Kou Vang captured first place and $64,465 on Dec. 12 at the final event of Season 2 of the Mid-States Poker Tour at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn.
The $1,100 event attracted 230 players, including Vang, whose wins include the 2010 Fall Poker Classic main event, a Midwest Poker Classic bounty event and a World Series of Poker Circuit ring.
Vang, whose career earnings are about $263K, had the lead with 619K chips when the final table started. Heads-up rival Everett Carlton entered the final table with 501K chips. Carlton, also no stranger to Minnesota poker events, has made five MSPT final tables.
Heads-up play ended quickly with Vang’s A-J holding up against Carlton’s 8-6.
The final table included hole-card information broadcast online after a 15-minute delay.
This was made possible by using a table with RFID technology that allows software to automatically show the hole cards of each player as the game is played.
MSPT POY: The MSPT 2011 Player of the Year is Nathan Fair, who earned 1,700 points by way of a second- and third-place finishes plus two more cashes. Carlton was runner-up (1,350).
HPT AT CANTERBURY: The Heartland Poker Tour announced a stop at Canterbury Park for April 20-30. The HPT will film two episodes of its nationally televised show during that event.
“We are excited to host Heartland Poker Tour at Canterbury Park,” senior director of card casino operations Michael Hochman said. “An event of this stature is a perfect fit for Minnesota’s premier poker room. The opportunity to offer what could be the largest poker prize pool in state history is great news for our players.”
— John Somsky is the Ante Up Ambassador for Minnesota. You can email him at john.somsky@gmail.com.
