5 PM www.canterburypark.com • 952-445-6870 • 866-MN-POKER • 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee, MN 55379 MSPTPOKER.COM Find your WIN.

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1721 WEST CANAL STREET | MILWAUKEE, WI 53233 | 1-800-PAYSBIG | MUST BE AT LEAST 21 YEARS OLD WINNERS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL TAXES | MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS | GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-426-2535 ©2018 FOREST COUNTY POTAWATOMI COMMUNITY, WISCONSIN MARCH 2019 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 21 Event Preview MSPT RETURNS TO POTAWATOMI CASINO FOR THE 2019 MILWAUKEE POKER OPEN APRIL 4-7

BY MSPT POKER STAFF rom April 4-7, the MSPT will be in Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin for the first stop of Season 10. It’s there that the F2019 MSPT Milwaukee Poker Open will play out. The $1,100 buy-in, $300K GTD Main Event will offer three starting flights beginning with Day 1A on Thursday, April 4. The 1B and 1C flights will be held on Friday, April 5 and Saturday, April 6 respectively. The surviving players from all flights will return at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 7 and play down to a winner. The MSPT visited Potawatomi back in November for the 2018 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship, which drew 748 entries to become the largest major poker tourna- ment ($1,000+ buy-in) in Wisconsin history. Brett Halan of Na- Brett Halan perville, IL, who broke through for his first MSPT cash, won for a career-high $144,812. Players can also find the complete schedule for this event With 1,658 entries, last July’s MSPT $350 Regional Event at msptpoker.com. tied the record for the largest ever held in Wisconsin. Eric Potawatomi Hotel & Casino features six award-winning Barnes won that tournament where first place paid $80,648. restaurants, the intimate 500-seat Northern Lights Theater Potawatomi Hotel is offering MSPT players a room rate of and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 381-room, just $139/night for this upcoming event, this rate is available 19-story hotel opened in August 2014. April 3-8. The Main Event final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-min- Follow the link below, you must click “More Options”. ute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com and twitch.tv/mspt- poker using RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the Use GROUP CODE: PHC04032019 hole cards. In addition, the entirety of the Main Event will be BOOK NOW here: https://www.paysbig.com/hotel/ live reported in the MSPT's live blog.

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