David Gutfreund Wins Heartland Poker Tour Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort for $156,649
The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) recently completed its tenth season at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The HPT Season X Championship $1,650 Main Event attracted 465 entries and created a prize pool of $666,600. The third time proved the charm as former two-time finalist David Gutfreund emerged victorious to capture the $156,649 first-place prize.
"I thought if I got here enough times, I'd run good at a final table," Gutfreund said. "It makes up for a lot of times when things didn't go my way... It's a great feeling and I can't wait to get paid."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Gutfreund | Chicago, IL | $156,649 |
| 2 | Shawn "Reginald" Roberts | Springfield, MO | $96,657 |
| 3 | Michael O'Neill | Royal Oak, MI | $63,327 |
| 4 | Cuong Tran | Midland, MI | $43,996 |
| 5 | Vincent Fiorenza | Oviedo, FL | $32,663 |
| 6 | James Wetherell | Coleman, MI | $25,331 |
| 7 | Antoinette "Toni" Fiorenza | Daytona Beach, FL | $21,931 |
| 8 | Joe Cada | Shelby Township, MI | $17,998 |
| 9 | Yaroob Kaskorkis | Grand Rapids, MI | $14,665 |
According to live updates of the HPT Soaring Eagles Casino , Yaroob Kaskorkis was the first elimination of the final table when his A♠8♣ failed to overcome the pocket sixes of Shawn "Reginald" Roberts, and he was followed out the door by 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Joe Cada.
Cada fell in Level 26 (20,000/40,000/5,000) when he got his extreme short stack all in and Mike O’Neil raised to 105,000. James Wetherell called and all three players watched the flop come down 9♣6♣2♣. Wetherell bet 150,000, O’Neil mucked, and Cada tabled the Q♣2♥ for a pair and a queen-high flush draw. Meanwhile, Wetherell tabled pocket kings, which held after the 10♠ blanked on the turn followed by the 5♥ on the river. Cada, who was at his second HPT final table, took his leave in eighth place for $17,998.
Interestingly, a mother-son combo made the final table in Antoinette "Toni" Fiorenza and Vincent Fiorenza, both from Florida. The mother, Toni, ended up falling in seventh place for $21,931 while the son, Vincent, exited a short time later in fifth place for $32,663. In between Wetherell, a retired pipefitter and Vietnam vet who qualified for the tournament for $370, fell in sixth place for $25,331.
After Cuong Tran and O’Neil fell in fourth and third place respectively, Gutfreund began heads-up play with a nearly 6-1-chip lead over Roberts. In what would be the final hand of the tournament, which took place in Level 32 (80,000/160,000/20,000), Roberts opened for 360,000 and then called off after Gutfreund three-bet all in.
Gutfreund: A♥8♥
Roberts: J♥J♦
Roberts got it in good, but the 6♥5♥5♣ flop gave Gutfreund a flush draw. The 8♦ turn didn’t complete it, and neither did the A♣ river. That said, Gutfreund did managed to make two pair, which was just as good as it sent Roberts, who has won two HPT titles in the past, home in second place for $96,657.
"It feels amazing, it really does," Gutfreund said after the win. "Maybe some of the Massey run good rubbed off on me a little. They've been inspirations to my game. I really love the Heartland Poker Tour - these are the events where I belong."
Speaking of Massey — Aaron Massey to be exact – he finished the season as the HPT 2014 Player of the Year joining the likes of Greg Raymer and Allen Kessler as former winners. Massey won two titles in Season X,
The HPT kicks off Season XI from Nov. 25 to Dec. 7 at the Iowa-Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino Hotel. PokerNews will bring you a tournament recap upon completion of play. A full schedule of events is available at HPTpoker.com.
For more on that event, check out this video:
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PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
