Everett Carlton (right)

Event 45 – $1,500 NLH, 3,097 entrants
71st – Everett Carlton, St. Paul, $7,860

This was Carlton’s eighth-career cash at the WSOP. He previously pocketed $92,000 for a seventh-place finish in event 14 in 2006 — an ESPN televised final table.

The WSOP Main Event starts in less than one week — Monday, July 5.

For more provincial WSOP results, check out these previous posts.

12:15 a.m. Update – Kuong Yek of Woodbury was a short stack when he arrived at the final table Sunday evening but managed to grind his way through several players and the big stacks of Brian Schallhammer and David Gonia to take down the title and over $19K.  Final results:

1st – Kuong Yek – $19,430

2nd – David Gonia – $11,103

3rd – Brian Schallhammer – $8,327

4th – John Marlowe Jr. – $6,662

5th – Justin Thurlow – $4,996

6th – Nancy Larson – $3,331

7th – Peter Miller – $1,664

9:20 Update - 3 players remain, Brian Schallhammer, Kuong Yek and David Gonia (pictured)

7:30 Update – Currently 8 players remain, 7 is the money.  Mark Dunbar just busted 9th, Troy Huston busted 10th.  John Marlowe Jr. is still alive and has a healthy stack, 2nd in chips.  Marlowe Jr. just won the Canterbury Firecracker 500 yesterday for over $10K.  They are playing for a $19,430 1st place prize.  Here are the 8 remaining:

Seat 2: Brian Schallhammer – St. Paul

Seat 4: David Gonia – White Bear Lake (Chip Leader)

Seat 5: Kuong Yek – Woodbury

Seat 6: Nancy Larson – Stillwater

Seat 7: Peter Miller - Golden Valley

Seat 8: Kathleen Day-Coen – Marine on St. Croix

Seat 9: Justin Thurlow – Cottage Grove

Seat 10: John Marlow Jr. – St. Paul

10:30 A.M. Update - Running Aces Harness Park is hosting their 2nd Anniversary Tournament today.  The $1,000+$100 buy-in tourney started at 10:00 this morning, 40 minute levels and $25K starting stack.  59 Entrants.

John Marlowe, Jr.

As part of their 25th anniversary celebration this weekend, Canterbury Park held a $550 buy-in “Firecracker” tournament.

The tournament drew 61 entrants for a prize pool of $30,500, and John Marlowe, Jr. took home $10,673 for first place.

Saturday was another good showing for 3-Putts as well, who finished second for $6,100.

[View with PicLens]

There are two big poker tournaments in the metro area this weekend:

Saturday: The Firecracker 500 at Canterbury Park
- $550 buy-in and a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool

Sunday: The Anniversary Tournament at Running Aces
- $1,100 buy-in

Chad Ogle won the Anniversary tournament in 2009 for just over $20,000.

Fargo resident Adam Laskey takes first place at the Venetian $560 Pot Limit Omaha tournament on June 8th. Here’s a conversation I had with him after his win.

Ryan McDonald: First off, can you give me a short background on your poker career?

Adam Laskey: I started playing online back in 2005 at micro limits and had success but didn’t take it seriously until I decided to give it a go at the start of 2009.
Adam Laskey: My first real poker playing came in 04-05 in the dorm room poker games at Arizona State
 

Ryan McDonald: What have you been doing lately with your poker career?

Adam Laskey: Starting in 2009, I decided to try poker as a main source of income at lower stakes and I moved up fairly quickly.  Since then, I have been spreading my time out evenly between PLO and NLH cash games and MTTs.  I am working on a degree at North Dakota State University, so I don’t have as much time for poker as I like, but I still try to play as much as possible.  The last few months have been primarily tourneys as I tried to gear up for Las Vegas.
 

Ryan McDonald: What was the tournament you won?

Adam Laskey: $560 Pot Limit Omaha at the Deepstack Extravaganza at the Venetian

Ryan McDonald: What were your thoughts entering that tournament?

Adam Laskey: I have always thought of PLO as my best game and the one I have the biggest edge over.  I looked at this tourney as my best shot for a decent score.

Ryan McDonald: Did you have a pre-determined strategy entering the final table?

Adam Laskey: Myself and the other chip leader had double the chips of the next closest so my first goal was to try and stay away from him until I had a better idea how he played.  As for the rest of the players, my goal was to just try and apply a lot of pressure in position and try and use my big stack to bully the table by pushing my draws and made hands the same.

Ryan McDonald: What was going through your head on the last hand?

Adam Laskey: Oh boy.  We were both tired and he misread his hand and called my shove, I misread his hand when he flipped it over.  So when the turn brought the Ten, I thought he hit his set, but I didn’t realize one of his tens was a nine.  I went over to my friends on the rail and told them I lost the hand.  Next thing I knew, he was over shaking my hand.  I spent my winning moment thinking I lost.

Ryan McDonald: How much did you win and what do you plan on doing with the money?

Adam Laskey: I won $30,920.  I plan on putting part of it toward life costs, save some of it, and put the rest back into my bankroll to continue playing more and higher in the future.

Ryan McDonald: What are some other tournaments your playing during your time in Vegas?

Adam Laskey: I’ve tried to play any $350 or $560 at the Venetian and I have played all the $1k’s at the WSOP.

Ryan McDonald: Please rank in order of the greatest to the lamest. Jayz, Biggie, 2Pac

Adam Laskey: Eminem, Jay-Z, 2pac, Biggie

Ryan McDonald: I respectfully disagree with that list but to each his own.

 
Ryan McDonald: Is there anything else you’d like to get out there? Either about yourself or the tournament.

Adam Laskey: Hmm
Adam Laskey: Not off hand

Ryan McDonald: Thank you and good luck in the future!

Jeanne Nelson

Event 34: $1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold’em, 3,142 entrants
12th – Jeanne Nelson, St. Paul, $28,221
35th – John Morgan, Minneapolis, $11,282

Nelson’s story, in particular, is intriguing and inspiring. According to the official WSOP.com report for event 34, Nelson suffers from cancer, and playing in the WSOP was on her bucket list:

One of the most interesting stories of any player at this year’s Seniors Championship was told by a player named Jeanne Nelson. She is a 60-year-old accountant from St. Paul, MN. This was Nelson’s first time ever to play in the WSOP. One year ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. Her husband bought her into this tournament as a birthday gift. She stated that playing in the WSOP was on her so-called “Bucket List.” To play was her dream come true. Not only did Nelson enter this tournament, she also cashed in 12th place — which paid $28,221. The entire WSOP family wishes Jeanne Nelson well and believes she is a true inspiration for everyone to follow their dreams.

More solid showings from Minnesotans in the World Series of Poker:

Event 30: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em, 2,394 entrants
68th – Bill Criego, Prior Lake, $6,657

Event 33: $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’em & Omaha, 482 entrants
38th – Mike Schneider, Eagan, $5,244

The Dates for the Twin Cities Poker Open at Canterbury Park have been announced.

No-Limit Texas Hold’em
August 25 – 29 

Buy your way into the finals or win your way through one of the qualifying heats.

 Finals
Sunday, August 29
10:30 AM
$1,000 Buy In + $100 Entry Fee

 Qualifying Heats*
August 25 – 28
$220 Buy-In + $30 Entry Fee 

*Top 20% from each heat win a seat in the Finals with no additional entry fee.

One-table satellites begin Monday, August 23.

The Saturday Series for the 1st half of 2010 at Running Aces is over and the $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat prize was awarded Saturday, June 19th.  Though…two players decided to chop and keep the cash.  Rose Kahnke and Mario Hudson(pictured) took home $5K each.  

The Saturday Series for the the 2nd half of 2010 is now underway.  The Saturday tournament is a $200+25+10, $20,000 starting chips and 30 minute levels beginning at 2:00.

Qualifying for the $100K freeroll at Canterbury is just about over, June 30th is the last day.  They have recently released the structures for the Semi-Finals and the Finals.

Semi-Finals will be held July 21 – 24.  The Finals will be held Sunday, July 25.

Semi-Finals structure: http://www.canterburypark.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=sY-r3fNcfQM%3d&tabid=366

Finals structure: http://www.canterburypark.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=KxcRjM0F_lo%3d&tabid=366

Tom Burandt

With his final table appearance at the Minnesota State Poker Tour event at Northern Lights last weekend, Tom Burandt put a slight dent in Everett Carlton’s massive POY points lead. Unfortunately, Burandt likely needed a top two finish to really pull close.

Still, with several big events coming up later this summer and in the fall, the race is not over.