The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is coming to the Venetian December 28-30 to put the cherry on top of an exciting year for poker in Las Vegas, not to mention the tour’s 12th season.
The $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament features a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool and is part of the Venetian’s DeepStack Extravaganza Poker Series from November 29 to January 9.
The Venetian has become a regular stop for the MSPT and has played host to some massive field tournaments. Back in October, Ethan “Rampage Poker” Yau, a poker vlogger and World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, took one down for $230,379, beating out a field of 1,741 entrants.
The Venetian is also the home to Landon Tice’s first big tournament win. The rising poker star shipped the $1,100 buy-in MSPT Main Event in November 2020 for $201,529. He outlasted another huge field — 1,123 — en route to what still remains his largest tournament score.
Ending the Year on a High Note
Las Vegas is wrapping up a banner year for tournament poker. The WSOP went off without any COVID-19 issues and attendance was high despite a vaccination requirement. Casinos such as Wynn and Venetian both hosted multiple tournament series that attracted thousands of players and awarded millions of dollars.
On December 28, the MSPT will give players in town one last shot at a huge score before the calendar turns to 2022. For some, it could mean a final opportunity to go from losing year to profitable year.
The MSPT at Venetian costs $1,100 to enter and players are eligible to register for both Day 1 starting flights. Each player starts with 25,000 chips with blind levels increasing every 40 minutes. Day 2, the final day of the tournament, takes place starting at 11 a.m. on December 30. By the end of that session, the MSPT will crown its newest champion.
Kyna Cool Player of the Year?
Season 12 of the Mid-States Poker Tour will come to an end at Venetian, and Kyna England has a shot to become the tour’s first female Player of the Year. In fact, she’s a huge favorite to win the award as she holds an 800 point lead over Cy Church.
England won the most recent MSPT event at Canterbury Park in Minnesota for $186,709. Unless Church finishes in the top two or three at Venetian, she’ll become the Season 12 POY.
The Chicago-area resident is having a breakout year thanks to two incredible performances, one in the MSPT Canterbury and the other a third place finish for $448,755 in the $5,000 buy-in World Poker Tour (WPT) Venetian back in July.
Heading into the year, England had just $20,000 in live tournament cashes. She’s now over $770,000, making her one of the top up-and-coming mid-stakes players. And likely the next Mid-States Poker Tour Player of the Year. She recently joined the PokerNews Podcast to discuss her run of good fortune.
MSPT Season 12 POY Standings
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyna England | 4,750 |
| 2 | Cy Church | 3,925 |
| 3 | Taylor Howard | 3,708 |
| 4 | Jason Crews | 3,075 |
| 5 | Gediminas Uselis | 2,550 |
| 6 | Daniel Sepiol | 2,500 |
| 7 | Jordan Cristos | 2,500 |
| 8 | Ryan Dodd | 2,450 |
| 9 | Matthew Morfitt | 2,400 |
| 10 | Saad Ghanem | 2,300 |
For live reporting starting on Day 1a of the MSPT Venetian, stop by PokerNews for exclusive coverage.