Preston Dean Retakes His Spot in North Dakota Poker History With the RPT Casino State Championship Title
More than a decade ago, Preston Dean claimed the title of biggest winner in North Dakota poker history when he won the State Championship. He had been surpassed in the years since, but Dean took back his crown today on Championship Sunday of the record-breaking $250 Roughrider Poker Tour Casino State Championship.
Dean prevailed over a massive field of 1,655 entries to win the largest poker tournament ever held in the state, earning $49,300 and a WSOP Main Event package after slamming down a full house to defeat Steve Kelly heads-up.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preston Dean | United States | $49,300 + $10,700 WSOP Main Event package |
| 2 | Steve Kelly | United States | $30,000 |
| 3 | Kim Rasmussen | United States | $23,000 |
| 4 | Kamden Keleher | United States | $17,000 |
| 5 | Shane Koenig | United States | $13,000 |
| 6 | Jamie Meidinger | United States | $10,000 |
| 7 | Mitch Hogue | United States | $7,700 |
| 8 | Kyle Shipman | United States | $6,200 |
| 9 | Riley Vareberg | United States | $4,300 |
“It means a lot. It’s been a long time since I won the state tournament, back in 2014 up in Minot. I’ve had some decent wins, a couple of fairly good RPT wins, and a lot of plaques and trophies from them, but to win another big one after this long, it definitely means a lot,” Dean said after claiming the championship belt.
Dean, who owns a Roto-Rooter franchise back home in Minot, began playing poker 15 years ago, mostly in bar tournaments and the state tournament in Minot. He earned $50,000 for taking the title in 2014, beating a field of more than 1,300 players. He also has nine trophies on the RPT since the start of 2020, but none as big as this one. He was happy to take his title back and etch his name into North Dakota poker history.
“Huge. Up until they started doing these, I was always the biggest winner in North Dakota history. And then last year of this one, I think with the WSOP seat, the payout was higher than my $50,000 win back in 2014. So it’s nice to get that title back,” he said.
Day 2 Action
The championship day of the historic RPT Casino State Championship began with 165 players returning to the Spirit Lake Casino & Resort in St. Michael after surviving one of six starting flights.
New RPT Hall of Fame inductee Brent Slaubaugh (159th), Miles Barnum (144th), Tyler Kolness (83rd), and Tri-State Poker Championship winner Bridget Johnson (75th) were among those to be sent to the payout desk early in the day. Start-of-day chip leader Skyler Sand was eliminated in 64th place, while three-time RPT Player of the Year Arlie Brandvold busted in 56th after missing a flush draw against Duston Lantz’s two pair.
Defending champion Jon Maras was all in for 475,000 with king-queen but couldn’t improve against Kamden Keleher’s ace-high as his title defense ended in 52nd. The 10-handed final table was finally reached at 10 p.m. when Kelly busted Kellen Hunter in 11th place.
Kelly took the chip lead into the 10-handed final table with 9,600,000, while Dean was in second place with 7,800,000. On one of the first hands, Gil Temme limped in from middle position before Kelly raised to 1,300,000 in the big blind. Temme then shoved for 2,750,000, and Kelly called with ace-queen. Temme was racing with two sixes, but Kelly hit a queen on the flop to win the pot and bust Temme in 10th place.
Kelly went for another bustout when he called Kim Rasmussen’s shove for 1,600,000. Keleher, though, reshoved for 4,275,000 in the small blind, and Kelly called after a lengthy deliberation. Keleher was ahead with two jacks against Rasmussen’s ace-nine and the jack-ten suited of Kelly, but Rasmussen hit an ace on the turn to triple up, while Keleher took the side pot of Kelly.
Riley Vareberg was then all in for 1,700,000 and in a classic flip against Mitch Hogue’s ace-king. His queens remained in the lead until Hogue spiked a king on the river to bust Vareberg in ninth. Kyle Shipman found queens to double up off Keleher and then was all in again for 2,600,000 with two eights. Dean, though, had queens this time and won the pot to bust Shipman in eighth place.
Jamie Meidinger, Hogue, and Kelly then got involved in a massive three-way all-in as Meidinger shoved for 4,800,000 in middle position and Kelly called in the small blind. Hogue called for 4,675,000 under the gun with jack-ten, while Meidinger had ace-jack. Kelly turned over two kings and spiked top set to score the double knockout, Meidinger taking sixth as the largest stack, and Hogue settling for seventh.
Shane Koenig was down to 1,100,000 and only looked at one card, an ace, after Keleher shoved from the cutoff. His other card turned out to be another ace, and he doubled up. A few hands later, he was all in for 1,600,000 with king-jack and up against Kelly’s ace-ten, but Kelly hit an ace to win the pot and Koenig was eliminated in fifth.
Keleher, the youthful Minnesota native who only turned 20 years old back on Christmas Day, shoved for 1,500,000 under the gun and Rasmussen reshoved for 5,300,000 on the button. Dean woke up with aces in the small blind and snap-called as Rasmussen found himself coolered with two kings. Keleher picked up a straight draw on the flop, but neither he nor Rasmussen could crack Dean’s aces as he fell in fourth, while Rasmussen ended up in third.
Dean took a 26,800,000 to 17,300,000 chip lead over Kelly into heads-up. It only lasted a few minutes before what started as a small pot blew up in a major confrontation on the river. Kelly and Dean checked to the river in a limped pot when Kelly led out for 1,500,000. Dean raised to 3,500,000, Kelly shoved for 13,000,000, and Dean practically beat him into the pot, slamming down kings full of threes. Kelly could only show trip kings and finished as the runner-up.
Dean not only received the first place prize and championship belt for his historic achievement, but also earned a package to the WSOP Main Event this summer, which for the recreational player will be a dream come true. “Dreaming about it, hoping for a long time. It’ll be fun,” he said.
