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The Mid-States Poker Tour’s event at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek has consistently shattered the record for the highest prize pool in Michigan’s poker tournaments.
A new record was set over the weekend.
The tournament, which required a buy-in of $1,110, promised a prize pool of $1 million. However, it far exceeded expectations by accumulating a staggering prize pool of over $2.2 million, thanks to a remarkable turnout of 2,330 participants.
The MSPT champion would be awarded with the grand prize of over $333,000 along with the prestigious title!
What led to massive MSPT turnout at FireKeepers?
FireKeepers has always been the largest stop on the tour, aside from Vegas. However, this time we witnessed an unprecedented turnout. Several factors contributed to this remarkable showing, in my opinion.
In my opinion, the most significant impact was the alteration in the tournament structure, particularly the late-registration process.
In previous events, players had the opportunity to register twice per starting day. However, for this particular event, players were granted the freedom to register as many times as they desired during the late-registration period. Additionally, the late-registration period was expanded from the initial nine levels to encompass the first 12 levels.
The average number of entries a person will play is significantly affected by both changes. While some players might opt for only one or two entries, there are also those who will strive to maximize their chances of making it to Day 2 by playing as many entries as they can.
The first MSPT event in Michigan since October of 2019 could also be attributed to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Historically, this tournament took place approximately every six months, causing players to eagerly await another opportunity to participate in an MSPT event in Michigan.
Top three agree to a ‘chop’
The tournament begins on Day 1, but the prize money is earned on Day 2. On this day, the players who successfully progress from each of the Day 1s come together to form a single group and compete for the ultimate title. Out of the initial 2,330 participants, a total of 311 players made it to Day 2. Among them, 252 players secured a minimum cash prize of $2,484.
As the day turned into night, the tournament reached its final stages with only three players remaining. Eventually, these players decided to agree upon a chop.
If you’re not familiar with a chop, it refers to an agreement among the remaining players to distribute the prize money in a manner different from the originally posted payouts. Typically, this is done to bring the payouts closer together, thereby reducing the significant gaps in prize money that are usually observed among the top few positions at the end of a tournament.
In many instances, players tend to employ a strategy akin to an ICM model. In essence, this approach involves dividing the remaining prize pool proportionally based on the number of chips each player possesses. The greater the number of chips a player holds, the larger share they receive from the prize pool.
Daniel Bekavac would be the recipient of the title and the biggest portion of the prize pool, amounting to $252,090, once the deal had been finalized.
Below are the payouts for the final table.
| Position | Name | Payout |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dan Bekavac | $252,090 |
| 2. | CJ Peake | $241,290 |
| 3. | Marquez Davis | $198,975 |
| 4. | Zinoviy Pelekh | $119,706 |
| 5. | Jonathan Johnson | $91,699 |
| 6. | Alex Oberlin | $72,275 |
| 7. | Timothy Mulroy | $56,465 |
| 8. | Ruben Delgado | $44,043 |
| 9. | Elliot Hebden | $35,008 |
Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it to this amazing event or if things didn’t go as planned because here’s some good news: the MSPT will be back at FireKeepers from October 13-16!
David Kaye, a poker content creator residing in Mason, pens a consistent column for Playinmichigan. To keep up with David’s poker endeavors, you can track him on various social media platforms using the username “DavidKayePoker.” His presence can be found on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Instagram.
