Mark Collins Wins MSPT Grand Falls for Second Title and a $107,706 Payday
To say the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Grand Falls Casino $1,100 buy-in, $150K GTD Main Event crushed it would be an understatement. The first live mid-major poker tournament in the United States in nearly six months attracted 518 entries (226 from Day 1a; 292 from 1b), which not only surpassed the venue��s previous best field of 238 entries in 2015, but also became the largest major ($1,000+ buy-in) in Iowa history.
While Grand Falls Casino is situated just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota, it is technically located just across the border in Larchwood, Iowa. Despite being a bit remote, players flocked from the Midwest as well as Colorado, Florida, and Vegas. The turnout was evidence that, despite the current pandemic, there is a big demand for live tournament poker.
On Sunday, 67 players returned for Day 2 action, and after it was 47-year-old Mark Collins, a systems administrator from the St. Louis area, coming out on top to win the $107,706 top prize and his second MSPT title. He previously won the MSPT Season 9 Canterbury Park for $102,076.
It was a triumphant return to live poker for Collins, who hadn��t played since January. He rarely travels to play to the game, but like so many others had the itch.
MSPT Grand Falls Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Collins | $107,706 |
| 2 | Steve Wilkie | $66,180 |
| 3 | Kevin Berthelsen | $47,691 |
| 4 | Jason Reisdorfer | $36,069 |
| 5 | Tom Sundling | $27,052 |
| 6 | Ricardo Eyzaguirre | $20,539 |
| 7 | Max Havlish | $16,031 |
| 8 | Jimmie Lucero | $12,524 |
| 9 | Stephen Cleghorn | $9,518 |
With 54 slated to get paid, more than a dozen players needed to exit before the money was made. Among those to leave empty-handed were Howard Hankin, Michael Berk, and Ben Keeline, just to name a few.
Once Mike Cordell bubbled in 55th place, the march to the final table began. Among those to fall along the way, albeit with a payday, were Blake Whittington (11th - $7,514), MSPT Hall of Famer Pat Steele (13th - $6,012), Day 1b chip leader Ryan Dodson (14th - $6,012), Donnie Phan (21st - $4,559), three-time MSPT champ Matt Kirby (29th - $2,705), MSPT Hall of Famer Rich Alsup (31st - $2,705), and Kyna England (40th - $2,455).
At the final table, Steve Wilkie and Mark Collins, both former MSPT champs, navigated their way to heads-up play after beginning fourth and eighth in chips respectively. Wilkie added to his stack by using aces to dispatch Jimmie Lucero, who had ace-seven, in eighth place, while Collins busted former MSPT champ Max Havlish in seventh in a blind-versus-blind short-stack hand.
Collins then doubled into the chip lead when his ace-king held against the ace-queen of Tom Sundling, who exited a short time later in fifth place.
Kevin Berthelsen then eliminated Jason Reisdorfer in fourth before following him out the door in third place, the result of losing a flip with pocket eights to Wilkie��s ace-queen. Heads-up play began with Collins holding a very narrow lead over Wilkie, and the duo battled back and forth for awhile.
Eventually, Collins was able to pull out to a decent lead before the two played the final hand. Wilkie three-bet jammed holding queen-jack only to have Collins call with king-jack. Wilkie, who last November won the MSPT Golden Gates for $85,149, failed to get lucky and had to settle for second place and $66,180 in prize money.
Future stops for the MSPT��s Season 11 are to be determined, but hopes are high there will be more live tournaments on tap in 2020. Be sure to check msptpoker.com regularly for up-to-date news.