Alec Anderson Wins MN State Poker Championship
Alec Anderson, 22, entered the final table of the Minnesota State Poker Championship as chip leader, only to see his stack dwindle to almost nothing when the table reached 4-handed play.
A double up, a mini-rush, and some timely aggression, however, vaulted Anderson, a Plymouth native, to the biggest cash of his young poker career, $65,955 — a cash that earns him the title as 2009 Minnesota State Poker Champ.
Anderson outlasted 137 players in the $1,500 buy-in main event, but the road wasn’t easy. He grinded his way down to the final three tables while nursing a short stack nearly the entire tournament, until doubling up with AA vs. AK.
The double-up helped propel him to the eventual chip lead heading into the final table, but once the tournament reached 4-handed play, Anderson found himself short-stacked yet again. He moved all in with AQ and doubled up through Duane Mann’s A6, and on the very next hand Anderson took a huge pot off then-chip leader “3-Putts”, who is one of the most established tournament players in Minnesota.
Anderson moved into cruise control from that point forward, knocking out Jeff Havenor in 4th place ($17,988), and severely crippling Mann just a short-while later.
“3-Putts” finished the job on Mann, who earned $23,984 for his 3rd-place finish, but Anderson’s A8 trumped the KJ of “3-Putts” on the first hand of heads up play to end the tournament.
Defending champion Justin Therlow of Cottage Grove, MN final tabled for the second consecutive year. Therlow finished 9th, earning $3,997.
Find more details about Alec Anderson and the 2009 Minnesota State Poker Championship in the June 1st issue of Minnesota Poker Magazine.
| Finish | Cash | Name | Location | Final Table Chips | Seat # |
| 1 | $ 65,955 | Alec Anderson | Plymouth, MN | $320,000 | 8 |
| 2 | $ 33,978 | 3 Putts | Minneapolis, MN | $200,000 | 3 |
| 3 | $ 23,984 | Duane Mann | Inver Grove Heights, MN | $300,000 | 7 |
| 4 | $ 17,988 | Jeff Havenor | Eleva, WI | $229,000 | 1 |
| 5 | $ 11,992 | Daniel Holthaus | Monticello, MN | $241,000 | 5 |
| 6 | $ 9,993 | Dave Gilbertson | Annandale, MN | $110,000 | 10 |
| 7 | $ 7,995 | Judd Greenagel | Minneapolis, MN | $247,000 | 6 |
| 8 | $ 5,996 | David Duke | Boston, MA | $98,000 | 4 |
| 9 | $ 3,997 | Justin Therlow | Cottage Grove | $160,000 | 2 |
| 10 | $ 1,999 | Matt Leshovsky | Elk River, MN | $60,000 | 9 |
| 11 | $ 1,999 | Ron Spaim | Plymouth, MN | ||
| 12 | $ 1,999 | David Fitzsimmons | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| 13 | $ 1,999 | Bill Knight | Shakopee, MN | ||
| 14 | $ 1,999 | Pete Bigelow | Moose Lake, MN | ||
| 15 | $ 1,999 | Kim Segrud | Mankato, MN | ||
| 16 | $ 1,999 | Mike Folkens | Janesville, WI | ||
| 17 | $ 1,999 | Jason Haire | Minneapolis, MN | ||
| 18 | $ 1,999 | Michael Kovar | Eden Prairie, MN |
