It’s not often Michiganders get a chance to play poker for a prize pool in excess of $1 million, but from May 12-15 at Firekeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, that’s exactly what will be taking place.
The Mid-States Poker Tour returns to Firekeepers for the first time since October of 2019, and they are guaranteeing a prize pool of at least $1 million!
The tournament has a buy-in of $1,110 and takes place over four days. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will each be a respective Day 1, with players who make it through one of those days returning for “Day 2” on Sunday. From there, the tournament will be played down to a winner.
Satellites are ongoing, and will continue through May 11.
Big prizes not new to MSPT at Firekeepers
A $1 million guarantee on the prize pool may sound crazy to many, but for those of us who have played the MSPT event at Firekeepers in the past, we know this is nothing new.
The last time that this event ran in October of 2019, it reached 1,615 entries generating a prize pool over $1.5 million. The top three finishers all won over six figures with the eventual winner taking home the top prize of $262,145. Not bad for a $1,110 investment!
Return of in-person poker tournaments brings excitement
The Michigan poker community is buzzing with excitement for this event, and it’s not just because of the massive prize pool.
Having the MSPT back at Firekeepers makes it feel as though live poker has finally made its way all the way back to where it was prior to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
In the years prior to 2020, The MSPT held two events each year at Firekeepers. These events were the marquee events on the poker calendar for many in Michigan.
Although there are many forms of poker, live tournaments have a special excitement to them. The chance to turn $1,110 into over six figures isn’t something that can happen in many other game types. The excitement and nerves of making a deep run in a live tournament are unmatched.
Cash games available during MSPT
If you’re more of a cash game player (such as myself), there is still plenty of action over the weekend for you. During past MSPT events there have been plenty of $1/$2, $2/$5, and higher stakes games running throughout the night.
As a fair bit of warning, though, for you cash game grinders, the tournament does take priority in terms of tables and dealers. So, the cash games won’t start running until later in the night once players start to be eliminated from the tournament and late registration ends.
Below is a list of the past four champions. Hopefully one of you will be adding your name to this list very soon!
| Date | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | 1st Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2022 | 2,330 | $2.2 million | Daniel Bekavac | $252,090 |
| October 2019 | 1,615 | $1.5 million | Bobby Noel | $262,145 |
| May 2019 | 1,592 | $1.5 million | Chris Moon | $258,407 |
| October 2018 | 1,271 | $1.2 million | Matthew Stammen | $218,565 |
| May 2018 | 1,287 | $1.2 million | Mark Brazis | $221,323 |
Poker content creator David Kaye of Mason writes a regular column for PlayMichigan. You can follow David’s poker journey on his social media accounts under the handle “DavidKayePoker.” David is on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter and Instagram.
