Bluff Mid-States Poker Tour Blog

Rodger Johnson of Grand Forks, ND just took down the largest BLUFF MSPT event to date at Running Aces Harness Park to earn $79,185 and the RF Moeller Diamond Championship bracelet!

Johnson – a farmer/pilot/real estate investor, etc – was the last man standing in a 311-player Main Event though he’s not the first in his family to win a BLUFF MSPT event. His brother Brian took down the 2010 event at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, MN.

Johnson entered Day 2 at 16 big blinds with 32,000 chips. At one point he was all-in with Q9 for his last 15,300. “I won that hand,” Johnson said, “then started picking up some cards.”

Johnson began the final table with 525,000. With the blinds at 20K/40K, he faced a 3X raise in front of him that was more than his 115K stack. He got it all-in with A3 suited in a 3-way pot and hit his flush to triple up. After that it was fairly clear sailing. He rolled to a large chip lead heads up against Erick Wright where he flopped a set of 9′s and got it all-in against Wright’s K-high. That was it!

Wright again proved he’s a force to be reckoned with. Wright has won the Twin Cities Poker Open, the Anniversary Tournament and placed 2nd in the Freeze Out, all $1k buy-in tourneys.

Congratulations to Rodger Johnson, Erick Wright and all the players who cashed! This is a wrap for the 2012 BLUFF Mid-States Poker Tour at Running Aces, a record field to-date for the BLUFF MSPT!

The next stop is at Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, IA March 24 – April 1. That event is $300,000 GUARANTEED!! Will the BLUFF MSPT break 400? See you there!

Visit www.msptpoker.com for complete schedule of events.

Place Name Amount
1 Rodger Johnson $79,185
2 Erick Wright $43,328
3 Elias Monette $28,686
4 Leo Fussy $19,423
5 Sam Hanson $14,941
6 Robby Westrom $11,952
7 Dave Westrum $10,458
8 Jeff Grobe $8,964
9 Tom Westbrook $7,470
10 Chris Clasen $5,976
11 Chad Felix $5,976
12 Brenden Sandy $5,976
13 Josh Oien $4,183
14 Tony Swanson $4,183
15 Kevin Reichel $4,183
16 Paul Schroeder $2,988
17 Ryan Hartmann $2,988
18 Dan Kraft $2,988
19 Hank Mlekoday $2,390
20 Shane Coen $2,390
21 Richard Cockrell $2,390
22 Todd Innes $2,390
23 Chris Keller $2,390
24 Matt Leshovsky $2,390
25 John Hayes $2,390
26 Steve Johnson $2,390
27 Brian Soja $2,390
28 Matt Alexander $1,494
29 Matt Jenkin $1,494
30 Jason Hartwig $1,494
31 William Records $1,494
32 Jocelyn Bendijo $1,494
33 Ryan Arnold $1,494
34 Tara Dunn $1,494
35 Eric Grave $1,494
36 Tracy Blackwell $1,494

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Date: Sunday, February 19, 2012
Tournament Location: Running Aces Harness Park, Columbus, MN
Time: Final Table will be streamed LIVE at approx. 7:00PM (CST)
Buy-In: $1,000+$100
Entrants: 311
1st Place: $79,185 (36 places paid)

WATCH LIVE HERE!!

9:35AM (CST)Update: We’re getting ready to begin Day 2 of the BLUFF MSPT at Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, MN. Play will resume at 10:00AM (CST) and will go until a champion is crowned late this evening.

127 players turned out for Day 1A, another 184 entered Day 1B creating a 311 player field for this $1,000+$100 buy-in event creating a $311,000 prize pool.

42 players survived Day 1A, 64 players advanced through Day 1B leaving us 106 who will be combined today for Day 2.

36 places will get paid, first place is $79,185! Tony Swanson leads the charge with 191K, Erick Wright & Ken Johnson are close behind. Three past BLUFF MSPT champs are still in the field, Kou Vang, Tom Stambaugh and Jeremy Dresch.

The final table will be broadcast LIVE using RFID technology on www.bluffmagazine.com at approximately 7:00PM CST Sunday evening.

Level 10 blinds will be 1,000/2,000 w/200 ante.

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Season 3 is kicking off this week in grand fashion! Running Aces Harness Park in Forest Lake, MN – just 20 minutes north of Minneapolis – will be hosting Season 3, Event 1 of the BLUFF Mid-States Poker Tour.

Satellites and Qualifiers will be held Wednesday, Feb. 15th through Saturday, Feb. 18th. The $1,000+$100 Main Event will include multiple Day 1 flights on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 17th & 18th. Players who survive Day 1A or Day 1B will combine to play Day 2 on Sunday, Feb. 19th.

The prize pool is estimated to reach $300,000!

Viewers around the world will be able to watch the Final Table action unfold Sunday evening (approx. 7:00 – 8:00pm CST) on www.bluffmagazine.com using state-of-the-art RFID technology.

What is RFID technology?

On the surface it looks like a regular poker table. But hidden inside the table is a system of hi-tech RFID electronics that tracks the movement of playing cards, and superimposes that information on to a live video feed. The cutting edge technology, identifies exactly what cards have been dealt and replaces any need for hole cameras.

The final table will be streamed on a 15-minute delay (same as the ESPN broadcast of the WSOP) at www.bluffmagazine.com, showing viewers the hole cards and the flop, long with the percentage chance of winning the hand and “out” cards when heads up in a hand.

For more information on this event and future BLUFF MSPT events, visit www.msptpoker.com.

And don’t forget, Season 3, Event 2 at Meskwaki Casino in Tama, IA has one of the largest GUARANTEED prize pools in the Midwest at $300,000!

This CAN’T MISS event will take place from March 24 – April 1. Visit www.msptpoker.com for more details. This event will also be broadcast LIVE using RFID on www.bluffmagazine.com.

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The BLUFF Mid-States Poker Tour will be kicking off Season 3 in just 10 days!

Season 3, Event 1 will be held at Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, Minnesota, just 30 miles north of Minneapolis. This event is $100,000 Guaranteed. Last year’s BLUFF MSPT event at Running Aces created a prize pool over $200,000!

This season though, due to anticipated large fields, the BLUFF MSPT has added multiple Day 1 flights which will likely create a prize pool close to $300,000. Satellites and qualifiers will take place February 4, 11 and 15-18.

The $1,000+$100 Main Event Day 1A is scheduled for Friday, February 17. Day 1B is Saturday, February 18. Players who make it through either Day 1 flight will play Day 2 on Sunday, February 19. Players who bust out on Day 1A are eligible to re-enter on Day 1B.

The BLUFF MSPT Main Event provides players with a 20,000 starting stack and 50-minute levels.

And don’t forget, the Main Event Final Table will be broadcast live (15-minute delay) on www.bluffmagazine.com using RFID technology! RFID tracks the movement of playing cards and superimposes that information on a live video feed for the viewers at home, allowing them to see the hole cards.

View the entire BLUFF MSPT – Running Aces event schedule HERE.

For local hotel discounts during this event, go HERE. Be sure to reference “Mid-States Poker Tour” to receive the discounted rate.

Season 3, Event 2

For the first time in tour history, the BLUFF MSPT and Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa have teamed up to offer a $300,000 Guaranteed Main Event prize pool!! The Main Event buy-in is still only $1,000+$100.

The BLUFF MSPT at Meskwaki Casino will take place March 24 – April 1. Again, there will be multiple Day 1 flights on March 30-31 with Day 2 on April 1. Satellites and qualifiers will be held in the days and weeks leading up to the event.

For the complete BLUFF MSPT – Meskwaki Casino event schedule and special hotel rates, keep checking back at www.msptoker.com.

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The BLUFF Mid-States Poker Tour will be opening Season 3 by invading Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, MN, February 15-19! Last year’s event at Running Aces generated a prize pool of over $200,000, which will likely be far surpassed this season! Additional satellites and qualifiers will be held prior on February 4th & 11th. View the complete event schedule at www.msptpoker.com.

The tour’s final stop of Season 2 at Canterbury Park, December 7-12, 2011, turned out over 800 players throughout the week who either attempted to satellite in for as low as $60 or just direct buy into the $1,000+$100 Main Event, eventually creating a $230,000 prize pool.

Local pro Kou Vang (pictured) navigated through two full days of poker but it took only one hand heads-up for Vang and professional poker player Everett Carlton to get it all-in. Vang’s ace-jack held earning him $64,465 for the win!

For those unfamiliar with the nation’s fastest rising poker tour, the BLUFF MSPT is a series of affordable deep stack poker tournaments, initially held throughout the Midwest but is in the process of expanding nationally after its partnership with BLUFF, the poker industry’s leading publication.

Founded in December of 2009, the BLUFF MSPT offers tournaments with a $1,000 buy-in and guarantees ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. The Tour is known to be player-friendly with 50-minute blind levels and its deep stack structure. For BLUFF MSPT structure details, go HERE.

The Final Table of each event will also be broadcast LIVE (15-minute delay) on www.bluffmagazine.com using the state-of-the-art RFID (radio-frequency identification) poker table which will allow viewers at home to see players’ hole cards. The BLUFF MSPT is currently the only tour in the nation to use this technology.

Due to increasing demand and the anticipation of large fields at upcoming events, the BLUFF MSPT will also be adding multiple Day 1 flights at all stops.
Season 3, Event 2 of the BLUFF MSPT will boast one of the largest Guaranteed Main Event prize pools in the Midwest, $300,000!! This can’t-miss event will be hosted by Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel in Tama, Iowa, March 24 – April 1, 2012. Reserve your rooms now under the MSPT block as they will sell out fast!

For BLUFF MSPT upcoming events, structures, hotel information & other details, visit www.msptpoker.com.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/msptpoker
Twitter: @msptpoker

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