Jeremy Ensrud made the most of some good fortune on Day 1a of the $250 Roughrider Poker Tour Casino State Championship.
Ensrud was all in with jack-ten but crushed by Greg Passa’s queens. The flop brought no help, but Ensrud caught a running flush to win the pot and earn a double up. He kept climbing from there, busting RPT Player of the Year Arlie Brandvold by winning a race with two fours before rivering a full house in a massive pot to bust Edward Nemetchek. From being left needing a miracle to survive, Ensrud ended up as the chip leader over the remaining 20 players with 613,000.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Ensrud | United States | 613,000 | 61 |
| 2 | Robert Anderson | Canada | 457,000 | 46 |
| 3 | Robert Urbatsch | United States | 452,000 | 45 |
| 4 | Preston Dean | United States | 417,000 | 42 |
| 5 | Jonathan Bailey | United States | 373,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Anthony Uhlir | United States | 346,000 | 35 |
| 7 | Keith Rickford | United States | 299,000 | 30 |
| 8 | Caden Coleman | United States | 275,000 | 28 |
| 9 | Tyson Tame | Canada | 260,000 | 26 |
| 10 | Tim McFarland | United States | 210,000 | 21 |
Robert “Muzz” Anderson is in second place with 457,000 after bursting the money bubble by eliminating DJ Haman. Robert Urbatsch (452,000), Preston Dean (417,000), and Jonathan Bailey (373,000) round out the top five after the first of six starting flights.
A total of 160 players came to the Spirit Lake Casino & Resort in St. Michael, North Dakota today. Among them was someone who has good memories of this poker room. Jon Maras beat out a field of 1,235 to win this event last year and was back to defend his title today, ending up with 118,000. Among those who will have to try again in another flight were Weston Wells, WSOP bracelet winner Dana Castaneda, and 2022 champion Eric Zietz.
The day ended with 10 minutes remaining in Level 16 with blinds of 5,000/10,000 and a 10,000 big blind ante. The 20 players who made it through the day will return for Day 2 on January 4 at 11 a.m. local time, with action picking up on the earliest finishing time from one of the six flights. Anyone who survived Day 1a can also join another starting flight. If they find another bag, their smaller stack will be taken out of play and they will be awarded $710.
There are five more starting flights for what is shaping up to a massive field. Day 1b is currently underway with 102 entries through three levels. The prize pool is expected to exceed $300,000, including a $10,700 WSOP Main Event package to the champion.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow for Day 1c as another big field takes their shot at kicking off the new year in grand style.
