Sergei Kislinskii Wins MSPT Venetian $1,600 Buy-In

The second installment of the Mid-States Poker Tour main events concluded this week at The Venetian Las Vegas. The 2023 MSPT Venetian tournament, featuring a $1,600 buy-in, attracted 238 players, exceeding the $300,000 guarantee and culminating in a final prize pool of $339,150. Following two starting flights and a concluding day of combined-field action, Sergei Kislinskii emerged as the victor, securing the title and the top prize of $73,019.

Expressing his satisfaction at the triumph, Kislinski shared with MSPT reporters, “It feels good to win something. I’m a cash player, I’ve been playing poker since 2007, and I’d play tournaments here and there but never won any, so this is nice.”

Before this victory, Kislinskii’s most significant tournament achievement had been a fourth-place finish in a $5,300 buy-in six-max event during this year’s WSOP Online festival, earning him $32,918. Despite not primarily focusing on tournament play, he now boasts a lifetime earnings total of over $138,000.

Kislinskii faced formidable competition in the latter stages of the event, contending with players such as bracelet winner Giuseppe Pantaleo (8th), 2019 WPT Venetian main event champion Ben Palmer (5th), 2022 WSOP Monster Stack third-place finisher Francis Anderson (4th), bracelet winner Nicholas Pupillo (3rd), and 2023 WSOP main event third-place finisher Adam Walton (2nd).

Pupillo achieved his 18th final-table finish of the year, securing two titles along the way. The 256 Card Player Player of the Year points earned in this latest deep run increased his total to 5,842, positioning him in 11th place in the 2023 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

Thanks to his runner-up finish, Walton ascended to 45th place in the rankings. With a total of six final tables and nearly $4.2 million in POY earnings, the majority stemming from his podium finish in this year’s World Championship, Walton continues to solidify his position in the poker scene.

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