The field has already grown to 63 players here in the early goings at Hollywood Poker Open Grantville, and one face certainly sticks out in the crowd: 2003 Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker. Moneymaker serves as the tour ambassador for the HPO. He's parlayed that role into a few deep runs on the tour already, including a third-place finish at HPO Tunica last year for $6,016 and a win at HPO St. Louis for $36,259. We'll keep a close eye on the Moneymaker today.
After about a month off, the Hollywood Poker Open is firing up another Regional Main Event, this one in the Northeast. Grantville, Pa. is the site of the latest event, and after a series of more than 20 preliminary events, it's time for the big showcase, the $1,115 regional championship.
Last year, this event attracted 37 players, and Bradley Yazici emerged victorious to claim $22,752. This year, the tour has made a strategic switch to a more affordable price point (last year's was $1,800), and a bigger field is expected.
One of the slower structures around will be in use for the tournament, which should encourage plenty of play, especially throughout the early levels. The tournament is scheduled for 14 50-minute levels on today's Day 1, with 15-minute breaks given every two levels. Any player eliminated in the first six levels will be allowed to reenter if he or she should choose to do so. There will be a 60-minute dinner break after Level 6.
Cards will fly at 12:15 local time, so be ready when the action starts.
