Poker Round-Up wraps up at Wildhorse

Published 9:27 pm Sunday, April 3, 2005

MISSION – Greg Tomlinson of Damascus won the final and biggest day of the 11-day Spring 2005 Poker Round-Up at the Wildhorse Casino early Sunday morning, picking up $63,395 playing Hold’em No-Limit.

Over the 11-day event, Wildhorse paid out more than $1 million to 425 of the 4,125 players, making it the largest poker tournament in the Pacific Northwest.

The tournament finished at the very moment the clocks were being turned forward for Daylight Savings Time.

Josh Epstein finished second on the final day, winning $44,355. Dan Midstokke of Clarkston, Wash., placed third with $30,250. Saturday’s purse totaled $222,250.

The top two point winners for the tournament – Tam Nguyen of Salem and Larry Cole of Vancouver, Wash. – were awarded an all-expense paid trip to the Bellagio in Las Vegas for the World Poker Tour tournament this month. They will be joined by Lori Deveny of Portland, who won the first women’s tournament held at Wildhorse Poker Round-Up.

Nguyen ruled at Wildhorse.

The Salem resident finished in the money four times, twice taking first place. Unlike the last two Wildhorse tournaments, the major poker celebrities did not rule the Poker Round-Up.

“Some of the players are up-and-coming competitors we’ll be seeing in the major tournaments,” Tournament Director Roland Waters said. “Tam Nguyen is a remarkable young player with the patience it takes to be great at this game.”

The Poker Round-Up began with a pay-out of $230,000 in the fall of 2003. Praised by poker professionals as being especially sensitive to treating the players well, the Round-Up has grown steadily in participation and in prizes. Unites States Poker Association board member Clonie Gowen is one of the pros who is a fan of the Wildhorse tournament.

“So many casinos jack up prices and do things that are unethical,” Gowen said earlier this week. “It goes to show you that the working class know what is needed.”

The poker tournament is also a boost to the region’s economy. Players and the extra staff hired to accommodate the event stay at motels throughout the area, and those attending are encouraged to visit nearby Pendleton through tours and special discounts.

The Fall 2005 Wildhorse Poker Round-Up is scheduled for Nov. 1-13.