Last Stop of MSPT Season 6 Begins Friday; Canterbury Park Main Event Dec. 11-13
Season 6 of the Mid-States Poker Tour has been a huge success – just check out the chart at the bottom of this page if you don't believe us — however, all good things must come to an end. For this season, the end will come at the MSPT Canterbury Park.
Interestingly, the stop was the first-ever for the MSPT, which back then was known as the Minnesota State Poker Tour. Since then, Canterbury Park, which plays host to two stops each season, has served as the season-ending event.
MSPT Canterbury Park will run from December 4-13 and feature a series of qualifiers before the $200,000 guaranteed $1,100 buy-in Main Event from Friday, December 11 through Sunday, December 13. Canterbury has cleared 430 entrants the last three times they've been there, so history shows a $400K+ prize pool will likely be on the line.
That tournament, which only requires participants to be 18 years old to register, is the last chance for players to accumulate coveted Player of the Year Points. Right now, Mark Hodge sits atop with 3,540 points, but with a $200,000 guarantee at Canterbury, the stop will award a minimum of 1,200 points (more likely 1,400-1,500 depending on the size of the field).
That means a slew or players have a chance to catch Hodge, who recently spoke to PokerNews about holding the lead. You can read about that by clicking here. One man who will there looking to catch him is MSPT Pro and two-time champ Blake Bohn, who needs to finish eighth or better to reclaim the lead.
"Canterbury Park has always served as the MSPT's season-ending stop, and it never seems to fail that the POY race comes down to the wire while there," said MSPT owner and operator Bryan Mileski. "This year is no different, and we can't wait to see who comes out on top."
Others confirmed to participates are the other MSPT Pros – Matt Alexander, Matt Kirby, and Nick Pupillo – as well as Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler, who actually designed the tournament's structure.
In addition, the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand to capture all the action from that event, which means players will have the opportunity to use the MyStack app to update their hands and chip counts straight into the live blog.
To download the MyStack app absolutely free on either Apple or Android, click here.
"The MSPT has reached the culminating event of another successful season, and there’s going to be plenty on the line at Canterbury Park in December," added PokerNews Editor-in-Chief Donnie Peters. "While everyone is no doubt excited about the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool that will be up for grabs, we can’t forget about the 2015 MSPT Player of the Year race that will come right down to the wire. Mark Hodge leads tour pro Blake Bohn with several others still able to win, and this one will be as exciting as ever to watch play out."
The last time the MSPT was at Canterbury Park was back in April when Dan "DQ" Hendrickson topped a field of 430 entrants to capture the $106,182 first-place prize. That created a $430,000 prize pool — more than double the guarantee — and similar numbers are expected for the latest stop.
Here's a look at the MSPT Canterbury Park schedule:
| Day | Event | Buy-In | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 4 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, December 5 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Sunday, December 6 | Canterbury Weekly Event | $50 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Sunday, December 6 | Canterbury Weekly Event | $100 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Monday, December 7 | Canterbury Weekly Event | $50 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Monday, December 7 | Canterbury Weekly Event Green Bounty | $120 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday, December 8 | Super Satellite | $65 | 6:30 p.m |
| Wednesday, December 9 | Canterbury Weekly Event | $50 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Wednesday, December 9 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, December 10 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 12:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, December 10 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Friday, December 11 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Friday, December 11 | MSPT Main Event Day 1a | $1,100 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, December 12 | MSPT Qualifier | $250 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Saturday, December 12 | MSPT Main Event Day 1b | $1,100 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, December 13 | MSPT Main Event Day 2 | - | 11:00 a.m. |
The Main Event will be held over three days beginning Friday evening with Day 1a at 4 p.m. Day 1a will play 14 levels. Saturday's Day 1b will start at 4 p.m. and also play 14 levels. Players who advance from Main Event Flight 1a to Day 2 are not eligible to play in Flight 1b. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned. The Main Event final table will be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) worldwide on msptpoker.com using RFID technology allowing all viewers to see the hole cards.
Here's a look at those who've capture titles in Season 6 thus far:
| Dates | Event | Entrants | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 15-25, 2015 | MSPT bestbet Jacksonville | 421 | Brian Arbaugh | $102,806 |
| Jan. 30 – Feb. 8, 2015 | MSPT Running Aces | 354 | Erv Bjerga | $91,941 |
| Feb. 14-22, 2015 | MSPT Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells | 463 | Ben Wiora | $114,512 |
| March 5-15 | MSPT Golden Gates | 409 | Kane Lai | $101,365 |
| March 21-29 | MSPT Meskwaki | 371 | Chad Willett | $96,760 |
| April 4-12 | MSPT Potawatomi | 635 | Jason Mirza | $147,529 |
| April 6-19 | MSPT Maryland Live! Casino | 270 | Greg Himmelbrand | $72,910 |
| April 17-26 | MSPT Canterbury Park | 430 | Dan Hendrickson | $106,182 |
| May 9-17 | MSPT FireKeepers Casino | 614 | Mark Rubenstein | $142,637 |
| June 1-5 | MSPT Venetian | 1,964 | Angelina Rich | $215,815 |
| July 24-26 | MSPT Meskwaki | 410 | Blake Bohn | $101,229 |
| August 14-16 | MSPT Grand Falls | 238 | Alan Curl | $64,941 |
| August 21-23 | MSPT Tropicana Evansville | 251 | Michael O'Neill | $67,746 |
| September 4-6 | MSPT Potawatomi | 462 | Dan Goepel | $114,117 |
| September 18-20 | MSPT Running Aces | 328 | Peixin Liu | $85,498 |
| October 10-18 | MSPT FireKeepers Casino | 559 | Michael Ferraroti | $134,642 |
| November 6-8 | MSPT Meskwaki | 410 | Rich Alsup | $101,229 |
| November 20-22 | MSPT Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells | 379 | John Hayes | $98,907 |
For more information, head on over to msptpoker.com or follow them on Twitter @msptpoker.
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