Contents
- 1 Heartland Poker Tour
- 2 Mid-States Poker Tour
- Mid-States Poker Tour - MSPT South Dakota, Larchwood (2) 22 - 24 September 2017: United States: Mid-States Poker Tour - MSPT Columbus, Columbus (1) 12 - 15 October 2017: United States: Mid-States Poker Tour - MSPT Michigan, Battle Creek (1) 3 - 5 November 2017: United States: Mid-States Poker Tour - MSPT Iowa, Tama (6) 9 - 12 November 2017.
- Nov 08, 2019 Every poker tournament series, event and festival in the US and Canada is here on PokerAtlas, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP), World Poker Tour (WPT), Heartland Poker Tour (HPT), and all others.
From August 8-16, the Mid-States Poker Tour will visit Grand Falls Casino & Resort in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for host a $150K $1,100 buy-in Main Event.
Heartland Poker Tour
The Heartland Poker Tour has been roaming middle America since 2005. The brainchild of Greg Lang and Todd Anderson, much of the tour’s emphasis is on its televising of tournaments and syndication of its shows.
The focus on the mid-states has paid off. HPT now produces 17 tournaments a year, mostly through regional casino company Ameristar.
HPT tournaments are not meant to break the bank for players. Most buy-ins for the main events of each stop hover around $1,500.
Above all else, Heartland Poker Tour is for the average player. As such, the fields for these events will likely be friendly and favorable.
The Best HPT Event: $2500 HPT Championship at Ameristar St. Charles – St. Charles, MO
Of the remaining tournaments this year, this one sticks out above the rest. For one thing, its $2,500 buy-in fittingly makes the HPT Championship a richer event than the others.
A bigger buy-in usually means bigger prize pools. Last year’s winner won just under $133,000 after outlasting 406 other players.
There will also be three Day 1 flights for this event. Players will have three opportunities to find the right cards, and some will donate a few buy-ins along the way, further increasing the payouts for everyone.
The final table of this tournament will be streamed on Twitch.
The structure for this tournament is terrific, too. Players begin with a whopping 30,000 in tournament chips. Blind levels are also 60 minutes from the very first hand and stay that way until play whittles out the final two players. This structure makes the event extremely player friendly.
Don’t be frightened by the rake
Mid States Poker League
$2331 of each player’s buy-in will contribute to the prize pool. The remaining $269 will stay with HPT and the casino.
That amount of rake puts the percentage slightly above 10%. Most major tournaments take at least this much money for themselves. However, for a regional tournament, this pull seems a bit on the high side.
Nevertheless, this tournament is centrally located in St. Charles, Missouri – a suburb of St. Louis. As such, players will have an easier time making it to this event than one along the coasts or in Nevada. This location typically means a bigger field and bigger prizes.
The main event kicks off on December 8th of this year. HPT is not a place for killers and sharks – and there’s no reason that next year’s winner couldn’t be you.
Other Upcoming HPT Locations
| Tournament/Casino Name | Location | Date |
| Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club | Daytona Beach, FL | October 18 – October 30, 2017 |
| The Meadows Casino | Pittsburgh, PA | October 26 – November 6, 2017 |
| Belterra Casino Resort | Florence, IN | November 3 – November 13, 2017 |
| Ameristar East Chicago | East Chicago, IN | January 11 – January 22, 2018 |
| Golden Gates Casino | Blackhawk, CO | February 7 – February 19, 2018 |
| HPT on the High Seas | Eastern Caribbean | March 3 – March 11, 2018 |
| Belterra Casino Resort | Florence, IN | March 9 – March 19, 2018 |
| Ameristar St. Charles | St. Charles, MO | March 21 – April 2, 2018 |
Mid-States Poker Tour
The Mid-States Poker Tour began as the Minnesota State Poker Tour in 2009. After a rebrand to the current form, the tour has grown to offer several main events for amateur and regional players around the United States.
MSPT deliberately keeps buy-ins for its main events controlled. No MSPT event features a buy-in above $1,100, and the tour even features so-called Regional Events that do not exceed $360 in any tournament, even the main event.
Any of the MSPT events would be good options for the recreational player. The tour will even have a two-week stop in Blackhawk, Colorado – one of the more unique places to play in the United States, due to its mining town vibe and mountainous terrain.
The Best: Wisconsin State Poker Championship –Milwaukee, WI
What better way to check out the MSPT than with the Wisconsin State Poker Championship, an event just as awesome as it sounds. Plus if you want to stick around in Wisconsin area, you can check out a Packers game on November 19th.
The buy-in breaks down as $1000 to the pot, $100 to the rake, and $10 to the dealers. Frankly, you don’t see the dealer toke often at tournaments of this level, but that extra 10 bucks is good for 5000 extra chips.
Nevertheless, it comes out to a square 10% rake, which is standard for most online tournaments and inoffensive to live players. In fact, a 10% rake is favorable compared some of the fees that players can find at daily tournaments on the Las Vegas Strip.
MSPT wants amateur to feel like pros
One source of pride for the MSPT is that its tournament structures are often approved by Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler. Kessler’s structure starts players with at least 15,000 in tournament chips and 40-minute blind levels that don’t rise above 2,400 during the first day of action.
Players get a lot of play for their money. MSPT also boasts visits from several WSOP and WPT champions, so the average joe at the table might find himself next to an idol.
Finally, as an added thrill for the recreational player who wants a good time, MSPT goes all the way with its presentation. You can expect hole card cameras, live updates, and live broadcast of the final table of the event on the menu.
Other Upcoming MSPT Locations
| Tournament/Casino Name | Location | Date |
| Denver Poker Open | Blackhawk, CO | November 9 – November 12, 2017 |
| Wisconsin State Poker Championship | Milwaukee, WI | November 11 – November 19, 2017 |
| Canterbury Park | Shakopee, MN | December 1 – December 10, 2017 |
Mid States Poker Tour Firekeepers
This weekend, Season 6 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is at Grand Falls Casino near Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a $1,100 buy-in $150,000 Guaranteed Main Event. Of course you'll be able to follow the action from that tournament in our dedicated live blog.
That said, it's never too soon to look ahead to the next stop – MSPT Tropicana Evansville in Evansville, Indiana. The stop will run from August 15-23 and culminate with the Indiana State Poker Championship, an $1,100 buy-in $250,000 Guaranteed Main Event, from Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23.
'Tropicana Evansville was added to the MSPT schedule last year, and it proved to be a huge success,' boasted MSPT owner and operator Bryan Mileski. 'We're thrilled to be heading back in Season 6, and even though we've upped last year's $100K guarantee up to $150K, we're confident we'll crush it for the second year in a row.'
Indeed, last year's event more than doubled the guarantee as 225 entrants took to the felt to compete for a $60,527 first-place prize. In the end, Kentucky native Charlie Dawson defeated Alex Yen in heads-up play to capture the title.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team was on hand to capture action from that event, and we're happy to announce that we'll once again return to the Hoosier State for the Indiana State Poker Championship. That means players will have the opportunity to use the My Stack app to update their hands and chip counts straight into the live blog.
To download the My Stack app absolutely free on either Apple or Android, click here.
'The response from our core poker players has been extremely positive,' Mike Miller, Director of Table Games for Tropicana Evansville, previously told PokerNews. 'They are very excited and are looking forward to matching wits with some of the best poker players in the world.'
Here's a look at the upcoming MSPT Tropicana Evansville schedule:
| Date | Event | Buy-in | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, August 15 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, August 16 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday, August 18 | Multi-Table Super Satellite | $65 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday, August 19 | Multi-Table Super Satellite | $65 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday, August 19 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Thursday, August 20 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Thursday, August 20 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Friday, August 21 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Friday, August 21 | MSPT Main Event Day 1a | $250 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Saturday, August 22 | MSPT Main Event Qualifier (20% advance) | $250 | 10:30 a.m. |
| Saturday, August 22 | MSPT Main Event Day 1b | $250 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Sunday, August 23 | MSPT Main Event Day 2 | - | 10:30 a.m. |
The Main Event will be held over three days beginning Friday with Day 1a at 4 p.m. Day 1a will play 14 levels. Saturday's Day 1b will also start at 4 p.m. and also play 14 levels. Players who advance from Day 1a are not eligible to play in Day 1b. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned.
Located at the bottom tip of Indiana near the border of Illinois and Kentucky, the Tropicana Evansville Casino is surrounded by four major cities (St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Nashville) all within a three-hour drive. The casino is located on an 841,848 square foot area at Riverfront Park on the Ohio River in downtown Evansville. The $110 million entertainment facility includes a 250-room hotel and a 96-room boutique hotel, an executive conference center, retail shops, restaurants and lounge area.
Finally, if you're looking for things to do off the felt while in Evansville, check out PokerNews' five recommendations here.
Here's a look at those who've capture titles in Season 6 thus far:
| Dates | Event | Entrants | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 15-25, 2015 | MSPT bestbet Jacksonville | 421 | Brian Arbaugh | $102,806 |
| Jan. 30 – Feb. 8, 2015 | MSPT Running Aces | 354 | Erv Bjerga | $91,941 |
| Feb. 14-22, 2015 | MSPT Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells | 463 | Ben Wiora | $114,512 |
| March 5-15 | MSPT Golden Gates | 409 | Kane Lai | $101,365 |
| March 21-29 | MSPT Meskwaki | 371 | Chad Willett | $96,760 |
| April 4-12 | MSPT Potawatomi | 635 | Jason Mirza | $147,529 |
| April 6-19 | MSPT Maryland Live! Casino | 270 | Greg Himmelbrand | $72,910 |
| April 17-26 | MSPT Canterbury Park | 430 | Dan Hendrickson | $106,182 |
| May 9-17 | MSPT FireKeepers Casino | 614 | Harry Tisdale | $142,637 |
| June 1-5 | MSPT Venetian | 1,964 | Angelina Rich | $215,815 |
| July 24-26 | MSPT Meskwaki | 410 | Blake Bohn | $101,229 |
For more information, head on over to msptpoker.com or follow them on Twitter @msptpoker.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
Tags
MSPTPoker events