The MSPT returned to JACK Cleveland Casino for the second time this season, and the turnout didn't disappoint.
The $1,110 buy-in, $500K GTD Main Event was one to remember as a total of 960 entries (224 from Day 1a; 336 from 1b; 424 from 1c) were tallied, which blasted past the guarantee and the $929,700 prize pool.
After a grueling 15 hours of play, it was Jonathan Lewis who navigated his way through to the finish line was for a $176,681 first place prize along with his first MSPT title!
Season 14 MSPT JACK Cleveland Final Table Results
| Place |
Player |
Hometown |
Prize |
POY |
| 1 |
Jonathan Lewis |
Hopkinton, MA |
$176,681 |
1,900 |
| 2 |
Ray Ezzie |
Beachwood, OH |
$108,774 |
1,700 |
| 3 |
George Janssen |
Bad Axe, MI |
$79,861 |
1,600 |
| 4 |
David Evans |
Pittsburg, PA |
$60,430 |
1,500 |
| 5 |
Veerab Zakarian |
Toronto, Canada |
$45,555 |
1,400 |
| 6 |
Eric Kois |
Rocky River, OH |
$34,398 |
1,300 |
| 7 |
Derrick Brown |
Mount Clemens, MI |
$26,961 |
1,200 |
| 8 |
Austin Hanna |
Woodsworth, OH |
$21,383 |
1,100 |
| 9 |
Clinton Branchen |
Pittsburg, PA |
$16,734 |
1,000 |
With 99 slated to get paid, a handful of players needed to exit before players reached the money.
Among those to leave empty-handed were Tristan Robinson, Ed Mogilnicki, Mike “Slawberger" Cole, and Paul Cross, to name a few.
Only one level needed to pass before Chase Hounshell was set up by Derrick Brown on the money bubble, leaving the remaining players in the money.
After the bubble burst, the march to the final table began. Among those to fall along the way, albeit with a payday were Don Carlton (10th Place - $13,015), WSOP bracelet winner Katie Kopp (24th Place - $6,414), MSPT Season 14 POY points leader Umut Ozturk (33rd Place - $4,090), and MSPT Hall of Famer Rob WazWaz (42nd Place - $3,160).
Final Table Action
Before the final table became official, short stack Clinton Branchen got his chips in the middle with ace-five against Eric Kois holding a made hand of jacks.
Branchen was able to pair his ace on the turn, but it unfortunately also gave Kois Broadway and ended his Main Event run in ninth place.
Shortly after, Austin Hanna lost a battle of the blinds against Kois as his inferior ace was sent to the rail in eighth place.
Start of day and final table chip leader Brown was coolered early on against Veerab Zakarian and called off his remaining short stack from the big blind after David Evans open-jammed under the gun.
Brown held two overs against Evans' pocket nines, but was unable to pull ahead, and he departed in seventh place.
After a level of double-ups, Kois saw his top stack dwindle down to the bottom, and he got his remaining chips in the middle after flopping top pair, only to run into Ray Ezzie's pocket aces and exited in sixth place for $34,398.
There were seven players who came into today looking to add a second MSPT Main Event title to their resume, and Zakarian was the last one standing until his pocket eights ran into George Janssen's pocket aces, as he took home $45,555 for his fifth place finish.
With four players remaining, the chips in play were evenly disbursed between them until Evans moved his stack in the middle with an ace nine and was called by Ezzie holding a made hand of sixes. With Evans racing for his tournament life, he fell way behind after Ezzie flopped a set and ended his tournament in fourth place for $60,430.
Three-handed action saw Janssen hold a slight chip advantage but ended up being flushed out on the river by Lewis and ended up taking a third place finish for $79,861.
From there, the heads-up match saw Lewis continuously chip away at Ezzie which eventually led to him shipping his first MSPT trophy and payday good for $176,681 while Ezzie finished runner-up for $108,774.
This wraps up our coverage of another eventful tournament, so make sure you join us when we make our way back to the Venetian, Las Vegas for back-to-back Main Events September 6th - 10th!