Follow the PokerNews MSPT Ho-Chunk Main Event Action Here (Updated 22:00 CT)
This article is dedicated to coverage of this weekend’s PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells, which runs from March 22-24. The page will be updated regularly with updates, chip counts, and pictures from the event, which kicks off at 17:00 PM CST on Friday. Please scroll down for the latest posts.
This weekend the PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, Wisconsin culminates a week of festivities with an $1,100 Main Event. Located just minutes from Wisconsin Dells – one of the top tourist and waterpark towns in the nation – Ho-Chunk proved to be a tremendous success in its inaugural year on the MSPT schedule.
It was in September of last year that the MSPT event at Ho-Chunk Gaming, the first ever in Wisconsin, drew 244 runners generated a prize pool of $243,600—the largest ever in the state. Joe Illingworth of Iowa emerged victorious in the event and took home $65,742 for his effort.
Of course PokerNews will keep you abreast of all the MSPT Ho-Chunk happenings throughout the weekend, but we also recommend you check out the following outlets for even more information
Mid-States Poker Tour
Twitter: @msptpoker
Facebook: www.facebook.com/msptpoker?fref=ts
Website: www.msptpoker.com
Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells
Twitter: @hochunkgamingwi
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Ho-Chunk-Gaming-Wisconsin-Dells
Website: www.ho-chunkgaming.com
Season 4 of the MSPT will stop in Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Here’s a look at the remaining stops:
March 16-24, 2013: Ho-Chunk Gaming in Baraboo, Wisconsin, had so much fun last year that it has signed on for two events this season! Located in the Wisconsin Dells, Ho-Chunk is fun for the whole family and offers a player-friendly environment. You won't find players who are more fun to play and have a drink with than Mark "PokerHo" Kroon and the always-entertaining Reggie Mims.
March 30 - April 7, 2013: The Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa, is one of the biggest stops on the MSPT. This stop drove nearly $1 million in prize money during the 2012 season, with a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool at every MSPT Meskwaki event. This event is becoming known for its huge fields and soft players, though pros like Jamie Gold, Kevin "BelowAbove" Saul, Amanda Musumeci, and others were seen at Meskwaki last season.
April 20-28, 2013: The MSPT returns to Canterbury Park expecting a massive field after its record-setting event last season where retired truck driver James Gibson won over $95,000 after surviving a field of 376. This season's event at Canterbury is a chance for the tour to break 400 players, as well as the six-figure mark for first place. Players are expected to travel from around the Midwest to join the hunt for the bracelet and cash.
May 11-19, 2013: Northern Lights Casino in Walker, Minnesota, is the northernmost stop on the tour, and also a favorite among players who follow the tour. A beautiful resort town on a lake in May? With friendly staff and a relaxing lake shore atmosphere, many players see this event as a vacation where they can win thousands of dollars in between kicking back on the balcony and watching the waves.
July 20-28, 2013: After a summer break, the MSPT returns to Tama, Iowa, for another $300,000 guaranteed event at Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel.
August 10-18, 2013: The Grand Falls Casino Resort in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, welcomes the MSPT back after a fantastic inaugural event last season. Players loved this stop last year, with great staff, beautiful rooms, and a nice turnout, Grand Falls has everything a poker player could want, including an MSPT event.
August 17-25, 2013: By the time the MSPT rolls back into FireKeepers, the new event center will be finished and potential unlimited seating should mean a huge field. We'll see you in Battle Creek this summer.
Aug. 30 - Sept. 8, 2013:The MSPT is back at the Downstream Casino Resort in Quapaw, Oklahoma for another great event, the second of the season.
Oct. 26 - Nov. 3, 2013: The third visit to Meskwaki in Tama, Iowa, and the third $300,000 guarantee. The MSPT may give out a million dollars this year at a single venue!
Nov. 2-10, 2013: Back at Ho-Chunk in the Wisconsin Dells, the MSPT looks forward to a venue, and players, that can turn a poker tournament into a party.
Nov. 30 - Dec. 8, 2013: Once again Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, hosts the final event of the season, and every MSPT season ends with a bang! The huge prize pool from Canterbury Park makes for a great holiday for a few skilled players.
For more information, and a complete schedule, visit MSPTPoker.com.
Updated 18:45 CST: Two levels are down on Day 1a of the MSPT Ho-Chunk. The tournament clock states that 113 players have re-entered thus far, but late registration is open for two more levels. Some notables in today's field are two-time MSPT champ and recent World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw runner-up Matt Kirby; 2012 WSOP Event #5 champ and two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Nick Jivkov; Wisconsin Poker Players Alliance representative Steve Verrett; and local grinders Dan Almerli, Michael Stick and Reggie "Great Ooohhweee" Mims, just to name a few.
Also in the field is Thomas Ryan, who won last weekend's MSPT Downstream Casino and Resort in Quapaw, Oklahoma, which attracted 143 entries and created a prize pool of $143,500. Thomas, who won $39,243 for that victory, is looking to capture back-to-back titles, a feat only Dan Sun has accomplished on the MSPT. Not too shabby for the young man whom finished fourth in the record-setting event at Canterbury Park in Minnesota back in December, which earned him a $23,597 payday.
Updated 01:45 CST: Day 1a Recap
Day 1a of the PokerNews MSPT Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells attracted 121 entries, and even more are expected for Day 1B on Saturday. After nine 50-minute levels of play, just 33 players advanced to Day 2 with Daniel Bekavac and his stack of 231,700 leading the way. Coming in second in chips is local pro Dan Almerli with 176,800.
There were plenty of notables in action on Day 1a, but many hit the rail including two-time MSPT champ and recent World Series of Poker Circuit Choctaw runner-up Matt Kirby; 2012 WSOP Event #5 champ and two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Nick Jivkov; Wisconsin Poker Players Alliance representative Steve Verrett; local grinders Dan Almerli, Michael Stick and Reggie "Great Ooohhweee" Mims; MSPT Downstream Casino and Resort champ Thomas Ryan; 2012 Minnesota Player of the Year Erick Wright; and PokerNews’ own Chad Holloway.
While many fell, a few notables managed to advance including Kou Vang, John “JohnnyGstaks” Hayes, Melissa Verrett, John Taylor, Kevin Humphrey, John Orr and Eddie Blumenthal.
Here’s a look at the Day 1a Chip Counts:
| Player | Count |
|---|---|
| Daniel Bekavac | 231,700 |
| Dan Almerli | 176,800 |
| John Orr | 156,600 |
| Kevin Boskey | 138,000 |
| Dave Grandin | 112,200 |
| Justin Filtz | 109,400 |
| Mark Soik | 106,700 |
| Jared Koppel | 104,900 |
| Joe Serratos | 89,900 |
| John Hayes | 87,400 |
| Kou Vang | 82,200 |
| Robert Keating | 79,000 |
| Andrew Stott | 78,000 |
| Eddie Blumenthal | 74,900 |
| Jack Ranallo | 73,100 |
| Jurate Bilar | 71,700 |
| Pat Steele | 69,700 |
| Kevin Humphrey | 62,800 |
| Tim Belstner | 61,200 |
| Tim Broeckert | 57,100 |
| Jason Mirza | 47,500 |
| Judy Simonsen | 43,000 |
| Tim Dunse | 42,400 |
| John Taylor | 40,600 |
| Alex Hahn | 36,800 |
| Nathan Frey | 32,200 |
| Craig Sharkus | 32,200 |
| Steve Lauson | 28,900 |
| Joanie Dovekas | 27,100 |
| Claudiu Aionesei | 24,200 |
| Melissa Verrett | 22,000 |
| Eric Winkle | 11,100 |
| Phil Koteski | 9,800 |
Day 1b is set to kick off at 17:00 PM CST. PokerNews will be sure to bring you updates and pictures from that flight, so be sure to check back then. In the meantime, check out some photos from Day 1a courtesy of the MSPT. For more photos, visit MSPT's Facebook gallery.
Updated 13:45 CST: Why Does the MSPT Love Ho-Chunk?
Last year the MSPT visited Wisconsin for the first time with an event at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells. The stop proved so successful that both parties opted to extend the relationship to two visits in Season 4. According to Chris 'Fox' Wallace, Ambassador for the MSPT, it was a great way for the tour to introduce itself to the Wisconsin market.
"Ho Chunk is one of our favorite stops on the tour," Wallace explained. "The hotel rooms are beautiful, the room is well run, and they treat us really well, but the real key to this event is the players. These fields are laughing, talking, smiling, having a beer, and enjoying themselves more than any other place I have played."
Fox was at the final table of the last event here in the Dells, and while he no longer plays MSPT main events because of his commentary duties, he said this is the event he will miss playing the most. "The final table here was a lot of fun, with some really strong and well known players like Mike 'Wisco' Murray and a mix of talkative players including the most entertaining player in MSPT history, Reggie Mims. I'm hoping Reggie makes the final table again, that would make my ob doing commentary a breeze."
Updated 02:20 CST: Day 1b Recap
Day 1b of the MSPT Ho-Chunk attracted 179 entries, which combined with Day 1a’s 121 brought the final total to 300 and created a prize pool of $300,000—a record in the state of Wisconsin. "We love it here at Ho-Chunk and with this huge increase in field size we are even more excited to make Ho-Chunk a major stop on the tour for the foreseeable future," said MSPT Founder Bryan Mileski.
After nine levels of play, Stuart Davidson emerged as the Day 1b chip leader with 152,400 in chips. Just 65 players survived the day, and that means with the 33 survivors from Day 1a 98 players will return at 10 a.m. CST for Day 2 action. Only 36 players will earn a payday, and just nine will make the final table, which will be live streamed right here on PokerNews.
Others who survived the night includedLarry Ormson, Steve Verrett, Doug Redman, Ben Smith, Chuck Kohler, Jon Tepp, Jeremy Dresch, Everett Carlton, Dan Sun and PokerNews’ own Chad Holloway, just to name a few.
Here’s a look at the MSPT Ho-Chunk payouts:
Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $76,668 |
| 2nd | $41,949 |
| 3rd | $27,773 |
| 4th | $18,805 |
| 5th | $14,465 |
| 6th | $11,572 |
| 7th | $10,126 |
| 8th | $8,679 |
| 9th | $7,233 |
| 10th-12th | $5,786 |
| 13th-15th | $4,050 |
| 16th-18th | $2,893 |
| 19th-27th | $2,314 |
| 28th-36th | $1,447 |
Also, here's a look at the Day 2 chip counts:
| Player | Count |
|---|---|
| Daniel Bekavac | 231,700 |
| Dan Almerli | 176,800 |
| John Orr | 156,600 |
| Stuart Davidson | 152,400 |
| Doug Redmann | 145,400 |
| Kevin Boskey | 138,000 |
| James Snyder | 136,100 |
| Paulin Karakikov | 132,400 |
| Larry Ormson | 114,600 |
| Dave Grandin | 112,200 |
| Justin Filtz | 109,400 |
| Daniel Vankorn | 106,800 |
| Mark Soik | 106,700 |
| Jared Koppel | 104,900 |
| Chad Holloway | 101,800 |
| Joe Serratos | 89,900 |
| Steve Anderson | 89,500 |
| John Hayes | 87,400 |
| Mavlik Shah | 84,800 |
| Kou Vang | 82,200 |
| Edward Ochana | 80,400 |
| John Tepp | 79,200 |
| Robert Keating | 79,000 |
| Andrew Stott | 78,000 |
| Nicholas Blumenthal | 74,900 |
| Jack Ranallo | 73,100 |
| Sam Desilva | 73,000 |
| John Reading | 72,100 |
| Jurate Bilar | 71,700 |
| Judi Gumila | 71,000 |
| Pat Steele | 69,700 |
| Charles Kahler | 68,100 |
| James Maxey | 66,400 |
| Jeff Petronack | 65,100 |
| Kevin Humphrey | 62,800 |
| Tim Belstner | 61,200 |
| Dale Wolf | 61,200 |
| Ryan Hartmann | 59,900 |
| Jason Smith | 59,600 |
| Brian Schumann | 58,600 |
| Michael Reynolds | 57,400 |
| Tim Broeckert | 57,100 |
| Steve Verrett | 56,500 |
| Darrin Roth | 55,200 |
| John Livingston | 53,500 |
| Harvey Lewis | 53,500 |
| Harry Finnimore | 53,300 |
| Rob WazWaz | 51,500 |
| Ed Janezich | 51,000 |
| Pao Vang | 49,800 |
| Mark Hodge | 49,500 |
| Jason Mirza | 47,500 |
| Jeremy Dresch | 47,400 |
| David Murray | 46,300 |
| Adam Wilkins | 45,900 |
| Winston Ackerman | 45,700 |
| Jeff Jelinek | 45,600 |
| Brian Zupancich | 44,900 |
| Dustin Schmitt | 44,600 |
| Michael Hartman | 44,000 |
| Judy Simonsen | 43,000 |
| Tim Dunse | 42,400 |
| John Taylor | 40,600 |
| Anthony Walter | 39,600 |
| Gary Velleman | 39,600 |
| Blake Luther | 38,900 |
| Everett Carlton | 38,800 |
| Ryan Ethridge | 37,900 |
| Shawn Quinn | 37,200 |
| Alex Hahn | 36,800 |
| Daniel Buckley | 36,800 |
| John Streblow | 35,600 |
| Gary Herstein | 35,200 |
| Dan Sherman | 35,000 |
| Tyler Sweeney | 34,000 |
| Saeed Ghasemimehr | 33,700 |
| Tin Quach | 33,600 |
| Reg Powell | 33,300 |
| Ping Lau | 33,000 |
| Nathan Frey | 32,200 |
| Craig Sharkus | 32,200 |
| Cory Zbinden | 30,900 |
| Dustin Panoff | 30,600 |
| Steve Lauson | 28,900 |
| Dave Watters | 27,600 |
| Joanie Dovekas | 27,100 |
| Alex Klatte | 27,100 |
| Russell Meyer | 26,600 |
| Harry Behling | 26,200 |
| Scott Wray | 26,100 |
| Ben Smith | 25,800 |
| Thomas Kubly | 25,400 |
| Claudiu Aionesei | 24,200 |
| Melissa Verrett | 22,000 |
| Dan Sun | 16,300 |
| Matt Alexander | 11,500 |
| Eric Winkle | 11,100 |
| Phil Koteski | 9,800 |
Updated 09:15 CST: Photos from Day 1b
Check out there photos from Day 1b courtesy of the MSPT. For more photos, visit MSPT's Facebook gallery.
Updated 16:15 CST: Day 2's March to the Final Table
Day 2 began with 98 hopefuls looking to make the top 36 and secure a payday, which meant 62 players left empty handed. Among them were Ben Smith, Kou Vang, Mike Reynolds and PokerNews' own Chad Holloway.
Reynolds was crippled with approximately 60 players remaining when he got his last 70,000 or so all in on a low flop holding AxAx. Larry Ormson called with JxJx, and a third Jx on the turn put a dagger through Reynold's heart. The river was a blank, Ormson doubled through, and Reynolds was eliminated on the vey next hand.
Despite their eliminations, both Reynolds and Holloway will be joining the MSPT's Chris "Fox" Wallace as commentators at the final table, which will be live streamed right here on PokerNews.
Updated 18:15 CST: The Final Table
The Mid-States Poker Tour Ho-Chunk final table will be live streamed on at 7:30 p.m. EST. Our very own Chad Holloway will be commentating alongside Chris "Fox" Wallace. Watch the action by clicking here.
Here's a look at the final table:
| Seat | Player | Hometown | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Steele | Chelsea, Michigan | 780,000 |
| 2 | Judi Gumila | Palis Hills, Illinois | 1,012,000 |
| 3 | Jeremy Dresch | Fridley, Minnesota | 700,000 |
| 4 | Daniel Bekavac | Chicago, Illinois | 1,368,000 |
| 5 | John Orr | Middleton, Wisconsin | 175,000 |
| 6 | Ryan Ethridge | Madison, Wisconsin | 544,000 |
| 7 | Jon Tepp | Waunakee, Wisconsin | 362,000 |
| 8 | Ryan Hartmann | Minneapolis, Minnesota | 406,000 |
| 9 | Craig Sharkus | Oconomowoc, Wisconsin | 388,000 |
| 10 | Larry Ormson | Elroy, Wisconsin | 275,000 |
Updated 22:00 CST: MSPT Ho-Chunk Final Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Bekavac | Chicago, IL | $76,668 |
| 2 | Ryan Hartmann | Minneapoliss, MN | $41,949 |
| 3 | Patrick Steele | Chelsea, MI | $27,773 |
| 4 | Jeremy Dresch | Fridley, MN | $18,805 |
| 5 | Larry Ormson | Elroy, WI | $14,465 |
| 6 | Judi Gumila | Palos Hills, IL | $11,572 |
| 7 | John Orr | Middleton, WI | $10,126 |
| 8 | Ryan Ethridge | Madison, WI | |
| 9 | Jon Tepp | Waunakee, WI | $7,233 |
| 10 | Craig Sharkus | Oconomowoc, WI | $5,786 |
| 11 | Robert Keating | Windsor, WI | $5,786 |
| 12 | Ulysses Wray | La Valle, WI | $5,786 |
| 13 | Pao Vang | Wausau, WI | $4,050 |
| 14 | Jeff Petronack | Hugo, MN | $4,050 |
| 15 | Mark Soik | Stevens Point, WI | $4,050 |
| 16 | John Hayes | St. Paul, MN | $2,893 |
| 17 | Maulik Shah | Madison, WI | $2,893 |
| 18 | Dan Almerli | Reedsburg, WI | $2,893 |
| 19 | Alex Hahn | Hartford, WI | $2,314 |
| 20 | Harry Finnimore | Platteville, WI | $2,314 |
| 21 | Harry Behling | Forest Lake, MN | $2,314 |
| 22 | Justin Filtz | Stevens Point, WI | $2,314 |
| 23 | Stuart Davidson | Arlington Heights, IL | $2,314 |
| 24 | Jared Koppel | Mpls, MN | $2,314 |
| 25 | Gary Velleman | Neenah, WI | $2,314 |
| 26 | Sam De Silva | Austin, MN | $2,314 |
| 27 | Edward Ochana | Elgin, WI | $2,314 |
| 28 | Kevin Humphrey | Tomah, WI | $1,447 |
| 29 | Brian Schumann | Kaukauna, WI | $1,447 |
| 30 | Eddie Blumenthal | Madison, WI | $1,447 |
| 31 | John Streblow | Wisconsin | $1,447 |
| 32 | John Taylor | Wisconsin | $1,447 |
| 33 | Doug Redman | Illinois | $1,447 |
| 34 | Pavlin Karakikov | Illinois | $1,447 |
| 35 | James Maxey | Minnesota | $1,447 |
| 36 | Brian Zupancich | Wisconsin | $1,447 |
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