It’s that time again! Live tournament poker is returning to Iowa.
The Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) is coming back once more to the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood for an MSPT Regional Series stop. The tournament series takes place this week from March 17-21.
$360 MSPT Regional Main Event features $50,000 guaranteed prize pool
The series will feature four trophy events, including the $360 buy-in two-day MSPT Regional Main Event with a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. As usual, there are many satellites running as well to provide players a discounted path into the $360 Regional Main Event.
The tour last visited the Grand Falls Casino in January when the regular MSPT kicked off its 12th season with a series culminating in a $1,100 Main Event.
That tournament sported a $200,000 guarantee, but with 488 entries, the prize pool ballooned to over $470,000. Chad Bjorkman came away the champion, earning a handsome $101K-plus first prize.
This week’s MSPT Regional Series stop is smaller in scale, though it should provide plenty of excitement.
The $360 Regional Main Event will have three starting flights, one each on Thursday, March 18, Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20. Each will play down to 12% of the field, with all the survivors getting together for a final day of play on Sunday, March 21.
Players begin with 20,000 chips, although for $10 can buy 5,000 more to their starting stack. The tournament will use the big blind ante until it reaches the final three nine-handed tables.
Players can re-enter each Day 1 flight one time. If a player bags at the end of Day 1, that poker players can’t play a subsequent starting flight without forfeiting his or her previously bagged stack.
Poker tour regional schedule, Grand Falls Casino March 17-21
Other trophy events include a $250 tag team event, a $125 seniors event and a $125 turbo deep-stacked event.
Here is the full schedule of the four events in this MSPT Regional Series stop:
| Date | Time | No. | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 17 | 5 p.m. | 1 | $250 MST Tag Team Championship (Trophy Event) |
| Thursday, March 18 | 10 a.m. | 2 | $125 MSPT Seniors Championship (50+) (Trophy Event) |
| 5 p.m. | 3 | $360 MSPT Day 1A Regional Main Event (2-Day Trophy Event) | |
| Friday, March 19 | 10 a.m. | 4 | $125 Turbo Deepstack (Trophy Event) |
| 5 p.m. | 3 | $360 MSPT Day 1B Regional Main Event (2-Day Trophy Event) | |
| Saturday, March 20 | 2:30 p.m. | 3 | $360 MSPT Day 1C Regional Main Event (2-Day Trophy Event) |
| Sunday, March 21 | 12 p.m. | 3 | $360 MSPT Day 2 Regional Main Event (2-Day Trophy Event) |
There have already been several $80 Mega Satellite events for the tournament going back to the start of the month, ensuring the Regional Main Event field should be a big one.
More Mega Satellites are scheduled this week as well, including one each day at 1 p.m. from Wednesday, March 17 through Saturday, March 20. In the Mega Satellites, those finishing in the top one-sixth of the field each wins a seat into the Regional Main Event.
Following this week’s series, the MSPT will remain in Iowa for its first-ever visit to the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort from March 26-28.
The highlight of that stop will be another $1,100 Main Event with a $200,000 guarantee. Satellites as low as $65 for that tournament have already begun at Riverside.
There are online poker options in Iowa when you’re in between tournaments.
