A Look Back at the Season 3 MSPT Running Aces Main Event
The MSPT exploded in Season 3, and the 311 players that turned out at Running Aces – the largest up to that point – created a juicy prize pool of $309,600. The man that walked away with the title and $79,185 in prize money was Rodger Johnson of Grand Forks, ND. Johnson, who was in the farming and banking business, was actually the second in his family to win an MSPT as his brother, Brian Johnson, won the Season 1 stop at Northern Lights Casino.
“I come to Minneapolis to play some,” said Johnson, who actually flew himself to the stop. “I saw it on the internet so I came down. I get out to play quite a bit.”
Johnson direct bought into Day 1b and advanced to Day 2 with just sixteen big blinds. He got those chips in with 
offsuit at one point and managed to survive against 
.
“I won that hand then started picking up some cards,” Johnson explained. “But I played the entire tournament, both days, without picking up aces … My brother and I have a little competition going about who’s got the larger cash. His was over $50k; he’s had me beat until now. This gives me a lot of room.”
Here’s a look at the Season 3 MSPT Running Aces final table:
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Rob Westrom | $11,952 |
| 7 | David Westrom | $10,458 |
| 8 | Jeff Grobe | $8,964 |
| 9 | Tom Westbrock | $7,470 |