Siphonh Tran Slows Down Back-to-Back POY in MSPT Grand Falls Main Event
Table Of Contents
The 16th season of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT) continued this past week with a second stop at Grand Falls Casino in Iowa. The MSPT Grand Falls stop culminated with a $1,110 buy-in Main Event that drew 368 runners and South Dakota's Siphonh Tran winning his first MSPT title and $79,960.
Tran defeated runner-up Kyle Knudson ($49,426), while reigning back-to-back Player of the Year Umut Ozturk finished third for $35,982 as he continued his quest for a third POY title.
MSPT Grand Falls Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siphonh Tran | $79,960 | 1,500 |
| 2 | Kyle Knudson | $49,426 | 1,300 |
| 3 | Umut Ozturk | $35,982 | 1,200 |
| 4 | Mark Bloomberg | $26,532 | 1,100 |
| 5 | Blaise Poupore | $19,990 | 1,000 |
| 6 | Jon Hanner | $15,265 | 900 |
| 7 | Ryan Reemes | $11,994 | 800 |
| 8 | "Wild" Bill Romer | $9,450 | 700 |
| 9 | Dave Gonia | $6,906 | 600 |
"Unbelievable" Victory
The final day of the MSPT Grand Falls Main Event saw 41 players return, and there were no slouches among them. According to MSPT, four MSPT Hall of Famers were among the returning players, including five-time champion Blake Bohn and the aforementioned Ozturk, as well as defending champion Angela Jordison.
As the event reached a final table, Dave Gonia was the first to go before the eliminations of "Wild" Bill Romer, Ryan Reemes and Jon Hanner. After that, Blaise Poupore bowed out in fifth place for $19,990 before Mark Bloomberg went out in fourth place for $26,532.
Ozturk's third-place finish earned him 1,200 MSPT points to put him second in the Season 16 POY race behind Jacob Long, while a victory would have given him the POY lead.
Tran, a longtime Grand Falls grinder, had just $9,280 in Hendon Mob earnings before the five-figure score.
“Unbelievable, words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now”, Tran told the MSPT after his victory. “I definitely did not expect this to happen, but it feels good to take the trophy home and keep it local."
Those interested in learning more about the MSPT can do so by watching the new Major Series of Poker Podcast presented by PokerNews, which is hosted by Chad Holloway and 2021 MSPT Player of the Year Kyna England.
*Lead photo courtesy MSPT
