Day 1a of The MSPT Firekeepers Main Event Begins Today at Noon
The biggest poker tournament in Michigan, returns at 12 p.m. today. For the second time this year, the Mid-States Poker Tour is making an appearance at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan for its' $1,100 Main Event No-Limit Hold'em. This prestigious event boasts an impressive guaranteed prize pool of $1,000,000, the biggest guarantee on any tournaments in the Midwest, and the biggest of any Mid-States Poker Tour outside of Las Vegas. Last time’s prize pool was built up
The players will sit down with 25,000 in starting chips with blinds at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante and levels going up every 40 minutes. After every three levels, there will be a 10-minute break. After Level 9 there will be a 40-minute dinner break, after which the players will come back, play an additional three levels until registration closes. After which, the players will play three more levels and then bag up for the day at the end of Level 15. Play may end early for some flights, if only 12% of the field remains, then the flight will end, and play on Day 2 will return to the level of the earliest ending flight. The players who do not bag the Day 1a flight will have opportunities to play the flights on Friday the 14th or Saturday the 15th. This tournament is unlimited re-entry, so all players will have the option to fire as many bullets as necessary.
Last May it was Dan Bekavac, the all time main event winner, that won this tournament after a three-handed deal for his biggest lifetime score of $252,020. In a record-breaking field of 2,330, that created a prize pool of $2,258,600, Bekavac put on a big stack clinic, and his aggressive style saw him collect his fourth MSPT title as well as taking the points lead for player of the year. Bekavac will be back and looking to defend his title to potentially navigate another massive main event field.
MSPT FireKeepers Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1st | Dan Bekavac | $252,090* |
| 2nd | CJ Peake | $241,290* |
| 3rd | Marquez Davis | $198,975* |
| 4th | Zinoviy Pelekh | $119,706 |
| 5th | Jonathan Johnson | $91,699 |
| 6th | Alex Oberlin | $72,275 |
| 7th | Timothy Mulroy | $56,465 |
| 8th | Ruben Delgado | $44,043 |
| 9th | Elliot Hebden | $35,008 |
*Denotes three-handed deal.
Bekavac is not out of the woods yet in terms of player of the year. Last time’s runner up, CJ Peake sits just behind him on the points. His second place earned him $241,290 for a career best score, and on top of many other deep runs this year in MSPT events, as well as another second place in MSPT Iowa, another deep run could tee him up to pass Bekavac and take player of the year for himself. Time will tell as both players will come out to play this event.
Other players who could potentially rise up the player of the year rankings include Josh Reichard,John Dennehey, and Miles Barnum. Each looking to add a deep run to each of their already impressive runs. Others who are likely to make appearances at this stop include MSPT champions Bobby Noel, Kyna England, Dan Sepiol, WSOP bracelet winner Chris Tryba, Ralph Massey, and Aaron Massey.
A star-studded field is expected to appear, so stay tuned to PokerNews for continued updates on the flights, the second day, and the eventual winner of the tournament.