Third Final Table the Charm: Adam Friedman Wins MSPT JACK Cleveland for $121,405
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Ohio poker pro Adam Friedman runs well at JACK Cleveland Casino. When the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) first visited them for a $1,100 Main Event back in January 2018, Friedman finished third out of 581 runners for $52,976.
This past January, he once again placed third, this time out of 725 entrants, for an additional $63,2983, and over the weekend he was not only at the final table again, but managed to top a 596-entry field to win it for $121,405 and his first MSPT title.
Friedman, primarily a cash mixed-game player, brought his lifetime tournament earnings up over $3 million, which was also boosted over the summer when he won the 2019 WSOP Event #35: $10,000 Dealers Choice Championship 6-Handed for $312,417 and bracelet three.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Friedman | Gahanna, Ohio | $121,405 |
| 2 | Spencer Wright | Jeddo, Michigan | $74,585 |
| 3 | Agostino Ragozzino | Girard, Ohio | $54,343 |
| 4 | Daniel Swartz | Cleveland, Ohio | $40,468 |
| 5 | Matthew McKenzie | Madison Heights, Michigan | $30,640 |
| 6 | Jeremy Chen | Rocky River, Ohio | $23,125 |
| 7 | Jason Trezak | Portage, Indiana | $17,922 |
| 8 | Ben Beever | Macomb Township, Michigan | $13,875 |
| 9 | Kurtis Boutelle | Frewsburg, New York | $10,984 |
| 10 | Justin Mihalek | Columbia Station, Ohio | $8,672 |
Others to cash the tournament was Michael Ermie (12th - $8,672), Dan Bekavac (15th - $6,937), popular Cleveland radio personality Michael “Triv” Trivisonno (16th - $5,781), former champ Abdul Amer (28th - $2,775), MSPT Season 4 POY Pat Steele (38th - $2,486), and MSPT Season 8 POY Chris Meyers (61st - $2,197).
Final Table Action
According to updates from the event, Friedman steadily chipped up at the final table and wouldn’t notch his first elimination until five-handed play. That is when Matthew McKenzie got his stack all in preflop holding the ace-nine of clubs only to see Friedman roll over ace-queen. The superior ace held and McKenzie was ousted in fifth place for $30,640.
Not long after, Friedman picked up two black jacks to bust Daniel Swartz, who failed to get lucky with ace-jack all in preflop, and in the very next hand the eventual champ dispatched Agostino Ragozzino. It happened when Ragozzino jammed holding ace-five and Friedman woke up with pocket nines. Ragozzino flopped a five but that was all the help he got before busting in third place for $54,343.
Friedman took a more than 3:1 chip lead into heads-up play against Spencer Wright, and in what would be the final hand of the tournament the latter called off holding a flopped flush draw against the former’s pocket aces. Wright failed to catch a diamond on the turn and river, and he had to settle for second place and $74,585 in prize money.
Season 10 of the MSPT continues this weekend with a $350 Regional Event at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota.
