Deadwood, South Dakota, is a significant place in poker history. The town where Wild Bill Hickok lost his life in a game of cards remains a favorite poker destination today. That will soon be proved once again when the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) returns to the Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex to stage the 2021 Deadwood Shootout from Oct. 22-24.
The $1,110 buy-in, no-limit, hold’em tournament features a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. With that, if the last MSPT visit to Silverado is any indication, a lot more cash will be won.
MSPT: Two Day 1 flights, re-entries allowed and satellites running all week
The Deadwood Shootout follows the schedule used in previous MSPT Main Events.
The tournament will feature two Day 1 flights, on Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23. Those who bag chips at the end of those flights will then combine for Day 2 on Sunday, Oct. 24, to play down to a champion.
Players will start with 25,000 chips (250 big blinds). Levels last 40 minutes throughout the tournament until heads-up when they become 30 minutes. The tournament will use the big blind ante until the final three tables (27 players) from which point standard antes will be employed.
If a player busts during a Day 1 flight, that player can re-enter one time per flight. In other words, players have a maximum of four entries available to them. Those who survive the first Day 1 flight on Friday cannot play the second Day 1 flight on Saturday without forfeiting their stack.
Mid-States Poker tournament schedule
Here’s a look at the schedule for the $100,000 guaranteed Main Event:
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 22 (F) | 3:00 p.m. | $1,110 Main Event Day 1A (Trophy Event) |
| Oct. 23 (Sa) | 3:00 p.m. | $1,110 Main Event Day 1B (Trophy Event) |
| Oct. 24 (Su) | 11:00 a.m. | $1,110 Main Event Day 2 Restart (Trophy Event) |
The Silverado has been running satellites into the Main Event since late September, in fact, with more scheduled every day through Saturday, Oct. 23. There are $260 satellites from which the top 20% of finishers can win entries into the $1,110 Main Event. Players can also play $65 satellites to win seats in the $260 ones.
Silverado MSPT hopes to challenge May event’s record turnout
The Deadwood Shootout continues what has been a busy 12th season for the Mid-States Poker Tour in 2021.
Next week’s stop follows multiple MSPT events at The Venetian Las Vegas. It also represents the fourth time the tour has traveled to South Dakota this year, including one previous visit to the Silverado in May.
That May stop featured a similarly formatted $1,100 Main Event with the same $100,000 guarantee. The tournament attracted a total of 585 entries (including re-entries), meaning the prize pool reached a huge $567,450 or well over five times the guarantee.
Taylor Howard of Altoona, Iowa, took all the chips to claim the Main Event trophy and a top prize of $119,165. It was Howard’s second career MSPT Main Event title.
According to the MSPT, that May event marked the largest major poker tournament in Deadwood history with a buy-in of $1,100 or more. In addition to the suspense over who will win the Deadwood Shootout next week, there will also be curiosity over whether the event can eclipse that record.
After Deadwood, the MSPT will finish its 2021 season with events in Minnesota and Nevada in December.
