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Kou Vang – Photo Credit: MSPT
Kou Vang accomplished quite a few feats when he won the Mid-States Poker Tour main event in Michigan at the FireKeepers Casino on May 14 that was the largest poker tournament in the history of the state. It was also the third MSPT title won for the Minnesota native to go along with the two titles he had previously claimed in his home state last year and all the way back in 2011. Vang claimed his 13th career title at what was coincidentally his 13th MSPT final table. His career earnings now stand at nearly $2.3 million thanks to the top prize worth $314,145.
“Feels great”, Vang told the MSPT reporters after his victory. He continued, “This is the reason why we play the game is to get life-changing scores like this. I play the game to provide for my family the best I can, and $300k should go a long way.”
The $1,110 buy-in no-limit hold’em event saw a huge turnout with 2,471 entries over three starting flights. The total prize pool was close to $2.4 million, blowing away the $1 million guarantee. The top 252 finishers made the money, with a mon-cash being worth $2,635. There were 293 players that returned for the final day of play, and the money bubble burst after just one level of play.
Notables that made a deep run in the tournament, but missed the mark of making the final table included Anthony Sedlak (11th), Mikk Suggs (20th), Umut Ozturk (29th), and Josh Reichard (33rd). When the final nine were set Vang was tied for third in chips, but three-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Dash Dudley had more than double his stack to lead the field.
Vang scored his first knockout at the final table when he took out Adam Thieleman in seventh place, and he followed that up by busting James Wilson in sixth place. Vang was still trailing far behind Dudley, but he really started to close the gap by taking out George Abi-Zeid in fourth place.
He kept his momentum rolling to pull even in chips with Dudley for the heads-up final after Vang eliminated Robert Strunk in third place. Vang then consistently won pots during the final match to build a large lead before the chips got into the middle for the one and only time between the last two players standing.
Dudley got his remaining stack into the middle preflop with A
6 in the hole, and Vang had him covered holding Q
J. The board was dealt J65
4
8, and Dudley exited in second place for a nice chunk of change worth $257,145 in prize money. He took his career earnings close to $3.4 million with the runner-up score.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded to the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Kou Vang | $314,145 | 1,080 |
| 2 | Dash Dudley | $257,145 | 900 |
| 3 | Robert Strunk | $162,885 | 720 |
| 4 | George Abi-Zeid | $126,955 | 540 |
| 5 | Melissa Bartelme | $97,252 | 450 |
| 6 | James Wilson | $76,652 | 360 |
| 7 | Austin Thieleman | $59,884 | 270 |
| 8 | Ray Ezzie | $46,710 | 180 |
| 9 | Edward Dixon | $37,128 | 90 |
The next stop on the Mid-States Poker Tour will take place at Silverado Casino in Deadwood, South Dakota, and the $1,110 main event will run from May 19-21.
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