Canterbury Park

Mark Wadekamper Spoils Jonathan Kim's Title Defense to Win MSPT Canterbury Park for $110,220

The MSPT’s 13^th Main Event at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota drew 475 entrants, which made it the largest ever held at the venue surpassing the 470 entrants from December 2015. After two long days of play, 56-year-old business development manager Mark Wadekamper emerged victorious to capture a $110,220 first-place prize.

Not only that, he managed to stop reigning champ Jon Kim, who back in December topped a field of 464 entrants to win the MSPT Canterbury Park for $107,659, from a title defense by besting him in heads-up play.

“I was not expecting to win, I was just happy to cash,” said Wadekamper. “There were a lot of good players in this tournament, a lot of former MSPT champs. I was just happy to cash. I didn’t think there was a possibility I’d win until the last hand.”

Prior to the win, Wadekamper’s previous best cash was $9,600 for finishing fifth in the 2009 Heartland Poker Tour Main Event Walker. As for what he’ll do with the money Wadekamper, who is married with three grown kids – two of whom player poker – he’s got a plan.

“I’ll pay taxes and probably help pay my daughter’s student loans,” he said.

Final Table Results

1^st – Mark Wadekamper (Lonsdale, MN) … $110,220
2^nd – Jon Kim (Minneapolis, MN) … $66,593
3^rd – George Shabatura (Plymouth, MN) … $43,399
4^th – Loki Abboud (Mendota Heights, MN) … $30,081
5^th – Bryan Andrews (Wauwatosa, WI) … $22,963
6^th – Paul Eidem (Eden Prairie, MN) … $17,681
7^th – Nes Coburn (Minneapolis, MN) … $14,696
8^th – Joe Maas (Edina, MN) … $12,170
9^th – Nathan Boyer (Star Prairie, WI) … $10,287
10^th – Peixin Liu (Blaine, MN) … $7,807

Among those to play the tournament but fail to make Day 2 were 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Greg Raymer; 2016 MSPT Iowa State Poker Champ John Sun; Minnesota Poker Hall of Famer Mike Schneider; and MSPT Pros Blake Bohn and Matt Kirby.

Day 2 saw 89 players return to action, but with only 45 slated to get paid nearly half the field would leave empty handed. Among them were Minnesota Poker Hall of Famer Tony Hartmann, MSPT Season 7 Player of the Year Rich Alsup, and former Canterbury Park champ Dan “DQ” Hendrickson, just to name a few.

After MSPT Pro Matt Alexander exited as the bubble boy in 46^th place – the result of running pocket deuces into queens – the in-the-money bust outs came quick. They included former champs Jason Sell (35^th - $2,756) and Mark Sandness (31^st - $2,756); professional footballer Bernando Anor (24^th - $3,444); Day 1B chip leader Mike Ross (20^th - $3,444); and three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto (14^th - $5,970), who won two of his titles in back-to-back events at Canterbury Park.

At the final table, two-time champ Peixin Liu, who won the Season 5 MSPT Canterbury Park for $106,483, was the first to fall after running queens into the aces of Joe Maas on the fourth hand of play. Five hands later, Nathan Boyer, who earned his first MSPT cash, followed him out the door after getting his short stack in with king-jack and failing to get there against George Shabatura’s ace-queen.

On Hand #24, with the blinds at 25,000/50,000/5,000, a flop saw Maas jam with a double gutter holding the and start-of-the-day chip leader Loki Abboud called with the for two pair. Neither the turn nor river help Maas, and he exited in eighth place for $12,170, his first MSPT cash.

The next elimination didn’t occur until Hand #55 in Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000) when Nes Coburn jammed the hijack for 725,000 holding the and Loki called from the small blind with the . The board ran out and Coburn was out in seventh place.

Two hands later, Paul Eidem lost a flip with ace-seven to Bryan Andrews’ pocket queens, and then on Hand #72, with the blinds at 50,000/100,000/10,000, Loki busted Andrews. It happened when Andrews, a PLO player from Wisconsin, moved all in for 380,000 from the cutoff holding the and Loki called with the on the button. The board ran out and Loki scored his third elimination of the final table.

Loki seemed to have the tournament in hand, but his luck soon turned after he slow played pocket kings and ended up losing a 4.6-million pot after Wadekamper hit a two outer on the river. Not long after, Loki got his leftover chips in with seven-deuce offsuit and was finished off by Wadekamper’s pocket eights. With that, Loki bowed out in fourth place after finishing sixth in last December’s Season 7 finale at Canterbury Park.

“I was surprised,” Wadekamper said when asked about the miracle two outer. “I was expecting to be done, to go cash out and get something to eat. That was a big one.”

Wadekamper and Shabatura then got it in on a flop with the former’s behind the latter’s . The turn was of no consequence, but the river was as Wadekamper spiked another river to send Shabatura out in third place, his best-ever MSPT finish.

Wadekamper began heads-up play with 8.4 million in chips to the defending champ’s 1.1 million, and it didn’t take long for things to come to a head. In what would be the final hand of the tournament, which took place in Level 31 (60,000/120,000/20,0000, Kim shoved for 1.5 million holding the and Wadekamper woke up with . The board ran out and Kim came up one spot shy of defending his title, though he did receive a $66,593 consolation prize.

Season 8 of the MSPT continues next weekend with the first-ever $350 Regional Event at Grand Falls Casino, which is situated just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The next $1,100 Main Event, a $300,000 guarantee, will take place May 18-21 at FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Final Table Draw & Counts -- Tune Into Live Stream at 8:45 p.m. CT

The final ten players of the MSPT Canterbury Main Event are now combining down to the final table. They will then be sent on a dinner break. Cards will be back in the air at 8:30 p.m. local time with the live stream starting 15 minute after that. Who will walk away with the $110,220 prize? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

We won’t be reporting anymore of the action here in live blog (other than an end-of-day recap), so if you want more in-depth coverage we encourage you to tune into the live stream to watch the action with hole cards on a 15-minute delay.

MSPT Live Stream on msptpoker.com -> CLICK HERE

MSPT Live Stream on Twitch -> CLICK HERE

1 - Paul Eidem (Eden Prairie, MN) ... 1.655 million
2 - Nathan Boyer (Star Prairie, WI) ... 666,000
3 - Peixin Liu (Blaine, MN) ... 695,000
4 - Joe Maas (Edina, MN) ... 637,000
5 - Bryan Andrews (Wauwatosa, WI) ... 1.533 million
6 - Loki Abboud (Mendota Heights, MN) ... 713,000
7 - Jon Kim (Minneapolis, MN) ... 729,000
8 - George Shabatura (Plymouth, MN) ... 1.075 million
9 - Mark Wadekamper (Lonsdale, MN) ... 1.306 million
10 - Nes Coburn (Minneapolis, MN) ... 430,000

The biggest story at this final table is the appearance of reigning champ Jon Kim, who back in December topped a field of 464 entrants to win the MSPT Canterbury Park for $107,659. Kim is looking to defend his title – something Carl Carodenuto did last December and April – which would make him just the eighth player with two or more titles.

Also, still in contention is start-of-the-day chip leader Loki Abboud, who is at back-to-back MSPT Canterbury Park final tables. Abboud is seeking his fourth MSPT Main Event cash, which includes two final table appearances. His best finish to date is sixth here at Canterbury Park last December, good for $17,270. In April 2015, he also final tabled this event but bowed out in 10^th place for $5,403.

Another familiar face at the final table is dentist practitioner and two-time MSPT champ Peixin Liu. He won this event back in Season 5 for $106,483, and a season later won the MSPT Running Aces for $85,498. He currently sits fourth on the tour’s all-time money list, and finishing in either first or second would put him in the lead. He can also become just the second player to win three MSPT titles.

Other players at the final table are Wisconsin PLO cash game player Bryan Andrews; George Shabatura, who was down to just a single ante with around 30 players left; Mark Wadekamper, who is notching his second MSPT cash at Canterbury; and Nes Coburn, who has finally broken through after finishing 14^th and 15^th in this very event in Seasons 3 and 5 respectively.

Meanwhile, Paul Eidem, Nate Boyer, and Joe Maas are all seeking their first MSPT cashes.

Todd Melander Eliminated in 11th Place ($7,807)

Action folded to Todd Melander in the cutoff and he moved all in for his last 300,000, which George Shabatura called from the small blind.

Melander:
Shabatura:

Melader ran into Shabatura’s aces buzz saw, and it cost him his tournament life after the board ran out .

Todd Melander – Eliminated in 11th Place for $7,807

Rob Maier Eliminated in 12th Place ($7,807)

Action folded around to Rob Maier on the button and he moved all in for around 240,000. Joe Maas, who didn’t have too much more than that, thought for a bit and then made the call from the big blind.

Maas:
Maier:

Maier needed to improve, but that didn’t happen as the board ran out a useless .

Joe Maas - 640,000
Rob Maier – Eliminated in 12th Place for $7,807

Luke Arora Eliminated in 13th Place ($5,970)

Bryan Andrews raised to 80,000 from the button and snap-called when MPST Season 7 Running Aces champ Luke Arora three-bet jammed for around 480,000 from the big blind.

Arora:
Andrews:

The gave Andrews top set, and that meant Arora needed running spades to stay alive. The turn kept his hopes alive, but the river ended them.

Luke Arora – Eliminated in 13th Place for $5,970

Carl Carodenuto Eliminated in 14th Place ($5,970)

Loki Abboud, who began the day as the chip leader, raised to 65,000 from early position and three-time MSPT champ Carl Carodenuto, who won two of his titles in back-to-back Canterbury Park events a year ago, moved all in for 320,000 from the small blind.

Abboud called with , which was well out in front of Carodenuto’s .

There was no seven from heaven for Carodenuto, and he saw his dreams of a fourth title go up in smoke.

Carl Carodenuto - Eliminated in 14th Place for $5,970

Katie Gebhart Eliminated in 15th Place ($5,970)

Paul Eidem opened for 90,000 and Katie Gebhart, the last woman in the field, three-bet all in for 164,000 from the hijack. Action folded back to Eidem and he made the call.

Gebhart:
Eidem:

“Diamonds?” Gebhart asked the dealer. In this hand, diamonds were not a lady’s best friend as the board ran out a dry to send Gebhart to the rail.

Katie Gebhart – Eliminated in 15th Place for $5,970

Craig Trost Eliminated in 16th Place ($4,455)

MSPT Season 8 Potawatomi Regional champ Craig Trost raised to 80,000 from middle position and reigning champ Jon Kim called from the small blind.

Both players checked the flop, and then Kim bet 125,000 on the turn.

Trost called and the completed the board on the river. Kim moved all in and Trost thought for a bit before calling off his last 220,000.

Kim showed the for a rivered pair of kings and a frustrated Trost slammed down his .

“I should’ve jammed the turn,” Trost said regretfully.

Craig Trost – Eliminated in 16th Place for $4,455

Rodger Johnson out in 17th place ($4,455)

Rodger Johnson, who won the Running Aces tournament back in Season 3, went all in for his last 250,000. It folded around to George Shabatura, who said, “I shouldn’t do this, but I call...”

Johnson:
Shabatura:

Johnson needed a six to survive, the gave him some chop outs, but the on the turn and on the river gave Shabatura the winning hand, while Johnson went to the payout cage.

George Shabatura - 850,000
Rodger Johnson - 17th place $4,455

Slow Going

Level 24 has been slow in that there hasn’t been any action of significance. The final 17 are playing pretty snug at this point, but with the blinds and antes about to go up, the short stacks are going to feel the pressure even more.