Former World Series of Poker Main Event Champion and the Hollywood Poker Open ambassador Chris Moneymaker leads the five players from Day 1a who have made it to Day 2. Moneymaker is almost 200,000 ahead of the next closest player, after a series of hands that led to Peter Priest being eliminated and Moneymaker separating himself from the pack.
Three hands spelled doom for Priest, who was sitting with a healthy stack coming back from the final break.
He got in a hand with Mike Melkersen and Phil Vera. Vera was all in for less and Melkersen shoved a seven-high flop after Priest checked. Priest said he folded pocket tens, which would have been good enough to win the hand for a huge pot.
Instead, Priest would hit a set against Moneymaker and called a bet of 40,000 on the river of a four-card flush board. Moneymaker had the in his hand for the flush and put another dent in Priest's stack.
On the next hand, Moneymaker finished Priest off when he flopped top pair with the against the middle pair of Priest, who held . The two players got all in on the flop and the board ran out , giving Moneymaker the elimination and sending Priest home.
Moneymaker finished with 371,800 and will take that into Day 2, followed by Dennis Summers (199,700), Mike Melkersen (161,400), Scott Heiser (128,000), and Josh Smith (39,100).
The Day 1a flight drew 45 players, and Saturday's Day 1b field is expected to have somewhere around 80.
Stay tuned for that Day 1b at 11:15 a.m. local time and see who will earn their spot in Day 2 of the HPO Charles Town Regional Main Event.
Peter Priest had a bad run of hands and when the dust settled he was eliminated. Priest's elimination would end play for the day about half way through level 13.
On one hand, Priest called a 40,000 river bet by Chris Moneymaker on a four flush board. Moneymaker had the in his hand and he won the hand. On the next hand, Moneymaker finished the job he started.
Three players saw the flop of and Moneymaker and Priest got all in. Priest had against the of Moneymaker. The board finished and Moneymaker won the hand and eliminated Priest. The players will now bag for Day 2.
Minx Wiggins and Mike Melkersen played a hand to the river. On the river, Wiggins checked to Melkersen who shoved all in. Wiggins would be at risk if he decided to call.
Leading up to this, Wiggins check called all the way. He check-called the flop of for 6,000. He check-called the for 12,000 and now he checked when the river came .
Melkersen had Wiggins covered by only a little with an all in bet of 25,700 into a pot of about 37,200.
"You know what?" Wiggins asked, "I call."
Melkersen flipped over two aces, and Wiggins dropped his hand into the muck.
"Good hand Mike," Wiggins said as he exited toward the rail.
Peter Priest is on a roll so far today. On the latest hand, he flopped a set against Vinood Moorjani and the two players got all in.
Moorjani limped the button and the small blind limped as well. Priest was in the big blind and raised to 1,200. Both his opponents called.
The flop was and the action checked to Moorjani. He bet 1,200 and the small blind called. Priest then check-raised to 4,000. Moorjani three-bet shoved for 21,000 and the small blind folded before Priest called the all in.
Priest was in the lead with Moorjani covered. Priest had against the of Moorjani. Priest stayed in the lead and busted Moorjani. Priest is now sitting in the chip lead and has been steadily building his stack here in the first four levels.
Tommy Ingram and Habib Dabbagh got all in on the flop of . Ingram had the worst of it with against the of Dabbagh.
The turn was the and the river was the . Ingram smacked his hands together in excitement as he came from behind to win the pot. As the dealer was counting out Ingram's chips, Dabbagh stepped away from the table to decompress after the river beat.
Former WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker took his seat shortly before the break. This event comes at the end of a busy month for Moneymaker. He spent some time in New Jersey promoting Pokerstars NJ, then he drove to HPO Columbus. From there he went to Canada, to play in some SCOOP events, back to New Jersey for Run it Up Resorts Rumble and finally Charlestown for today's Day 1a flight.
After being left short by Minx Wiggins, Phil Vera doubled up when he shoved middle pair and got called by ace high.
Shortly after the double, Vera was seen exiting the tournament room, unable to run his stack back up after the big hand against Wiggins. Vera is the first person eliminated.
Phil Vera and Minx Wiggins have been a couple of the more talkative players early in level one. Earlier Vera three bet big to get Wiggins off a hand.
Wiggins then doubled through Vera when he made a flush on the river. According to Vera, he flopped a pair with and bet. Wiggins called. Then Wiggins bet when he made a flush draw on the turn.
On the river, Vera said he tried to represent the flush and went all in. Wiggins called and had made the flush. That left Vera short.
Brentharrington
Defending HPO Charles Town Champion Loukas Michael
It’s time for the final regional main event of HPO Season Four. HPO Charles Town will begin today at 11:15. Players will play 14 50-minute levels in Day 1a. Anyone who doesn't make it through will have an equal shot tomorrow in Day 1b, same time, same channel.
Last year, Loukas Michael topped a 118 player field to capture a prize of $35,803 and a seat in the season three championship event in Las Vegas.
This year, players will also be competing for one of the final two seats to the championship event. The other seat will go to the leaderboard winner. Currently, Gregory McCurry is on top of the field with 41 points and is looking like a good shot to win. Doug Holland (28) and Andrew Sharon (27) round out the top three.
This will also be HPO Ambassador Chris Moneymaker’s last chance to take home an HPO title this season. He’s made a few deep runs, finishing in the money at HPO Toledo and just outside the money in Columbus and St. Louis.
Stay tuned for all the action right here on pokernews.com.
in his hand for the flush and put another dent in Priest's stack.
against the middle pair of Priest, who held 
. The two players got all in on the flop and the board ran out 
, giving Moneymaker the elimination and sending Priest home.
for 6,000. He check-called the 
for 12,000 and now he checked when the river came 
.
and Wiggins dropped his hand into the muck.
and the action checked to Moorjani. He bet 1,200 and the small blind called. Priest then check-raised to 4,000. Moorjani three-bet shoved for 21,000 and the small blind folded before Priest called the all in.
of Moorjani. Priest stayed in the lead and busted Moorjani. Priest is now sitting in the chip lead and has been steadily building his stack here in the first four levels.
. Ingram had the worst of it with 
against the 
. Ingram smacked his hands together in excitement as he came from behind to win the pot. As the dealer was counting out Ingram's chips, Dabbagh stepped away from the table to decompress after the river beat.
