Five MN Gold Rush 2 Winners Crowned!
Of course all players started the day thinking of the end result: a Minnesota State Championship title and a free trip to the Golden Nugget for our $20k national final this December. When the first player went out after only 15 minutes of play, a collective sigh of relief could be felt throughout the room. At that point, a few sly players -- including two of our past champions Nels Peterson and Clay Lipke -- thought it would be wise to help ensure their odds of winning by buying tournament director and league Administrator Pete Bushey a shot and a drink. Ironically, two of the three actually made the final table and went on to win! You just might want to keep this little trick in mind during your next state final appearance.
As blind level after blind level went by and we made it to supper break, only 108 players remained -- including one of the chip leaders (and soon-to-be bubble boy) Andy Lagarde from the White Bear Bar in White Bear Lake. And with three-time state champ Clay Lipke (Prime Time in Breezy Point), two-time champ Nels Peterson (Ultimate Sports Bar in Waite Park) and overall Gold Rush 2 point leader Dave Hendershot (Golden Valley VFW) all still in the running, there were many viable players left to contend with. But, no one backed down to the challenge after play resumed, even though many more were eliminated.
By the time the clock neared 8 pm, our final 20 were battling it out for a seat at the final table. The lone female remaining--Kari Davis (pictured right) from the Kandi Bowl in Willmar--did her best to stay in with the support of her boyfriend and current Gold Rush 2 online winner Matt Wolff. Unfortunately, she was knocked out shortly after we were down to 15 players or less. Thankfully, she'll still be headed to Las Vegas in December as his guest. Before we knew it we had our final ten and the skillful players headed to the main poker room to take their seats. Joining Running Aces Tournament Director Nessa Kunkel to begin the action were:
1. Andy Lagarde, White Bear Bar in White Bear Lake
2. Gary Tomhave, Mabel Murphy's in Fergus Falls
3. Nels Peterson, Ultimate Sports Bar in Waite Park
4. Tom Wesseloh, Ultimate Sports Bar in Waite Park
5. Buddy Stafford, A & T Tap in Worthington
6. Steve Millsop, Patch Restaurant in Warroad
7. Anthony Thompson, Blue Fox in Arden Hills
8. Bruce Fenn, Blue Heron Grill in Hugo
9. Dave Hendershot, Golden Valley VFW in Golden Valley
10. Doug Roberts, Gary's Place in Staples
To comply with Minnesota gaming laws, the action had to restart at this point in the Main Room with Running Aces taking over and awarding the prizes to the final five. Each player also had to start fresh with a 10k chip stack. Needless to say with so much on the line, not one of the final 10 was willing to shove, and the action ground out for quite some time. It took more than two hours to lose two players, with Gary Tomhave being the first to bust and Doug Roberts, Dave Hendershot and Tom Wesseloh following. Heartbreakingly, Andy Lagarde, who had been one of the chip leaders throughout the day, ended up bubbling in 6th place at nearly 1 am.
But for the those final FIVE, the celebration had begun and a few new records had been set. Nels Peterson became the first player to win 3 out of 6 state championship events, joining Clay Lipke as one of only two three-time state champions! Anthony Thompson also accomplished a notable feat, being one of the youngest state camps in the history of the league. For Buddy Stafford, this win now affords him the chance to see Vegas and be in the circle of MN state champs. And for Bruce Fenn this was his first state championship appearance, meaning he can now say he is one for one! For Steve Millsop this means the opportunity to win some cold hard cash in Las Vegas this December.
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who came out and made this tournament so much fun! Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of our bar partners and your patronage, so be sure to say thanks for the opportunity during your next league night! Also be sure to check out our facebook page within the next few days for pictures taken troughout the event.
(Pictured L to R: The new MN State Champions Bruce Fenn, Nels Peterson, Buddy Stafford, Steve Millsop and Anthony Thompson).