The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) was back to Grand Falls Casino. The Main Event of the tournament required a $1,100 buy-in and offered a total of $200K in guaranteed prizes. Since there wasn’t much live poker around last year, the MSPT attracted as many as 488 entries, who managed to create the prize pool of $471,860. This turned out to be the second biggest MSPT event ever, after the one that took place in August 2020, when it was one of the few live poker tournaments that took place.
Grand Falls Casino is located next to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Still, it’s also near Larchwood, Iowa. One thing is certain — the popular casino is a bit remote.
But that didn’t stop the players from all over the US to flock in and take part in the popular live poker tournament. There were players from the Midwest, but also from Las Vegas, Florida, Colorado, and more. Despite the ongoing pandemic, the demand for live poker is still pretty high.
A total of 230 entries were recorded on Day 1a and 257 on Day 1b. Day 2 action, which took place on Sunday, saw the return of a total of 67 players, and the player named Chad Bjorkman was the one to win the top prize — a total of $101,450. This was also his first MSPT title. He was the only player to win a six-figure score.
Bjorkman commented on his victory, stating that he felt “giggly, happy, and warm.” Before winning the MSPT Main Event, Bjorkman had played in August 2020 (same event), meaning he had no live poker practice in-between. Needless to say, this was a triumphant return for him.
Apart from winning the first MSPT title, Bjorkman also received the largest poker prize in his career. He briefly commented on his future plans, saying that he plans to play the Venetian and “map out more future events”.
The Final Table Overview
A total of 54 players got paid, and some of the players who failed to reach the money list were Kou Vang, David Gonia, and Erv Bjerga. Shanda Myers was the one to burst the bubble, hitting the rail in 55th place. Some players who made the money but didn’t reach the final table were Marc Harrell, Tim Garles, Kyna England, Lori Johnson, and Lyman Woodworth.
The first player to hit the rail in the final table was Larry Loose, who won a total of $8,965. He was followed by Drazen Ilich for $11,797 and Phil Gioia for $15,100.
The sixth place was reserved for a player named Ha Nguyen, who won a total of $19,346. After that, it was time for Anthony Scarborough to leave the table with $25,480 in his pocket.
Cy Church left the table as fourth-placed, winning $33,974 along the way, and the last player to hit the rail before the heads-up was Dave Sanderson for $44,921.
Bjorkman met with Cory Nordstrand in the heads-up duel, but Nordstrand had to settle for the consolation prize of $62,339.
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