Midena Walks Away with the Inaugural MSPT FireKeepers Title
From March 8-10, 2013, the MSPT visited FireKeepers for the first time and attracted 272 entrants and created a prize pool of $272,000, making it the largest first-time event in the history of the tour. After three days of intense play, popular local pro Thomas Medina, who qualified for the tournament through a $250 qualifier, walked away with the $73,456 first-place prize and the coveted RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet.
Midena, who primarily played cash games, did so by defeating another local grinder, Adam Lamphere, in a heads-up match that lasted more than an hour. Lamphere, who would be back at the final table later in the year, earned $39,351 for his runner-up finish.
"This [event] was so much fun." said then-MSPT Ambassador Chris "Fox" Wallace. "To come back to Michigan and host an event here that was such a huge success is fantastic. The staff was great here, from the beverage servers all the way up to the top, we had everything we needed, and we were able to make sure the players all left wanting more. We're really looking forward to coming back in August."
Here’s a look at the first-ever MSPT FireKeepers final table:
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Midena | Brooklyn, MI | $73,456 |
| 2 | Adam Lamphere | Lansing, MI | $39,351 |
| 3 | Tim "Homer" Ebenhoeh | Chesaning, MI | $24,922 |
| 4 | Patrick Steele | Chelsea, MI | $18,364 |
| 5 | Benjamin Krill | Parts Unknown | $15,740 |
| 6 | Trevor Kirkland | Jackson, MI | $11,805 |
| 7 | Tom Hujda | New Lenox, IL | $9,969 |
| 8 | Sai Muduluru | Lansing, MI | $8,920 |
| 9 | Adam Bacon | Bryan, OH | $7,346 |