The Heartland Poker Tour has had many prestigious names claim the title of player of the year since its inception, including heavy hitters such as Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Ari Engel, Shawn Roberts, Aaron Massey and Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler.
Season XV saw a new phenom join the ranks, as Nick Pupillo put together a dominating season to take the title of Player of the Year, finishing the year with 324.70 POY points, more than 100 points ahead of second-place finisher Eric Salazar.
Pupillo notched six cashes totaling $330,646 in HPT events, or about a third of what he’s won in 2019. He got off to a good start when he topped a 588-entry field to win February’s HPT Golden Gates in Colorado for $194,479, which marked his second HPT title after winning the HPT East Chicago in 2015. The tour returned later in the year and Pupillo cashed twice more at the venue. He also had a runner-up finish in St. Louis for $98,810.
For his efforts, Pupillo earns $10,000 in buy-ins at HPT stops throughout the year, as well as hotel accommodations at those stops. The Season XVI Player of the Year race will surely be another hotly contested affair, and we'll be keeping track of Pupillo all season long as he looks to defend his crown.
Season XV POY Final Standings
| Place | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pupillo | 324.70 |
| 2 | Eric Salazar | 217.80 |
| 3 | Nick Davidson | 204.80 |
| 4 | Mike O'Neill | 189.00 |
| 5 | Mike Shin | 175.40 |
| 6 | Chris Moon | 166.10 |
| 7 | Spenser Cramer | 154.00 |
| 8 | Greg Wood | 152.50 |
| 9 | Mike Sabbia | 146.40 |
| 10 | Dan Wagner | 143.40 |
flop was no help. The table gasped as the 
fell on the turn, giving Beever kings-full and a huge lead. The 
gave no salvation to O'Neill, and he sent more than half of his stack over to Beever.
flop, and Mitchell bet 1,800 on the 
turn. Raghavan raised to 5,400, and O'Neill folded.
board into a pot of 20,000, and Edward Blazer, who has been on a tear to start the day, made the call on the button.
hit the river, and the hijack jammed for 60,000. Blazer immediately called.
for a six-high straight, prompting the hijack to slam his hand straight to the muck unrevealed. Blazer now commands a mammoth of stack of over 400 big blinds and continues his early day domination of Day 1b.
for a turned two pair. Senie had that beat with his 
for a rivered flush, and took down the pot.
