Minnesota's New Kid on the Block

Bonnie Demos

Running Aces Harness Park opened this past summer, offering the area a new 50-table state-of-the art card room that includes 25 poker tables and 25 casino games offering players non-stop action 24/7. Games for all skill levels are available, as well as a high-tech, VIP lounge with a final table set in the middle of the room.

Running Aces holds a number of monthly promotions and tournaments, including Aces Cracked on Mondays.

Several of the property’s numerous amenities include the Winner’s Circle Dining & Lounge, a full service restaurant, as well as tableside cocktail and dining service. Players can wager on harness and thoroughbred races from across the country from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. The facility also welcomes special events and banquets.

Running Aces is located approximately 25 minutes north of the Twin Cities in Columbus, MN, directly off of Interstate 35. You can find more information by calling 1.877.RUNACES, or by logging on to www.runningacesharness.com.

The card room at Running Aces Harness Park will host the inaugural Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) 10,000 Lakes Poker Championship November 5-17, 2008. The main event will commence on Sunday, November 16, with a televised final table on Monday, November 17.

HPT’s televised final table will be shown as two one-hour episodes and broadcast to more than 70 million homes across the country.

“The Heartland Poker Tour is one of the most popular, high profile and exciting poker tours in the United States,” Running Aces Card Room Director Mike Horobin said about the HPT, which began as a brainchild of two Minnesotans and is now in its fourth successful season, “We’re extremely pleased to hold the 10,000 Lakes Championship and are strongly committed to making sure it’s a successful tournament.”

Hundreds of poker players are expected to compete and qualify for the 10,000 Lakes Poker Championship’s $1,650 main event. Running Aces will host super-satellite no-limit hold ’em tournaments every Friday in October at 10:30 a.m. The top 20 percent of each field will earn a seat in HPT qualifiers that will be held from November 7-15.

The winner of the 10,000 Lakes Poker Championship will earn an entry into the year-end HPT Championship Open. Results of the 10,000 Lakes Championship as well as updates on Running Aces news and events will be found in upcoming issues of Poker Player Newspaper.

Bonnie Demos from the Midwest, Gambler, poker player and award winning chef, has enjoyed working in the gaming industry for the past several years. Write her at bdemos1@wi.rr.com

More in Card Rooms

Last column’s review of Colorado poker covered the Gilpin Poker Room. This issue begins with The Lodge Casino, owned by the same company that owns the Gilpin. The Lodge has no tournaments; only live cash play with $2-$5 blind and $5-$5 blind hold ’em.

Their big draw is a bad-beat jackpot that currently stands at about $500,000... read more