$1,100 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2019 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship
$1,100 Main Event
Day: 2
Level 33
: 120,000/240,000, 30,000 ante
It was a long journey to the finish line at the 2019 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship $1,100 Main Event as 660 entries came out to Milwaukee's Potawatomi Hotel & Casino over three starting days. Seventy-eight returned for Day 2 Sunday, and it took more than 18 levels for a winner to be determined.
Gerald Heath was that winner, coming out on top for a first-place prize of $130,935. Heath agreed after the tournament that it was a long weekend, but had more commentary to add on said weekend: “Best ever for me, man. No doubt."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerald Heath | Naperville, IL | $130,935 |
| 2 | Nicola Ditrapani | Rolling Meadows, IL | $79,838 |
| 3 | Wai Ngai | Brooklyn, NY | $59,399 |
| 4 | Gary Herstein | Chicago, IL | $44,070 |
| 5 | Josh Reichard | Janesville, WI | $33,212 |
| 6 | Yao Yin | La Crosse, WI | $24,909 |
| 7 | Li Shen | Wilmette, IL | $19,161 |
| 8 | Paul Camby | Guerneville, CA | $15,329 |
| 9 | Luke Goodwillie | Highland Park, IL | $11,497 |
Day 2 Action
The clock was turned back from the 15 levels that played to completion over the first two starting flights as the final heat reached a hard stop shortly before the end of Level 14. Of the 78 to return, 72 players were set to make it into the money. Play started slowly due to the extended time, and the bubble burst shortly before the end of Level 16 after nearly two full levels of play.
Players dropped quickly at first upon reaching the money, but the pace of play steadied again not long after. It took three more hours for the field to be halved, and Heath rode a small roller coaster through that time. He chipped up from his start-of-day 196,000 to 288,000 in the first couple hours and then won a huge coin flip with ace-king to pocket queens after hitting a king on the river to become one of the chip leaders in the tournament.
However, Heath then lost half his stack and hung around until 15 players remained, scoring another double through Li Shen. Meanwhile, other players such as Yao Yin, Josh Reichard, and Wai Ngai all began leading charges to eclipse 2 million in chips.
The Final Table
When the final table was reached, Heath was seventh in chips with just under 1 million. Gary Herstein quickly found a double with two jacks, getting stacks in preflop against Reichard’s tens. Shortly thereafter, short-stacked Alin Cotolan also doubled but found himself bounced from the tournament a half-hour later in 10th place.
Play continued to progress slowly with small pots being the norm, and stacks evened out as the blinds continued to escalate. It was another hour before Luke Goodwillie would bow out at the expense of Heath, and nearly another hour passed by from there before Paul Camby and Shen were eliminated in short succession.
When six-handed play began, Heath had pulled away as the chip leader. Yin was the next to be eliminated after folding down to one big blind, and play went on with more small pots that led to all five remaining stacks pulling nearly even. Nearly 90 minutes later, Reichard took fifth place when he shoved jack-ten into Ngai’s ace-seven. He flopped a ten on a board that also gave Ngai a gutshot straight draw, and he turned another ten to leave Ngai with four outs. However, one of those outs hit on the river to knock out the former MSPT champion.
Another full level then went by, bringing the average stack in the tournament to only 15 big blinds with no significant pots played. Then came the turning point in the tournament; Heath and Nicola Ditrapani had both pulled away from Ngai and Herstein a bit, and the two chip leaders got stacks in the middle on a king-five-four flop with two hearts. Ditrapani had queen-ten suited for a flush draw and Heath held a set of fives. Heath held and found himself with a huge chip advantage.
Some back-and-forth action went on between the now-three small stacks, with Herstein being the next one to bust. Ten minutes later, Heath knocked out Ngai and entered the heads-up match with all but three big blinds worth of chips in play. It wasn’t long before Ditrapani got his last chips in with jack-nine, only to run into Heath’s queen-jack. No help came and Heath claimed the title.
When asked about what he is going to do with the money, Heath said he is going to pay a few bills and help his kids.The win was Heath’s second victory of the year, saying he took down a tournament recently for around $16,000.
“It’s been a good year.”
Season 10 of the MSPT continues next weekend with the $1,100 Denver Poker Open, which PokerNews will also live report.
Level 33
: 120,000/240,000, 30,000 ante
Nicola Ditrapani put in his last 860,000 from the small blind and Gerald Heath called in the big blind.
Nicola Ditrapani: 
Gerald Heath: 
Ditrapani would need three outs and a lot more to come behind it to make a run at the tournament. He would not do so as the board came 
, making him the second-place finisher in the tournament, good for $79,838.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
13,200,000
1,215,000
|
1,215,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 33
: 120,000/240,000, 30,000 ante
Wai Ngai doubled Nicola Ditrapani and then was all in for his last 260,000 from the small blind after Ditrapani limped in from the button. Gerald Heath called from the big blind and Ditrapani called the last 20,000.
Both players checked through the runout 
Wai Ngai: 
Nicola Ditrapani: 
Gerald Heath: 
The king on the river gave Heath the best hand, sending Ngai to the rail in third place and further extending his chip lead to all but three big blinds in the entire tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,985,000
270,000
|
270,000 |
|
|
880,000
315,000
|
315,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 33
Blinds: 120,000/240,000
Ante: 30,000
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Wai Ngai went all in for his last 275,000 fro the button and was called by both Gerald Heath in the small blind and Nicola Ditrapini in the big blind. Heath and Ditrapini checked through the runout 
to take the hand to showdown.
Wai Ngai: 
Nicola Ditrapani: 
Gerald Heath: 
Ngai found a triple to plant himself into second in the counts for the time being.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,715,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
915,000
610,000
|
610,000 |
|
|
565,000
-305,000
|
-305,000 |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,630,000 | |
|
|
870,000
-870,000
|
-870,000 |
|
|
305,000
-1,215,000
|
-1,215,000 |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Gary Herstein shoved all in from the button for 1.04 million and was called by Gerald Heath in the big blind.
Gary Herstein:
Gerald Heath: 
The flop came to give Heath a pair of sevens and leave Herstein needing to hit a king to stay in the tournament. He would be unable to do so on the turn 
as well as the river and wound up as the fourth-place finisher of the tournament as a result.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,630,000
2,430,000
|
2,430,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Nicola Ditrapani went all in from the button for 540,000 and was called by both Gary Herstein in the small blind and Wai Ngai in the big blind. Herstein and Ngai checked through the runout 
and all three hands were tabled.
Nicola Ditrapani:
Gary Herstein: 
Wai Ngai: 
Ditrapani's aces remained best to vault him to second in chips with 1.74 million, leaving Herstein as the shortest stack in the tournament in the process.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,740,000
1,170,000
|
1,170,000 |
|
|
1,520,000
-580,000
|
-580,000 |
|
|
795,000
-570,000
|
-570,000 |
Level 32
: 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante
Nicola Ditrapani went all in for 225,000 from the small blind and Gary Herstein called the remaining 25,000 from the big blind.
Nicola Ditrapani:
Gary Herstein: 
Ditrapani hit a six on the flop 
and held on the turn 
and river to earn the double and stay alive.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,365,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
|
|
570,000
345,000
|
345,000 |