Canterberry Poker League · Tournament #21

Fifteen Months Later, Warren Is Back

Five knockouts, a heads-up match over in three minutes, and the league’s first champion wins his first tournament since March 2009.

A third season opens, and it opens with a name from the first one. Warren Mervin put out five of the thirteen who went home, played four hours and twenty-one minutes and needed only three minutes and fourteen seconds heads-up. It pays $150, and it is his first win in fifteen months.

He won three tournaments and the title in the league’s first season, then went the whole of the second without one. This is his fourth.

Kjell Wygant was second for $70 with three knockouts — two cashes from the three league tournaments he has played, and his first trip to the final two. Mandy Denny took third and $40, arriving as the reigning Annual champion and picking up where that left off. Matt Moriarty completed the money in fourth for $20: four cashes from five league nights, and still no win.

Where the money went

The undercard

Charlie Drotar and Josh Reel shared fifth, a place outside the money, with Charlie taking two knockouts. Mike Oswald played his first league tournament and finished eighth. Eric Denny, the reigning champion, went out thirteenth, and Mike Short was the first man home after an hour and twenty-seven minutes.

The bigger picture

One down, nine to go. Warren leads on 24 points, which after one night means only that he won it.

Worth noting for the months ahead: the champion of each of the first two seasons is in this field, and between them they finished first and thirteenth.

Canterberry Poker League #21 — Friday, June 11, 2010. 14 entrants, four paid from a $280 prize pool. Points shown are the league standings after one tournament of the 2010-11 season.