Peixin Liu Becomes Mid States Poker Tour’s Most Successful Ever Player After His 2nd Title Win at Running Aces

Peixin Liu becomes the Mid States Poker Tour’s most successful ever player after defeating Derek Lesniak, in heads-up action, to capture the second tour title of his career.

Peixin Liu is the most successful player in the history of the Mid States Poker Tour (MSPT).

The Minnesotan defeated Derek Lesniak, in heads-up action, to win the $85,498 first prize in the Running Aces Main Event. It was his seventh MSPT cash, his fifth final table and his second title. His first came last year when he won the Canterbury Park event for $106,483 after defeating 432 players. He has now earned $300,509 playing on the MSPT, and that’s more than anyone alive or dead. He is the fifth player to win multiple MSPT titles.

The Running Aces event attracted 328 entrants, and 61 of them made it through to the second, and final, day of action. 36 players walked away with a minimum of $1,963, and Nicholas Revello was the bubble boy, running pocket eights into the pocket nines of Hamid Feiz.

The final table bubble boy was John Reading, who failed to make his third MSPT final table by a tiger’s whisker. Reading continuing his great run of form that saw him win his first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet this summer amid two final table appearances.

With Reading out of the way each final table participant was going to earn a minimum of $4,117. The winner would receive $85,498. There was experience and form aplenty.

There were three former MSPT champions searching for win number two. We have already highlighted the aforementioned Peixin Liu. Ben Marsh won a MSPT title in 2011 when he beat 138 entrants in Welch for $40,071, and Muneer Ahmed won one in Iowa back in 2012 when he topped a field of 349 entrants to capture the $89,184 first prize.

Dennis Stevermer was making his third MSPT final table appearance. He finished runner up to Kentraylus Pates at this event last year, and Jon Maras also had a runner-up spot on his CV after coming up short in heads-up play against Alan Curl at the final in Grand Falls earlier this year.

DJ Buckley and Clayton Warner also came into the final table with form. Buckley finish fifth for a six figure score in a $1,500 WSOP side event this summer, and Clayton Warner recently won the PPC Main Event in this very casino earlier this year, beating out 334 other players for the $21,790 first prize.

But it was Liu who would find the right blend of skill and luck to beat them all. He has now recorded two wins, a runner-up spot and two fourths in his five final table appearances. He also moves into second place in the MSPT Player of the Year leaderboard trailing Blake Bohn by a measly 100 points.

Final Table Results

1st. Peixin Liu – $85,498

2nd. Derek Lesniak – $47,499

3rd. DJ Buckley – $29,544

4th. Ben Marsh – $23,750

5th. Dennis Stevermer – $18,683

6th. Scott Johnson – $15,358

7th. Jon Maras – $12,350

8th. Muneer Ahmed – $9,341

9th. Clayton Warner – $6,333

10th. Mike Gantzer – $4,117

The next MSPT stop will be held at the Firekeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan Oct 10-18.