The MSPT Turns Its Attention to the Wolverine State
Season 5 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) continues today with Day 1a of the MSPT FireKeepers Casino $1,100 Main Event here in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Located on Highway 94 directly between Chicago and Detroit with live poker action 24 hours a day, seven days a week, FireKeepers Casino Hotel is a beautiful, new property that offers craps and other table games, including two-deck blackjack and baccarat, a world-class buffet and a host of quality restaurants and bars. However, this weekend it's all about the poker!
Season 5 of the MSPT has been setting state records left and right. It started in back in March at the Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells, which set a state record with 383 entries. A couple weeks later, the MSPT set the Iowa state record at Meskwaki with 389 entries, and then followed that up with a massive 447 at Canterbury Park in Minnesota. That too was a state record, and a special one at that as it was the venue of the very first MSPT event!
Now, all eyes are on Michigan.
“FireKeepers is proud to be the Michigan tour stop for the Mid-States Poker Tour and the destination for the Michigan State Championship,” Kelley Bailey, Poker Manager at FireKeepers, told PokerNews. “With each MSPT tournament series we have experienced an increase in player participation as well as notoriety for being a stop on the tour. MSPT has done a wonderful job in expanding their product and establishing their brand in the premier tournament arena. We are pleased to continue to offer players in Michigan and surrounding areas the opportunity to play in this tournament series.”
This may only be the third time the MSPT is rolling into town, but if the first two stops are any indication, the third time will be the biggest and best yet. It will be the first time the new “Allen-Kessler Approved” structure will be utilized, and some of the Midwest’s best are expected to make the journey including World Series of Poker bracelet winner and Heartland Poker Tour champ Adam Friedman, who is confirmed to play his first-ever MSPT.
Cards are schedule to be in the air at 4 p.m. local time, which is about an hour from now. The plan is to play 14 40-minute levels of play, which means things will come to a close around 2 a.m. Friday morning. Then, at Noon on Friday, Day 1b will play out, while Day 1c will follow at the same time on Saturday. On Sunday, all surviving players will combine under one roof to play down to a winner.
Season 5 of the MSPT is set to light up Michigan here at FireKeepers, so stay tuned.