Day 1 of the HPO St. Louis Regional Main Event Starts Now!

The $1,115 Hollywood Poker Open St. Louis Regional Main Event kicks off at 12 p.m. today inside the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, Missouri.

The last time the HPO came to St. Louis it was HPO ambassador and 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Chris Moneymaker who bested a field of 67 to take home the $36,259 first-place prize.

Coming off a final table appearance at HPO Grantville, Moneymaker is expected to return and defend his title from March 2014.

This marks the fifth Regional Main Event of the HPO season, with all previous winners having booked seats in the season-ending $2,500 Championship Event at M Resort Casino and Spa in Las Vegas this June.

Today, players will start with 20,000 in tournament chips and plans to play 14 levels of 50 minutes each. Late entry and re-entry is available for the first six levels.

There will be a 15-minute break every two levels and a 60-minute dinner break after Level 6.

The survivors of the day will return Sunday at 12 p.m. Local time where the levels jump to 60 minutes and they will play down to a winner, who will book a seat in the Championship Event in addition to taking home a big chunk of the prizepool.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand from start to finish covering all the action.