Hoang Leads Final Table at HPT Golden Gates
Day 2 of the Heartland Poker Tour Golden Gates $1,650 Main Event saw 72 players return with their eyes set on playing a full day and advancing to the final table. The day lasted eight and one-half hours, with Tan Hoang leading the way at the end of the day with a total chip count of 3.875 million.
Hoang entered the day with 331,000 in chips, a stack that had him in the top 10 going into Day 2. He had increased that to over 600,000 by the time 45 remained and play reached the money, making him one of the chip leaders, and he never looked back from there, eclipsing 1 million in chips before the redraw at 27 happened for the final three tables.
With two tables remaining, Hoang hit a huge double up against 11th-place finisher Steve Wilkie when his kings proved best against Wilkie’s nines in a blind-on-blind battle. He then found himself with 2.4 million, and used that stack to win a few big pots without showdown to build to his end-of-day total of 3.875 million.
Robert Meglich finished the day in second place after knocking out Syd Masters in 10th place to end the day by winning a huge pot after his king-queen held versus Masters’ king-ten. Stacks got in on a king-high flop and Meglich held to end the day with over 2 million in his stack.
Two other players finished with seven-figure stacks. Jeff Banghart (1.805 million) and John Small (1.415 million) will also take above-average stacks into Monday’s final table.
HPT Golden Gates Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Small | 1,415,000 | 47 |
| 2 | Glenda McCall | 775,000 | 26 |
| 3 | David Levy | 765,000 | 26 |
| 4 | Tan Hoang | 3,875,000 | 129 |
| 5 | Jay McVeigh | 445,000 | 15 |
| 6 | Robert Meglich | 2,175,000 | 73 |
| 7 | Jeff Banghart | 1,805,000 | 60 |
| 8 | Corey Williams | 450,000 | 15 |
| 9 | Jason Su | 660,000 | 22 |
Day 2 Action
Over one-third of the returning Day 2 field of 72 still needed to be eliminated before play made the money. Eliminations came quicker than anticipated, with the field reaching 47 players after only about 75 minutes of play. However, the first break of the day came and went with only one other elimination occurring. The bubble burst shortly thereafter when Dapo Ajayi (34th place - $3,896) knocked out Nate Zoller. The two HPT Golden Gates final table participants from July, 2019 got it in with ace-king and ace-queen, with Zoller unable to improve to become the bubble boy.
Players who found the rail prior to Zoller’s departure included Ben Keeline, Alex Greenblatt, [Matt Livingston[/b], and John Beauprez.
Others to make their way to the rail, albeit via the payout desk included Danny Gonzales (33rd place - $3,396), Spencer Champlin (26th place - $4,796), Greg Jennings (16th place - $5,815), and Nick Pupillo (13th place - $7,733).
Day 3 will be played Monday with cards in the air at noon local time. Play will resume with 33:12 on the clock in Level 24 (15,000/30,000/30,000). The final table will be played upstairs in the overflow room for all who wish to attend and view live. The tournament will also be live-streamed with a 30-minute delay.
PokerNews will be on hand to provide accompanying coverage. Make sure to follow to see who comes out on top to earn the winning prize of $137,876.
and Levy checked. Meglich made a continuation-bet of 100,000 and Banghart folded.
, giving Masters a few extra outs to a chop. However, the river fell 
and he found himself eliminated from the tournament, marking the end of play for Day 2.
. 
and Levy led out again, putting in a bet of 400,000. Hoang went back into the tank for a minute or so and then announced a raise all in. The move sent Levy into the tank, causing him to count out his chips with a pained look. Ultimately, he sent his cards to the muck and the pot was sent Hoang's way, bringing him over 3.5 million along the way.
and McCall checked. Banghart put out a continuation-bet of 75,000 and looked over to Masters, who deliberated for a few seconds. Banghart told him that he seemed to like his hand more before the flop, and Masters seemingly agreed as he folded.
to give Banghart a worse full house, securing her the double as the tournament continues with ten-handed play.
gave him four more outs to a gutshot straight, however the river fell 
