Matthew Davis Wins MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship ($344,446)
Table Of Contents
Day 2 of The $1,100 MSPT Main Event at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, saw 303 players return for Day 2, all looking for their piece of the $2,336,730 prize pool and the top prize of $344,446. After 17 hours of play, it was Michigan’s own Matthew Davis who took down his first MSPT title.
“I feel like I played really well today,” the newly crowned MSPT champion said in his post-win interview with PokerNews. “I got lucky in a few key spots.”
Davis held just over $200,000 in lifetime live earnings on Hendon Mob with a previous best score of $98k. He now over doubles his live tournament earnings and more than triples his best live score to get onto Michigan’s top 100 of all time. A supportive rail stood by his side throughout the final table, rooting for him when he raked in a pot.
“I’m absolutely going to be playing other MSPTs,” the newest champion said. “100% and I’m looking forward to it.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Davis | $344,446 |
| 2 | Rinaldo Teodoro | $212,511 |
| 3 | Jason Zarlenga | $158,796 |
| 4 | Adam Williams(MI) | $123,767 |
| 5 | Justin Pimpedly | $94,810 |
| 6 | Chris Moon | $74,727 |
| 7 | Alex "TheOrca" Farcas | $58,381 |
| 8 | Ron Puleo | $45,537 |
| 9 | Alec Magdan | $36,196 |
Day 2 Action
A few players were not able to make it through to the money. Timothy Mulroy and Zinoviy Pelekh from last spring’s final table fell short of cashing. The last player to fall on the wrong side of the money bubble was Michigan pro Mario Arribas, who lost a flip to Brekstyn Schutten when his ace-king could not catch up to the pocket queens in Schutten’s hand.
More players fell after the money was reached including, Pat Steele (219th-$2,569), Ralph Massey (206th-$2,802), Aaron Massey (136th-$3,269), Jason “Clozer” Kapoor (106th-$3,503), and Rich Alsup (48th-$5,838). Defending champion Dan Bekavac did not see a second FireKeepers title claimed as his run ended in 44th place for $6,772.
It took well over an hour to reach the final table when the tournament reached 10 players, but ultimately it was Jerry Miller who’s ace-jack could not hold up against Rinaldo Teodoro’s king-five. Miller finished the tournament as the tenth place finisher, just outside the final table bubble, and collected $28,023 for his efforts.
Final Table Recap
The short-stacked Alec Magdan was the first to go. Being down to just one big blind with eleven players left, Magdan managed an impressive spin-up to get back to over 10 big blinds by the time the final table started. Magdan found himself involved in a three-way all-in where both Ron Puleo’s ace-queen and Alex “TheOrca” Farcas’ ace-jack. A jack-high board saw the pot go in the direction of Farcas and Magdan exited in ninth place for $36,196.
Following him out the door was Ron Puleo who ended his tournament in eighth place when he moved his short stack in from the small blind jack-eight suited, only for Justin Pimpedly to call in the big blind with ace-ten suited. The board ran out ten high and Puleo collected $45,537 for his efforts.
Alex “TheOrca” Farcas found himself on the bad end of many big pots and saw his early final table gains disappearing. He moved in his final three million over Pimpedly’s raise, only to see Jason Zarlenga four-bet on his immediate left. Pimpedly got out of the way and Zarlenga turned over two aces which were ahead and held against Farcas’ jacks. Farcas collected $58,381 for his first MSPT cash.
Chris Moon began the final table as the chip leader, but after doubling up Zarlenga when his queens could not beat Zarlenga’s ace-jack, and doubling up Davis, when his king-jack could not hold against Davis’ king-ten, he found himself in the bottom half of the chip counts. He moved in his remaining chips from the button with ace-three, only to get called by Zarlenga’s ace-king and failed to find any improvement on the runout. The 2019 MSPT Firekeepers champion found his deep run coming to an end in sixth place for $74,727.
Justin Pimpedly ended his deep run in fifth place for $94,810. He raised in first position and was faced with an all in from Davis. After some thinking he called with his nines, only to see Davis holding a pair of tens. The board ran out as no help to Pimpedly and he wished his tablemates good luck as he exited the tournament.
Adam Williams(MI) started the final table as one of the short stacks, but managed to find several ladders to ensure himself $123,676. His deep run ended in fourth place when his jack-nine ran into the pocket sevens of Davis and no improvement was possible after the sevens hit a set on the turn.
2014 MSPT FireKeepers champion Jason Zarlenga seemed to be poised to get heads up with Davis, but he surrendered a double to Rinaldo Teodoro when his ace-nine could not improve against pocket queens. He got in his remaining chips with king-queen up against Davis’ ace-nine and could not improve. Zarlenga ended his deep run in third place for $158,796.
Heads-up between Teodoro and Davis saw little mobility in either direction, with stacks remaining the same throughout their heads-up match. That all came to a head when Davis called on the button, only to see Teodoro raise then call an all-in bet with ace-six. Davis held pocket sevens and a seven on the flop and blank on the turn sealed Teodoro’s fate. He collects $212,511 for his impressive runner-up finish.
This wraps up coverage of the MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship. Be sure to stay tuned to the PokerNews team for live updates from your favorite poker tours from all over the world
