MSPT Round-Up: Kou Vang Joins Pro Team Roster; Potawatomi Opens New Hotel & More
This weekend, Season 5 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) continues at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The PokerNews Live Reporting team will be live reporting the $1,100 Main Event, which will be held over three days beginning Friday evening with Day 1a at 4 p.m. Saturday's Day 1b will also start at 4 p.m. and play 14 levels. Players who advance from Day 1a are not eligible to play in Day 1b. The remaining players from each flight will combine on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. and play until a champion is crowned.
Prior to the stop, the MSPT announced the addition of Kou Vang to its Pro Team alongside Team Pros Blake Bohn, Matt Kirby, and Matt Alexander. Vang, a family man from St. Paul, Minnesota, previously gave PokerNews an in-depth interview, which you can read by clicking here.
One of the most accomplished players in MSPT history, Vang holds the all-time MSPT record with 12 cashes, including seven cashes in Season 5 (good for another record). Additionally, he is second all time with five final tables, fourth all time with $145,399 in earnings, and currently leads the Season 5 MSPT Player of the Year race with 3,100 points. Finally, Vang, a Card Club Pro of Running Aces Harness Park & Card Room in Columbus, Minnesota since 2013, won a MSPT title three years ago at Canterbury Park by defeating pro poker player Everett Carlton heads up.
��We are thrilled to be able to add Kou to the team,�� stated MSPT Founder and President Bryan Mileski. ��He is so well respected by his peers as a person and a player. We love his competitiveness, but also the way he handles the ups and downs of poker with class. Kou has been a very loyal MSPT player for a long time and has been a big part of helping drive the MSPT to the national brand it has become today.��
Listen to Bryan Mileski talk about Season 5 of the MSPT on a recent edition of the PokerNews Podcast. Click here to listen.
In other news, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, recently opened a new 381-room, 19-story hotel, which came just in time to host players for its first visit from a major poker tour.
��Adding a hotel to this property will allow us to show our brand of exciting entertainment to a much wider audience,�� said Mike Goodrich, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino General Manager. ��With the addition of lodging, our property will now be at the forefront of destination casinos. It will also serve as another reason for people to visit the Milwaukee area.��
All standard rooms are equipped with an energy-saving intelligent thermostat, a flat-screen television, refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. Suites are outfitted with plush living and dining areas, a large master bedroom and bathroom, and access to a connected standard bedroom. Free WiFi is available throughout the hotel property.
��Our first goal is to provide our guests with the absolute best experiences we can deliver,�� said Potawatomi Hotel & Casino Hotel Director Hassan Abdel-Moneim. ��We want to meet and exceed the expectations for service our guests have during their stay. We want to set the standard, not only in the Milwaukee market, but the tribal hospitality industry.��
The hotel is also expected to attract a significant number of new visitors to the Milwaukee market.
��Potawatomi Hotel & Casino continues its track record of playing a vital role in the region��s tourism picture,�� said Paul Upchurch, VISIT Milwaukee President and CEO. ��For nearly a quarter century, the tribe has shown incredible dedication to the region with hundreds of millions of dollars in investment, and, in doing so, helping to create a new entertainment and visitor corridor in Milwaukee��s Menomonee Valley.��
For more information on the MSPT Potawatomi, visit MSPTpoker.com.
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