Welcome to Day 1a of HPT Hollywood St. Louis!
Season XVI of the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) continues rolling on this weekend, as the $1,650 Main Event at Hollywood St. Louis with a $400,000 Guarantee, kicks off today at 2 p.m. with the first of three starting flights.
Mike Shin topped a field of 480 players here last August, earning $160,632 after beating 2019 HPT Player of the Year Nick Pupillo heads-up. Last March's iteration of this event saw Bill Byrnes best a field of 444 entrants for $148,547. Keith Heine (2nd - $91,735), Kou Vang (5th - $31,978) and Tim Burden (7th - $20,673) were just a few of the heavy hitters at a talented final table that Byrnes had to overcome.
Players will receive 30,000 in starting chips, and Day 1 features a total of fifteen 40-minute levels. There will be a fifteen-minute break after every two hours of play, and a 60-minute dinner break will take place after Level 9. Registration and a single re-entry option are open for players through the dinner break (approximately 9:30 p.m. for today's flight). The field will play until the end of Level 15, or until 13% of the field rounded down remains, whichever comes first.
There are two other starting flights available for prospective players, as Friday's Day 1b kicks off at 2 p.m. local time, while Day 1c will commence at Noon on Saturday, February 22nd. All players that manage to bag up a stack will return on Sunday at 11 a.m. local time to play down to the final table of nine. Monday's televised final table will resume at Noon, and the public is welcome to come and watch the action, which will also be streamed on Twitch on a short delay.
Will Shin and Byrnes make another run to grab a second HPT Hollywood St. Louis title? Or will HPT legends Craig Casino, Shawn Roberts, or Mike O'Neill lay claim to the title? Stay tuned right here to PokerNews all weekend long, as we bring you all the action straight from the tournament floor.
board from the small blind, as did the big blind and button. The 
fell on the river, and Henrichs bet 600 into the 2,000 chip pot. Both of his opponent folded, and Henrichs took down the pot.
flop, and he bet 2,200. Schroeder called, and action folded back to McKuin, who check-raised to 6,200. Bogert folded and Schroeder called.
turn, and Schroeder tanked for a minute, then called.
fell on the river, and McKuin bet 13,000, leaving himself just 6,000 behind. Schroeder, who had a similar stack, tanked for a few moments before folding.
flop from the big blind, and Jeffrey Schroeder bet 1,100 into a pot of 2,500 from the cutoff. Audrain called.
turn, and the 
fell on the river. Audrain checked and Schroeder upped his bet to 3,000. Audrain called, only to muck after Schroeder tabled 
board, where Hoeft bet 5,000. His opponent for the side pot folded, and the remaining two players tabled their hands.
river, and he eliminated his opponent.
board from under the gun, and Joseph Brose bet 10,000 into a pot of 15,000 from the button. Claunch quickly called.