Anthony Cico Wins Mid-States Poker Tour $1,100 Ohio Poker State Championship

Anthony Cico – Photo Credit: MSPT / Jack Cleveland Casino

Anthony Cico made the first cash of his tournament poker career a good one, winning the Mid-States Poker Tour Ohio Poker State Championship at the Jack Cleveland Casino. He was awarded the top prize worth $140,771 along with his the MSPT title late on Sunday, Feb. 19.

The $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em event had a prize pool worth $1,008,270 (the first poker tournament in Ohio to top $1 million) thanks to three starting flights that attracted a total of 1,041 entries. The top 108 players all cashed for at least $2,117 in prize money. There were 123 players that returned for the final day of the tournament, and the money bubble burst quickly to start the day.

The field played down to the final table of nine players around 10 pm, and it took just two hours to decide a champion. The fast action saw three players fall during the first hour, and after two hours of play just the final four remained.

That was when those last four players decided on a chop to bring a 12-hour day of poker to a close with Cico on top. Despite not taking out a single opponent during the final table, Cico held the chip lead from beginning to end during the final stages of the tournament.

“It feels great to be honest,” Cico told reporters after the win. He continued, “I haven’t really played poker in a few years, and this was my first MSPT event ever so it feels really awesome.”

A few other notables that cashed in the tournament included Jared Ingles (11th), Frank Lagodich (16th), Chan Pelton (29th), Josh Reichard (62nd), Billy Pilossoph (82nd), Ian Richardson (91st), and Chance Kornuth (108th).

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded to the final table:

Place Player Earnings POY Points
1 Anthony Cico $140,771 960
2 Brent Ballentine $106,890 800
3 Dionta James $102,278 640
4 Andrew Shields $100,804 480
5 Nathan Early $48,396 400
6 Michael Iacovone $37,305 320
7 Ali Berry $29,239 240
8 Van Tran $22,181 160
9 Thomas Scott $18.148 80

The next stop on the Mid-States Poker Tour will be hosted at the Grand Falls Casino in Larchwood, Iowa, and the $1,110 main event will run from March 10-12.