Running Aces Casino

After a one-year hiatus, the MSPT returned home to host the Season 16 Minnesota Poker State Championship at Running Aces Casino & Racetrack, and it was surly one to remember.

Players from across the country traveled to the tundra for the 15-trophy event series which was headlined by the $1,110 buy-in, $500K GTD Main Event which saw total of 1,004 entries (219 from Day 1a; 327 from 1b; 458 from 1c) tallied, making it the second-largest Main Event held at Running Aces which generated a $972,380 prize pool..

On Sunday, 112 players returned for Day 2 action, and after it was said and done, the last player standing was Minnesota native Bee Yang who came out the victor for a career best $140,288 top prize and his first MSPT title!

“I think it’s something special,” Yang said after his victory, “I always believed I would be an MSPT Champion.”

Yang has been a regular at the Running Aces stop each year since the tour’s return in 2022, racking up four Main Event cashes at the venue to go along with his runner-up in last year’s regional event, and now has a MSPT career total of $198,474 while claiming the title of the reigning Minnesota Poker State Champion!

MSPT Season 16 Minnesota Poker State Championship Final Table Results

*denotes 3-way deal

Day 2 Action

The final day came back with 112 players already in the money, and action kicked right into gear with the MSPT’s top casher DJ Buckley being the first to exit while MSPT champ Jon Kim, Wes Cannon, Season 15 Minnesota Poker State Champ Sean Hinton, and MSPT Hall of Farmer Josh Reichard followed in first batch of payouts.

The fast-paced action hit a new gear with players dropping like flies while other making moves to gain chips as back-to-back Player of the Year Umut Ozturk (79^th Place - $2,321), five-time MSPT champ Blake Bohn (71^st Place - $2,507) MSPT Hall of Famer & bracelet winner’s Richard Alsup (61^st Place - $2,700), Rob WazWaz (55^th Place - $2,700), and fellow Hall of Famer Aaron Massey (50^th Place - $2,989) all fell in quick succession.

After Massey’s departure, players continued to drop like wildfire, among those to fall along the way, albeit with a payday included Varun Uppal (32^nd Place - $4,243), MSPT Hall of Famer Aaron Johnson (28^th Place - $4,243), Kitkat Klassen (18^th Place - $9,450), last year’s second-place finisher Miguel Martinez (17^th Place - $9,540), and Gennady Shimelfarb (11^th Place - $13,500), setting the stage for the final table.

Final Table action

Once players took their seats at the final table, it didn't take long for action to kick right into gear with Paul Carney catching an early double after flopping a lucky set of sevens, only to fall to the same hand after Jay Chaudhary set-up his pair of jacks to become the first final table elimination.

Shortly after Carney's exit Garrett Dwire got his stack in the middle holding a suited king-nine only to come up short against three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto’s made hand of tens.

After coming into the final table at the bottom the chip counts, two-time MSPT champ Ben Marsh who was able to find a few pay jumps before his suited connectors failed to prevail against Carodenuto’s king-jack, marking his 11^th Main Event cash and 5^th final table appearance.

Following Marsh to the payout desk was Season 14 Minnesota Poker State Championship runner-up Rory Linton, who lost a few big hands to take a sixth place finish ($35,678) while fellow Minnesotan John Raiche fell shortly after in fifth place to take home a career score of $46,285.

Four-handed saw Carodenuto applying maximum pressure to each one of his opponents, as his stack first ballooned up to nearly half the chips in play, only to dwindle back down to the bottom of the four remaining players.

Being the short stack wouldn’t fluster Carodenuto though, as he raised every single hand until eventually catching a double against Mike Crawford in a massive cooler, which ultimately led to him taking a fourth place for $60,750.

With three players remaining, Yang held a commanding chip lead, and agreed upon a deal which saw Carodenuto take a third place finish for $110,000, Chaudhary finish runner-up for career score of $120,000, while Yang took home the top prize along with the title of Minnesota Poker State Champion!

This wraps up or coverage of this year’s Minnesota Poker State Champion ship but Season 16 of the MSPT continues as we head San Diego's Sycuan Casino next for their second 100 GRAND STACK Series of the season which is headlined by the $1,110 buy-in, 300K GTD Main Event and as always, that will be reported by our live reporting team starting Thursday, May 1^st so make sure to tune in!

Minnesota’s Jay Chaudhary will take home a second-place finish for a career best $120,000 while Bee Yang secures the MSPT Season 16 Minnesota Poker State Championship for $140,288.

A full recap will follow.

After a conversation was brought up, the remaining three players agreed upon a deal which saw three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto take a third-place spot for $110,000.

Over the past week, players have been inside the newly renovated Running Aces Casino & Racetrack in Colombus MN, duking it out for the MSPT Season 16 Minnesota Poker State Championship!

In Event #13: $200 Monster Stack NLH, 154 monster tamers went to the trenches and generated a $24,640 prize pool that was paid out to the top 18 players.

Among those to cash but fall before the final table were Troy Mattson (10th Place - $468), Sammy "Whammy" De Silva (13th Place - $394), William Carr (15th Place - $394), Jim Kangas (16th Place - $345), and Corey Littlewolf (18th Place - $345).

When the dust settled, it was Iowa native Mike Estes who held the Sapdey trophy high and collected the lion's share of the prize pool!

Final Table Results

Bee Yang raised from the small blind only to be met with a 1,700,000 three-bet from Mike Crawford next to him in the big blind.

Yang quickly moved all-in and Crawford decided to risk his 5,700,000 stack.

Mike Crawford:
Bee Yang:

Crawford was in a flip for his tournament life but called the wrong side as the runout paired Yang’s ten to end his tournament in fourth place for $60,750.

Bee Yang - 19,500,000
Mike Crawford - Eliminated

Mike Crawford just collected nearly back-to-back doubles through Jay Chaudhary with both times Chaudhary on the button and Crawford in the big blind.

Hand #1:

Mike Crawford:
Jay Chaudhary:

Crawford happily rolled over a dominating ace and found Broadway on the runout notching his much-needed double.

Hand #2:

Mike Crawford:
Jay Chaudhary:

Crawford was once again holding an ace and saw one in the window on the flop to take a commanding lead.

The turn locked up another double for Crawford which he collected after the meaningless completed the board on the river.

Mike Crawford - 5,700,000
Jay Chaudhary - 4,300,000

Carl Carodenuto opened for 500,000 from the cutoff and was called by Bee Yang from the small blind, along with Mike Crawford from the big blind.

Once the flop hit the felt, action was checked to Carodenuto who tossed out a 300,000 continuation bet, ang Yang check-called while Crawford check-raised to 1,300,000.

After a brief thought, Carodenuto made a smooth call while Yang released his hand into the muck, and the dealer turned the .

Crawford then led out with a 1,100,000 bet and Carodenuto pushed out another call bringing the river.

A final all-in bet was made by Crawford and without hesitation, Carodenuto snapped off his remaining 1,275,000.

“You have a ten?” Crawford asked as he tabled and Carodenuto replied with a “Yep”, while proceeding to show to collect a double-up.

Bee Yang - 10,700,000
Carl Carodenuto - 6,800,000
Mike Crawford - 1,050,000

Join us April 24^th - May 4^th at Sycuan Casino Resort in San Diego for the GRAND STACK SERIES featuring 19 Trophy Events and multiple 100K Starting Stacks

: Sycuan Casino Resort - San Diego, CA

: April 24 - May 4, 2025

: 19 Trophy Events

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John Raiche was all in preflop from the big blind and was called by Carl Carodenuto from the small blind.

John Raiche:
Carl Carodenuto:

Raiche was trailing Carodenuto’s made hand of fours but didn’t mind the flop that fell that brought possible chop outs if a six were to fall on the turn or river.

Unfortunately for Raiche, neither the turn nor the river were any help to his hand, ending his run in fifth place for $46,285.

Carl Carodenuto - 8,500,000
John Raiche - Eliminated