Canterberry Poker League · Tournament #19
Nineteen Tournaments, and Mike Short Finally Wins One
Seven knockouts in the biggest field the league has ever had, from the man who had been second and third and fourth and never first.
Twenty players, the biggest field this league has assembled, and Mike Short took out seven of the nineteen who went home — equal to the league record. He played four hours and thirty-seven minutes and finished it in five minutes and forty seconds heads-up. It pays $170, the biggest first prize the league has paid.
It has been a long time coming. He has been second twice, third once and fourth three times across two seasons without ever taking one, and four of the five men who finished behind him in the money on Friday were sent home by him personally.
Adam Schell played his first league tournament and took $90 for second. Charlie Drotar was third for $50, his third money finish in five. Joe Johnson took fourth and $40 with three knockouts, Mike Conner fifth and $30, and Rob Slaght completed the money in sixth for $20, also with three.
Where the money went
| Player | Prize | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Short | $170 |
| 2 | Adam Schell | $90 |
| 3 | Charlie Drotar | $50 |
| 4 | Joe Johnson | $40 |
| 5 | Mike Conner | $30 |
| 6 | Rob Slaght | $20 |
The undercard
Six paid from twenty pushed the bubble to seventh, where Rick Mickaliger landed a month after making six knockouts and finishing fourth. Eric Denny, the runaway leader, managed only tenth. Tom Buzbee was the first man out after an hour and thirty-two minutes.
The bigger picture
Nine tournaments, six different winners, and one night left. Eric leads on 113 points, nineteen ahead of Josh Reel and twenty-seven ahead of Warren Mervin.
The arithmetic is not quite finished with him — the winner of the last tournament of last season scored nineteen — but it would take a very particular set of results in April to catch him.
| League standings — after #19 | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Denny | 113 |
| 2 | Josh Reel | 94 |
| 3 | Warren Mervin | 86 |
| 4 | Charlie Drotar | 83 |
| 5 | Mike Short | 80 |
Canterberry Poker League #19 — Friday, March 12, 2010. 20 entrants, six paid from a $400 prize pool. Points shown are the league standings after nine tournaments of the 2009-10 season.