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3-Bet: Nick Murray, Ian Cohen & Chris Da-Silva Win Main Event Titles

Indrakshi Mukherjee October 23, 2024
5 Minutes Read

The live poker scene has been abuzz with incredible action, with new champions crowned and massive prizes awarded at the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Pompano Beach, and 888poker LIVE Coventry. Let’s dive into the details of these amazing victories!

Nick Murray (cover image – left) achieved a life-changing victory at the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) event at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, which also happened to be the Michigan State Poker Championship! This incredible victory earned him a career-best $295,494 after a three-way deal, a massive jump from his previous best cash of just $8,700. Nicola Ditrapani finished runner-up for $295,492, and David Evans rounded out the podium with $212,849.

Over in Florida, Ian Cohen (cover image – centre) took down the WSOP Circuit Harrah’s Pompano Beach Main Event for a personal-best $193,100 and his first-ever WSOP gold ring! Cohen, known for his success at the venue, where he’s already racked up nearly 30 victories, came into the final table as the chip leader and never looked back. Josh Hillock, a local business owner and self-proclaimed “retired” poker pro, finished runner-up for $128,728.

The 888poker LIVE Coventry series wrapped up its final stop of the year at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and it was a smashing success! The £888 Main Event drew a massive field of 812 entries, creating a prize pool of £617,120 – the largest 888poker LIVE prize pool since way back in 2020! Chris Da-Silva (cover image – right) stole the spotlight, taking down the Main Event for a career-best £125,000 and his first-ever 888poker LIVE trophy! Da-Silva battled through a tough final table, denying Mindaugas Kurlenskas the title. Kurlenskas had already won two events and made another final table during the series, but he couldn’t quite make it a triple crown, finishing runner-up for a still-impressive £91,900.

Nick Murray Makes Dream Come True, Wins MSPT Michigan State Poker Championship ($295,494)

Nick Murray is living the dream! He took down the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) event at Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan, which also happened to be the Michigan State Poker Championship! This incredible victory earned him a career-best $295,494 after a three-way deal, a massive jump from his previous best cash of just $8,700.

Congrats to Nick Murray of Belmont, MI on winning the Michigan Poker State Championship @FireKeepers in a 3 way deal.

Nick outlasted 2,819 entrants and goes home with $295,494 and the 🏆❗️

Event recap and results: https://t.co/WxRMnLDkEA pic.twitter.com/qqgsyoluOx

— MSPT (@msptpoker) October 14, 2024

“This is a dream come true,” Murray said after his win. “My previous best cash before this was $8,700, so I’m feeling on top of the world.” He even admitted that he almost didn’t play in the tournament! “I literally flipped a quarter to come here, and I ran it up, so I couldn’t be happier.”

Reflecting on his amazing run, Murray added, “To say that I came in first place out of 2,819 is honestly a lot to take in, but I’ve been working on my game for years now, and it just means a lot to me to be called a champion.” The Michigan native from Belmont was clearly emotional after his big win.

Nicola Ditrapani finished as the runner-up, netting a career-high payout of $292,492 from the three-way deal, pushing his career earnings close to $1 Million. Meanwhile, David Evans rounded out the podium with $212,849 from the deal.

The $1,110 buy-in NLHE tournament drew a gigantic field of 2,819 entries, creating a prize pool of $2.73 Million—crushing its $1 Million guarantee! The top 309 players earned a payday, with a min-cash worth $2,200.

Several notable players made deep runs, including two former MSPT champions, Angela Jordison (10th for $32,478) and Danny Sepiol (13th for $25,712), and two MSPT Hall of Famers, Patrick Steele (15th for $25,712) and Aaron Johnson (24th for $16,240).

Final Table Replay

The final table was a tense affair, with Rob Wazwaz making his record-breaking 20th MSPT final table appearance, the first to be eliminated in ninth place. MSPT Hall of Famer Joshua Reichard then went on a tear, knocking out Michael Iacovone (8th) and Timothy Capretta (7th).

Joshua Reichard managed to chip up, but his run came to an end when his pocket nines ran smack-dab into Murray’s pocket queens, resulting in a sixth-place finish. Dapreesh Scates was the next to fall, exiting in fifth place.

When four players remained, the others wanted to discuss a deal, but Murray wasn’t having it. He was determined to play for the title, and he wasn’t going to settle for anything less. This made things more serious, and Amir Kamari was eliminated in fourth place after his ace-queen was outdrawn by David Evans.

With three players left, they finally agreed to an ICM deal, but the action didn’t stop there. They continued to play for the title, and the chips were flying! David Evans was eventually eliminated in third place, setting up a heads-up battle between Murray and Nicola Ditrapani.

Murray, who had refused to chop earlier, finally got his wish – a heads-up match for the championship. And he didn’t disappoint, defeating Ditrapani to claim his first MSPT title and etch his name in the MSPT history books.

Final Table Results (USD)

Nick Murray – $295,494*
Nicola Ditrapani – $295,492*
David Evans – $212,849*
Amir Kamari – $140,739
Dapreesch Scates – $108,261
Joshua Reichard – $86,609
Timothy Capretta – $67,663
Michael Iacovone – $51,153
Rob Wazwaz – $40,598

*denotes a three-way deal

Ian Cohen Conquers WSOP Harrah’s Pompano Beach Main Event For First Circuit Ring ($193,100)

The WSOP Circuit recently made a stop at Harrah’s Pompano Beach Casino in Florida, running from October 10 to 21. The series featured a variety of exciting events, but the highlight was undoubtedly the $1,700 Main Event, which drew a massive field of 721 entries and generated a prize pool of over $1 Million – exceeding the guarantee by over $92,000!

Florida’s own Ian Cohen emerged as the champion, taking home a personal-best $193,100 and his first-ever WSOP gold ring! This victory is a testament to Cohen’s skill and experience, especially considering his familiarity with the Harrah’s Pompano tournament room, where he’s already racked up nearly 30 victories.

Congratulations to Ian Cohen, your Pompano Circuit Main Event Champion💥

The Main Event at @HarrahsPompano drew a field of 721 entries, generating a total prizepool of $1,092,315, and Cohen takes home $193,100 for the win💰

Interview & Recap: https://t.co/006D142yJO pic.twitter.com/IFI5GM8H7Z

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) October 22, 2024

Cohen, known for his analytical approach and success in local cash games, came into the final table as the chip leader and never looked back. He played with confidence and precision, ultimately defeating Josh Hillock heads-up to claim the title.

But this wasn’t Cohen’s first taste of success at the series. Prior to his Main Event victory, he had already cashed in two other events: Event #1: $400 No-Limit Hold’em – 30K Opener (32nd for $808) and Event #6: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty (12th for $2,560). This Main Event win boosted his total live earnings to over $400,000!

Hillock, a local business owner and self-proclaimed “retired” poker pro, finished runner-up for $128,728. This was not only Hillock’s biggest live score ever, but it also pushed his lifetime live earnings past the $1 Million mark! Hillock’s cheerful personality and lively banter kept the atmosphere lighthearted, even during the intense moments.

The $1,700 Main Event attracted 721 entries, generating a prize pool of over $1 Million – exceeding the guarantee by over $92,000! The top 103 players made the money, with a min-cash worth $2,591. After three starting flights and a gruelling Day 2, only eight players remained, all vying for the coveted ring.

Final Table Recap

The final table was action-packed, with eliminations happening quickly. Zhen Cai was the first to fall in tenth place, followed by Marcos El-Husick, James Carroll, Jack Nathan, Jose Chapui, Steve Karp, and Robert LeBeau.

Anatoly Nikitin made a remarkable late surge but ultimately busted in third place when his pocket tens couldn’t hold up against Cohen’s pocket queens.

The heads-up match between Ian Cohen and Josh Hillock was a one-sided battle. Cohen started with a commanding 6:1 chip lead and expertly chipped away at Hillock’s stack until he was down to just two big blinds before landing the decisive blow.

“It feels really good to win this first WSOP circuit ring in the main event,” Cohen said after his victory. “Especially here at my home court.” He expressed his gratitude to the staff and players at Harrah’s Pompano and even shared his plans to celebrate his win by buying a jet ski!

Final Table Results (USD)

Ian Cohen – $193,100
Josh Hillock – $128,728
Anatoly Nikitin – $88,364
Robert LeBeau – $61,864
Steve Karp – $44,190
Jose Chapui – $32,219
Jack Nathan – $23,988
James Carroll – $18,246
Marcos El-Husick – $14,184
Zhen Cai – $11,276

Chris Da-Silva “Gets One Over the Line” in 888poker LIVE Coventry Main Event (£125,000)

The 888poker LIVE Coventry series just wrapped up its final stop of the year at the Coventry Building Society Arena, and it was a big one! The £888 Main Event drew a massive field of 812 entries, creating a prize pool of £617,120 – the largest 888poker LIVE prize pool since the lockdown era in 2020.

But the real story of the series was Chris Da-Silva, who took down the Main Event for a career-best £125,000 and his first-ever 888poker LIVE trophy, crossing $1.25 Million in live tournament earnings.

🏆 Congratulations to Chris Da-Silva for winning the 888poker LIVE Coventry Main Event for a whopping £125,000!

👏 Chris took on a competitive FT, eventually beating Mindaugas Kurlenskas heads-up to win the grand prize, while Mindaugas took home £91,900 for his efforts. pic.twitter.com/2ySEsgK7EE

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Da-Silva battled his way through a tough final table, denying Mindaugas Kurlenskas the title. Kurlenskas had already won two events and made another final table finish, but he couldn’t quite make it a triple crown, finishing runner-up for £91,900.

Da-Silva entered the final day second in chips and played with incredible composure and skill to claim the victory. He shared that the win was especially meaningful after several near misses in previous 888 Main Events. “It feels really good to finally get one over the line,” he said with a smile.

The £888 Main Event was a smashing success, with six starting flights contributing to the enormous prize pool, crushing the advertised £500,000 guarantee. The top 101 finishers earned a payday, with a min-cash worth £1,700.

The final day (Day 3) saw the field of 16 quickly whittled down to a final table of eight. Some notable players who cashed included Matthew Bonham (10th for £7,710), Indo-American Darshan Patel (15th for £4,130), Paul Ephremsen (17th for £3,890), James Bott (25th for £3,150), Nim Rattan (32nd for £2,720), Darius Demetriou (46th for £2,310), and Christopher Johnson (69th for £1,940).

Final Table Recap

Chris Da-Silva made a big move early on, eliminating Alex Todd in eighth place with pocket aces against Todd’s king-queen suited. This gave him the chip lead, and he never looked back.

🤝 Gg to Alex Todd, who just busted in 8th for £11,970 after running into Chris Da-Silva’s AA! #poker #stream #livepokerr pic.twitter.com/cEFVzx6Znf

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Jack Jaeger was the next to fall in seventh place when his big slick lost a flip against Jiang Pu’s pocket sixes.

🤝 Gg to Jack Jaeger, who has just busted in 7th place for £14,140! #poker #stream pic.twitter.com/wnS3aOmQED

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Harriwin Selvarajoo followed him out the door in sixth place, this time his pocket sixes failing to hold up against Kurlenskas’ king-jack, with the latter hitting trips on the runout .

📣 Harriwin Selvarajoo has been eliminated in 6th for £16,290 after his 66 could not hold against KJ.

🤝 Gg Harriwin! #poker #stream pic.twitter.com/olZ3r5FMkk

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Jiang Pu, who eliminated Jaeger, was next on the chopping block in fifth place. His couldn’t find a queen to get past Conor Odriscoll’s .

🤝 Gg to Jiang Pu, who has busted in 5th for £23,760 after running into AK! #stream #poker pic.twitter.com/aj4lx6Pe4x

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Indo-American player Sunil Mistri crashed out in fourth place after his were cracked by Kurlenskas’ , with Kurlenskas spiking a pair of kings on the flop.

⛅️ Sunny’s sun run has come to an end after busting in 4th for £37,770!

🤝 Gg Sunny! #poker #stream #pokerlife pic.twitter.com/ZipNcBJYOW

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

Chris Da-Silva, who had maintained composure and control throughout, then set up the heads-up showdown by knocking out Conor Odriscoll in third place.

🤝 Gg to Conor O’driscoll, who has busted in 3rd for £60,720!

👀 We are now heads-up between Chris Da-Silva and Mindaugas Kurlenskas, who will play for the £125,000 first-place prize!#poker #stream pic.twitter.com/3WaFLMNO7k

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

The heads-up play began with Da-Silva holding a commanding 3:1 chip lead over Mindaugas Kurlenskas. Kurlenskas managed to double up once with against Da-Silva’s , but the gap was still too much for him to overcome. The final hand saw Da-Silva’s best Kurlenskas’ on the runout , giving him a winning pair of eights for the victory!

🤝 Gg to Conor O’driscoll, who has busted in 3rd for £60,720!

👀 We are now heads-up between Chris Da-Silva and Mindaugas Kurlenskas, who will play for the £125,000 first-place prize!#poker #stream pic.twitter.com/3WaFLMNO7k

— 888poker (@888poker) October 20, 2024

“It probably won’t hit me until I wake up tomorrow morning,” Da-Silva said after his win, already planning a celebration with friends who had supported him from the sidelines.