Dinner Break
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Players are now on their dinner break.
Action will resume in 60-minutes.
All the purple 500 chips will be removed upon return.
2019 Heartland Poker Tour Ameristar East Chicago
Main Event
Day: 2
Albers Spikes Queen on River to Eliminate Reigning HPT Player of the Year Johnson
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Kevin Albers opened for 36,000 from late position and Aaron Johnson jammed for 146,000 from the cutoff getting called by Albers.
Kevin Albers: 
Aaron Johnson: 
Johnson didn't mind the 
flop nor the 
turn, but the 
came crashing down on the river to end the Minnesota poker pro's tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,020,000 | 284,000 |
|
Busted |
Salazar Flops Gold to Take Chip Lead
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Michael Puccio opened action for 40,000 from late position. Ed Sebesta called sitting directly to his left along with Mike O'Neill on the button and Eric Salazar defended his big blind.
The 
flop was checked to Puccio who bet 110,000 getting a call from Sebesta while O'Neill folded. Action was on Salazar who jammed for 512,000 and Puccio came over the top for 525,000, Sebesta called.
Eric Salazar: 
Ed Sebesta: 
Michael Puccio: 
Puccio held the over-pair while Salazar flopped top two-pair with Sebesta holding the diamond draw.
The 
turn changed nothing and the dealer completed the board with the 
river to give Salazar the monster pot leaving Puccio with 20,000, which he would be shortly eliminated after.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,600,000 | 800,000 |
|
1,100,000 | -100,000 |
|
575,000 | -230,000 |
|
Busted |
Here's What's in Store for Season XV of the HPT
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Season XV of the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) is a big one with stops at the Hollywood Casinos in St. Louis and the Cincinnati area (Lawrenceburg, Indiana), The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Pittsburgh, and Ameristar East Chicago. What's more, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team plans to be at each of them to capture all the action.
“HPT is excited to have PokerNews providing additional event coverage in 2019,” said Korey Stewart, HPT Marketing Manager. “Season XV is shaping up to be another record-breaking year for the tour. We’ve already added several new venues to the schedule and we’re hoping to announce a few more new additions soon. There will be plenty of opportunities for poker enthusiasts across the country to take a shot at winning life-changing money at nationally televised final tables. We’re looking forward to having an industry leader like PokerNews there to report on it every step of the way.”
Here’s a look at the remaining Season XV schedule. For more information, visit hptpoker.com and follow them on Twitter @HPTPoker.
Remaining HPT Season XV Schedule
| Series Dates | Venue | Location | Main Event Buy-In |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 22-September 2 | Ameristar East Chicago | Gary, Indiana | $1,650 |
| September 9-15 | Mini Series at Hollywood Casino Toledo | Toledo, Ohio | $350 |
| September 11-23 | Golden Gates Casino & Poker Parlour | Black Hawk, CO | $1,650 |
| September 26 - October 7 | The Meadows Casino | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,100 |
| October 17-28 | Daytona Beach Racing & Card Club | Daytona Beach, Florida | $1,100 |
| November 14-26 | HPT Championship Hollywood Casino & Hotel | St. Louis, Missouri | $2,500 |
| December 5-16 | M Resort Spa Casino | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| January 25-February 1, 2020 | HPT on the High Sears | Western Caribbean | $1,100 |
Chip Counts (full)
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,419,000 | 89,000 |
|
|
1,200,000 | |
|
1,160,000 | 1,159,749 |
|
1,033,000 | 83,000 |
|
882,000 | 582,000 |
|
851,000 | -149,000 |
|
|
805,000 | 805,000 |
|
|
800,000 | 70,000 |
|
771,000 | 221,000 |
|
745,000 | 45,000 |
|
|
736,000 | -64,000 |
|
705,000 | -75,000 |
|
644,000 | 24,000 |
|
514,000 | 234,000 |
|
500,000 | 80,000 |
|
498,000 | -227,000 |
|
478,000 | -82,000 |
|
441,000 | -209,000 |
|
|
426,000 | 6,000 |
|
397,000 | -73,000 |
|
348,000 | -122,000 |
|
|
161,000 | 56,000 |
|
142,000 | 142,000 |
|
140,000 | -70,000 |
A Look at the Current HPT Season XV POY Race
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Player of the Year race is always competitive, and right now Nick Pupillo by a wide margin with 301.20 points. His closest competition right now is Nick Davidson in second place with 176.80 points, while Mike Shin sits third with 160 points.
Sitting in fourth thanks to back-to-back final tables and winning the HPT Lawrenceburg for $119,101 is Greg Wood with 152.5 points.
Whoever wins the POY title will claim more than bragging rights. Our POY earns a $10,000 package to use next season as well as complimentary hotel accommodations at those six stops. In case of a tie, all winning players will split the POY prize package evenly.
Here's a look at the current top 10 headed into the HPT East Chicago stop:
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pupillo | 301.20 |
| 2 | Nick Davidson | 176.80 |
| 3 | Mike Shin | 160.00 |
| 4 | Greg Wood | 152.50 |
| 5 | Chris Moon | 146.50 |
| 6 | Mike Sabbia | 146.40 |
| 7 | Spenser Cramer | 140.00 |
| 8 | Bill Byrnes | 140.00 |
| 9 | Shawn "Reginald" Roberts | 132 |
| 10 | Austin Peck | 130 |
3 Table Redraw
Level 21
: 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Henry Zou | 771,000 |
| 2 | 2 | Kevin Albers | 736,000 |
| 2 | 3 | Nick Davidson | 851,000 |
| 2 | 4 | Aaron Johnson | 161,000 |
| 2 | 5 | Peter Kelly | 397,000 |
| 2 | 6 | Kevin Theodore | 441,000 |
| 2 | 7 | Michael Palo | 511,000 |
| 2 | 8 | Paul Welke | 348,000 |
| 2 | 9 | Brett Apter | 1,033,000 |
| 7 | 1 | Ed Sebesta | 805,000 |
| 7 | 2 | Ben Grise | 514,000 |
| 7 | 3 | Mike O'Neill | 1,200,000 |
| 7 | 4 | Blake Whittington | 644,000 |
| 7 | 5 | Eric Salazar | 800,000 |
| 7 | 6 | Ran Stone | 498,000 |
| 7 | 7 | Roger McKinney | 155,000 |
| 7 | 8 | David McDermott | 478,000 |
| 7 | 9 | Michael Puccio | 426,000 |
| 8 | 1 | Dan Sepiol | 500,000 |
| 8 | 2 | Josh Reichard | 1,419,000 |
| 8 | 3 | Kyle Pikorz | 140,000 |
| 8 | 4 | Nikola Budzakoski | 882,000 |
| 8 | 5 | Chris Meyers | 1,160,000 |
| 8 | 6 | Michael Koh | 860,000 |
| 8 | 7 | Greg Baird | 204,000 |
| 8 | 8 | George Vazanellisr | 705,000 |
| 8 | 9 | Eddie Blumenthal | 745,000 |
Level: 21
Blinds: 8,000/16,000
Ante: 16,000
Play Paused
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Play has paused for the three table redraw.
Eliminated 37-45 ($3,819)
Level 20
: 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Another round of recent eliminations.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted | |
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Busted |