Shiller Surpasses 500K to Take Overall Lead into Day 2
There's a new leader in the clubhouse after the fourth and final Day 1 flight at Heartland Poker Tour Ameristar East Chicago $1,650 Main Event.
Brendan Shiller pushed toward 20 starting stacks as finished Day 1d with 518,000, besting the 497,000 of Nadya Magnus on Day 1b. Shiller, a lawyer who hails from Chicago, got ninth in this very event last year, so he'll be hungry to top that finish starting with what he no doubt hopes is a strong Day 2 on Monday.
Shiller was already running good with one of the biggest stacks in the room when he picked up aces to bust a player late and top the 500,000 mark. He kept opening pots from there and netted a few more chips before bagging time.
Second in chips was Blake Whittington with 365,000. One of the top players on the WSOP Circuit this year, Whittington snagged himself his fourth and fifth rings at the Tunica stop, including shipping the Main Event for over $150K.
Whittington played a notable massive pot late where folded out a chop after flopping the low end of a straight and barreling big on the turn and river against TK Miles, who showed his straight and mucked. Whittington obliged by showing his own straight.
Miles would also find a bag albeit with one of the shortest stacks at 51,000. Former PCA runner-up Ty Reiman was right there with him with 52,000. Others advancing included Nick Pupillo, Rich Alsup, Keven Stammen and Shawn Roberts.
The total prize pool was calculated at long last with the end of registration, coming to $820,800 with $183,899 and a $3,500 HPT Championship package to the winner. With 29 bagging Day 1d, that leaves a total of 96 runners left in the event out of 570, 63 of them to be paid.
Day 2 kicks off Monday at 11 a.m. local time. Come back to PokerNews as action rolls to the final table.
, Blake Whittington had bet 77,000 from the small blind into a pot that looked like it contained about 190,000. TK Miles was tanking under the gun.
.
.
and Greg Raymer called in the big. On the 
and Pupillo fired a final shell for 22,000. Raymer called once more and Pupillo opened 
but couldn't fade 
.
flop: Aaron Massey in the small blind, the big blind and Griffin Abel on the button.
and Pupillo check-called 4,300. On the 
, Blake Whittington raised all in from middle position over an opponent in late position. That player had put in 6,000 into a pot of about 10,000, and Whittington jammed for 22,900. His opponent thought a bit and called, and Whittington tabled 
for the nut flush draw.
and the board bricked out with 
to leave Whittington heading to reenter, which he did straight away.