Kou Vang completed the blind, and David Gutfreund raised to 4,600. Vang made the call, and the two saw a flop. Vang check-called 5,600, and a turned. Both players checked, and they did the same after the hit the river.
The MSPT first visited Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Season 3 from Sept. 8-16, 2012. The $1,100 Main Event, which was the first major event of any kind to be held in the casino, attracted 244 entrants and created a prize pool of $243,600, which was a state record at the time. Straight away the traveling pros were impressed by the venue, while local players had similar feelings toward the tour.
“I was really impressed with how things went here this week,” said Minnesota’s Chris “Fox” Wallace. “This is a perfect location and could definitely be a match made in heaven. The players here are passionate and craving this.”
Likewise, Madison’s Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon fell in love with the MSPT: “This week was a blast. This was my first MSPT event and I couldn’t have been more impressed. I loved the structure and how well things are run. Hopefully the MSPT will be back soon and often.”
The final table ended up including several local players like Derek Harvey, Lester Ray, and Mike Murray, but it was an outside who eventually won the title. Joe Illingworth, a teacher from Newton, Iowa, had qualified for the tournament through a $90 satellite and managed to finish as the overall Day 1 leader. He eventually made it to the final table as the chip leader, and then onward to the winner’s circle.
“I had a lot of fun and the structure is phenomenal,” Illingworth said before addressing the final hand. “I wasn’t too happy having to call with threes, but he had been pushing a lot all-in and I knew I had the best hand at that time. I just figured its time. I wanted to make sure I at least had the best hand going in.”
Indeed he did as his was ahead of Tim Treffert’s . The board ran out and the first-ever MSPT Ho-Chunk Main Event came to an end.
Here’s a look at the Season 3 MSPT Ho-Chunk final table:
The MSPT Season 3 Ho-Chunk final table.
Place
Player
Prize
1
Joe Illingworth
$65,742
2
Tim Treffert
$35,219
3
Mike Murray
$22,305
4
Reggie Mims
$16,435
5
Lester Ray
$14,088
6
Sunshine Williams
$10,566
7
Chris Wallace
$8,922
8
Derek Harvey
$7,983
9
John Orr
$6,574
10
Erik Burton
$5,400
Season 4
The PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour returned to Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells from March 16-24, 2013 for the first of two stops in Season 4. The tournament attracted 300 entrants and created a prize pool of $299,800, which was a new state record.
Extra tables and dealers were set up to accommodate the huge field of 179 players on Day 1b after 121 players came out for Day 1a. The Main Event was run in a separate space from the poker room, leaving the poker room open for a horde of cash-game players who were also in town for the event.
"This location is so much fun, and the action is incredible,” said MSPT founder Bryan Mileski. “I'm really looking forward to Ho-Chunk becoming a staple on the tour and seeing these players multiple times a year for the foreseeable future. The staff is great, and after two events, they really know how to run an MSPT event and create a great environment for the players. Wisconsin has so many great players that they really deserve some big events like the MSPT, and Ho-Chunk is a great place for it."
Interestingly, Jeremy Dresch earned his fifth MSPT cash and fourth MSPT final table. Dresch already had one bracelet and two runner-up finishes on his résumé before placing fourth at Ho-Chunk for $18,805 — giving him $126,834 in career MSPT earnings.
Patrick Steele of Chelsea, Michigan played his first-ever MSPT event at FireKeepers just two weeks before the stop at Ho-Chunk and placed fourth for $18,364. In Wisconsin, Steele finished in third for $27,772. As you know, both scores helped propel him to the MSPT Season 4 Player of the Year title.
It’s also worth noting that two local players – Larry Ormson and John Orr – were at the final table. Ormson is a familiar face on the World Poker Tour, while Orr, a local businessman, made back-to-back final tables at the MSPT Ho-Chunk. Orr ultimately finished in seventh place for $10,126 while Ormson took fifth for $14,465.
Daniel Bekavac from Chicago, Illinois, was the eventual winner and he earned $76,668 for the win along with the RF Moeller Diamond championship bracelet. Bekavac beat Minnesota pro Ryan Hartmann in a tough heads-up battle, with Hartmann earning $41,949 for his runner-up finish.
Eight months later, the MSPT was back at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells from November 2-10. Once again the field increased – 305 entrants created a $305,000 prize pool – and of course that set a new state record.
MSPT Player of the Year contender Brett Kuznia headlined a tough final table. However, it was 22-year old Josh Reichard of Janesville, Wisconsin who walked away with the $78,003 first-place prize and the RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet. The win marked Reichard’s second MSPT cash — he placed 15th in the very first stop at Ho-Chunk in September of 2012.
Reichard, who survived the Day 1b starting flight in the middle of the pack, began final table as the chip leader with 300,000 more than his next closest opponent. The sizable chip lead helped him overcome some stiff competition to notch the biggest score of his career.
For more on the MSPT's upcoming stop at Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells, visit MSPTpoker.com. Also, don’t forget PokerNews will be live reporting the event, which you can follow in our Live Reporting section.
Josh Reichard opened for 3,500 preflop, and he found one caller in the blinds. A flop hit the board, and the small blind check-called 4,000. When a came, Reichard bet 7,500 after his opponent checked, only to see him wake up with a check-raise to 20,000. Reichard put the player all in for 42,700 more, and he called it off.
Reichard:
Opponent:
Reichard was poised to add even more chips to his large stack, but an river ruined that by giving his opponent aces up to double.
A player raised to 4,200 from middle position, and Aaron Johnson three-bet to 9,900 in the hijack. Action folded back to the raiser, who shoved for about 65,000 total. Johnson made the call, immediately flipping . His opponent had , and Johnson flopped a set to widen his lead on the flop. An made it a sweat, as the queens would win if a heart came, but the board paired with the to give Johnson a boat.
Mike Shin bet 4,300 from early position on a flop. His opponent in middle position made the call, and Shin checked the turn. The middle-position player bet 7,000, which Shin called before checking the river. The middle-position player fired 15,000 this time, and Shin thought for about a minute before tossing in a call.
flop. Vang check-called 5,600, and a 
turned. Both players checked, and they did the same after the 
hit the river.
to take the pot.
was ahead of Tim Treffert’s 
. The board ran out 
and the first-ever MSPT Ho-Chunk Main Event came to an end.
came, Reichard bet 7,500 after his opponent checked, only to see him wake up with a check-raise to 20,000. Reichard put the player all in for 42,700 more, and he called it off.
river ruined that by giving his opponent aces up to double.
, and Johnson flopped a set to widen his lead on the 
to give Johnson a boat.
turn. The middle-position player bet 7,000, which Shin called before checking the 
