Josh Crain Braves the Blizzard, Wins MSPT Golden Gates for $102,199
The Mid-States Poker Tour ventured out of its home region to Black Hawk, Colo., for its stop at Golden Gates, traditionally one of the largest on the tour. When all was said and done in the $1,100 Main Event, Josh Crain emerged as the victor over a field of 439 runners to take down $102,199 on Sunday night.
MSPT events at Golden Gates have drawn upwards of 500 players in the past, but numbers were a bit depressed by a massive snowstorm that dumped roughly three feet of snow on the mountain town located just west of Denver.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh Crain | Denver, CO | $102,199 |
| 2 | Jason Vanstrom | Colorado Springs, CO | $61,745 |
| 3 | Nathan Hoh | Boulder, CO | $40,241 |
| 4 | Mike Ross | Chicago, IL | $27,892 |
| 5 | Jackson White | Houston, TX | $21,292 |
| 6 | William Prieto | Arvada, CO | $16,394 |
| 7 | Griffin Malatino | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $13,627 |
| 8 | TJ Thondup | Santa Fe, NM | $11,284 |
| 9 | Khoa Nguyen | Littleton, CO | $9,539 |
| 10 | Tyler Corbett | Denver, CO | $7,239 |
Forty-five places were paid, and the money bubble burst early on Day 2, according to the live updates. Players making the money included Ben Keeline (45th), Danny Gonzales (29th), "Farmer" Phil Mader (28th), former MSPT Golden Gates runner-up Jonathan McCray (17th), and Corey Zedo (12th).
It looked like a bracelet winner would make the final table as Colorado native Adrian Buckley, who won last year's World Series of Poker Millionaire Maker to the tune of more than $1.2 million, held a big stack for much of Day 2. However, he ran into a bad spot when he jammed his last 12 big blinds on the button with the A♠10♠ and saw Mike Ross wake up with two aces in one of the blinds. That sent Buckley packing in 11th and secured everyone else a final table seat.
Tyler Corbett, who has also finished runner-up at MSPT Golden Gates, was first to go at the final table after running sevens into the queens of Nathan Hoh.
Crain then found an early double after coming to the final table with just a few big blinds when his K♣K♦ held against the Q♠Q♦ of TJ Thondup. Thondup had come in as the leader but found himself out in eighth after Khoa Nguyen busted ninth.
Following the elimination of Griffin Malatino, Crain put his last 675,000 in over an open from Hoh in Level 30 (50,000/100,000/10,000). Hoh was priced in with the 10♥9♥ and took a big lead against Crain's K♠Q♠ after the 4♥7♥10♣ flopped. However, a Q♣ arrived on the river to save Crain.
After William Prieto and Jackson White hit the rail, Ross saw his run end in fourth. He put his last 11 big blinds in with the Q♥10♥ over an open from Hoh, who called and won with the Q♣J♦. Hoh's joy was short-lived, however, as he got in a massive flip with the A♣K♠ against Crain's 7♣7♠ and saw the pair hold up as the board rolled out 5♠6♦4♠10♦Q♠.
Crain had a big chip lead over Jason Vanstrom heads up, and he was able to finish the job quickly with a bit of good fortune. He called a shove of 1.3 million at 80,000/160,000/20,000 with the 10♣9♥ and had live cards against the A♣4♥. Vanstrom paired his ace as the A♠7♦8♣ hit the felt and was fading jacks and sixes. A brick arrived on the turn, but the J♠ river sealed his fate in second.
*Image courtesy of MSPT.
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