Nicholas Elder Wins Inaugural NorCal Poker Championship Main Event
The first-ever $1,100 title ended in a seven-way ICM chop after 582 entries at Graton Casino Resort.
Nicholas Elder won the inaugural $1,100 NorCal Poker Championship Main Event at Graton Casino Resort in Rohnert Park, California, after the final seven players agreed to an ICM chop. Elder was officially declared the first-ever champion and took home $47,205.
As reported in our Day 2 update, 74 players returned to decide the title after the event drew 582 entries and built a $567,450 prize pool. Sevag Shirinian had taken the lead into the final day, with Ryan Tuttle and Antonio Ma close behind.
According to PokerNews, the ending came after the final table had played for about 40 more minutes and the clock was stopped once chop talks began. Richard Lockmanese had gone out in ninth place for $9,400, Peter Yang followed in eighth for $12,000, and the remaining seven players then reached a deal.
Elder said he had been away from poker for a long time. He said his first visit to Graton came after a long break from the game, and that he had moved from Minnesota to the Sacramento area two years before the event.
He also said he stepped away from poker after getting married and starting a family. As he put it, he was focused on his home life and said building that foundation gave him the chance to come back and play.
The run turned on a key all-in against Victor Paredes, where Elder was behind before a fortunate turn card let him take the lead by hitting his kicker. Elder said he got lucky when he was down to about six big blinds, but he also felt the result showed he had done some things right to earn it.
Despite the title, Elder said he does not expect his relationship with poker to change much. He said he has a busy fall ahead and may travel to play tournaments this winter.
