One of the best stories of 2018 was the incredible year of Minnesota’s Aaron Johnson. Back in May, PokerNews spoke with Johnson about leading the Player of the Year races on both Season 9 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) and Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Season XIV.
Over the next seven months, Johnson maintained his lead on the MSPT, and while he lost the HPT lead for a bit, he ultimately ended with it thanks to a deep run in the season finale. That allowed Johnson to become the first player to ever win POY titles on two different tours in the same year.
For doing so, Johnson won a $10,000 prize package for each tour.
“It feels amazing,” Johnson told PokerNews. “Coming into the year I certainly wanted to make a run at MSPT POY (which has always been a goal of mine), but I never imagined that I’d be in contention for multiple POY titles. To actually achieve it is unreal.”
Johnson, who was out at the 2019 WSOP, is in action at the HPT Golden Gates.
For more on the reigning HPT POY, check out his full interview here on PokerNews.
. The blinds checked and the player in middle position bet 1,000. Low called and both blinds folded.
. The original raiser checked to Low, who bet 2,500. She made the call and the river came 
. The middle-position player checked to Low again and he fired again for 7,000. After some thought, the middle-position player put in a check-raise to 15,000. Low called.
.
for fives full of aces and took down the pot as the table laughed about how she was unable to get him off his hand due to its strength. 
and all five players checked. The turn fell 
and the small blind and Gius checked to put action on Wahdan who flung a yellow, T$1,000 with a slight upward trajectory into the betting circle in front of him. Three players quickly folded and action was back on Gius, who looked back at his cards before lifting them up to see them in their entirety. Wahdan feigned tossing his cards to the muck several times in anticipation of Gius folding.
and Reid Ferrari had bet 4,500 from middle position into his opponent in the big blind who put in a check-raise to 12,500. He thought for a bit and asked for confirmation that it was 8,000 more to call. Upon the dealer saying yes, he threw in the appropriate chips to call.
and the big blind and Wahdan checked. The player in middle position bet 1,400, getting a call from Harper, a fold from the big blind, and a call from Wahdan.
and Wahdan checked to the player in middle position who fired another bet of 3,000. Harper and Wahdan both called.
and Wahdan and the player in middle position checked. Harper threw in a bet of 3,000 and Wahdan quickly folded. The middle-position player thought for a while and ultimately made the call.
for the nuts. His opponent simultaneously showed 
