The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) returned to Running Aces Casino for the Winter Poker Classic and the turnout didn’t disappoint.
The $1,100 Main Event was one to remember as a total of 1,015 entries were tallied (238 from Day 1a; 348 from 1b; 429 from 1c), which blasted beyond the venue’s previous best field of 920 that was set this past April.
It was a grueling two days of poker, more for some, and on Sunday, 123 players returned for Day 2 action with their hopes on becoming an MSPT Main Event Champion.
When the dust settled, it was a familiar face claiming the top spot as MSPT Hall of Famer Blake Bohn, defeated previous Running Aces champ Chan Pelton in heads-up battle to claim a record-tying fourth MSPT Main Event title.
“I’m a little overwhelmed right now,” said Bohn after his record win, “I worked so hard and put in many attempts to get here and it’s really fun when it works out.”
While the victory marks Bohn’s fourth MSPT title, he has been working hard on his game to get back in the winner’s circle since his last back in 2018.
“I’ve worked so hard on my game over the years,” stated Bohn, “I know people have a lot of different opinions about me but it’s just nice to know that my hard work is paying off.”
The MSPT Hall of Famer has been putting in work since 2011, accumulating $697,800 to go along with his four titles, and the Minnesota native was overwhelmed with emotion after winning the MSPT record-tying title.
“The fourth title is really amazing; it was hard-earned. I really couldn’t be happier,” said Bohn in his closing statement.
2022 MSPT Running Aces Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize | MSPT POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blake Bohn | Eden Prairie, MN | $181,864 | 1,900 |
| 2 | Chan Pelton | College Station, TX | $112,074 | 1,700 |
| 3 | Chad Chizek | Waterloo, IA | $83,559 | 1,600 |
| 4 | Jon Hanner | St. Paul, MN | $61,932 | 1,500 |
| 5 | Ezequiel Gonzalez | Minnetonka, MN | $47,186 | 1,400 |
| 6 | Chris Trombley | Macomb, MI | $36,373 | 1,300 |
| 7 | Justin Thurlow | Cottage Grove, MN | $28,508 | 1,200 |
| 8 | Craig Fierke | Roseville, MN | $21,627 | 1,100 |
| 9 | Nik Stone | Pittsville, WI | $17,695 | 1,000 |
With 108 slated to get paid, a few handfuls of players needed to exit before everyone reached the money. Among those to leave empty-handed were Jason Sell, Justin Barnum, Dennis Stevermer, and Chris Moon, to name a few.
Only one level needed to pass before the hand-for-hand process began as Sean Giere collected two double-ups before dropping Andrew Eik on the money bubble.
After the bubble burst, the march to the final table began. Among those to fall along the way, albeit with a payday, were Umut Ozturk (10th - $13,763), MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson (24th - $6,685), 2021 MSPT POY Kyna England (52nd - $3,047), MSPT Hall of Famer Matt Kirby (65th - $2,556), and Terence Reid (75th - $2,458).
Final Table Action
After the players returned from their dinner break, it didn’t take long for action to kick into gear as Pelton and Bohn went back-and-forth between eliminations.
Pelton started it off with Nik Stone in ninth place, and Bohn followed with Craig Fierke in eight place.
Shortly after, Pelton coolered Justin Thurlow in seventh place in an aces against jacks hand while Bohn straightened out Chris Trombley in sixth place.
The duo’s elimination spree ended when Chad Chizek dropped Ezequiel Gonzalez in fifth place with a pair of ladies, but Pelton would up his ante after he rivered a set of queens to crack Jon Hanner‘s pocket kings, eliminating him in fourth place for $61,932.
Three-handed action saw chips shuffle back and forth between Pelton and Bohn until Chizek finally made his move against Bohn holding an inferior ace. Chizek was unable to get lucky and his Main Event ended in third place for $83,559.
The heads-up battle started with Bohn holding almost a 2:1 chip advantage against Pelton, until he turned Broadway to take the chip lead.
The two continued to duke it out for a few levels with the chips shuffling back and forth until the final hand where Bohn rivered two-pair to deny Pelton back-to-back titles while claiming his fourth in doing so.
MSPT Winter Poker Classic Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $360 MSPT Mystery Bounty | 1,065 | $213,000 prize pool + $106,500 in bounties | David Gonia | $38,606 |
| Event #2: $250 Sunday Feast NLH | 190 | $38,000 | Michael Winter | $8,122 |
| Event #3: $185 Multi-Flight NLH | 424 | $61,480 | Ed Veith | $13,427 |
| Event #4: $250 Seniors (50+) | 160 | $32,000 | Bob Moore | $8,640 |
| Event #5: $250 Turbo Super Stack NLH | 102 | $20,400 | Loren Burbach | $6,121 |
| Event #6: $250 Pot-Limit Omaha | 108 | $21,600 | Doug Tran | $6,479 |
| Event #7: $300 MSPT Tag Team ($150/player) | 411 | $47,265 | Daniel & Dennis Stevermer | $12,287 |
| Event #8: $250 Hump Day NLH | 111 | $22,200 | Mark Dufner | $4,487 |
| Event #9: $2,500 MSPT Hall of Fame High Roller | 98 | $225,400 | Kou Vang | $67,621 |
| Event #10: $1,110 MSPT Main Event | 1,015 | $983,050 | Blake Bohn | $181,864 |
The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is making its way back to the Venetian Las Vegas for its $1,100 Main Event December 28th - 30th. PokerNews will be on hand to bring you all of the live updates from the floor.