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In a historic event, the Mid-States Poker Tour has shattered the previous record for the highest prize pool ever seen in a Michigan poker tournament.
The MSPT FireKeepers tournament took place from May 12-15 in Battle Creek, attracting a total of 2,330 entries across three starting flights. This resulted in a prize pool of $2,258,600. Among the participants was Dan Bekavac, a renowned multi-time MSPT champion, who is also notable for his association with the controversial 2020 Midway Poker Tour incident. Bekavac emerged as the winner after negotiating a three-way deal, securing the top prize of $252,020.
Earlier this week, Bekavac had a conversation with Playinmichigan, discussing two subjects: his remarkable triumph which set a new record, and the fulfillment of participating in the Midway Poker Tour event, bringing his journey to a satisfying conclusion.
Clearing the air from Chicago
The inaugural Midway Poker Tour event took place in October 2020, in association with the 4 KIDS Sake, Inc. charity. Over 18 months have passed since then. Although the event concluded successfully, players were not immediately paid their winnings. This delay was caused by legal concerns related to the intention of paying out winnings in silver and offering an onsite cash buyer to exchange the players’ metals for legal tender. Additionally, the plan was to recycle the metals for all payout positions, thereby reducing the initial expense on acquiring the metals.
Bekavac was widely held responsible for the mistake by the poker community, and prominent sources like PokerNews and PlayIllinois ensured to report that he continued participating in tournaments like MSPT events only three months after the incident.
In March 2021, Bekavac emerged victorious once again, claiming his third MSPT title at Riverside Casino in Iowa and securing a substantial $193K prize. Following this triumph, he promptly made a public declaration, expressing his commitment to reimburse all individuals owed money from the previous debacle.
Before the MSPT FireKeepers, Bekavac fulfilled his promise by using his own money to settle all debts, amounting to approximately $40,000. Furthermore, he increased his bankroll by an additional $252,000. Apart from the prize money, he has now achieved the remarkable feat of winning the MSPT Main Event four times, establishing a new record. Additionally, Bekavac ranks third in terms of all-time tour winnings, accumulating a total of $646,000.
Taking advantage of a familiar venue
Bekavac was already familiar with FireKeepers Casino as a location, situated approximately three hours away from his residence in Chicagoland, prior to his victory.
Bekavac shared his casino history, stating, “Prior to this, I had experienced two previous instances of going deep.” These occurrences took place in 2013, where he secured the 30th spot, and two years later, when he advanced to the final two tables but ultimately exited in 15th place.
“He added that this time had a slight variation. After being eliminated from play on the final level of the initial starting flight, he made a comeback on Day 1B and had the fortunate experience of consistently being in the right place at the right time.”
At the conclusion of the day, he emerged with the highest chip count among all players in his flight. Additionally, his stack ranked as the fourth-largest among all players advancing to the next round.
Riding momentum on Sunday afternoon
Bekavac continued to excel on Day 2, maintaining his strong position near the top of the leader board as the number of players decreased. According to PokerNews live updates, he held onto the fourth place spot when there were 27 players remaining, and remained in the same position with 15 players left.
Bekavac, with only 12 players left, went on a remarkable winning streak, eliminating three opponents consecutively and securing a spot at the final table of nine with the highest chip count.
Bekavac acknowledged the extra pressure he felt at the (MSPT) final table due to his undefeated record in such situations. However, he noted that upon reaching the final table, there were no recognizable opponents present.
Bekavac was in complete agreement with himself, feeling an immense sense of confidence. This feeling was amplified as he glanced around the final table and realized that he was not familiar with anyone he had previously played against. Holding the chip lead, Bekavac knew that there would be little to no opposition hindering his path towards securing his fourth MSPT title.
Up and down to begin the final table
Even though Bekavac entered the final table with the most chips, CJ Peake eventually took over the chip lead due to some early action. However, Bekavac managed to stay in the game, partly because they eliminated the seventh and sixth-place players.
Bekavac proceeded to recount the events of five-handed play, stating, “This particular time had a slight variation. We found ourselves at the final table, with five players remaining for a duration exceeding two hours, and astonishingly, no one was eliminated.”
In the end, Jonathan Johnson made a bold move by pushing jack-10 into Zinoviy Pelekh’s pocket kings, which ultimately led to Johnson’s elimination in fifth place, earning him $91,699. This intense hand also caused Pelekh and Bekavac to have similar chip stacks, creating a tight competition for second place.
The biggest hand of the tournament
In a pivotal moment of the tournament, Bekavac emerged triumphant by eliminating Pelekh with an extraordinary hand. Their stacks were committed before the flop, accounting for over half of the total chips in play. Bekavac held pocket queens, while Pelekh possessed the ace-king of clubs.
The probability of both players winning the hand was about equal, at around 50%. However, when the queen of clubs showed up on the flop, Bekavac obtained a powerful top set, instantly securing a commanding lead.
As the turn revealed the jack of clubs, a spectacular display of fireworks filled the sky.
Bekavac exclaimed, “I can’t believe it! Just when I thought I had him beaten, he miraculously gets a royal flush draw. I was so shocked that I jumped out of my chair, yelling, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!'”
Then, another card was due to be revealed, and Bekavac had a strong intuition that he was on the verge of losing. However, much to his surprise, a red four gracefully landed on the table, completing the board and making his set of queens the winning hand. This turn of events not only eliminated Pelekh, who finished in fourth place with a prize of $119,706, but also restored Bekavac’s position as the chip leader.
Chopping it up
Bekavac proceeded, “After that, we had three options, and surprisingly, the person with the smallest stack managed to double their chips four or five times. It was at that moment when I glanced at the other player, whom I had a slight advantage over.”
After engaging in discussions, the trio concluded with a chop that awarded Bekavac the top spot, along with a trophy and a prize of $252,090. Peake and Marquez Davis, the other two participants, also received substantial sums of $241K and $199K, respectively, from the agreement. Undoubtedly, it was an impressive outcome for a weekend spent at the poker table.
When questioned about the difference between chopping and winning outright, Bekavac admitted, “Yeah, it definitely feels different. I mean, I’ll still accept it, but it’s a significant difference of 80,000 real dollars.” He also mentioned that Davis was on a winning streak and consistently securing victories when his tournament future was at stake.
However, as I glanced over, I realized that it was already 4 a.m. It had been an exhausting day, and I thought to myself, “I have the chance to secure a quarter-million and a title. Let’s seize this opportunity.”
Q&A about Midway with Dan Bekavac
At this point, there are no additional undisclosed details or hidden information pertaining to the unfolding of the Midway Poker Tour. Bekavac has openly shared his account of the event with various news platforms, such as Playinmichigan.
Here is the section of our interview with him:
PlayMI: Were you personally accountable for the outcome of the silver and payout controversy?
Bekavac expressed frustration over the state attorney’s delayed arrival on Saturday, stating that it felt like they intentionally put them in a difficult position. Had they arrived earlier in the day, around 1 o’clock, there would have been enough time to obtain the necessary amount of gold or silver to pay all players. However, the state attorney approached them when all the gold and coin shops were already closed for the weekend. This last-minute notification left them with limited time to find an adequate supply.
PlayMI: On Sunday, you were given prior information about the probable result and even notified the charity that you wouldn’t be attending when everything unfolded. Did you experience any sense of responsibility in the moment, or did you simply anticipate it and believe that there was nothing within your power to change the outcome?
Bekavac expressed his dissatisfaction with the charity’s decision to pay out in metals bought at only 70% of their face value, stating, “In all honesty, this is an extremely poor choice.”
In addition, Bekavac proposed an alternative solution by suggesting that players be paid their complete prizes within 24 hours after the event’s conclusion at a different nearby gold store, which had agreed to accommodate this arrangement.
Players won’t really mind waiting for just one day. They understand that their prize money is guaranteed and since most players are from the local area, it wouldn’t have been an issue for them to come the next day. There were only a handful of players who couldn’t make it, but we could have found a secure way to deliver their prizes. It would have been the ideal solution to the problem, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way. It just made the situation worse.
During the period between the event and when you repaid, did you experience any emotions other than your stated intention to repay everyone? I recall you mentioned disliking the idea of being in debt to others, but you also acknowledged that people’s perception of you may not be positive once everything is settled.
Bekavac: Actually, what I’m trying to say is that everyone has been compensated now. However, there will always be individuals who are completely unaware of the intricacies of running a business and the extensive time and effort required to establish everything. Just to give you an idea, the sum of money we spent solely on advertising surpasses the annual earnings of most individuals.
All the expenses came solely from my own funds. Despite everyone being fully compensated now, there will still be individuals who insist, “Oh, his success is only due to swindling and taking advantage of others.” However, those people are completely unaware of the truth.
Despite still receiving messages calling me a scumbag, I also woke up to four different messages from people congratulating me and expressing pride in the way things turned out. This reaffirms my belief that success attracts more opportunities. Although there will always be haters, as long as I continue to win big tournaments and accumulate chips in my bag, their opinions hold little significance.
PlayMI: How does it feel to have fully repaid everyone? Do you believe you have put this all behind you?
Bekavac expressed with a smile that he believes he has less money, acknowledging that others cannot change the situation. He wondered what arguments or comments they will come up with next.
