Main Event Day 2 | 2019 Heartland Poker Tour Golden Gates Casino

07-21-2019 10:32 UTC-7

Update Your Own Chip Count Using the PokerNews MyStack App!

Hill Kerby

Level 16 : 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante

PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.

You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.

Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.

07-21-2019 10:40 UTC-7

Livingston Loses Flip To Bust

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Hill Kerby

Level 16 : 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante

Matt Livingston three-bet all in on the button over an open to 12,000 and Maxx Holland called from the small blind. The raiser folded face-up and then it was time for Holland and Livingston to table their hands and run the cards.

Matt Livingston:
Maxx Holland:

The two found themselves in a coin flip situation and the board came to give Holland Broadway and send Livingston to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maxx Holland	545,000 72,500	72,500
Matt Livingston	Busted

Tags: Matt Livingston Maxx Holland

Level: 17

Blinds: 3,000/6,000

Ante: 6,000

07-21-2019 10:47 UTC-7

Ajayi Check-Raises Rocha; Sater Over 700K

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Hill Kerby

Level 17 : 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

There was around 30,000 in the pot on a flop of and Dapo Ajayi had check-raised from the big blind to 50,000 over a bet of 14,000 from Alex Rocha, who was under the gun.

Rocha thought for a bit and decided to fold.

"Show the bluff! One time!" some tablemates said. Ajayi hesitated before mucking.

Meanwhile, Jason Sater has chipped up to a stack of 707,000 and is the likely chip leader as the field nears 100 players remaining.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jason Sater	707,000 72,000	72,000
Dapo Ajayi	330,000 65,500	65,500
Alex Rocha	290,000 81,500	81,500

Tags: Alex Rocha Dapo Ajayi Jason Sater

07-21-2019 10:57 UTC-7

Johnson Hits Set on Turn To Survive

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Hill Kerby

Level 17 : 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

According to a source in the poker room, Aaron Johnson has just doubled up after getting all in preflop against a player's . The flop brought an to put Johnson in bad shape but he was able to hit a on the turn to stay alive, bringing his chip total over the six-figure mark.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aaron Johnson	116,000 48,500	48,500

Tags: Aaron Johnson

07-21-2019 11:07 UTC-7

Ajayi Shows "Bluff" With Queens

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Hill Kerby

Level 17 : 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Ruth Graham opened to 12,000 from early position and received a call from Jason Sater on the button. Dapo Ajayi three-bet to 48,000 and Graham put in a four-bet to 100,000. Sater got out of the way and Ajayi peeled, bringing a flop of .

Ajayi checked to Graham, who bet 75,000. Ajayi announced he was all in, effectively putting Graham to a decision for her final 105,000.

"Yes! I faded the snap call, baby!" Ajay said emphatically after Graham did not immediately call. After about 90 seconds in the tank, he added, "I might even show this one."

Graham thought for another minute or so while Ajayi remained animated, prompting Graham to say that his actions were straight out of a book on tells. He asked what that meant towards her decision and she said she was pretty sure she was about to make the most exploitable fold she could possibly make.

Eventually, she followed through with the fold. The table prodded Ajayi to show the bluff again and he countered, saying he would show if Graham would. The table convinced Ajayi that Graham had folded kings, which she confirmed.

Ajayi began to wear a wry grin as he peeled his cards up to look back at them. He then proceeded to show , resulting in a boisterous response from the table as he collected the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jason Sater	695,000 12,000	12,000
Dapo Ajayi	553,000 223,000	223,000
Ruth Graham	105,000 103,000	103,000

Tags: Dapo Ajayi Jason Sater Ruth Graham

07-21-2019 11:17 UTC-7

Recent Eliminations

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Hill Kerby

Level 17 : 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Sheri Bishop	Busted
Zachery Schneider	Busted
Rex Clinkscales	Busted
Greg Collins	Busted
Seth Shepherd	Busted
Carlos Lopez	Busted
Chris Durant	Busted
Jamie Moore	Busted
Josh White	Busted
Mohammad Sharif	Busted

Level: 18

Blinds: 4,000/8,000

Ante: 8,000

07-21-2019 11:28 UTC-7

Some Chip Counts

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Hill Kerby

Level 18 : 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Nick Pupillo	770,000 532,000	532,000

Pat Pineda	437,000 342,500	342,500
Steve Harvey	372,000 41,500	41,500
David Levi	310,000 113,500	113,500
Danny Gonzales	265,000 18,500	18,500
Brendan Hocker	212,000 74,000	74,000
Chris Tryba	165,000 1,000	1,000

Barb Visher	155,000 11,000	11,000
Chris Moon	117,500 3,500	3,500
Nader Wahdan	115,000 35,000	35,000
Keith McCarthy	75,000 208,000	208,000

07-21-2019 11:34 UTC-7

Get to Know Reigning HPT Player of the Year Aaron Johnson

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Hill Kerby

Level 18 : 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

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.

Tags: Aaron Johnson