Good morning and welcome to the Hospitality State of Mississippi for the Hollywood Poker Open Tunica Regional Main Event. This two-day event features 11 hours of 60-minute play on Day 1 with a one-hour dinner break after Level 7, and on Day 2 the surviving players will battle for as long as it takes to crown a champion.
The winner will not only receive the highest percentage of the prize pool, but he or she will also walk away with a $2,500 buy-in for the Hollywood Poker
Open Championship at The M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 26.
Spanish poker pro Ana Marquez took down the inaugural HPO Championship last year, outlasting 631 players to earn $320,189. Joining her at the final table were fellow pros Ramzi Jelassi, Sam Stein, and Max Greenwood.
This is the second of six regional events for the HPO in 2014. PokerNews will proudly be present for the whole lot; St. Louis, MO, Grantville, PA, Charles Town, WV, and Columbus, OH.
The cards will be in the air in roughly 20 minutes, so be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews for all of your live updates straight from the floor.
Jonathan Taylor opened to 300 in the cutoff, Pedro Alcantara three-bet to 500 out of the small blind, and Taylor made the call. The dealer fanned , Alcantara led out for another 500, and Taylor called.
The turn was a , Alcantara fired out another 500, and this time Taylor raised to 1,400. Alcantara made the call.
Another completed the board, Alcantara open-shoved for 6,600, and Taylor tanked for a bit before calling. Alcantara showed for jacks and sevens, which Taylor had beat with for a flopped full house.
Barry Schultz has just eliminated John Landreth and Lee Childs in the same orbit, chipping up to nearly 50,000.
Landreth exited when he opened preflop with and Schultz just called. The flop brought a queen and two clubs, and the two got all of the money in on a non-club turn. The river was a brick as well, and Landreth was eliminated.
Childs exited holding two queens, getting it on post flop when Schultz flopped a set of nines. Childs failed to hit a two-outer and hit the rail, and quickly reentered.
We're unsure exactly what happened, but when we arrived at the table Russ Head was collecting his things and exiting for a second time. Chris Moneymaker was pulling the pot in with in front of him on a board of , and Head's hand was already mucked.
Francis Anton got the rest of his chips in the middle on the river of a very coordinated board which gave Barry Schultz a straight with . Anton could not beat the straight with his two holdings, and his cards hit the muck and he exited.
Chris Moneymaker, Gene Fletcher, Barry Schultz, and BJ McBrayer took a flop of . All four players committed another 1,700, and the turn was the . The action checked to Moneymaker on the button, he fired out 3,700, and only Fletcher called.
The completed the board, Fletcher checked, and Moneymaker reached into his stack. He silently flipped forward two grey T5,000 chips, making it 10,000 to go, and Fletcher instantly called.
The 2003 WSOP Main Event champ showed for the nut-flush, and Fletcher begrudgingly showed for a pair of tens.
Gene Fletcher opened to 800 in the cutoff, Jonathan Taylor three-bet to 2,600 out of the small blind, and Fletcher moved all in for around 10,000, Taylor quickly called.
Taylor:
Fletcher:
Taylor was already ahead, but he flopped a pair of kings to push him further ahead and held as the turn and river both missed Fletcher.
Jonathan Taylor raised to 950 on the button, Marty Zabib defended his big blind, and the flop fell . Both players checked.
The turn was the suicide king (), Zabib led out for 700, and Taylor called.
The river was a third heart - the - and Zabib tossed out another 2,000. Taylor raised to 8,000, Zabib tank-called, and the 2013 WSOP bracelet winner showed for a flush.
Marty Zabib opened to 1,025 from under the gun, Chris Moneymaker called on his direct left, and the rest of the players folded. The flop came , Zabib fired out three orange T1,000 chips, and Moneymaker raised to 7,000. Zabib moved all in, and Moneymaker called.
Zabib:
Moneymaker:
Moneymaker's ace-high was good enough, but the turned to give him an unbeatable flush. The completed the board, and Zabib was eliminated.
The remaining 10 players will now redraw to the final table.
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, Alcantara fired out another 500, and this time Taylor raised to 1,400. Alcantara made the call.
and Schultz just called. The flop brought a queen and two clubs, and the two got all of the money in on a non-club turn. The river was a brick as well, and Landreth was eliminated.
in front of him on a board of 
, and Kehrees was left with less than a big blind. He busted on the very next hand.
. Anton could not beat the straight with his two holdings, and his cards hit the muck and he exited.
. All four players committed another 1,700, and the turn was the 
for a pair of tens.
. Both players checked.
), Zabib led out for 700, and Taylor called.
- and Zabib tossed out another 2,000. Taylor raised to 8,000, Zabib tank-called, and the 2013 WSOP bracelet winner showed 
for a flush.
, Zabib fired out three orange T1,000 chips, and Moneymaker raised to 7,000. Zabib moved all in, and Moneymaker called.
turned to give him an unbeatable flush. The 
completed the board, and Zabib was eliminated.