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Adam Younis of Ames, Iowa, won the PokerNews Mid-States Poker Tour at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota, early Monday morning for $95,328 and the RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet. This was the fifth time the MSPT has partnered with Canterbury in the tour’s young history, and the fields have tripled since the tour launched at Canterbury in late 2009.
The crowds are always large and action-packed in Minnesota, and this time was no different. This event generated the second-largest MSPT prize pool ever, attracting 373 runners over two starting flights to create a $372,400 prize pool — just four entrants short of breaking the record set at Canterbury Park last December where there were 376 entrants.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Younis | Ames, IA | $95,328 |
| 2 | Brian Soja | New Brighton, MN | $52,161 |
| 3 | Brian Zekus | Minneapolis, MN | $34,530 |
| 4 | Brad Feldman | Lakeville, MN | $23,382 |
| 5 | Rich Edinger | Fargo, ND | $17,986 |
| 6 | Burke Veazey | Hugo, MN | $14,389 |
| 7 | Patrick Serda | Winnipeg, Can | $12,590 |
| 8 | Arlie Brandvold | Carrington, ND | $10,792 |
| 9 | Cory Cove | Blaine, MN | $8,993 |
The star of the show was Younis, who quietly dominated play from start to finish. He ended Day 1 second overall with 201,700 in chips. Younis then arrived at the final table with the chip lead, carrying 1.555 million to the five-seat where he continued to pick away at his opponents. Eventually, Younis would battle Brian Soja of New Brighton for the title. Younis held over 6 million of the 7.4 million in play.
The match looked like it would be over quickly. Almost immediately, Younis and Soja got it all in preflop — Younis with the 
and Soja with the 
. The board ran out 
, giving Soja the double-up. From there, the two opponents would battle for well over two hours.
A little after 1 a.m. Monday morning, Soja had taken the chip lead and had Younis covered by 275,000 chips. Soja raised to 420,000 preflop with the 
, and Younis called with the 
. The flop landed 
, Younis checked, Soja bet 650,000, and Younis raised all in. Soja called with the flush draw, but the turn and river were the 
and 
to give Younis the win. That hand gave Younis nearly all the chips, and both players put it all in blind the next hand. Younis flipped up the 
and Soja turned over the 
. Younis would hold to earn over $95,000 and the RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet.
“I called my shot on the ride here,” Younis said after the big win. “I really felt good about this and felt like I was going to win. I haven’t been in a casino for a long time.”
The only player with prior RFID final-table experience was Brian Zekus. Zekus — who works for the U.S. Coast Guard — has four MSPT cashes and has reached the MSPT final table three times with a fifth, a fourth and now a third on his résumé. Zekus earned $34,530 for his deep run in this event.
Bill Parker was the first player to exit the final table after over an hour of play. Cory Cove would be sent to the rail next. Cove is the local KFAN Sports Radio morning show host. Cove’s stack took a big hit when he called a short-stack shove by Soja. Soja went all in with 
from the button, and Cove called with 
from the small blind. Things were looking up for Cove after the first four board cards landed, but a river crushed Cove and gave Soja the much needed double up. Just a couple hands later, Cove shoved into Brad Feldman’s and Younis’ 
. Feldman’s aces held, giving him a huge three-way pot.
This event also marked Feldman’s second MSPT final table and Rich Edinger’s third MSPT cash.
The next MSPT stop is at Northern Lights Casino in Walker, Minnesota, one of the original stops on the tour and the stop known to tour regulars as the "Party Stop." Northern Lights is located on Walker Bay, a resort area which draws tourists from all over the country for its relaxing lake-shore atmosphere. This event will be held May 10-19.
For more information on the complete MSPT schedule, visit MSPTPoker.com.
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