Jason Somerville from Ultimate Poker has long held a reputation as one of the game’s top players. However, after joining Station Casinos’ Ultimate Poker, he has also emerged as one of poker’s leading ambassadors. He acts as a liaison between the poker community and Ultimate Poker, and he is a highly visible and enthusiastic representative for both the site and poker overall.
Somerville has not only been a successful poker coach, assisting both professionals and novices in enhancing their poker skills, but one of his most recognized students recently won the Nevada Poker Challenge at the Reno Peppermill Casino, bagging $52,000 from a $1,100 buy-in.
What makes a $52,000 tournament score remarkable? The student of Somerville who achieved this is none other than the unlikely tournament victor, Martin Kampmann. Notably, Kampmann is a UFC fighter and one of the representatives of the Ultimate Poker brand within the UFC community.
Somerville, a devoted UFC fan, was present for Kampmann’s victory. It’s unclear if he had bet on the welterweight fighter. Interestingly, he appeared more thrilled for Kampmann than he often does for his own significant poker wins.
The Nevada Poker Challenge Main Event
Kampmann’s victory wasn’t in a minor nightly tournament buy-in, but against intense competition with 184 players registering for the NPC Main Event at the Peppermill Casino. The competition included many recognized professionals and Nevada locals such as Dan O’Brien, Ed Miller, and Shawn Van Asdale. All these competitors ended up in the money in the tournament.
The tournament began with two starting flights on May 16th and 17th, and concluded with the final day of action on May 18th.
The final table payouts and notable cashes from the tournament are presented below, courtesy of Cardplayer.com:
- Martin Kampmann $52,740 336
- Michael Cooper $30,640 280
- Roy Armstrong $19,570 224
- Ed Miller $13,790 168
- Tony Le $10,640 140
- Ian Remmel $8,090 112
- Frank Addamo $6,300 84
- Tony Chang $4,680 56
- Dina Brown $3,320 28
- Dan O’Brien came in 12th place and won $2,640.
- Shawn Van Asdale won $1,960 and secured the 18th place.
Martin Kampmann
Kampmann, a Danish fighter with a 20-7 MMA record, has had most of his fights in the UFC, establishing him as a veteran of the Octagon.
At the height of his career, Kampmann was a contender for the championship. He secured victories in six out of seven UFC fights, paving the way for a championship contender bout. However, he was defeated in the match by Paul Daley, a replacement for Mike Swick who had to withdraw from the fight.
If he had won, he would have been propelled into a title fight against another MMA fighter, George St. Pierre, who is sponsored by the poker brand 888 Poker.
Even at 32, Kampmann still has a lot of fight left in him. However, if he keeps earning $50,000 at the poker tables, he might think about changing careers and choose to avoid river cards rather than punches. It’s hard to say which one hurts more: the physical pain from a punch or the mental distress from a bad river beat.
Jason Somerville
Somerville is regarded as one of the best tournament players in the game, excelling in both online and live platforms.
Somerville secured a WSOP bracelet in a $1,000 NLHE event in 2011. The following year, he narrowly missed the opportunity to participate in the Big One for One Drop tournament. He ended up in 3rd place in the $25k satellite tournament, which took place a day before the Big One for One Drop tournament. Although he did not earn a spot in the One Drop, he still bagged $400,000.
Somerville also performed exceptionally in the 2012 WSOP, securing the 69th position. He later proceeded to coach one of the participants who made it to the final table.
Russell Thomas, best known as Jason Somerville’s student and the 2012 November October Niner, went on to secure a 4th place finish. The results of his student and his superior coaching skills have elevated Somerville to one of the most esteemed figures in the game over recent years.
In 2012, Somerville made history as the first openly gay male professional poker player. Although not many have chosen to follow in his footsteps, the overwhelmingly positive response from the poker community has created a more accepting environment for future players considering coming out.
