One of PokerNews’ former editors, Mo Nuwwarah, captured the $1,110 buy-in Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Bally’s Black Hawk Casino Main Event for a career-best $155,189 score on Sunday.
The newly minted MSPT champion had an especially good Sunday, and not only because he won a bunch of money. Nuwwarah, who worked as a full-time editor and live reporter for PokerNews until July 2021 when he left for an opportunity with Catena Media in the sports betting industry, was decked out in Kansas City Chiefs gear at the final table. On that same day, the Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl where they will attempt to defend their title.
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The Main Event in Black Hawk, Colorado attracted 822 entrants, with 90 players cashing. Nuwwarah entered the second and final day just 54th in chips, and had only about one-fourth the stack size of the chip leader, Jeffrey Soffer, who would go on to finish in fourth place ($52,525).
Three players who finished with a top 10 chip stack on Day 1 reached the final table, however. When the field had dwindled down to the final three tables, Nuwwarah had increased his Day 2 starting stack by nearly five times. But Soffer and Sean Lee, both of whom had big stacks coming into the session, had a sizable lead over the remaining players.
MSPT Bally’s Black Hawk Main Event Final Table Results
| PLACE | PLAYER | PRIZE (IN USD) | |
| 1 | Mo Nuwwarah | $155,189 | |
| 2 | Jeremy Wood | $95,497 | |
| 3 | Antonio Vargas | $70,352 | |
| 4 | Jeffrey Soffer | $52,525 | |
| 5 | Jack Corrigan | $39,792 | |
| 6 | Mansour Alipourfard | $30,242 | |
| 7 | Sean Lee | $23,079 | |
| 8 | Shant Marashlian | $18,304 | |
| 9 | Michael Giardina | $14,325 |
There was some significant movement among the chip stacks by the time the final table began. Soffer was still hanging in there with one of the biggest stacks, but Jeremy Wood and Shant Marashlian had taken over the lead. Nuwwarah was still quite a bit off the pace and had just over 20 big blinds.
The eventual champ would drop even further back but found a double up against Lee, winning a 60/40 spot that still left him among the short stacks. But it all turned around for Nuwwarah when he won a monster pot with K♥K♦ against the A♠A♣ Michael Giardina had in the hole after the board ran out 9♦J♥7♥5♥10♥, giving the former PokerNews employee a flush. Giardina was eliminated in ninth place for $14,325.
After Marashlian busted in eighth place ($18,304), Nuwwarah would win a 60/40 to send Lee home in seventh place ($23,079), and had taken over the chip lead. He’d continue the run-good by busting Mansour Alipourfard in sixth place ($30,242) when a bigger ace held up against a weaker ace.
Nuwwarah then busted another player — Jack Corrigan (fifth place for $39,792) — when his 8♦5♦ all in preflop cracked AxKx.
Shortly after, the hand of the final table transpired with Nuwarrah picking up QxQx and getting two players — Soffer and Antonio Vargas — all in, both holding AxKx. The queens held up, sending Soffer home in fourth place and Vargas to the exits in third place ($70,352).
When heads-up play began, Nuwwarah held nearly a 7-1 chip advantage over Jeremy Wood, who would earn a quick double, but then lost a race to bust as the runner-up, which paid $93,497.
For Nuwwarah, he cracked the $580,000 lifetime mark in The Hendon Mob results with the largest cash of his career. On top of an MSPT title, he also has two World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) rings.
Earlier this month, Nuwwarah took down the $600 buy-in Horseshoe Holiday Poker Classic for $45,646. In September 2023, he finished runner-up in the WSOPC Council Bluffs Main Event for $72,216.