Angela Jordison secured a victory at the Major Series of Poker Tour (MSPT) stop in Larchwood, Iowa, on March 23. This win marks her second Major Series of Poker Tour title, adding to the one she claimed in September 2024 at Ameristar Casino Hotel East Chicago before the tour’s rebranding from the Mid-States Poker Tour. Her triumph at Grand Falls Casino earned her a $95,381 payday, pushing her career earnings beyond $1.7 million.
Following her victory, Major Series of Poker Tour reporters caught up with Jordison for an interview. Reflecting on the final table, she shared, “I was short and card dead. I lost a big hand right before the final table against T.J. [Murphy] in a blind vs. blind situation. I had ace-eight with the nut draw while he had ace-nine with a pair, and I bricked out, leaving me as one of the short stacks at the final table.”
Jordison went on to explain her preparation for these moments: “Coming in short-stacked is something I’ve been focusing on a lot lately. The ICM chops and short-stack strategies really played a role here. All the work I do off the felt—the tedious study sessions—proved invaluable.”
She also reflected on what the win meant for her: “It feels really good… really, really good. Honestly, I was disappointed after seeing the Hall of Fame changes. I was aiming for it, and then suddenly, it felt unattainable. But in a way, it took the pressure off—I just got to play and enjoy myself.” Under the new Major Series of Poker Tour Hall of Fame criteria, players need at least two tournament victories to qualify, a milestone Jordison has now achieved.
The $1,110 buy-in no-limit hold’em event drew 513 entries across two starting flights, creating a total prize pool of $496,110—more than doubling the $200,000 guarantee. The top 55 finishers secured a minimum payout of $2,199, with all of them returning for the final day of play.
As the final table began, Jordison was one of the shortest stacks, while Murphy sat atop the leaderboard. Murphy eliminated Paul Cross in ninth place, followed by D.J. Buckley in eighth. Jordison managed a crucial double-up before Jason Peterson exited in seventh.
Jordison gained momentum by knocking out Jason Sell in sixth place and continued her run by eliminating Kevin Berthelsen in fifth. Murphy maintained his dominance by sending Steve Funderman out in fourth place.
The battle for third ended when Aaron Knudson was eliminated, setting up a heads-up showdown between Jordison and Murphy. Jordison held a slight advantage with an 8:7 chip ratio. The two players agreed to an ICM chop before playing out the final hand.
In that hand, the board read Q♦ J♣ 9♥ when Jordison check-raised to 675,000 following Murphy’s 225,000 continuation bet. The turn brought the 2♣, and Jordison led out for 1,300,000, with Murphy calling. The river landed the 2♥, and Jordison moved all-in. Murphy called with J♦ 6♣ for jacks and deuces, but Jordison’s 10♦ 8♣ gave her a flopped straight for the win. Murphy took home $76,736, the largest cash of his career.
With this victory, Jordison further cements her status as a force in the poker world, proving that preparation and resilience can pay off in high-stakes tournament play.
