Event #31: $250 NLHE [Sunday Special SE], $100K Gtd | 2021 Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP)

03-01-2021 01:19 UTC-4

David "steadymobbin420" Poppenfuse on the MICOOP Grind

Anthony Thompson

David "steadymobbin420" Poppenfuse, 33, is from Otisville, Michigan but currently resides in the Burton/Flint area.

Self-employed, Poppenfuse plays poker on the side. He first learned the game at the age of 15 while playing in a garage and on golf tees.

"As I got older, I started to take it more seriously and started playing at different places including online prior to 2011," he told PokerNews.

Poppenfuse is well-versed in all games, but he plays primarily no-limit hold'em, pot-limit Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo.

"On PokerStars, I mainly play tournaments and play cash live," he revealed. "When I do play live it's $1-$2 or $2-$5 hold'em or PLO for the most part."

Right now, Poppenfuse finds himself among the Michigan poker community taking their game online in an attempt to nab a coveted MICOOP title.

Tags: David Poppenfuse

03-01-2021 01:18 UTC-4

Peter "PLH729" Hotaling Eliminated in 7th Place ($3,101.92)

Anthony Thompson

In Level 33 with blinds at 60,000/120,000/15,000, Peter "PLH729" Hotaling raised all in for 1,168,526 from the cutoff and "smftt" snap-called from the big blind.

"smftt":
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling:

Hotaling was behind looking to pair his ace but couldn't find anything on the flop.

The turn however, came the putting Hotaling in the lead with a pair of aces but "smftt" als0 picked up a flush draw.

Unfortunately for Hotaling, the on the river completed "smftt's" flush and eliminated him from the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
smftt	4,936,789	3,241,887
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling	Busted

Tags: Peter Hotaling

03-01-2021 01:10 UTC-4

Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell Eliminated in 8th Place ($2,289.99)

Anthony Thompson

In Level 32 with blinds at 50,000/100,000/12,500, Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell raised to 176,000 from middle position and then called off his 1,042,464 stack after "TheWamboozler" three-bet jammed for 2,404,476 from the small blind.

"TheWamboozler":
Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell:

It was a classic race with Caswell looking to come out ahead but he couldn't connect with the runout and his tournament came to an end.

Player	Chips	Progress
TheWamboozler	3,782,940	948,464
Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell	Busted

Tags: Steve Caswell

03-01-2021 01:02 UTC-4

Mike "PeppSee" Long Eliminated in 9th Place ($1,690.57)

Anthony Thompson

In Level 32 with blinds at 50,000/100,000/12,500, action folded to "cbauer6789" who raised all in for 5,123,982 from the small blind and Mike "PeppSee" Long called off his 1,108,149 stack from the big blind.

"cbauer6789":
Mike "PeppSee" Long:

Long was ahead with his made hand until the flop appeared pairing "cbauer6789" five.

The was no help to Long nor was the river and his tournament came to an end.

Player	Chips	Progress
cbauer6789	6,402,131	2,010,149
Mike "PeppSee" Long	Busted

Tags: Mike Long

03-01-2021 00:54 UTC-4

Poker Set Its Hook Deep in Michigan's Mike "PeppSee" Long

Anthony Thompson

In the summer of 2010, Mike "PeppSee" Long found the game of poker after playing a game of pickup basketball. A group of guys was heading to a local charity room that night to play in a Texas hold'em tournament, and Long opted to tag along.

"One individual in the group boasted about how much money he had made during the summer from these games," Long recalled. "Being a young individual going to college full-time and working full-time, it piqued my interest. Later that night, I went with the group to the charity room. Being that I had never played any type of poker in an organized setting, I remember being very anxious about the situation."

The tournament was a $30 buy-in and had about four tables filled with players. Long wound up making the final table, though he was ultimately eliminated short of the money.

"But one member of the group ended up taking down the tournament," he added. "I remember thinking, 'If this guy can do it, I’m sure I can figure it out!'"

From that point on, Long was hooked and spent the rest of the summer taking in everything he could about poker. That included reading books, grinding local cash games, and joining the TwoPlusTwo forums.

At the beginning of August 2010, he made my first deposit on PokerStars.

"I did relatively well in the low buy-in tournaments and quickly built a larger bankroll through the end of the month," he explained. "With the end of August comes the restart of college. I knew that my poker playing would be drastically cut down so I could keep up my results with work and school. I decided to take a shot on a Sunday night in a $200 buy-in with over 500 entrants."

Long story short, he took second for his first big online score, which he followed up by winning a tournament outright two nights later. The hook was set even deeper.

After the events of 2011, Long transitioned to live poker exclusively, but that changed when PokerStars returned to Michigan in 2021 as he's been back at the virtual tables, especially during the flagship MICOOP.

"With online poker being back regulated in Michigan, I am able to safely get back to my roots as a poker player," he said. "On PokerStars, I am primarily a tournament grinder across the various stakes. The MICOOP has been an excellent way to kick off volume with solid tournament structures. So far, I have been able to cash in 10 of the events that I have played in. While the win hasn’t come yet, it’s only a matter of time!"

PokerNews will continue to monitor Long's progress in his quest to win a coveted MICOOP title.

Tags: Mike Long

03-01-2021 00:51 UTC-4

Final Table Chip Counts (full)

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
PimpMyBalance	4,633,504
cbauer6789	4,391,982	3,324,884
GrndChalengChmp	4,169,097	1,693,000
TheWamboozler	2,834,476	2,065,232
smftt	1,694,902	-793,000
A3PGOAT	1,545,900	775,700
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling	1,483,526	-1,639,444
Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell	1,398,464	125,232
Mike "PeppSee" Long	898,149	-1,741,067

03-01-2021 00:47 UTC-4

Eliminated 10th - 13th Place ($1,337.33)

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
Young$$$REDBONE	Busted
Mirana99	Busted
grandma1967	Busted
JewelMick60	Busted

03-01-2021 00:45 UTC-4

"Young$$$REDBONE" Bubbles Final Table

Anthony Thompson

In Level 31 with blinds at 40,000/80,000/10,000, "Young$$$REDBONE" raised all in for 1,061,114 from the small blind and "PimpMyBalance" called from the big blind.

"PimpMyBalance":
"Young$$$REDBONE":

"Young$$$REDBONE" was behind needing help but didn't find any on the flop.

The turn was worse for "Young$$$REDBONE" as the left them drawing to a chop at best and the ended their tournament in 10th place for $1,337.33.

Player	Chips	Progress
PimpMyBalance	4,633,504	167,126
Young$$$REDBONE	Busted

03-01-2021 00:39 UTC-4

Updated Chip Counts (full)

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
PimpMyBalance	4,466,378	2,394,936
Peter "PLH729" Hotaling	3,122,970	1,905,771
Mike "PeppSee" Long	2,639,216	1,036,292
Mirana99	2,609,049	101,358
smftt	2,487,902	-384,750
GrndChalengChmp	2,476,097	1,449,751
Young$$$REDBONE	1,368,614	336,557
Steve "Gamerguy123456" Caswell	1,273,232	880,124
cbauer6789	1,067,098	228,616
A3PGOAT	770,200	36,500
TheWamboozler	769,244	383,497

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03-01-2021 00:31 UTC-4

PokerNews MICOOP Updates Schedule

Anthony Thompson

From February 20 through March 8, PokerStars and FOX Bet is hosting the inaugural Michigan Championship of Online Poker (MICOOP), which will be comprised of 60 tournaments ranging in buy-ins from $10-$500 and offer $1,000,000 in guaranteed prize pools.

What’s more, PokerNews will be offering live updates from eight of the premier events.

Things kicked off this past Saturday with the $100 buy-in, $30K GTD Event #1: Kick Off NLH, which will be reported here on PokerNews. The festival will conclude with a $300 buy-in, $125K GTD Main Event on March 7-8, which will also be reported.

Here’s a look at the remaining events PokerNews will live report over course of the series.

Event #18: $500 NLHE [6-Max, High Roller], $35K Gtd (February 24, 2021)
Event #31: $250 NLHE [Sunday Special SE], $50K Gtd (February 28, 2021)
Event #38: $250 NLHE [Super Tuesday SE], $35K Gtd (March 02, 2021)
Event #41: $250 PLO [6-Max, High Roller], $12.5K Gtd (March 03, 2021)
Event #44: $250 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill SE], $35K Gtd (March 04, 2021)
Event #55: $300 NLHE [Main Event], $125K Gtd (March 07-08, 2021)

“Coming off the launch of our real-money gaming brands in Michigan, it is clear that players want the world-class offerings that only PokerStars can bring,” said FOX Bet CEO Kip Levin. “As the sole online and mobile poker product in Michigan, our commitment and investment in PokerStars is vital as we aim to bring all aspects of a great customer experience to the poker community. We are excited for Michiganders to join our most popular series and crown our first big winner who will join in the prestigious footsteps of other Championship Of Online Poker (COOP) champions.”

Satellites for the MICOOP are running now for as little as $2. Additionally, players can win their way via freeroll routes.

Main Event Depositor Freeroll: Deposit $30+ with code 'MICOOP' and get a ticket to a MICOOP Depositor Freeroll on March 7, where 35 Main Event seats will be up for grabs.
Second Chance Freerolls: Play a MICOOP event and fail to make the cash, and receive a ticket to a second chance freeroll, running daily.

To enjoy MICOOP, players need to register for PokerStars HERE.