|
|
HAGEL WINS CHAMPIONSHIP WITH FULL HOUSE
Back on February 23, Josh Hagel took the $250 top prize as the winner of the 1st Annual Post-Valentine's Poker Championships held in Eden Prairie, MN. Hagel ousted host Kirk Walton with a pair of aces in the hole to match another ace turned up on the flop late in the evening. "That kid got all the cards tonight," Walton lamented as he collected his $100 runner-up prize. "Tough to beat a pair of bullets in the hole." Hagel had a struggle to make the top table, as he edged out Dan Hinrichs on the final hand of 7-card stud to complete a furious comeback. "I should've just downed the ball and folded the hand," Hinrichs said en route to a 9th place finish. "I figured he was playing anything and I had two pair...so much for trying to win my way into the championship. Now I know that sometimes folding is the way to go- it's all about surviving and advancing."
Here's how everyone placed in the tournament:
1st place: Josh Hagel, $250
2nd place: Kirk Walton, $150 ($50 for winning 7-card stud table)
3rd place: Mike Biebl, $50 (for winning 7-card stud table)
4th place: Paul Herold
5th place: Levi Dickie, $50 (for winning consolation table)
6th place: Francis Morice
7th place: Andy Lozier
8th place: Jeremy Peppard
9th place: Dan Hinrichs
Ass Last: Mike Berendes
More pictures from the tournament:
Playin' for big bucks
Decisions at the winners' table
The final two square off
Walton's look after Hagel beats him (priceless!)
Kickin' off the losers' table
Late night in the losers' bracket
The players that were in the field:
Dan "Rounder" Hinrichs: A Technical Support Analyst by day, Hinrichs lives by the book written by Mike McDermott in the movie that spawned his nickname. Those days when he shows up to work unshaven with his glasses on are the residual effects of all-night sessions in the underground Minneapolis card games. A big win here will give Hinrichs the confidence to sit with the big boys out in Vegas this spring.
"Dirty" Paul Herold: A veteran of many nights spent in shady pool halls and poker clubs, DP can hold his own in any game. Word on the street is that he was able to pay cash for his recently-purchased engagement ring with a haul he took in one weekend from Canterbury Park.
"Wild" Francis Morice: This man knows no mercy, as evidenced by his liberal use of the "bastard rules" on the dartboard. If he sees a chance to go for the jugular, he'll take it, just like he does to unsuspecting Delta Force commandos. This is one man you don't want on your table, unless you want to be one of the first to get to the PlayStation after you're taken to the cleaners.
Levi "Swap Meet" Dickie: This guy is connected all the way to the top of the Kansas mob, so you don't want to cheat him unless you're looking to get your arm fed into a thrashing machine. Swap Meet's been rumored to get into a boat at the mouth of the Mississippi and float all the way down to New Orleans, stopping at every riverboat on the way, and then buy a one-way ticket back with the bank he's taken off the chumps.
Andy "The Lojz" Lozier: Raised in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, Lojz habitually cleaned up the penny ante games in the hall during high school. Years of experience have given him a poker face that's as difficult to read as the untranslated edition of "War And Peace".
Kirk "Teddy KGB" Walton: Mystic loves this guy. There's never a dull moment when he and a dealer are going tooth and nail at the blackjack table. This is the guy that Vegas has tables of Casino War for. As the host for this event, he will be able to "splash the pot vhenefer the ^%@! he pleases."
Mike "Stifler" Biebl: For years Biebl built his bankroll against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, and now he's brought his game back to the Midwest. Although this story is murky at best, it's been said that Biebl skun John Elway in a high-stakes game in Denver, and that's why he's back here now.
Josh "Golden Boy" Hagel: He went to high school at Cooper, where they are taught to make change in green, red, and white chips instead of dollar bills. Hagel's a very aggressive card player- "if everyone passes in front of me in a 500 game, I'm bidding 8 no matter what I have in my hand"- and this guy's taken so much money off the reservation he's the main reason that Mystic's buffet is now $11.95 instead of $6.95.
Mike "Worm" Berendes: Many card players over in Segovia, Spain will tell you that this guy has dragged many a peseta out of the carteras of the Spanish. Now on this continent, Berendes is looking to fund a trip to Vegas with the $400 winner's check here.
