North Dakota Poker Pro Wins Event #6
Why ruin a good thing? That's the question we asked when deciding how to tell you about Event #6. We thought we'd refer to the WSOP's official recap, which was penned by the talented Nolan Dalla. He was on hand for that event's final table, and here's what he had to say:
With all due respect to every other player in the latest World Series of Poker Circuit tournament, it’s fitting that Adam Laskey ended up in a showdown against Chip Ervin, with both players battling it out for a gold ring in the waning moments of the competition.
The two full-time professional poker players were equally motivated to accumulate enough ranking points to qualify for a seat in the WSOP Circuit National Championship, coming at season’s end. As things turnout out, one player – the winner Laskey – catapulted himself into a qualifying position (based on today’s rankings) while the runner up Ervin still appears to be just short of a guaranteed seat. Such are the rewards and costs of finishing first versus second.
For his victory, Laskey collected the handsome sum of $23,449 in prize money. He was also awarded his first WSOP Circuit gold ring, the token prize of victory for winning and event on the nation’s biggest poker tour.
Laskey has been playing poker seriously since he was in college. He graduated from North Dakota State University with a degree in accounting. Since the events of so-called “Black Friday,” which took place a year ago, Laskey has been playing a lot more live games and tournaments, mostly in the Midwest. However, he plans to move to Phoenix in the coming months in order to have more poker playing options.
Laskey, age 25, now has seven WSOP Circuit cashes, all of which have come this season. His best previous showing was a fifth-place finish in an event three weeks ago at Council Bluffs, IA.
Chip Ervin also deserves some credit and respect for his strong finish. He won a WSOP Circuit gold ring earlier this season at Harrah’s Tunica and just missed what would have been a second victory. Ervin still has some work to do however, needing at least another cash or two to qualify for the National Championship contest.
WSOP Circuit Harrah’s St. Louis Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em
| Buy-in | Entrants | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| $300+$55 | 355 | $103,305 |
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Laskey | Fargo, ND | $23,449 |
| 2 | Chip Ervin | Tuscaloosa, AL | $14,497 |
| 3 | Drew Woodke | Omaha, NE | $10,576 |
| 4 | Charlie Ussery | Lees Summitt, MO | $7,844 |
| 5 | Paul Fehlig | St. Louis, MO | $5,909 |
| 6 | David Horton | Saint Charles, MO | $4,520 |
| 7 | Andrew Wright | Union, MO | $3,507 |
| 8 | Jeffrey Gaines | Godfrey, IL | $2,761 |
| 9 | Boulos Estafanous | Darien, IL | $2,204 |