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We are back with a fresh edition of PokerGuru 3-Bet, where we once again have three international tournament winners. The first story covers the three for two win by Greg Himmelbrand, who collected an incredible second MSPT title on just his third appearance at the series. We follow that up with news of Alex Hendriks winning the inaugural MPN Poker Tour Bratislava Main Event for €27,000 and last but not the least we have a short recap of all the action from the RunGood Tunica Main Event that crowned Harris Smith as its champion.
The New York State player,Greg Himmelbrand, was taking his third shot at the MSPT $1,100 buy-in Main Event and he can now proudly boast of winning two of them. His first win came in April 2015, where he took down the MSPT title at MSPT Maryland Live.
The MSPT’s eighth stop was at the Potawatomi Casino in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin and attracted 635 entries. Himmelbrand pocketed $125,598 in prize money after having survived a tough field that included notable players like, Rich Alsup, Keven Stammen, Shiva Dudani, Aaron Johnson, Kou Vang and Ravi Raghavan.
It wasn’t as easy ride for Himmelbrand who entered the final table with the shortest stack of just 11 big blinds. He juggernauted himself to the top to begin heads-up with a 2-1 lead against Matthew Buhler.
The final hand of the tournament had Himmelbrand raising to 360,000 and Buhler defended. The flop saw Buhler check-call 375,000 followed by Himmelbrand bet of 700,000 on the turn. Buhler woke up with an all-in check-raise for 3.305 million. Himmelbrand thought long and hard before calling with the . Buhler with the was hoping for a non-deuce club on the river but the wasn’t what he needed and he walked away in second place with $76,806.
Himmelbrand latest win was the third-largest score of his career and vaulted him past $1.6 million in lifetime live tournament earnings. “It’s pretty sick,” he said after the tournament. “I heard Milwaukee was a cool city so I wanted to check it out. The tour is run really well. I like how interactive everyone is, so I love to come out and play when I can.”
Greg Himmelbrand
Final Table Results
1. Greg Himmelbrand – $125,598
2. Matthew Buhler – $76,806
3. Craig Trost – $57,144
4. James Karaminis – $42,397
5. Kevin Saul – $31,951
6. Josh Hergott – $23,964
7. Umut Ozturk – $18,434
8. Ken Baime – $14,747
9. Steve Alonzo – $11,060
10. Cole Tautges – $9,217
Alex Hendriks Wins Inaugural MPN Poker Tour Bratislava Main Event For €27,000
The Microgaming Poker Network’s (MPN) first trip to Bratislava concluded after four days of grilling action that included multiple tournaments. The €550 Main Event drew a total of 329 players and in the end it was Dutch player, Alex Hendriks who walked away with the lion’s share of the €159,565 total prize pool.
The tournament attracted a diverse crowd, with players of eight nationalities and professions ranging from poker to pro football to construction, all in attendance.
Hendriks took first place after reaching a three-way agreement with Jussi Mattila and Daniel Camus.
Even after the three way chop, the three-way play lasted for a while before Camus fell in third place for €24,100.
Just one hand later the tournament was over. Yes, the heads-up was that short! Mattila took home €20,900 for his efforts while the Hendriks earned himself the trophy along with the €27,000 top prize.
Alex Hendriks
Final Table Results
1. Alex Hendriks – €27,000*
2. Jussi Mattila – €20,900*
3. Daniel Camus – €24,100*
4. Dominik Desset – €13,200
5. Jiri Noga – €9,000
6. Sebastian Rebhan – €7,000
7. Johannes Park – €5,400
8. Colin Guthrie – €4,000
9. Andy Hills – €3,065
*denotes a deal
Harris Smith Wins RunGood Tunica Main Event For $52,648
The Tennesse native, Harris Smith survived a tough field of 472 entrants to walk away with $52,648 in prize money after an ICM deal with Chris Conrad and Michael Pelt.
RunGood was visiting Tunica for the second time and a total 75 care packages were shared with troops overseas as part of RunGood’s season-long partnership with Operation Gratitude to bring the total contributions made this season up to 350.
Smith began the final table with a good stack that placed him somewhere in the middle of the pack. He however, got that big break after he won a massive pot from chip leader Michael Pelt that gave him a hefty double up.
Once the field narrowed down to three-handed play, Smith negotiated an ICM deal with Conrad and Pelt to take home the $52,648 top prize.
Harris Smith
Final Table Results
1. Harris Smith – $52,648
2. Chris Conrad – $32,049
3. Michael Pelt – $21,290
4. Chris Babb – $14,880
5. Chase Turner – $11,103
6. William Burris – $8,585
7. Ray Henson – $6,982
8. Jo Cain – $5,723
9. Hutch Clinton – $4,578
10. Mike Cordell – $3,731