2019 Heartland Poker Tour Hollywood Casino Columbus

Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2019 Heartland Poker Tour Hollywood Casino Columbus

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aa
Prize
$191,723
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,650
Prize Pool
$855,540
Entries
588
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
160,000

Friedman Continues to Roll with Fossilman Elimination

Level 15 : 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Greg Raymer
Greg Raymer

Two World Series of Poker bracelet winners just collided and only one survived.

Chip leader Adam Friedman raised to 10,000 from early position and 2004 WSOP Main Event champ and four-time 2012 HPT winner Greg Raymer three-bet jammed for 80,300 from the small blind. Friedman thought for a bit and then dropped in some calling chips.

Friedman: {8-Diamonds}{8-Spades}
Raymer: {a-Spades}{q-Diamonds}

It was a flip but Raymer needed to improve to stay alive. Unfortunately for him, that proved easier said than done as the board ran out {j-Spades}{j-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}{10-Hearts}{2-Spades} to give Friedman a winning two pair.

As is his custom, Raymer signed a fossil and sent it over to the man who eliminated him.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Adam Friedman us
Adam Friedman
780,000
120,000
120,000
WSOP 5X Winner
Profile photo of Greg Raymer us
Greg Raymer
Busted
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Greg RaymerAdam Friedman

Friedman Bad Beats Carbone to Vault Over 650K

Level 14 : 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Adam Friedman
Adam Friedman

A cooler hand just played out over at Table 26. It happened when a preflop raising war saw Anthony Carbone get his stack of approximately 120,000 in the middle against Adam Friedman. Interestingly the two had history from earlier in the year when the former finished in second place in the MSPT JACK Cleveland and the latter third.

Carbone: {a-Spades}{a-Clubs}
Friedman: {k-Hearts}{k-Spades}

It was a cooler for Friedman but turned into a bad beat for Carbone when the {10-Spades}{k-Clubs}{2-Clubs} flop gave his foe top set.

Neither the {4-Hearts} turn nor {6-Spades} river helped Carbone and he made a sudden exit in the penultimate level of the night while Friedman added to his chip lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Adam Friedman us
Adam Friedman
660,000
60,000
60,000
WSOP 5X Winner
Profile photo of Anthony Carbone us
Anthony Carbone
Busted

Tags: Adam Friedman

Friedman Takes Huge Pot From Rossitto

Level 13 : 1,200/2,400, 2,400 ante
Adam Friedman in Day 1a action
Adam Friedman in Day 1a action

A huge pot was in progress with already over 100,000 in the pot as the board read {q-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}{a-Clubs}{2-Diamonds}.

On the turn Michael Rossitto thought for a while before checking to Friedman who also took his time before pushing all in for his remaining stack. Rossitto sighed but put in the call after a moment.

Friedman quickly turned over the {k-Clubs}{10-Spades} for the nut straight leaving Rossitto's {a-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} drawing very thin. The river was the {9-Clubs} which was no help to Rossitto.

The dealer counted out Friedman's all-in shove which was 174,900. Leaving Rossitto down significantly from his earlier high and launching Friedman into the chip lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Adam Friedman us
Adam Friedman
480,000
315,000
315,000
WSOP 5X Winner
Profile photo of Michael Rossitto us
Michael Rossitto
120,000
-220,000
-220,000

Tags: Adam FriedmanMichael Rossitto

King Doubles Big Thanks to a King

Level 12 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Caleb King firing Day 1a yesterday.
Caleb King firing Day 1a yesterday.

The preflop action escaped us but we do know that it ended with Caleb King being all in for 131,100 against the opponent to his direct left.

King: {a-Spades}{k-Hearts}
Opponent: {a-Hearts}{j-Hearts}

King had the superior ace and he wound up with a pair of kings after the board ran out {7-Spades}{3-Spades}{q-Spades}{5-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Caleb King us
Caleb King
270,000
155,000
155,000

Tags: Caleb King

An Orbit with 2004 WSOP Champ Greg "Fossilman" Raymer

Level 6 : 200/500, 500 ante
Greg Raymer
Greg Raymer

Time and pressure. That's what it takes to make a fossil. No one knows that better than 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event champ and four-time HPT winner Greg Raymer, who has long held the nickname "Fossilman" for his affinity of giving away signed fossils when he busts.

We decided to spend an orbit watching Raymer, who was sitting with around 50,000, in his quest for a fifth HPT title. Here's what we observed hand by hand.

Hand #1 (Button): A player in early position raised and Raymer folded the button.

Hand #2 (Cutoff): The under-the-gun player raised to 1,200 and Adam Friedman three-bet to 3,500 from middle position. Raymer folded.

Hand #3 (Hijack): Action folded around to Raymer and he folded as well.

Hand #4 (Lojack): A player in middle position raised to 1,200 and Raymer folded.

Hand #5 (UTG+3): The under-the-gun player raised to 1,200 and Raymer folded.

Hand #6 (UTG+2): The first two players to act both folded and Raymer followed suit.

Hand #7 (UTG+1): The UTG player folded and so did Raymer.

Hand #8 (UTG): Raymer folded.

Hand #9 (Big Blind): An early-position player raised to 1,200 and Raymer defended to see a {9-Spades}{j-Clubs}{q-Diamonds} flop. Raymer checked and folded when his opponent continued for 1,800.

Hand #10 (Small Blind): Stephen Song raised the cutoff to 1,200 and Raymer three-bet to 3,500 from the small blind. Not to be outdone, Song four-bet to 9,000 and Raymer paused for a beat or two before releasing his hand.

Nothing too exciting in that orbit, but remember, time and pressure is all it takes!

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Greg Raymer us
Greg Raymer
43,500
-11,500
-11,500
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Greg Raymer

Get to Know Reigning HPT Player of the Year Aaron Johnson

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante
Aaron Johnson
Aaron Johnson

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.”

Unfortunately, Johnson isn't here at the HPT Columbus today.

For more on the reigning HPT POY, check out his full interview here on PokerNews.

Tags: Aaron Johnson

Craig Casino & Shawn "Reginald" Roberts Sit Atop HPT All-Time Money List

Level 4 : 100/300, 300 ante
Craig Casino and Shawn Roberts
Craig Casino and Shawn Roberts

Craig Casino and Shawn “Reginald” Roberts currently sit first and second on the HPT’s all-time money list. The former is first with $801,413 in earnings while the latter isn’t far behind with $714,710. Both hold a good lead over Alex Greenblatt, who is in third place with $516,114.

As fate would have it, not only are Casino and Roberts both in action today, they’re actually seated next to each other. Obviously, this will be a table worth keeping an eye on here on Day 1b of the HPT Columbus.

Here’s a look at the HPT’s current all-time money list:

PlacePlayerWinnings
1Craig Casino$801,413
2Shawn "Reginald" Roberts$714,710
3Alex Greenblatt$516,114
4Cord Garcia$475,984
5Greg Raymer$446,217
6Aaron Massey$417,844
7Ari Engel$409,923
8Nick Pupillo$390,505
9Stan Jablonski$387,149
10Nick Davidson$386,670

Tags: Craig CasinoShawn Roberts

Welcome to Day 1b of the HPT Hollywood Columbus Main Event!

HPT Hollywood Columbus
HPT Hollywood Columbus

The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) is at the Hollywood Casino Columbus for the second of three starting flights in the $1,650 buy-in, $500,000 GTD Main Event.

That tournament, which will be live reported right here on PokerNews, began yesterday with Day 1a. Tomorrow on Saturday at Noon local time Day 1c will take place. The survivors from all three flights will return for Day 2 action at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 29. Then, on Monday, April 29, the final table will play out starting at Noon.

Speaking of that final table, it will not only be live streamed but also filmed for television. This is notable as the state of Ohio has never held a nationally televised poker tournament. That will change thanks to the HPT, which has awarded more than $100 million to poker enthusiasts over 15 seasons.

"We have been looking forward to the Hollywood Columbus event for quite some time," said HPT marketing manager Korey Stewart. "There has been quite a bit of chatter about the event within the poker community since we announced it a few months back. Ohio has a great poker scene and we're anticipating a big turnout."

In yesterday's Day 1a flight, 103 runners took to the felt and after 15 levels of play, just 14 remained with Brian Frye and his stack of 537,000 leading the pack. Others to bag big stacks were Abdul Amer (469,500), Nick Guagenti (433,500), Keith Thurman (260,000), and Vitaliy Neymar (220,500).

Main Event Structure

LevelLengthSmall BlindBig BlindBB Ante
140 minutes1001000
240 minutes1002000
340 minutes1003000
440 minutes100300300
540 minutes200400400
640 minutes200500500
740 minutes300600600
840 minutes400800800
940 minutes5001,0001,000
1040 minutes6001,2001,200
1140 minutes8001,6001,600
1240 minutes1,0002.0002.000
1340 minutes1,5002,5002,500
1440 minutes1,5003,0003,000
1540 minutes2,0004,0004,000

About the Hollywood Columbus Casino

Hollywood Columbus is the only Vegas-style casino in town. The casino floor has 160,000 square feet of gaming space with over 2,100 slots, more than 60 big-action table games, and 34 live poker tables. There are five dining options scattered throughout the property. Whether guests are in the mood for a quick sandwich at Take 2 Grill or a full-service meal at the award-winning Final Cut Steakhouse, no one will go hungry.

The nearby Holiday Inn is offering players exclusive hotel rates starting at $109 per night. A limited number of rooms are available at that price. To book, call 614-335-1150 and mention Hollywood Casino Columbus.

For more information visit hollywoodcolumbus.com.

Upcoming HPT Stops

PokerNews and the HPT plan to continue their live reporting relationship for stops throughout 2019.

“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 current Season XV schedule with more stops expected to be announced in the near future. For more information, visit hptpoker.com and follow them on Twitter @HPTPoker.

Remaining HPT Season XV Schedule

Series DatesVenueLocationMain Event Buy-In
April 18-29Hollywood Casino ColumbusColumbus, Ohio$1,650
May 2-14Ameristar East ChicagoGary, Indiana$1,650
July 10-22Golden Gates Casino & Poker ParlourBlack Hawk, CO$1,100
July 25 - August 5Hollywood St. LouisSt. Louis, MO$1,650
August 1-12Ameristar VicksburgVicksburg, Mississippi$1,100
August 22-September 2Ameristar East ChicagoGary, Indiana$1,650
September 26 - October 7The Meadows CasinoPittsburgh, PA$1,100
October 17-28Daytona Beach Racing & Card ClubDaytona Beach, Florida$1,100