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Tim Thorp Wins His Second Mid-States Poker Tour Main Event Title

This Latest MSPT Triumph At Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Comes Just 10 Weeks Removed From Thorp's Victory At Ameristar East Chicago

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Timothy Thorp made it two Mid-States Poker Tour titles in a ten-week span when he topped the field at Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Feb. 2. That top score was good for $244,632 and his second MSPT trophy. Thorp won the MSPT stop in East Chicago in November of last year for $108,184, and his career earnings are now above $375,000.

“It was really special to have my buddies here with me for this one. The first one was great, don’t get me wrong, but it was an isolated experience, so having them here for this one was special,” Thorp told MSPT reporters after the victory. “To come in with just seven bigs and be able to take down a field this size feels incredible. I play this game with joy and presence.”

The $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament saw a large field of 1,697 entries pass through the admission gates during three starting flights to build a prize pool worth $1,644,590. That more than tripled the $500,000 guarantee.

The top 185 players all took home at least $1,800 in prize money, and that’s how many players returned for a marathon final day of play. Notables that made a deep run down to the final couple of tables in the field included Shane Thorne (24th), Mike Estes (18th), Kyna England (16th), Ken Komberec (15th), and Chuck Kersey (13th).

Thorp was one of the bottom stacks in the returning field with just 230,000 for seven big blinds, but he began his comeback by cracking pocket kings with ace-four. By the time the final table began he was second in chips with 35.5 million.

The first three exits included Nikolay Terziev (ninth), Glenn Stout (eighth), and Stephen Smith (seventh), while Thorp stayed out of the way of the elimination flurry. Thorp broke that streak when he took out Jamie Payne in sixth, and then two-time MSPT Player of the Year Umut Ozturk scored his second knockout by busting Imran Sajwani in fifth. Ozturk kept that momentum going when he busted Curtis Vierstraete in fourth.

The final three players then agreed to a deal that gave each of them at least $160,000 with the winner walking away with $244,362. Thorp got back into the mix at just the right time after that by eliminating Ryan Eamon in third. The two-horse race that had developed during the final table held true in the heads-up final, and Thorp held the advantage with 99.7 million over the 72 million of Ozturk when cards got into the air between them.

Just one all-in took place between the final two players when Ozturk got the last of his chips into the middle with the flop reading KSpade Suit8Heart Suit2Spade Suit with 10Spade Suit7Club Suit in the hole. Thorp had him covered holding 9Spade Suit8Spade Suit, and the turn and river fell QHeart Suit6Club Suit to bring the tournament to a close. Thorp grabbed another victory, and Ozturk won $160,000 to take the MSPT stalwart’s career earnings above $900,000.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Place Player Earnings POY Points
1 Timothy Thorp $244,362 1,080
2 Umut Ozturk $160,000 900
3 Ryan Eamon $160,000 720
4 Curtis Vierstraete $95,544 540
5 Imran Sajwani $72,873 450
6 Jamie Payne $55,059 360
7 Stephen Smith $43,724 270
8 Glenn Stout $34,007 180
9 Nikolay Terziev $27,530 90

The MSPT tour will continue with another main event back at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada running from Feb. 5-10.

Photo Credit: Mid-States Poker Tour.