The inaugural Mississippi State Poker Championship $400 Main Event did not end in a conventional way. The final seven players chose to do an ICM chop that resulted in Michael Holland taking home the biggest prize of $17,570. However, it was not Holland who would get the belt buckle trophy and the winner’s photo, as the remaining seven players agreed to do a flip to decide who would get the glory. In the end, it was Amy Batson who won the flip and won the honor of becoming the first-ever winner in the Mississippi State Poker Championship $400 Main Event held at the Horseshoe Tunica Casino.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Holland | United States | $17,570* |
| 2 | Brandon Owens | United States | $15,162* |
| 3 | Jason Miller | United States | $12,120* |
| 4 | Jeff Manley | United States | $11,305* |
| 5 | Bill Onley | United States | $10,547* |
| 6 | Amy Batson | United States | $9,394* |
| 7 | Melinda Freeman | United States | $8,777* |
| 8 | Jesse Lott | United States | $3,393 |
| 9 | Anthony Graham | United States | $2,676 |
*Denotes Seven-Way ICM Chop
Batson has only been playing poker for a little over one year, but in a short amount of time, she has found a home on the felt. She explained that after her son went to university, she was searching for something to fill her time, and poker entered her life during this transitional period into a new phase at home.
It fit like a glove, and Batson got hooked on playing at her bar league named River Rat Rounders. She expanded her horizons to start playing outside of her league, and she has continued to find success in the poker tournament scene. Above all, Batson appreciates the sense of community that has been a huge driving force for her immersion in the poker world.
“They were super gracious and patient with me,” said Batson to PokerNews following the main event’s conclusion. “I have found such a beautiful community of super diverse, amazing people from all walks of life, all economic levels, all backgrounds, and they’re just super good people, and they’re giving, and they’re patient with me.”
Batson explained that she feels like she is still learning the game in so many ways, and she has leaned on her strengths thus far in her career to cover for the areas of poker that she feels she is still feeling out.
“I’m still just trying to make sure I see what’s on the board and put people on hands and such,” said Batson. “But my superpower, what my skill is, I see people, and I understand people and the human connection.”
Batson donned a crown all of Day 2 as she played, explaining that she uses it as an expression to feel empowered. In the end, it was a fitting headdress, because Batson will go home with the belt buckle and the title of champion.
Day 2 Action
15 players had hit the rail by the time Day 2 hit the first break of the day, including Andrea Hizer and Matt Vaughan, who entered the final day with top ten chip stacks.
The tournament reached the final 27 players within the first four levels of play as William Joyner continued to hold court as the top stack in the room with the only seven-figure stack in play.
Brandon Owens would be the next player to join the millionaire’s club when he bested Parker Williams for a second time when his aces held against Williams’ queens.
The tournament sped to the final 18 players before Robert Logan and Kenneth Stewart busted within five minutes of one another.
Jason Simon would hit the first of two four-of-a-kinds in the tournament, but in an even rarer twist of fate, the theme of quads would be something that haunted Simon later in the tournament. Simon would go down in 13th place when he fell to Holland’s quad jacks just over an hour later.
Baruch Biniaminov was next to go in 12th place when Jason “Mayhem” Miller cracked his pocket kings when he turned trip tens.
Once overall chip leader Joyner was making a splash earlier in the day, but he ran out of steam in 11th place when he ran into Holland’s ace-king. The final table would be set just minutes later when Phillip Rix exited in 10th place.
The final table started off tense, and it was Anthony Graham who was the first to blink when he failed to get there against Brandon Owens’ pair of aces to fall in ninth place.
Jesse Lott fell nearly an hour later in eighth place when he ran into the full house of Holland.
A deal had been floated when the players reached the final table, but after revisiting the subject again following Lott’s elimination. The table was able to reach an agreement for a seven-way ICM chop.
