NATION'S #1 POKER TOUR DECEMBER 2018 Come experience Gun Lake Casino’s non-smoking 14 table poker room. The poker room has a variety of games including Omaha and Texas Hold ‘Em. Tournaments Every Thursday & Saturday Must be 21+ and have a valid photo ID. See Rewards Center or www.gunlakecasino.com for complete details. GUNLAKECASINO.COM ©2018 Gun Lake Tribal Gaming Authority. All rights reserved. DECEMBER 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 3 Letter from the Editor CHECK OUT THE NEW & IMPROVED MSPTPOKER.COM you haven’t visited msptpoker.com lately, you might not realize it’s gotten a If major facelift. In early November, our new and improved website launched. Its sleeker and more modern yet still maintains all the features you love including Vol. 3/No. 12 the tour schedule on the front page, leaderboards, and event recaps. President and Publisher Other features include links to our social media outlets, including the newly es- Bryan Mileski tablished @msptpoker on both Instagram and SnapChat. [email protected] We continued our enhancements by totally overhauling our Twitch stream for Editor-in-Chief live broadcasts of MSPT final tables. Twitch.tv/msptpoker has been customized to Chad Holloway offer viewers an all-new interactive experience where they can not only intermin- [email protected] gle with other poker fans, but can also get in touch with commentators in real time. “The new msptpoker.com website is more contemporary while maintaining the Art Director easy navigation and accessibility our users are used to,” said MSPT President Bry- Carolyn Borgen an Mileski. “In addition, the site and live updates are now mobile-friendly to allow [email protected] players and poker fans access to everything MSPT right at their fingertips.” Advertising Information Visit msptpoker.com now to take your MSPT experience to the next level. [email protected] Story Ideas [email protected] Our Mission MSPT 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. PAGE 4 Mid-States Poker Tour DECEMBER 2018 Event Recap RV SALESMAN TAYLOR HOWARD WINS MSPT MESKWAKI CASINO FOR $89,939 BY CHAD HOLLOWAY he third and final MSPT Meskwaki stop of Season 9 Tbegan with 423 entries but after a full weekend of play it was 28-year-old Taylor Howard, an RV salesman from Altoona, Iowa, who walked away with the title and $89,939 first-place prize. “I’m on top of the world,” How- ard said after the win. “I’ve been close to some big, big scores on tours before. I got fourth in this event a few years back. I’ve been close online. It feels good to win one.” Prior to the win, Howard had $37,189 in live tournament earn- ings including a prior career-best of $24,423 for finishing fourth in a 2014 MSPT Meskwaki Casino Main Event. “The MSPT brings out some grinders and it was a tough final table,” said Howard, who had to contend with 21-year-old up-and- comer Ian Matakis for the title. “I don’t have an insane amount of live heads-up experience. I felt Taylor Howard like he was a little bit better than me as a heads-up player so I just started ripping. He was a Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were great player.” MSPT Season 6 POY Mark Hodge (12th - $6,541), MSPT Sea- As for the money, Howard has a couple of ideas: “I said I’d son 2 Running Aces champ Jason Seitz (19th - $3,843), 10-time take my girlfriend on a trip. I need a new car, so we’ll go look WSOP Circuit ring winner Josh Reichard (28th - $2,453), and at cars too.” DJ Buckley (42nd - $2,248). Day 2 saw 61 players return to action but with only 45 get- One of the big stories at the final table was that of Zac ting paid a bunch left empty-handed including MSPT Sea- Campbell, who was at back-to-back MSPT Meskwaki final son 9 Canterbury Park champ Rob Wazwaz, Wisconsin’s Nik tables (he finished eighth in July’s 2018 MSPT Iowa State Pok- Stone, and bubble boy John Sun, who you might recall was er Championship for $10,997). On Day 1A of the tournament, the 2016 MSPT Iowa State Poker Champion. Campbell bagged 791,500, an unprecedented chip lead after a MSPTPOKER.COM DECEMBER 2018 Mid-States Poker Tour PAGE 5 Meskwaki Casino Day 1 flight on the MSPT. The monster stack carried him all the way to the final Meskwaki Casino table, but by that point, his lead had evaporated. He wound Buy-in: $1,100 ♣ 423 Entrants up busting ninth place for $7,767 after losing queen-nine to queen-three all in preflop against Matakis. Place Name City, State Prize Another good story at the final table was that of veteran 1 Taylor Howard Altoona, IA $89,939 poker reporter Mo Nuwwarah, who some may remember as 2 Ian Matakis Faribault, MN $55,598 the PokerNews reporter who covered the MSPT in Seasons 5 3 Ryan Phan Omaha, NE $40,472 and 6. As a player, Nuwwarah was fresh off winning a WSOP 4 Casey Johnson Bondurant, IA $29,843 Circuit gold ring in a Chicago H.O.R.S.E. event. His first MSPT 5 Ron McMillen Cambridge, IA $22,485 final table resulted in a sixth-place finish for $17,170, which was a career-high score for the man from Omaha. 6 Mo Nuwwarah Omaha, NE $17,170 Finishing the tournament in third place was Omaha-based 7 Pierce Acuff West Des Moines, IA $13,491 pro Ryan Phan, who currently sits second on Nebraska’s all- 8 Jerry Moore Omaha, NE $10,629 time money list. Fans might remember Phan from this sum- 9 Zac Campbell Memphis, MO $7,767 mer’s WSOP Main Event where he finished 11th for $725K. 10 Frank Helm Montezuma, IA $6,541 Back in August, he finished runner-up in the WSOPC Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event for $182,990, and two seasons ago took second to Keith Heine in the MSPT Meskwaki Casino for former holding a flush draw and the latter top two pair. The $58,296. flush came in on the turn, and Matakis was left with crumbs As for the game-changing hand for Howard, it came in his after the hand. He busted a few hands later and took home heads-up match against Matakis. The duo got it in with the $55,598 for his runner-up finish. Final Table MSPTPOKER.COM why settle for tequila? step up to kimo sabe triple award winner PAGE 8 Mid-States Poker Tour DECEMBER 2018 Regional Event Recap ADAM WILBUR SHIPS MSPT $360 REGIONAL, TAKES HOME $45,426 BY BRANDON TEMPLE he second trip for the MSPT to Golden Gates Casino in Golden Gates Casino TSeason 9 started off with a Buy-in: $360 ♣ 757 Entrants $360 Regional Event—the eighth ever held at the venue—and saw 757 Place Name City, State Prize runners take to the felt. 1 Adam Wilbur Erie, CO $45,426 Adam Wilbur, a forty-three year 2 David Ramig Dilon, CO $27,933 old Software Engineer from Lake- 3 Hugh Rowe Denver, CO $20,439 wood, Colorado, navigated a tough 4 Stephen Zipprich Lakewood, CO $15,193 final table that included the red Adam Wilbur hot Rich Dixon and a former champ 5 Rich Dixon Cheyenne, WY $11,582 Stephen Zipprich to secure his first 6 Choi Lau Denver, CO $8,857 title and the largest score of his career. 7 Derrick Montano Craig, CO $6,813 “I feel fantastic, man!” Wilbur said after the win. ”Words 8 Evan Shaughnessy Denver, CO $5,223 can’t even describe this. I’ve come close a few times, I finished fifth at the final table of the main event here for MSPT, and it 9 Brian Gaddy Denver, CO $4,088 was after going to the final table with a gigantic chip stack. So, 10 Lawrence Brink Brighton, CO $3,384 it’s a little redemption for me, and I’m feeling great.” Wilbur entered Day 2 25/116 with a 195,500 stack, and he has been fantastic, and I just couldn’t be happier.” once again had a big stack going into the final table, sitting When asked about any additional plans for the money? “I’ll in second-place with 2.2 million chips. Unlike his last MSPT probably buy a new mountain bike.” final table, where he found himself coolered for a monster Of the 757 entrants that played the $360 Regional Event (in- pot by three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto, he enjoyed cluding a whopping 360 on Day 1C) 116 made it to Day 2, and a fairly smooth ride down to heads-up play against David 81 walked away with a portion of the prize pool.