Armando Mesina Wins MSPT Sycuan Casino $360 Regional Event
The MSPT Sycuan Casino $360 Regional Event attracted 1,047 runners over three flights, but only 131 of them returned for Sunday’s Day 2 finale. It took 10 hours of play before the final seven players agreed to a seven-way ICM deal that ultimately saw chip leader Armando Mesina, a 65-year-old retired Navy veteran, claim the trophy and $33,329 in prize money.
Prior to the win, Mesina had $83,444 in live tournament earnings according to The Hendon Mob. His MSPT score proved to be a career-high, just surpassing the $31,805 he received for finishing seventh in the 2013 Legends of Poker $150 Mega Million VII at the Bicycle Casino back in 2013.
MSPT Sycuan Regional Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Count | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Armando Mesina | 6.5 million | $33,329* |
| 2 | Young Hilliard | 5.655 million | $31,265* |
| 3 | Tiffany Nguyen | 5.295 million | $30,312* |
| 4 | John Yi | 3.63 million | $25,177* |
| 5 | Derek Jensen | 1.99 million | $18,484* |
| 6 | Matthew Blagg | 1.68 million | $16,956* |
| 7 | Michael Rosado | 1.455 million | $15,781* |
| 8 | Philip Bruning | N/A | $5,002 |
*Denotes 7-way ICM chop.
It took less than 45 minutes of play on Day 2 for 19 players to fall, including 2020 WSOP.com $1,000 NLHE Championship bracelet winner Nahrain Tamero. That left the top 112 players getting a piece of a $312,600 prize pool.
Among those to cash but fall short of the final table were Day 1a chip leader Happy Spaulding (9th - $4,376), Kobe Brown (15th - $2,626), Adrianne Hall (21st - $2,157), Anthony Bland (42nd - $1,219), WSOP bracelet winner and Day 1b chip leader Ben Moon (55th - $1,125), Bob Chow (62nd - $1,032), Brad Sailor (63rd - $1,032), and Harold Singleton (80th - $907).
At the final table, Philip Bruning began as the third-biggest stack, but two coinflips in near succession ended his run in eighth place. First, his pocket eights failed to hold against ace-king, and shortly thereafter he got it in with pocket threes and once again losing, this time to ace-jack. Bruning took home $5,002 for his eight-place finish, and not long after the final seven agreed to an ICM deal to end the tournament.
That concludes the PokerNews live updates until next weekend’s $1,100 Main Event. In the meantime, there’s still plenty of side event action to be had at the MSPT Showdown Series here at San Diego’s Sycuan Casino.
| Date | Time (PST) | Event | GTD | Total Chips |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, May 3 | 10 a.m. | $80 Sunrise NLH | - | 10,000 |
| Monday, May 3 | Noon | Event #5: $360 Seniors (50+) NLHE | - | 10,000 |
| Monday May 3 | 4 p.m. | Event #6: $250 Turbo Super Stack NLHE | - | 25,000 |
| Monday, May 3 | 8 p.m. | $135 Nightly Deep Stack | - | 12,000 |
| Tuesday, May 4 | 10 a.m. | $80 Sunrise NLH | - | 10,000 |
| Tuesday, May 4 | Noon | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Tuesday, May 4 | 2 p.m. | Event #7: $360 PLO 8 of Better | - | 15,000 |
| Tuesday, May 4 | 5 p.m. | Event #8: $250 MSPT Tag Team Championship ($125/player) | - | $10,000 |
| Wednesday, May 5 | 10 a.m. | $80 Sunrise NLHE | - | 10,000 |
| Wednesday, May 5 | Noon | Event #9: $250 Hump Day Showdown NLHE | - | 15,000 |
| Wednesday, May 5 | 7 p.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Thursday, May 6 | 10 a.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Thursday, May 6 | 3 p.m. | Event #10: $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 1a | $200,000 | 25,000 |
| Thursday, May 6 | 8 p.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Friday, May 7 | 10 a.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Friday, May 7 | 3 p.m. | Event #10: $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 1b | $200,000 | 25,000 |
| Friday, May 7 | 8 p.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Sautrday, May 8 | 10 a.m. | $265 satellite - 1 in 5 advance to Main Event | - | 15,000 |
| Saturday, May 8 | 3 p.m. | Event #10: $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 1c | $200,000 | 25,000 |
| Saturday, May 8 | 8 p.m. | $135 Nightly Deep Stack | - | 12,000 |
| Sunday, May 9 | 11 a.m. | Event #10: $1,110 MSPT Main Event Day 2 | $200,000 | - |
| Sunday, May 9 | Noon | Event #11: $360 Last Chace Showdown NLHE | - | 15,000 |
| Sunday, May 9 | 4 p.m. | $135 Nightly Deep Stack | 12,000 |