Main Event
Day 1a Started
2019 Heartland Poker Tour Ameristar Vicksburg
Main Event
Day: 1a
Welcome to Day 1a of HPT Ameristar Vicksburg!
Season XV of the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) continues rolling along today here at the Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The $1,100 buy-in Main Event kicks off today with Day 1a, the first of two starting flights, at 2 p.m. local time.
Last year, BJ McBrayer managed to improve on his third-place performance from 2017’s HPT Ameristar Vicksburg event, besting Joshua Patrick in a two-hour heads-up duel to earn $45,946. The 2017 champ of this event, Freddie Ardoin, also managed to make a return to the final table, ultimately succumbing in eighth-place.
2018 HPT Vicksburg Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Location | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BJ McBrayer | Tuscaloosa, AL | $45,946 |
| 2 | Joshua Patrick | Monroe, LA | $28,319 |
| 3 | Jeff Baxter | Oakland, OR | $18,942 |
| 4 | Dustin Stewart | Biloxi, MS | $13,597 |
| 5 | Alton Peterson | Canton, MS | $10,315 |
| 6 | Seth Evans | Lake Tapawingo, MO | $8,439 |
| 7 | Tim Burt | Diberville, MS | $7,127 |
| 8 | Freddie Ardoin | Lacasinne, LA | $6,095 |
| 9 | Ted Schneider | Lake Providence, LA | $5,064 |
The action begins at 2 p.m. for today's flight, and at Noon for tomorrow's Day 1b flight. Players will start with 30,000 in tournament chips, with blinds beginning at 100/100, while big blind ante starts at Level 4. Levels last 40 minutes on Day 1's and Day 2, then extend to 60 minutes on Day 3, until heads-up play is reached, at which point they revert back to 30 minutes in length. Registration and unlimited re-entry is available for players up until the beginning of Level 10 (approximately 9:30 p.m.) and all players that manage to move on to Day 2 will return at Noon on Sunday to play down to the final table of nine. Play will conclude after 15 levels of play or 13% of the field remains, whichever comes first.
“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.”
PokerNews will be here all weekend long catching all the action straight from the tournament floor, so be sure to stay tuned as the action gets underway here at Ameristar Vicksburg!
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/100
Ante: 0
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Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
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Welcome To The Party!
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 |
Defending Champ McBrayer Enters, Wins With Seven-Deuce
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
BJ McBrayer, who won last year's HPT Ameristar Vicksburg Main Event for $45,946, raised to 300 on the button, and was called by both the small blind and the big blind.
Action checked to McBrayer on a 
flop, and he continued for 300. Only the big blind came along with a call.
Both remaining players then quickly checked through a 
turn and 
river, and the big blind tabled 
for ace-high. McBrayer showed 
for bottom pair, which was good enough for the win. As he stacked up his chips, last year's fifth-place finisher Alton Peterson took his seat directly to McBrayer's left.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,900 | 900 |
Imarata's Straight Fades a Scary Board
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Four players invested 200 to see a 
flop together, and Joseph Imarata bet 600 from the small blind. Only a player in the cutoff called.
Imarata continued for 1,100 when the 
fell on the turn, and his opponent quickly called.
Both players checked the 
river, and the cutoff turned over 
. Imarata had that beat with his 
, however, and he scooped the pot while remarking, "Bad runout."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
32,500 | 2,500 |
Albritton Takes a Big One From Peterson
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Alton Peterson checked a 
board from the big blind, and Ray Albritton bet 1,500 into a pot of around 2,000 from under the gun. Peterson woke up with a check-raise to 3,500, and Albritton called.
Peterson checked the river to Albritton, who bet 4,000. Peterson didn't hesitate in making the call, but mucked after Albritton rolled over 
for rivered aces-up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
42,000 | |
|
|
21,300 | -8,700 |
Harrison Gets Good Value From Big Slick
Level 1
: 100/100, 0 ante
Jerry Little raised to 300 from under the gun, and Corey Harrison three-bet to 800 from the hijack. Action folded back to Little, who called.
On the flop, Little checked, and Harrison bet 700, which Little called.
The turn saw Little check-call a bet of 1,400 from Harrison, and the completed the board on the river. Little check-called a 2,500 bet from Harrison, only to muck after Harrison tabled 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
34,000 | 34,000 |
|
|
24,500 | 24,500 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0