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In a historic achievement, the Mid-States Poker Tour has successfully established a new record by hosting the Michigan poker tournament with the most substantial prize pool ever recorded.
The MSPT FireKeepers tournament took place from May 12-15 in Battle Creek. It attracted a total of 2,330 entries across three starting flights, resulting in a prize pool of $2,258,600. Notably, Dan Bekavac, a well-known multiple-time MSPT champion and infamous figure in the poker community due to his association with the 2020 Midway Poker Tour controversy, emerged as the winner. In a three-way agreement, Bekavac secured the top prize of $252,020.
Earlier this week, Bekavac discussed two subjects with Playinmichigan: his monumental win and the satisfying completion of the Midway Poker Tour event.
Clearing the air from Chicago
The inaugural Midway Poker Tour event took place in October 2020, in collaboration 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 due to certain legal concerns. These concerns arose from an unconventional plan to distribute the winnings in silver and provide an on-site cash buyer to exchange the players’ metals for legal currency. Additionally, the intention was to recycle the metals used for payouts in order to minimize the initial expenditure on said metals.
Bekavac was widely held responsible for the mistake in the poker world. PokerNews and PlayIllinois were keen to report that he continued participating in tournaments like MSPT events just three months after the incident.
In March 2021, Bekavac secured his third MSPT championship at Riverside Casino in Iowa, earning an impressive $193K. Following this achievement, he made a public declaration to promptly reimburse all individuals owed funds from the previous debacle.
Before the MSPT FireKeepers tournament, Bekavac fulfilled his promise by using his own money to settle all debts, which amounted to approximately $40,000. Not stopping there, he then added an impressive $252,000 to his bankroll. Along with the prize money, Bekavac has now achieved the remarkable feat of winning the MSPT Main Event four times, setting a new record. Furthermore, his total winnings from various tours have reached an impressive $646,000, earning him the third position on the all-time leaderboard.
Taking advantage of a familiar venue
Bekavac was already familiar with FireKeepers Casino, located approximately three hours away from his residence in Chicagoland, prior to his victory.
Bekavac shared his casino history, mentioning that he had experienced two previous deep runs. The first one occurred in 2013, where he secured 30th place, and the second one took place two years later when he made it to the final two tables but ultimately finished in 15th position.
“He added that this time had a slight variation. After being eliminated from play on the final level of the first starting flight, he returned on Day 1B and had a day where he consistently found himself in the perfect position at the perfect moment.”
At the conclusion of the day, he possessed the highest number of chips among all the players in his flight. Additionally, his stack ranked fourth among all the advancing players.
Riding momentum on Sunday afternoon
On the second day, Bekavac continued to perform well and maintained a strong position on the leader board as the number of players decreased. According to PokerNews live updates, he consistently held the fourth spot when there were 27 players remaining and maintained the same position with 15 players left.
Bekavac, with only 12 players left, caught fire and eliminated three opponents consecutively, securing the top chip position as he advanced to the final table comprising nine players.
Bekavac expressed the following about his position and mindset during the tournament, “I have emerged victorious at every (MSPT) final table I’ve participated in. Hence, there was a slight added pressure on me. However, when I entered the final table, I didn’t encounter any well-known players.”
Bekavac confidently acknowledged that he felt extremely assured, particularly when he glanced over his final table and realized that he was unfamiliar with every player present. Given his lead in chips, this implied that Bekavac would probably encounter minimal opposition on his path to 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 managed to eventually take the lead. However, Bekavac managed to stay in the game, partially due to eliminating the players in seventh and sixth place.
Bekavac proceeded to explain the situation of five-handed play, stating, “This particular time had a slight variation. During the final table, we spent over two hours with five players remaining, and no one was eliminated.”
In the end, Jonathan Johnson pushed jack-10 into Zinoviy Pelekh’s pocket kings, which turned out to be the winning hand and led to his elimination in fifth place ($91,699). This pot also created a situation where Pelekh and Bekavac had similar chip stacks, vying for second place in the counts.
The biggest hand of the tournament
In a few hands, Bekavac managed to eliminate Pelekh in a highly crucial moment of the tournament. The pivotal hand occurred when both players committed their stacks before the flop, accounting for at least half of the total chips in play. Bekavac held pocket queens, while Pelekh possessed the ace-king of clubs.
Bekavac gained a commanding lead after the queen of clubs appeared on the flop, securing top set and becoming the clear favorite to win the hand. Initially, both players had an equal chance of winning, at approximately 50%.
As the turn revealed the jack of clubs, fireworks burst into the sky.
Bekavac exclaimed in disbelief, “I was ready to defeat him completely… but suddenly he manages to land a royal flush draw! I was so shocked that I jumped up and my chair toppled over, shouting, ‘Seriously, get out of here!'”
Then, there was one remaining card to be revealed. Bekavac had a sinking feeling in his heart, knowing that he was on the verge of losing. However, to his surprise, a red four landed on the table, perfectly completing the board. This turn of events meant that his set of queens was now the strongest hand. Additionally, it resulted in Pelekh being eliminated in fourth place, winning a prize of $119,706. Furthermore, Bekavac regained the chip lead, solidifying his position as the frontrunner once again.
Chopping it up
Bekavac added, “After that, we had three paths to choose from, and surprisingly, the player with the smallest stack managed to double up an impressive four or five times. At that moment, I glanced at the other opponent, whom I had a slight advantage over.”
After engaging in discussions, the trio ultimately reached an agreement that propelled Bekavac to claim the coveted first-place title, along with a trophy and a substantial prize of $252,090. Peake and Marquez Davis, the other two participants, also walked away with significant sums of $241K and $199K, respectively, from the arrangement. Undoubtedly, these outcomes proved to be incredibly rewarding for their weekend spent at the poker table.
When questioned about whether chopping feels less satisfying than winning outright, Bekavac admitted, “Yes, it does. It doesn’t give you the same feeling. However, I’ll still accept it, even though there was a significant difference of 80,000 real dollars.” He also mentioned that Davis was on a winning streak and consistently triumphing when his tournament existence was at stake.
However, as I glanced in that direction, I suddenly realized that it was already 4 a.m. It had been an exhausting day, and at that moment, I thought to myself, why not secure both the quarter-million and the title? Let’s do it.
Q&A about Midway with Dan Bekavac
At this point, all the information about the Midway Poker Tour’s proceedings has been disclosed without any additional hidden information or undisclosed details. Bekavac has openly discussed the matter with various news outlets, including Playinmichigan.
Below is the section of our interview with him.
PlayMI: Were you aware of any personal accountability for the outcome of the silver situation and the controversy surrounding the payout?
Bekavac expressed frustration with the state’s attorney’s timing, stating that they approached them late in the day on Saturday. This gave the impression that they were intentionally putting them in a difficult situation. If they had come earlier, around 1 o’clock, there would have been enough time to secure the necessary gold or silver to pay all players. However, they approached them when all the gold and coin shops were already closed for the weekend. It felt like they waited until the last minute to inform them that they needed to find enough supply.
PlayMI: On Sunday, you were aware beforehand of the probable result and even notified the charity that you wouldn’t be present when everything unfolded. Did you experience any sense of responsibility at the time, or were you simply aware that it was bound to happen and felt powerless to intervene?
Bekavac straightforwardly expressed his disapproval to the charity, stating, “Paying out in metals purchased at only 70% of face value is a dreadful decision.”
Bekavac provided an alternative solution by suggesting that players be paid their complete prizes within 24 hours of the event’s conclusion at a different gold store in the vicinity, which had agreed to facilitate the payments.
I believe the majority of players, being local, wouldn’t mind waiting for just one day to receive their prize. It’s a guaranteed reward, so they know it’s worth the wait. Only a few players, about three, might have had difficulty coming the next day, but we could have found a secure way to deliver their prize. That would have been the optimal solution, but unfortunately, the situation only got worse.
PlayMI: Did you experience any emotions other than your stated intention to repay everyone during the time between the event and when you actually paid them back? I understand that you mentioned not liking the idea of being in debt to others, but you also acknowledged that people’s perception of you may not be positive even after fulfilling your obligations.
Bekavac clarifies that everyone has been compensated. However, there will still be individuals who lack understanding about the intricacies of running a business and the significant time and effort required for its establishment. The expenditure on advertising alone surpasses the annual income of the majority of individuals.
I paid for everything myself. Even though I’ve now reimbursed everyone, some people will still say, “He only achieved success because he cheated others and had financial support.” However, those individuals have no understanding of the truth.
Despite still receiving messages from people calling me a scumbag, I also woke up to four messages from others congratulating me and expressing their pride in the way things turned out. I believe that when one opportunity arises, it leads to more, so good things will continue to come my way. Although there will always be haters, I will ignore them as long as I continue to succeed in poker tournaments and earn significant winnings.
PlayMI: How does it feel to have successfully repaid everyone? Do you believe this chapter is now closed for you?
Bekavac: Haha, it seems like I am running low on funds. However, at this point, there’s no point in dwelling on it. I wonder what criticisms will come next, but truly, it doesn’t matter anymore.
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