Who Will Walk Away With the $131,184 Top Prize at HPT St. Louis?
From a starting field of 392 entrants, just nine return for the final day of the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Hollywood Casino St. Louis $1,650 Main Event. The final table, which will be filmed for a future television broadcast, will also be streamed on the HPT's Twitch channel on a short delay (no hole cards will be shown due to Missouri gaming laws), featuring Jerod Smith and the HPT's Korey Stewart on commentary. The PokerNews blog coverage will sync with the stream.
The returning players already have a $12,776 cash locked up, but all eyes are on the top prize of $131,184, along with the trophy and a $3,500 Championship Package good for the Season XVI HPT Championship at the end of the year.
Austin McCormick returns to his second HPT St. Louis final table with the chip lead today, with a stack of 2,775,000 to work with, good for nearly 140 big blinds at the start of play. WSOP Bracelet winners Kyle Cartwright (2,120,000) and Brett Apter (1,735,000) sit in the other two medal positions at the moment, while Kevin Garosshen (1,590,000) and Brent Cunningham (1,125,000) round out the chip millionaires club.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Name | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | 1 | Lucas Tae | 700,000 | 35 |
| Final | 2 | Neil Patel | 480,000 | 24 |
| Final | 3 | Austin McCormick | 2,775,000 | 139 |
| Final | 4 | Kevin Garosshen | 1,590,000 | 80 |
| Final | 5 | Kyle Cartwright | 2,120,000 | 106 |
| Final | 6 | Brent Cunningham | 1,125,000 | 56 |
| Final | 7 | Brian Reeder | 935,000 | 47 |
| Final | 8 | Brett Apter | 1,735,000 | 87 |
| Final | 9 | Laura Hoppe | 300,000 | 15 |
Stay tuned to the PokerNews blog throughout the day, as we crown the latest HPT champ here at Hollywood Casino St. Louis!
flop, and the 
fell on the turn. Garosshen checked, and Cartwright bet 80,000. Hoppe called while Garosshen folded.
hit the river, and Cartwright bet 190,000. Hoppe tanked for a minute before raising to 405,000, leaving herself 375,000 behind.
for a turned set. Cartwright flung his 
face-up into the muck.
flop, but the 
on the river changed nothing, and Cunningham doubled up.
flop was checked by Hoppe, and McCormick bet 170,000. Hoppe called.
turn, and McCormick fired another barrel, this time for 340,000. Hoppe called again.
hit the river, and Hoppe checked a third time. McCormick jammed, putting Hoppe to the test for her last 995,000. Hoppe tanked for a few minutes.
for top pair, top kicker, and Hoppe, the start of the day short stack, now holds the chip lead with eight players left.
flop, and the 
river, and the Missouri native exits in eighth.
board ran dry to send Reeder home in seventh.
flop kept Cartwright's Big Slick in front, and the 
river was a brick, and the Day 2 chip leader McCormick exited the tournament area in sixth.
flop, but the 
