Gold Rush Video Montage

Championship Photos

GOLD RUSH WINNERS

1st Place $12,000 - Tanner Nelsen - Liquid Assets, Dickinson, ND

Jody Hamilton - Jersey's, Inver Grove Heights, MN Brandon Roe - Chaser's, Albert Lea, MN
Amy Ness - Paul Bunyan Bowl, Brainerd, MN
Manny Hernandez - Down Under Pub, Grand Forks, ND
Brent Kragnes - Dempsey's, Fargo, ND
Cindy Sandgren - Long Prairie Legion, Long Prairie, MN
Scott Krein - Old Broadway, Fargo, ND
Larry Culhane - Hidden Valley Gold Club, Lincoln, NE
Dwayne Hanson - Silver Dollar, Mandan, ND

Here are some of the bigger winners in the mystery cash bounties:

$1000 - Cindy Sandgren (Long Prairie Legion)

$500 - Dan Hjelmgren (Outer Limits)

$110 - Nick Hagadorn (Hibbing VFW)

$100 - Terry Champa (Liquid Larry's)

$155 - Lenny Anderson (Jim's Sports Bar)

$120 - Terry Hirning (I Don't Know Bar-Dickinson, ND)

$100 - Jordan Strusz (Marie's Casual Dining-Red Wing, MN)

$100 - Brent Kragness (Dempsey's-Fargo, ND)

$100 - Dan Stephney (Dempsey's-Fargo, ND)

$265 - Tanner Nelsen (Liquid Assets-Dickinson, ND)

$140 - Gail Brookings (Hagge's-Mapleton, ND)

$50 - Skip Wood (Moorhead VFW)

$50 - Jason Kaltvedt (Trophy's-Nelson, MN)

$50 - Terry Scepurek (Red Bull)

$50 - June Vollmer (Front Street)

$50 - Rich Rafferty (Alley Cat Lanes-Ortonville, MN

$50 - Doug Feik (Little Bo's - Columbus, NE)

$50 - Troy Janisch (Patch-Warroad, MN)

$50 - Jeff Blawat (Drayton Lounge)

$50 - Jim Monson (Main Bar)

$90 - Marcus Holm (Champps-Eden Prairie, MN)

$50 - Erik Kritz (Aberdeen Eagles)

$50 - Dave Flint (Hutchinson Elks)

$120 - Greg Anderson (Ultimate Sports Bar-Waite Park, MN)

$65 - Manny Hernandez (Down Under Pub-Grand Forks, ND)

4:30PM FINAL TABLE!!!

11th Gail Brookings - Hagge's, Mapleton, ND $500 plus 6 bonus bounties for $128!!!

12th Ron Olson - The Hub, Fargo, ND $100

13th Kim Chandler - Pit Stop, Clifford, ND $100

14th Randy Landsverk - Moose Lodge, Crosby, ND $100

15th Greg Anderson - Ultimate Sports Bar, Waite Park, MN $100

16th Vince Biesot - Liquid Assets, Dickinson, ND

17th Terry Scepurek - Red Bull Bar, Little Falls, MN

18th Shirley Maahs - Barnesville VFW

19th Kathleen Porath - EGF VFW

20th Erol Tvedt

21st Lenny Anderson

22nd Nick Hagadorn 

3:00PM DOWN TO 20

There will be a short break to redraw for the final 2 tables.

Here are some players who busted since the last update:

2:40PM

Update - we lost Skip Wood (27th) and Mandy Ray (26th).

Jackie Pavek - 30th (Dawn's Corner Bar - Dundas, MN) 

Gail Brookings caught an ace on the turn to stay alive.   

Larry Culhane, the last remaining player from Nebraska, is still alive and doing well (pictured right). 

2:15PM DOWN TO 3 TABLES - 28 PLAYERS

Chip leaders:

1. Brent Kragnes 377,000 (Dempsey's-Fargo)

2. Cindy Sangren 316,000 (Long Prairie Legion)

3. Erol Tvedt 297,000 (Midway Lanes-Mandan, ND)

1:45PM BIG BOUNTY ALERT!!!

Cindy Sandgren from the Long Prairie, MN American Legion eliminated 2 players, Mike McDermott and Jordan Strusz in a huge pot with a set of Jacks.  She landed the $1,000 bounty from one of them, but we don't know which player had it.

Cindy started the day with only 20,000 in chips.  She caught a huge break drawing out on a 4-outer to a player earlier today to stay alive.  That was the beginning of an incredible run to over 300,000 in chips!    

We're now down to 30 players.  Redraw for the final three tables.

We lost Kathy Renwick & Larry Burkhardt in the last level.  

The blinds are 8k/12k with the average stack at 108k.

1:00PM DOWN TO 44

We're really moving fast...

Alison Kelley busted.

The $1500 freeroll is underway with 190 players... 

Todd Sather (pictured right) was eliminated by Lenny Anderson.   Then, Anderson eliminated Chris Keller.  Lenny is playing a lot of hands and running good.

12:45PM 5 MAJOR SUCKOUTS

It's one of those days where you don't want to get your chips in good.  There have been 5 major suckouts in the first hour here. 

Manny Hernandez from the Down Under Pub in Grand Forks is the new chip leader of the tournament with a little over 200k... 

12:30PM

Day 2 is underway!

Jody Wilson of Bertha Liquors was the first player to bust. 

In a matter of 10 minutes we saw 6 players bust.  We're down to 6 tables.

Lenny Anderson and Todd Sather tangled in a huge pot with Sather ahead holding middle pair.  Anderson called with an opened ended straight draw but missed.  Sather doubled up. 

Notes: The $1,000 cash bounty is still in play...

The overall point leader in the network, Karl Brusven from Trophy’s in Nelson, MN is still in the tournament and has 44k.  

There is only 1 remaining player from South Dakota – Larry Burkhardt (pictured at right) from the Thirsty Duck in Sioux Falls.

Also, there is only 1 remaining player from Nebraska - Larry Culhane from Hidden Valley Golf in Lincoln, NE... 

5-time championship qualifiers Ron Olson (The Hub) & Troy Janisch (The Patch-Roseau) are still alive in the tournament.

Here are the chip counts to start Day 2:

8:30PM

Ok folks, we're done with play for day 1.  

Tim Walsh from Brothers Bar & Grill in Rochester busted.  He is quite disappointed. 

He writes a great blog, check it out...

8:20PM

Lenny Anderson (pictured right) rivered a jack to make a set of jacks in a HUGE pot against Dre Newsom's Kings in a 3-way all-in pot for 115k!!!

A big crowd gathered to witness Lenny go crazy after hitting the river, screaming "Thank You Jesus!, Thank You Jesus!"  

Dre was devastated.

8:00PM MOVING ALONG

Okay, folks we just went to 2000/4000 and this will be the last level of the day...

We're down to 88 players.

Todd Sather won a huge pot, taking out Mike Rodacker from Bucks-Bismarck, a 35k pot with a flush to Mike's Broadway.  Todd Sather is a former NDSU Bison pitcher.

7:05PM BACK FROM DINNER BREAK

Here are the current chip leaders, we are down to 125 players.  The tournament will pause at approx. 8:30 and we'll pick up the action again tomorrow at noon.  

1. 72.5k Mike McDermott - Boxer's (Faribault, MN)

2. 68k Amy Ness - Paul Bunyan Bowl (Brainerd, MN)

2 (tie). 68k Jason Dick - Island Bar (Lisbon, ND)

4.  65k Jody Wilson - Bertha Liqurs (Bertha, MN)

5. 59.5k Vince Biesiot - Liquid Assets (Dickinson, ND)

6. 57k Matt Nelson - The Patch (Roseau, MN)

7. 56k Todd Sather - JC's Corral (Dilworth, MN)

5:59PM HUGE HAND ALERT!

Marcus Holm lost a huge pot to Mike McDermott (Boxer's-Faribault, MN).   

Everyone is now on dinner break (1 hour).

5:45pm

Here are some names with above-average chip stacks:

Jesper Wrangle - Broadway Pizza (Champlin, MN)

Matt Nelson - The Patch (Roseau, MN)

Jason Dick - Island Bar

Mandy Ray - Mitch's (Duluth, MN)

Don Ellwanger - Stampede (Hewitt, MN)

Vince Biesiot - Liquid Assets (Dickinson, ND)

Larry Burkhart - (Sioux Falls, SD)

Nick Hagadorn - (Hibbing, MN)

Jody Wilson - Bertha Liquors (Bertha, MN)

Dre Newsom - Chaser's (Albert Lea, MN)

Amy Ness - Paul Bunyan Bowl (Brainderd, MN)

Marcus Holm - Champps (Eden Prairie, MN) 

5:30pm

We just went to the 800/1600 level and we're down to about 150 players...With alternates, we managed to get 207 players in the $500 freeroll!!! 

Everyone's having a BLAST

5:00pm

Just heard Mitch over the loudspeaker describe a showdown and announce a bad beat for a $40k pot when a Dre Newsom from Chaser's caught a 2-outer for a set of jacks to beat a player who flopped 2 pair.   

Terry Champa from Liquid Larry's in Dickinson, ND won a $100 bounty.

4:30pm 2ND BREAK

There are 215 players remaining.  The $500 freeroll is now running as well.  We're now at the 500/1000 level.  Players started with 10,000 chips so we're getting to a breaking point in the tournament.  The average stack is $14,700 so we'll see a lot of movement in the hour of play...

Here are the chip leaders after the 2nd break:

1. 44,400 Chuck Knutson - Eagles, Park Rapids, MN

2. 43,400 Gail Brookings - Hagge's Bar, Mapleton, ND

3. 40,500 Amy Ness (pictured right) - Paul Bunyan Bowl, Brainerd, MN

4. 37,500 Mitch Jackson - Jersey's, Inver Grove Heights, MN

5. 36,900 Jim Askin - Schmitty's Tavern, Victoria, MN

Marcus Holm (Champps-Eden Prairie, MN) has knocked out 4 players and collected bounties of $20, $20, $50, and $5.  His chip stack is getting up there also... 

3:00pm

A couple of the big cash bounties have been paid out...Dale Hjelmgren (pictured right) from the Outer Limits (New Richmond, WI) won $500 cash by knocking out 2-time final table player Troy Salo.

Also, Nick Hagedorn (Hibbing, MN) & Terry Hirning (Dickinson, ND) earned $100 bounties.  

The $1,000 bounty is still out there somewhere... 

2:00pm

1st BREAK

Okay, we made it to the first break...Everyone I run into today is excited to be here and I am hearing a lot of great comments about the atmosphere...For those of you who have never made a network-wide championship event, I can tell you it's not your typical Las Vegas-style tournament.  It's much better! 

Josh McSparron (pictured right, "Dr. Donkey") is sporting some nice poker digs...Josh is from Grand Forks and plays at the Down Under Pub.

1:00pm

We've lost 11 players now.  Scott Eckert, who was featured as a "player to watch" coming off his $66,000 score in the Heartland Poker Tour, is one of them.  The same player got all his chips in two different hands. 

Here are some stats on this field: 

226 newbies (65%) to a Free Poker Network championship event!

125 veterans (35%) including 19 players who have made a final table at a champ. event, but NO previous champs.

Males versus Females: Men 299 (85%) Women 52 (15%)

Where from:

Minnesota – 210 players (60%)

North Dakota – 92 players (26%)

South Dakota – 25 players (7%)

Nebraska – 19 players (5%)

12:30pm

We're through the first level, follks...We experienced 2 knockouts already...

Denny Lebarron (pictured left) from Echo Lanes in Austin, MN is off to a great start.  He knocked out Scott Thompson (3rd Place in the 2007 WSOP-Dakota Poker League) with a BIGGER straight flush.  With a board of 5h-6h-7h-8h-7c, Denny made the top end of a straight flush while Scott made the bottom end.  It's very hard to fold a straight flush, folks - Scott is done...Denny already has 30k+ in chips.

The first player to earn a bounty was Diane Gudding (pictured right) from the Moorhead VFW when she knocked out an opponent with pocket Aces.  The first mystery bounty was $20...There is a $1,000 and  a $500 out there somewhere...should make things interesting!!!

Hello from The Hub!!!

The doors and now open and players are streaming in! 

We'll do our best to bring updates throughout the day.  

The $5,000 mystery cash bounties are really going to make this an interesting tournament!

Cards should be in the air at noon...

Stay Tuned!!! 
 

Check here for live reports from the Gold Rush Championship throughout the weekend.  The weather forecast is calling for EXTREME cold, so please travel with care!

Championship Qualfiers