Mike Shanahan Triumphs at MSPT FireKeepers for $217k

Latest stop on the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) was the FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, which last Thursday saw 1,066 players enter its Main Event, representing a record high in the history of Michigan poker tournaments. On Sunday, the $1,100 buy-in event was eventually won by Mike Shanahan for $216,829, a 49-year-old attorney, who prior to his impressive triumph had $164,291 in winnings from 28 cashes.
Having made his way past the huge field, Shanahan subsequently had to face top pro Aaron Massey in an intense heads-up battle which the latter started with a 13m to 8.1m chip lead. Nevertheless, a couple of hands later and Shanahan had managed to reverse positions, and before long the final hand was played with Massey (A-Q) four-betting all-in preflop, and Shanahan making the call holding pocket queens. The dealer subsequently laid out a 4-J-8-K-J board to hand Shanahan the victory, after which the Indiana resident commented:
“I’ve been knocking on the door for a couple of years, and this is the best I ever played. I’m elated. This was fun. There’s nothing like going deep in a tournament and finishing it off.”
Meanwhile, Aaron Massey collected $131,646 for his runner-up finish, which helped boost his career earnings to $3,243,138 since his first cash back in 2009. Counted amongst his many wins over the years are two Heartland Poker Tour titles, two WSOP Circuit titles, as well as victory in 2016 at the MSPT Michigan main event for $174,658.
Final Table Results:
1: Mike Shanahan $216,829
2: Aaron Massey $131,646
3: Frank Lucarelli $85,699
4: Justin Rice $57,924
5: Chris Meyers $42,333
6: Terry Moore $32,731
7: Daniel Panone $26,846
8: Dustin Smith $22,199
9: Scott Skriba $18,276
In addition to being a state record, the MSPT FireKeepers was also the tour’s biggest ever event to be played outside of Las Vegas. Commenting on the remarkable development, MSPT President Bryan Mileski stated:
“It’s hard to believe our first Michigan event in 2013 had 272 entrants, and now we’re catering to almost four times that. A big reason for that is FireKeepers Casino puts an emphasis on satellites, which industry veterans can tell you is the best way to help a poker ecosystem flourish. They know how to do it right.”