Aaron Johnson bagged 233,500 to lead the 30 surviving players out of 148 runners here on Day 1a of Mid-States Poker Tour Ho-Chunk Gaming. Johnson led a group of three Minnesotans in the top five stacks, including Gennady Shimelfarb (196,500) and Kou Vang (167,500). Also in the top five were Ernest Garrett (177,500) and Ken Payne (175,500).
Johnson's climb began when he bet 5,000 with the board reading , and Bill Romer put Johnson all in for about 26,000 total. Johnson thought for about a minute before calling it off.
Johnson:
Romer:
"Nice call, young man," Rob Wazwaz said.
It got even nicer when Johnson's queens up held on the river.
Later, a player raised to 4,200 from middle position, and Johnson three-bet to 9,900 in the hijack. Action folded back to the raiser, who shoved for about 65,000 total. Johnson made the call, immediately flipping . His opponent had , and Johnson flopped a set to widen his lead on the flop. An made it a sweat, as the queens would win if a heart came, but the board paired with the to give Johnson a boat.
It wasn't all big hands and dragged pots for Johnson, however. He also had to make some laydowns, including this hand, which prompted a colorful reaction from opponent David Gutfreund.
As for Shimelfarb, he made most of his bacon when he bet 6,400 from under the gun on an flop. Gutfreund raised to 14,200 in the cutoff, and Will Liebergen called on the button. Shimelfarb pushed all in for about 45,000 more, and Gutfreund folded after getting a count. Liebergen called.
Liebergen:
Shimelfarb:
Liebergen had sprung the trap by flatting with his set, and Shimelfarb needed a queen to survive. The turn was a brick, but the river was just the ticket for Shimelfarb.
Notables bagging stacks include David Gutfreund (143,500) and Mike Deis (62,500), who made the final table of MSPT Majestic Star.
The less fortunate include Matt Kirby, Blake Bohn, Eddie Blumenthal, Bill Romer, Bryan Moon, Terry Ring, Lance Harris, Larry Ormson, John Hayes, Leon Morford, Rob Wazwaz, Mario Hudson, Patrick Steele, and the champion of the last MSPT stop here, Josh Reichard.
Be sure to tune back in tomorrow at 4 p.m. for Day 1b coverage here on PokerNews.
The MSPT first visited Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Season 3 from Sept. 8-16, 2012. The $1,100 Main Event, which was the first major event of any kind to be held in the casino, attracted 244 entrants and created a prize pool of $243,600, which was a state record at the time. Straight away the traveling pros were impressed by the venue, while local players had similar feelings toward the tour.
“I was really impressed with how things went here this week,” said Minnesota’s Chris “Fox” Wallace. “This is a perfect location and could definitely be a match made in heaven. The players here are passionate and craving this.”
Likewise, Madison’s Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon fell in love with the MSPT: “This week was a blast. This was my first MSPT event and I couldn’t have been more impressed. I loved the structure and how well things are run. Hopefully the MSPT will be back soon and often.”
The final table ended up including several local players like Derek Harvey, Lester Ray, and Mike Murray, but it was an outside who eventually won the title. Joe Illingworth, a teacher from Newton, Iowa, had qualified for the tournament through a $90 satellite and managed to finish as the overall Day 1 leader. He eventually made it to the final table as the chip leader, and then onward to the winner’s circle.
“I had a lot of fun and the structure is phenomenal,” Illingworth said before addressing the final hand. “I wasn’t too happy having to call with threes, but he had been pushing a lot all-in and I knew I had the best hand at that time. I just figured its time. I wanted to make sure I at least had the best hand going in.”
Indeed he did as his was ahead of Tim Treffert’s . The board ran out and the first-ever MSPT Ho-Chunk Main Event came to an end.
Here’s a look at the Season 3 MSPT Ho-Chunk final table:
The MSPT Season 3 Ho-Chunk final table.
Place
Player
Prize
1
Joe Illingworth
$65,742
2
Tim Treffert
$35,219
3
Mike Murray
$22,305
4
Reggie Mims
$16,435
5
Lester Ray
$14,088
6
Sunshine Williams
$10,566
7
Chris Wallace
$8,922
8
Derek Harvey
$7,983
9
John Orr
$6,574
10
Erik Burton
$5,400
Season 4
The PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour returned to Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells from March 16-24, 2013 for the first of two stops in Season 4. The tournament attracted 300 entrants and created a prize pool of $299,800, which was a new state record.
Extra tables and dealers were set up to accommodate the huge field of 179 players on Day 1b after 121 players came out for Day 1a. The Main Event was run in a separate space from the poker room, leaving the poker room open for a horde of cash-game players who were also in town for the event.
"This location is so much fun, and the action is incredible,” said MSPT founder Bryan Mileski. “I'm really looking forward to Ho-Chunk becoming a staple on the tour and seeing these players multiple times a year for the foreseeable future. The staff is great, and after two events, they really know how to run an MSPT event and create a great environment for the players. Wisconsin has so many great players that they really deserve some big events like the MSPT, and Ho-Chunk is a great place for it."
Interestingly, Jeremy Dresch earned his fifth MSPT cash and fourth MSPT final table. Dresch already had one bracelet and two runner-up finishes on his résumé before placing fourth at Ho-Chunk for $18,805 — giving him $126,834 in career MSPT earnings.
Patrick Steele of Chelsea, Michigan played his first-ever MSPT event at FireKeepers just two weeks before the stop at Ho-Chunk and placed fourth for $18,364. In Wisconsin, Steele finished in third for $27,772. As you know, both scores helped propel him to the MSPT Season 4 Player of the Year title.
It’s also worth noting that two local players – Larry Ormson and John Orr – were at the final table. Ormson is a familiar face on the World Poker Tour, while Orr, a local businessman, made back-to-back final tables at the MSPT Ho-Chunk. Orr ultimately finished in seventh place for $10,126 while Ormson took fifth for $14,465.
Daniel Bekavac from Chicago, Illinois, was the eventual winner and he earned $76,668 for the win along with the RF Moeller Diamond championship bracelet. Bekavac beat Minnesota pro Ryan Hartmann in a tough heads-up battle, with Hartmann earning $41,949 for his runner-up finish.
Eight months later, the MSPT was back at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells from November 2-10. Once again the field increased – 305 entrants created a $305,000 prize pool – and of course that set a new state record.
MSPT Player of the Year contender Brett Kuznia headlined a tough final table. However, it was 22-year old Josh Reichard of Janesville, Wisconsin who walked away with the $78,003 first-place prize and the RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet. The win marked Reichard’s second MSPT cash — he placed 15th in the very first stop at Ho-Chunk in September of 2012.
Reichard, who survived the Day 1b starting flight in the middle of the pack, began final table as the chip leader with 300,000 more than his next closest opponent. The sizable chip lead helped him overcome some stiff competition to notch the biggest score of his career.
For more on the MSPT's upcoming stop at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells, visit MSPTpoker.com. Also, don’t forget PokerNews will be live reporting the event, which you can follow in our Live Reporting section.
Gennady Shimelfarb bet 6,400 from under the gun on an flop. David Gutfreund raised to 14,200 in the cutoff, and Will Liebergen called on the button. Shimelfarb pushed all in for about 45,000 more, and Gutfreund folded after getting a count. Liebergen called.
Liebergen:
Shimelfarb:
Liebergen had sprung the trap by flatting with his set, and Shimelfarb needed a queen to survive. The turn was a brick, but the river was just the ticket for Shimelfarb.
Matt Kirby is working with a very short stack after missing a big draw.
Matt Kirby raised to 10,700 from the button after Dave Grandin in middle position fired out 4,000 on a flop. Grandin shipped all in for 46,200, and Kirby called immediately.
Kirby:
Grandin:
Grandin's kings were ahead for the moment, but he had a lot of outs to fade. The and two-paired the board, giving Kirby no help, and he sent nearly all of his stack to Grandin.
A player opened for 1,500 under the gun, and David Gutfreund called from early position. A player in late position made it 5,000, and the initial raiser called. Gutfreund shoved all in for about 40,000, and the three-bettor made the call. The player under the gun thought for a bit before deciding to fold
Gutfreund:
Late position:
The flop brought little for the player in late position, but a turn gave him a straight draw. No paint arrived though, as a hit the board.
"I love it when a plan comes together," Gutfreund said, leaning back as the dealer pushed him the pot.
After some betting-related confusion that we didn't see, Terry Ring got his last 10,000 or so all in from the big blind with the board reading . Tom Orr called on the button, and a third player was already all in on the flop.
Orr showed for the nuts, and the third player had .
"I need help," Ring said, rapping the table before turning over for a set.
The failed to pair the board for Ring, and Orr collected everyone's chips.
Eddie Blumenthal opened to 450 in early position, and the cutoff called before the small blind three-bet to 2,600. Blumenthal made the call, and the cutoff folded.
The small blind bet 4,500 on the flop, and Blumenthal called. The small blind then check-called 3,700 on the turn, and an hit the river. The small blind checked again, and Blumenthal put him all in for his last 9,000 or so. After thinking it over for about a minute, the small blind announced a call.
Blumenthal turned over the "weapons of mass destruction," as Mike Sexton is fond of calling them: . The small blind tossed his cards to the muck and told Blumenthal "nice hand."
We found "Wild" Bill Romer all in with in the cutoff against an opponent in the big blind who held . The jack-high flop gave him no help, but he spiked the on the turn to make a set and bust his bewildered opponent.
mnuwwarah
Allen Kessler's new structure will be on display today.
We're set for a new chapter of the Mid-States Poker Tour to begin here at Ho-Chunk Casino in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., at 4 p.m. local time.
The brand new start time for Day 1a is part of the revised structure devised by Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler. The structure underwent a number of changes, including the length of each level from 50 minutes to 40 minutes. The exception is the final table, which will feature hour-long levels. In addition, a 10-minute break will be taken after every three levels instead of every two. The changes have allowed numerous levels to be added including 150/300/25; 250/500/50; and 500/1,000/100, just to name a few.
Players will play 14 levels today starting at 50/100, and they'll begin with stacks of 20,000. Each player is allowed to re-enter once per Day 1 flight if they bust, so be aware that busted players may still be in the tournament if they choose to exercise that option. Re-entries are allowed through Level 9 under the new structure.
, and Bill Romer put Johnson all in for about 26,000 total. Johnson thought for about a minute before calling it off.
river.
. His opponent had 
made it a sweat, as the queens would win if a heart came, but the board paired with the 
to give Johnson a boat.
flop. Gutfreund raised to 14,200 in the cutoff, and Will Liebergen called on the button. Shimelfarb pushed all in for about 45,000 more, and Gutfreund folded after getting a count. Liebergen called.
turn was a brick, but the 
was ahead of Tim Treffert’s 
. The board ran out 
and the first-ever MSPT Ho-Chunk Main Event came to an end.
flop. Grandin shipped all in for 46,200, and Kirby called immediately.
two-paired the board, giving Kirby no help, and he sent nearly all of his stack to Grandin.
flop brought little for the player in late position, but a 
turn gave him a straight draw. No paint arrived though, as a 
hit the board.
failed to pair the board for Ring, and Orr collected everyone's chips.
on the turn to make a set and bust his bewildered opponent.