If the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) wants to keep breaking records it should probably hold all of its events at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Both the MSPT tourneys at the casino this year have been record-setters. In May, the MSPT rolled into town, and the Main Event set a new record for the largest poker tournament in Michigan history with 1,066 total entries. When the MSPT returned in mid-October, it set another record, besting the turnout from earlier this year by a single entry.
From fifth to first
Speaking of besting previous performances, poker pro Chris Meyers did just that.
At the May event at FireKeepers, Meyers made the final table and finished in fifth place, taking home $42,333 for his efforts. This time around, the New Yorker won the title and pocketed $191,196.
Here are the recent final table results:
- 1st – Chris Meyers (Buffalo, NY) $191,196
- 2nd – Millard Hale (Kalamazoo, MI) $117,818
- 3rd – Altaf Motiwala (Kalamazoo, MI) $87,847
- 4th – Jerry Delisle (Hazel Park, MI) $65,110
- 5th – Jake Reeser (Davison, MI) $49,607
- 6th – Brian Reinert (Atlanta, GA) $38,239
- 7th – Djon Palshaj (Oakland, MI) $29,971
- 8th – James Miller (West Olive, MI) $22,737
- 9th – Santa Zawaideh (Birmingham, MI) $18,603
- 10th – Spencer Wright (Jeddo, MI) $14,468
To the victor goes … the upgraded Cavs tickets
The MSPT live reporting team caught up with Meyers after his win. Here’s what he had to say:
“I feel good. I’ve put in a lot of work honestly. This was on my list, to win a MSPT.
“I made the final table last time, came up a little short. I thought I played well last time, and I ran really well this time to get it done. When you run good at a certain casino, you feel comfortable, like it’s meant to be. I had a good feeling about this one.”
When asked about his plans for the money, Meyers told the MSPT he was headed to Cleveland for the Cavaliers’ home opener.
“I’m going to upgrade my seats a little bit. We’ll see how close we can get to the court.”
Meyers is a favorite to win MSPT Player of the Year
The win and fifth-place showing have Meyers in the pole position for the Kimo Sabe Mezcal MSPT Player of the Year Award.
Meyers now has 3,300 points, putting him more than 300 points ahead of his nearest competitor with just four events to go. When asked if he’ll be going for the POY title, he didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely. I’m going to hit as many as I can.”
Here’s the list of previous MSPT POY winners to which Meyers is hoping to add his name:
- 2011 MSPT POY: Nathan Fair from Plymouth, MN
- 2012MSPT POY: Dan Sun from Cedar Rapids, IA
- 2013 MSPT POY: Patrick Steele from Chelsea, MI
- 2014 MSPT POY: Michael Deis from Ann Arbor, MI
- 2015 MSPT POY: Mark Hodge from Corcoran, MN
- 2016 MSPT POY: Richard Alsup from New Hope, MN
