The hand began when Nebraska farmer Phil Mader moved all in for 110,000 and Chris Burke, who had been crippled the hand before, called off for just 10,000. After the eliminations of Robbin Green (10 th - $4,301), Johnny McGriff (9 th - $5,423), and Charles 'Doc' Hanson (8 th - $6,545) is when one of the wildest hands in tour history went down.

They included 2014 MSPT Grand Falls runner-up Jeff Bryan, start-of-Day 2 chip leader Wesley Ismay, and Wisconsin's Brett Reichard, who busted as bubble boy in 19 th place.Īmong those to cash but fall short of the final table were Jon Maras (17 th - $2,805), Keith Doering (14 th - $3,460), and Terry Williams (11th - $4,301), just to name a few. To take a hobby and win a tournament like this is incredible.'ĭay 2 began with 49 players returning to action, but with only 18 places being pair, 31 of them left empty handed. Everybody asks why I'm not fishing the weekends I say why would a plumber fix a toilet on the weekend? I love fishing, but poker is my hobby. 'During the summer I'm fishing tournaments or shooting television. 'My work is my fishing business, so in the winter I'm doing seminars and attending sports shows,' he explained. While many poker players resort to fishing for their break from the grind, Takasaki has flipped the script. It's like the culmination of all the work I've done.' This win is exactly the same euphoria, the same kind of emotion. It was exactly how I envisioned being a professional fisherman would be like back when. This is equivalent to the first $100,000 fishing tournament I won.

I play online a lot, come out to the casino quite a bit. This is the biggest win I've ever had by far. 'I get a big high every single time I win a pot. 'Poker's a hobby for me, fishing is my profession,' said Takasaki, who is sponsored in fishing by the likes of Lund Boats and Mercury Outboards. The 58-year-old and father of three from Sioux Falls had been playing poker 'semi seriously' for six years, and as soon as the final river card fell it was apparent how much the win meant to him. The Mid-States Poker Tour Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa – which is just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota – attracted 187 runners (87 Day 1a 100 Day 1b), which surpassed the advertised $150,000 guarantee by creating an $187,000 total prize pool.Īfter two days, including one of the wildest hands in MSPT history, professional walleye angler Ted Takasaki, a 2010 inductee of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, emerged victorious to capture a $52,360 first-place prize.

Grand falls casino shows