Terry Ring Wins PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Main Event
Terry Ring of Durant, Iowa won the PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Main Event Sunday night for $87,694 and the RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet. This was the fourth time the MSPT has been to Meskwaki in Tama, Iowa, and the large field of 342 entries ensured that the MSPT will be rolling into Meskwaki again and again over the coming years.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terry Ring | Durant, IA | $87,694 |
| 2 | Nick Jivkov | Des Plaines, IL | $47,983 |
| 3 | Kevin Boskey | Naperville, IL | $31,768 |
| 4 | Dominic Giarango | Oak Park, IL | $21,510 |
| 5 | Doyle Elwell | Carney, IA | $16,546 |
| 6 | Dave Gonia | White Bear Lake, MN | $13,237 |
| 7 | Eric Loehr | Robbinsdale, MN | $11,582 |
| 8 | Mark Sandness | Wayzata, MN | $9,928 |
| 9 | Blair Hinkle | Kansas City, MO | $8,273 |
The final table may have been the toughest in MSPT history. A brief list of accomplishments from the participants of this stacked final table read like a who's who of poker in the Midwest:
- Blair Hinkle — Over $1.5 million in live tournament earnings and a World Series of Poker gold bracelet
- Nick Jivkov - WSOP bracelet winner and two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner
- David Gonia - Winner of over $94,000 and an MSPT bracelet in January at Running Aces Harness Park
Also of note is that Blake Bohn, recent winner of the Chicago Poker Classic Main Event for $288,171, finished in 10th place for $6,618.
Poker pros Mark Sandness and Eric Loehr were also at the final table, and there was not a weak spot in the group. The amateurs more than held their own as Ring went on to beat Jivkov after a tough heads-up battle to take home the bracelet and a pile of cash. This proved to be by far the largest score of Ring's career. Jivkov earned just shy of $48,000 for his runner-up finish, the third-largest score of his poker career and pushing over the $500,000 mark in live tournament earnings.
Ring was careful and quiet at the final table, grinding down his opponents with small bets and winning nearly every pot he played. The cards fell exactly when he needed them, allowing him to bust a number of players at the final table and go into the heads-up match with a big chip lead that Jivkov could not overcome.
The next MSPT stop is at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota April 20-28, and the tour is hoping to set an attendance record as the fields are always huge at this venue. The tour will stop at Meskwaki twice more this year, with the next stop there being held July 20-28 and boasting a $300,000 guarantee.
For more information on the complete MSPT schedule, visit MSPTPoker.com.
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