Thomas Midena Wins Mid-States Poker Tour Firekeepers

Thomas Midena has won the PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour, after defeating a field of 272 players on his way to capturing the title, and collecting the $73,456 first place prize.
Following his victory in Michigan, the 23 year-old local resident commented: “It was my first tournament win. I’ve placed in the money in plenty of others, but this was my first win.” When he was then asked what he intends to do with the money, Midena replied; “Play more poker.”
Thomas Midena is a regular cash player at the Firekeepers Casino in Michigan, but after taking down his first live tournament said he was now inspired to try his hand at more events in the area.
Thomas Midena entered the tournament through a $250 qualifier and managed to work his way past the field to eventually go heads-up against fellow Michigan man Adam Kamphere. During the ensuing hour, Midena then carved out a commanding chip lead for himself  before his opponent went all-in pre-flop holding K-5. Midena subsequently made the call and after the board rolled out 10-8-7-7-9, Adam Kamphere had to settle for a runner-up finish worth $39,351, while Thomas Midena was crowned the PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour Firekeepers champion.
Commenting later on what turned out to be one of the most popular events in the tour’s history, MSPT Ambassador Chris “Fox” Wallace, said: “This[event] was so much fun. To come back to Michigan and host an event here that was such a huge success is fantastic. The staff was great here, from the beverage servers all the way up to the top, we had everything we needed, and we were able to make sure the players all left wanting more. We’re really looking forward to coming back in August.”
The final table payouts were as follows:
1 Thomas Midena    $73,456
2 Adam Kamphere    $39,351
3 Tim Ebenhoeh    $24,922
4 Patrick Steele $18,364
5 Benjamin Krill $15,740
6 Trevor Kirkland $11,805
7 Tom Hujda    $9,969
8 Sai Muduluru    $8,920
9 Adam Bacon    $7,346