Rick Burleson Storming His Way Across the Midwest With RPT Montana State Poker Championship Title

Like a robust summer time storm or winter blizzard, Rick Burleson is proving to be an unstoppable pressure throughout the Midwest.

In 2018, Burleson received the South Dakota poker championship for $63,462, the biggest rating of his poker profession. Eight years later, he’s now added one other state title to his assortment, conquering a area of 325 gamers and defeating Andrew Asher in a quick heads-up duel to take down the Roughrider Poker Tour $635 Montana State Poker Championship.

It’s a match that Burleson has had some success up to now, together with a remaining desk run in 2023, and his document right here on the Billings Resort & Conference Middle now contains the championship bracelet and $30,000 prime prize. “It’s fairly cool. Haven’t been taking part in that a lot the previous couple of years, nevertheless it feels fairly superior. I’ve made deep runs on this match three or 4 occasions now. That is my second remaining desk on this match. It feels nice to take it down,” Burleson mentioned.

RPT Montana State Poker Championship Remaining Desk Outcomes

Winner’s Response

The 37-year-old Fast Metropolis, South Dakota, native started taking part in poker when he was only a child, taught by his grandmother from a younger age. Whereas he’s been specializing in his profession managing a automobile dealership lately, his poker resume included greater than $100,000 in reside match earnings and that win in Deadwood eight years in the past. It was a easy experience to the title again then; at present, he needed to combat his solution to the highest.

“I’m virtually constructive I’ll be going to Vegas this summer time now”

“That was eight years in the past. This one was an enormous curler coaster. That one I felt like I had management of the ultimate desk the entire time. However this time, quite a lot of ups and downs. Needed to make quite a lot of comebacks at present, so it’s fairly cool,” he mentioned.

“There have been two or three of them on the remaining desk that had been very, very aggressive. Often, I’m the aggressor, so I needed to regulate. I folded rather a lot the primary two or three hours, and I actually don’t wish to. I needed to combine it up much more than I wished to.”

The win received’t change Burleson’s rapid plans. He was making the six-hour drive again dwelling later tonight to go to work tomorrow morning. However there may be one factor that can change for Burleson within the close to future.

“I’m virtually constructive I’ll be going to Vegas this summer time now,” he mentioned.

Day 2 Motion

Day 2 started at 11 a.m. native time with 55 gamers returning for a shot on the bracelet. Solely the highest 50 gamers would safe a share of the $175,500 prize pool, and the race to the cash was on from the beginning of the day.

Mikiyo Aoki got here again at present with simply 52,000 however couldn’t discover a comeback and fell wanting the cash. John Bailey was eradicated on the cash bubble when Jeff Heiberg flopped two pair to crack Bailey’s kings.

John Schroer (forty seventh), Penn Swindle (forty second), Leonardo Valenzuela (thirty ninth), and Kevin Ellis (thirty seventh) had been early post-bubble eliminations. Weston Wells, runner-up on this occasion two years in the past, then bought in his final 140,000 with two aces and had Alan Curl dominated with tens. Curl, although, spiked a one-outer on the river to win the pot and bust Wells in forty fourth place.

Burleson, who started the day in third place, vaulted into an enormous chip lead in an enormous pot towards Alan Li. Li moved all in for 725,000 on the flop with a set of sixes, and Burleson known as with the nut flush draw. Burleson didn’t hit his flush, however he did catch a runner-runner straight to ship Li to the rail and transfer up previous 2,000,000.

Arlie Brandvold was all in for 180,000 on an eight-high flop with two jacks, whereas Leighton Lindsey known as in early place with prime pair. Lindsey spiked journeys on the flip to win the pot, and the three-time RPT Participant of the 12 months fell in twenty eighth place.

Burleson led with 1,800,000 as the ultimate 26 gamers drew for seats on the final three tables. Miles Barnum was eradicated in twenty sixth place, whereas Burleson received a flip with ace-king towards threes to bust Brandon Luckey in twenty fourth. Day 1a chip chief Josh Brown, in the meantime, received a basic flip with ace-king to beat Eric Hjelmstad’s queens and ship the previous RPT Participant of the 12 months to the rail in twenty third.

Heiberg took the chip lead when he hit a working flush to bust Evan Yellick in sixteenth. Heiberg then scored a double knockout, choosing up two kings towards Alex Smith’s queens and Angie Lee’s ace-king as he moved up previous 3,400,000.

Burleson eradicated Curl in twelfth earlier than he opened to 105,000 within the cutoff. Brown and Nathan Allen known as within the blinds to a king-high flop, the place Burleson guess 120,000. Solely Brown known as to see the queen flip, and Burleson guess one other 200,000. Brown got here again with a elevate to 700,000, Burleson moved all in, and Brown known as for 1,500,000. Brown had a pair and flush draw, whereas Burleson turned over the nut straight. Burleson held on to win one other large pot and get rid of Brown in eleventh to set the 10-handed remaining desk.

Burleson led with 7,465,000 in the beginning of the ultimate desk, greater than double Heiberg in second place. Bustouts got here quick in the beginning. First, Josh Egle moved all in for 505,000 on the flop with two nines, however Burleson known as with a pair of tens to ship Egle to the rail in tenth. Asher got here from behind with ace-ten towards Justin Fowler’s ace-king, hitting a ten on the flop, as Fowler was eradicated in ninth. Lance Schuchard then misplaced a race with fives towards Heiberg’s ace-queen to fall in eighth.

Burleson took an enormous hit when he shoved all in with two queens, however Rick Lehman snap-called for 1,685,000 with kings to double up. Burleson bought some again just a few palms later as Eric Kraft shoved for 400,000 on the flop and Burleson known as with prime pair of queens. Kraft may solely present a pair of fives, and he couldn’t compensate for his solution to the rail in seventh place.

Burleson received a flip with king-jack towards Allen’s nines to bust Allen in sixth, whereas start-of-day chip chief Alex Powell fell in fifth when he couldn’t join holding ace-king towards Heiberg’s jacks. Burleson then bought his revenge on Lehman, calling a pre-flop shove of two,500,000 with ace-king and having Lehman’s ace-queen dominated. Lehman hit a queen on the flop, however Burleson spiked a king on the flip to win the pot and bust Lehman in fourth.

Three-handed play would final practically two hours. Heiberg had an opportunity to succeed in heads-up early when he had Asher all in for 3,400,000. Asher was racing with ace-jack towards Heiberg’s nines, and he hit an ace on the flop to win the pot and double up. Heiberg doubled up as soon as, then received an enormous pot off Burleson when he cracked two kings with journey nines.

Asher moved degree with Burleson atop the leaderboard as each gamers had round 7,500,000, however Burleson reopened the lead after betting out Heiberg on the flip, then displaying down two sevens in one other pot towards Heiberg to climb as much as 12,000,000.

After Asher limped the button, Burleson raised to 700,000 within the huge blind and Asher known as to a king-high flop. Burleson then guess 575,000 and Asher known as. Burleson moved all in on the ace flip, and Asher folded for his final 4,000,000, later claiming to have flopped two pair.

Burleson led with 13,500,000 because the three gamers went off on a break, whereas Asher had 4,500,000 and Heiberg was the quick stack with 1,800,000. On the primary hand again, Heiberg shoved with jack-eight, however Asher had him dominated with king-eight to attain the knockout and get heads-up with Burleson.

Burleson nonetheless had the lead with 13,000,000 to Asher’s 6,500,000 in the beginning of heads-up, and only some palms glided by earlier than Burleson raised to 600,000 on the button. Asher known as, then known as one other guess of 500,000 on the flop. Asher moved all in on the flip for five,200,000, and Burleson snap-called with a turned straight. Asher had a flush draw, however he couldn’t join and needed to accept second place.

“Holy shit, what a day,” a relieved Burleson mentioned after the final card was dealt. Eight years after his final second of glory, Burleson may name himself a champion but once more.

That concludes PokerNews’ protection of the Montana State Poker Championship. The tour will probably be again in July on the Jackpot Junction On line casino in Minnesota, and PokerNews will once more be available to offer reside updates beginning on July 30.