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Rick Burleson Storming His Way Across the Midwest With the RPT Montana State Poker Championship Title
Like a strong summer storm or winter blizzard, Rick Burleson is proving to be an unstoppable force across the Midwest.
In 2018, Burleson won the South Dakota poker championship for $63,462, the largest score of his poker career. Eight years later, he’s now added another state title to his collection, conquering a field of 325 players and defeating Andrew Asher in a brief heads-up duel to take down the Roughrider Poker Tour $635 Montana State Poker Championship.
It’s a tournament that Burleson has had some success in the past, including a final table run in 2023, and his record here at the Billings Hotel & Convention Center now includes the championship bracelet and $30,000 top prize. “It’s pretty cool. Haven’t been playing that much the last few years, but it feels pretty awesome. I’ve made deep runs in this tournament three or four times now. This is my second final table in this tournament. It feels great to take it down,” Burleson said.
RPT Montana State Poker Championship Final Table results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rick Burleson | United States | $30,000 |
| 2 | Andrew Asher | United States | $20,000 |
| 3 | Jeff Heiberg | United States | $15,000 |
| 4 | Rick Lehman | United States | $10,700 |
| 5 | Alex Powell | United States | $8,600 |
| 6 | Nathan Allen | United States | $7,300 |
| 7 | Eric Kraft | United States | $6,100 |
| 8 | Lance Schuchard | United States | $5,000 |
| 9 | Justin Fowler | United States | $4,000 |
The 37-year-old Rapid City, South Dakota, native began playing poker when he was just a kid, taught by his grandmother from a young age. While he’s been focusing on his career managing a car dealership recently, his poker resume included more than $100,000 in live tournament earnings and that win in Deadwood eight years ago. It was a smooth ride to the title back then; today, he had to fight his way to the top.
“That was eight years ago. This one was a big roller coaster. That one I felt like I had control of the final table the whole time. But this time, a lot of ups and downs. Had to make a lot of comebacks today, so it’s pretty cool,” he said.
“There were two or three of them at the final table that were very, very aggressive. Usually, I’m the aggressor, so I had to adjust. I folded a lot the first two or three hours, and I really don’t want to. I had to mix it up a lot more than I wanted to.”
The win won’t change Burleson’s immediate plans. He was making the six-hour drive back home later tonight to go to work tomorrow morning. But there is one thing that will change for Burleson in the near future.
“I’m almost positive I’ll be going to Vegas this summer now,” he said.
Day 2 Action
Day 2 began at 11 a.m. local time with 55 players returning for a shot at the bracelet. Only the top 50 players would secure a share of the $175,500 prize pool, and the race to the money was on from the start of the day.
Mikiyo Aoki came back today with just 52,000 but couldn’t find a comeback and fell short of the money. John Bailey was eliminated on the money bubble when Jeff Heiberg flopped two pair to crack Bailey’s kings.
John Schroer (47th), Penn Swindle (42nd), Leonardo Valenzuela (39th), and Kevin Ellis (37th) were early post-bubble eliminations. Weston Wells, runner-up in this event two years ago, then got in his last 140,000 with two aces and had Alan Curl dominated with tens. Curl, though, spiked a one-outer on the river to win the pot and bust Wells in 44th place.
Burleson, who began the day in third place, vaulted into a big chip lead in a massive pot against Alan Li. Li moved all in for 725,000 on the flop with a set of sixes, and Burleson called with the nut flush draw. Burleson didn’t hit his flush, but he did catch a runner-runner straight to send Li to the rail and move up past 2,000,000.
Arlie Brandvold was all in for 180,000 on an eight-high flop with two jacks, while Leighton Lindsey called in early position with top pair. Lindsey spiked trips on the turn to win the pot, and the three-time RPT Player of the Year fell in 28th place.
Burleson led with 1,800,000 as the final 26 players drew for seats at the last three tables. Miles Barnum was eliminated in 26th place, while Burleson won a flip with ace-king against threes to bust Brandon Luckey in 24th. Day 1a chip leader Josh Brown, meanwhile, won a classic flip with ace-king to beat Eric Hjelmstad’s queens and send the past RPT Player of the Year to the rail in 23rd.
Heiberg took the chip lead when he hit a running flush to bust Evan Yellick in 16th. Heiberg then scored a double knockout, picking up two kings against Alex Smith’s queens and Angie Lee’s ace-king as he moved up past 3,400,000.
Burleson eliminated Curl in 12th before he opened to 105,000 in the cutoff. Brown and Nathan Allen called in the blinds to a king-high flop, where Burleson bet 120,000. Only Brown called to see the queen turn, and Burleson bet another 200,000. Brown came back with a raise to 700,000, Burleson moved all in, and Brown called for 1,500,000. Brown had a pair and flush draw, while Burleson turned over the nut straight. Burleson held on to win another massive pot and eliminate Brown in 11th to set the 10-handed final table.
Burleson led with 7,465,000 at the start of the final table, more than double Heiberg in second place. Bustouts came fast at the start. First, Josh Egle moved all in for 505,000 on the flop with two nines, but Burleson called with a pair of tens to send Egle to the rail in 10th. Asher came from behind with ace-ten against Justin Fowler’s ace-king, hitting a ten on the flop, as Fowler was eliminated in ninth. Lance Schuchard then lost a race with fives against Heiberg’s ace-queen to fall in eighth.
Burleson took a big hit when he shoved all in with two queens, but Rick Lehman snap-called for 1,685,000 with kings to double up. Burleson got some back a few hands later as Eric Kraft shoved for 400,000 on the flop and Burleson called with top pair of queens. Kraft could only show a pair of fives, and he couldn’t catch up on his way to the rail in seventh place.
Burleson won a flip with king-jack against Allen’s nines to bust Allen in sixth, while start-of-day chip leader Alex Powell fell in fifth when he couldn’t connect holding ace-king against Heiberg’s jacks. Burleson then got his revenge on Lehman, calling a pre-flop shove of 2,500,000 with ace-king and having Lehman’s ace-queen dominated. Lehman hit a queen on the flop, but Burleson spiked a king on the turn to win the pot and bust Lehman in fourth.
Three-handed play would last nearly two hours. Heiberg had a chance to reach heads-up early when he had Asher all in for 3,400,000. Asher was racing with ace-jack against Heiberg’s nines, and he hit an ace on the flop to win the pot and double up. Heiberg doubled up once, then won a big pot off Burleson when he cracked two kings with trip nines.
Asher moved level with Burleson atop the leaderboard as both players had around 7,500,000, but Burleson reopened the lead after betting out Heiberg on the turn, then showing down two sevens in another pot against Heiberg to climb up to 12,000,000.
After Asher limped the button, Burleson raised to 700,000 in the big blind and Asher called to a king-high flop. Burleson then bet 575,000 and Asher called. Burleson moved all in on the ace turn, and Asher folded for his last 4,000,000, later claiming to have flopped two pair.
Burleson led with 13,500,000 as the three players went off on a break, while Asher had 4,500,000 and Heiberg was the short stack with 1,800,000. On the first hand back, Heiberg shoved with jack-eight, but Asher had him dominated with king-eight to score the knockout and get heads-up with Burleson.
Burleson still had the lead with 13,000,000 to Asher’s 6,500,000 at the start of heads-up, and only a few hands went by before Burleson raised to 600,000 on the button. Asher called, then called another bet of 500,000 on the flop. Asher moved all in on the turn for 5,200,000, and Burleson snap-called with a turned straight. Asher had a flush draw, but he couldn’t connect and had to settle for second place.
“Holy shit, what a day,” a relieved Burleson said after the last card was dealt. Eight years after his last moment of glory, Burleson could call himself a champion yet again.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the Montana State Poker Championship. The tour will be back in July at the Jackpot Junction Casino in Minnesota, and PokerNews will again be on hand to provide live updates starting on July 30.