Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2019 Heartland Poker Tour St. Louis
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2019 Heartland Poker Tour St. Louis
Buy-in
$1,650
Prize Pool
$646,020
Entries
444
Level
29
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
50,000
2016 HPT Player of the Year Ryan Gregor Leads As 28 or 164 Survive Day 1a of HPT St. Louis
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Day 1a of the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Hollywood Casino St. Louis attracted 164 runners, but after 15 levels of play, just 28 remained with 2016 HPT Player of the Year Ryan Gregor and his stack of 565,000 leading the way.
Gregor went on a late heater that included eliminating Mike Rieck in the last level of the night. It happened when Rieck got his stack of 100K all in preflop with pocket tens against Gregor’s Big Slick. Rieck flopped top set but Gregor had a flush draw, which he hit on the turn. Rieck failed to pair the board on the river and Gregor scooped a monster.
Others to bag big stacks were Jason Mangold (357,000), Joe Landazzi (322,000), Rusty Montague (303,000), and Preston Phelps (299,000), who round out the top five.
They were joined by the likes of Cory Bogert (255,000), Brett Apter (179,000), David Davenport (138,000), Shawn McCracken (132,000), Danny Hoeft (119,000), Kyle Parrish (119,000), reigning HPT and MSPT POY Aaron Johnson (98,000), and Ian Matakis (92,000).
One player who failed to find a bag on Friday was Brandon Elmore, who in Level 9 (500/1,000/1,000) got his last 8,000 all in on an ace-high flop holding ace-ten only to discover nine-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Robert Hankins had flopped two pair with ace-seven. Neither the turn nor river helped Elmore and he was sent to the rail. Hankins would follow him there before night’s end.
Likewise, HPT’s all-time money leader Craig Casino fell holding 
on a king high flop. He jammed and Jason Mangold, who had 
, called him and promptly spiked an ace on the turn to put an end to Casino’s day.
Others to fall on 1a were former World Series of Poker November Niner Dennis Phillips, MSPT Majestic Star champ Mike Shin, two-time HPT champ Nick Davidson, John “Farmboy” Kurfman, and Illinois players Gary Herstein and Mike Kamenjarin. The good news is all of those players can try again in the second flight if they so choose as Day 1b will kick off at Noon local time on Saturday.
The surviving players for both flights will combine at 11 a.m. on Sunday to play down to the final table. Once again the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand to capture all the action, so be sure to join us then.
End-of-Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
563,000 | -87,000 |
|
357,000 | 92,000 |
|
322,000 | 104,000 |
|
303,000 | 78,000 |
|
|
299,000 | |
|
255,000 | 40,000 |
|
179,000 | 4,000 |
|
177,000 | |
|
|
161,000 | |
|
|
160,000 | 72,800 |
|
141,000 | |
|
|
139,000 | |
|
138,000 | |
|
|
138,000 | |
|
132,000 | -80,000 |
|
|
124,000 | 39,000 |
|
|
123,000 | |
|
119,000 | 50,000 |
|
|
119,000 | |
|
|
119,000 | -28,000 |
|
113,000 | |
|
107,000 | |
|
98,000 | -22,000 |
|
|
95,000 | |
|
|
92,000 |
Six More Hands
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
The tournament staff just announced the remaining players will play six more hands before bagging and tagging on Day 1a. Stay tuned for a list of survivors with chip counts as well as a recap of the day's action.
Parrish vs. Johnson in Blind vs. Blind Action
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Action folded around to Kyle Parrish, who called in his small blind, and Aaron Johnson checked his option in the big blind.
Parrish bet 4,000 on the 
flop, getting a call from Johnson.
After both players checked the 
turn, Parrish made another bet, this time for 7,000.
Johnson took a last look at his hole cards before tossing them into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
147,000 | 27,000 |
|
|
120,000 | 20,000 |
Gregor Hits Heater to Pull Out to Monster Lead
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Ryan Gregor, the 2016 HPT Player of the Year, has been on a heater here in the last level of the night.
In a recent hand, Gregor raised the button to 8,000 and called when Mike Rieck three-bet all in for approximately 100,000 from the small blind.
Gregor: 
Rieck: 
The 
flop gave Rieck top set but Gregor did have a flush draw. He hit it too when the dealer burned and turned the 
. The 
failed to pair the board on the river and Rieck hit the rail while Gregor added to his mountain of chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
650,000 | 100,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 15
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000
Bogert Takes Down a Big Pot Before Taking Off His Hoodie
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Prior to the start of the following hand, Cory Bogert had already announced that, for reasons still unknown, he would be taking off his hoodie at the end of the level.
Action folded to Danny Hoeft, and he raised to 8,000 from the hijack, getting called by Cory Bogert on the button and the player in the big blind.
The three players checked to the turn on a board reading 
, and the big blind bet 18,000, which got a fold from Hoeft and a call from Bogert.
The big blind player then bet 30,000 on the river.
Cory then re-checked his cards, looked at the board, looked at the big blind player and then announced, "All in."
The big blind player then looked hard at Bogert before finally mucking his cards and sending the big pot over to Bogert.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
215,000 | 215,000 |
|
|
69,000 | -6,000 |
Richards and a Lucky Lady
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
As level 14 drew down, John Richards pushed all-in for 38,500. Brett Apter called from the cutoff. The big blind player looked down and quickly pushed all his chips in. Apter asked for a count and made the call for an additional 23,000. All three players turned their hands over.
Richards held 
, Apter 
and the big blind player held the only made hand going to the flop with 
.
The flop of 
was a miss for both Richards and Apter, with the on the turn adding no help.
Richards was looking at a three out best hail mary and got there with the 
on the river for a huge triple up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
175,000 | -65,000 |
|
120,000 | 45,000 |
Hoff Doubles Through Hoeft
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Danny Hoeft opened for 8,000 and then called when Alex Hoff three-bet jammed for 46,500 total.
Hoeft: 
Hoff: 
Hoff had the best of it and held as the board ran out a clean 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000 | 53,500 |
|
|
75,000 | -81,000 |