$1,100 buy-in Main Event draws 676 entries as first MSPT series in San Diego wraps up
The Mid States Poker Tour continues to expand its profile, with some of poker’s biggest live tournament series in the past nine months produced by the tour.
The MSPT stopped by San Diego, CA for the first time this spring, as the MSPT San Diego Showdown Series played out at Sycuan Casino from April 19 through May 9. The pinnacle tournament from that series resulted in a six-figure payout to the Main Event winner.
Alejandro Jauregui took down the MSPT San Diego Main Event, topping a field of 676 entries and taking home a $140,665 payday. The $1,100 Main Event guaranteed $200,000, but massive attendance pushed the final prize pool to more than triple that mark.
The three-day event ended up generating a $654,220 prize pool at Sycuan Casino, as players hit the San Diego tribal casino en masse for what has to be considered a major success for the MSPT.
MSPT San Diego Showdown Series $1,100 Main Event final table results
| Place | Player Name | Prize |
| 1 | Alejandro Jauregui | $140,665 |
| 2 | Jesse Jones | $88,320 |
| 3 | Eli Loewenthal | $58,880 |
| 4 | Jason Fitzpatrick | $40,562 |
| 5 | Jose Araya | $26,823 |
| 6 | Andrew Moreno | $20,281 |
| 7 | Britton Scheibe | $15,701 |
| 8 | Haiau Han | $11,122 |
Jauregui navigates through big names in the field
A glance across the field on Day 1 of the $1,100 Main Event turned up some familiar faces. Many of poker’s best players from the western U.S. showed up for the MSPT’s inaugural Main Event. Among those names were Jeff Platt, Allen Kessler (57th - $2,486), Aaron Messmer (55th - $2,682), and Alex Winter (36th - $3,598).
The top 30 finishers included players such as 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Raymer (30th - $4,318), Adam Demersseman (29th - $4,318), Alex Greenblatt (24th - $5,168), and former WSOP bracelet winner Sandeep Pulusani ($7,196).
Another former WSOP champion finished just two spots short of the final table. Three-time bracelet winner Adam Friedman (10th – 9,813) missed out on his second career MSPT Main Event championship. But he added a nearly $10k score to a resume that include more than $3 million in live tournament earnings.
The path to the MSPT title didn’t get any easier for Jauregui at the final table. The lineup for the final eight included names like Andrew Moreno (6th - $20,281) and Eli Loewenthal (3rd - $58,880), both of which posed a major threat to their final table opponents.
Jauregui found a way to get the job done, however, posting by far the biggest tournament score of his career. Jauregui outdueled Jesse Jones (2nd - $88,320) in the heads-up finale, clinching the victory in the late hours of Sunday night.
Featured image source: Twitter
