Canterberry Poker League · Tournament #11

Season Two Opens, and Lee Gets His First

Under three hours, a heads-up match over in a hundred and fifty-eight seconds, and a man who had waited a whole season for this.

A new season, and the quickest tournament this league has ever run — two hours and fifty-seven minutes, start to finish. Lee Ugarte made three of the ten eliminations and then needed just two minutes and thirty-eight seconds once it was down to two. It pays $105, and it is his first Canterberry Poker League win.

He played eight tournaments last season without once reaching the money, and his best night of the whole year was a fifth. He has gone from that to a win on the opening night of this one.

Mike Short was second for $60, which continues the oddest record in the league: four money finishes now, a runner-up spot in each of the last two seasons, and still no win. Warren Mervin, the reigning champion, picked up where he left off with third and $35. And Paul Denny took fourth and $20 — two league tournaments played, two cashes, one win.

Where the money went

The undercard

Rick Mazza bubbled in fifth with two knockouts, more than anybody outside the money. Steve Drown went out first after an hour and twenty-two minutes — on a night this short, that is not the humiliation it usually is.

The bigger picture

One down, nine to go. Lee leads on 17 points because he beat everybody, which is the only way anybody leads after one tournament.

Worth noting for the months ahead: the champion is already in the money. Warren won this league on three wins and five cashes last season, and he has a third here inside three hours of the new one starting.

Canterberry Poker League #11 — Saturday, June 6, 2009. 11 entrants, four paid from a $220 prize pool. Points shown are the league standings after one tournament of the 2009-10 season.