$2,500 Championship Event | HPT Season XV Championship

11-26-2019 18:52 UTC-5

Aaron Johnson Eliminated in 6th Place ($31,629)

BrandonTemple

Level 24 : 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

Aaron Johnson jammed for 295,000 from the cutoff, and John Michalak three-bet to 665,000 on the button, chasing out the blinds.

Aaron Johnson:
John Michalak:

Johnson, the reigning HPT Player of the Year, got no help on the flop.

"Six for a sweat!" Michalak said.

The was not sweaty at all, and Johnson needed a nine to avoid elimination. The river wasn't it, and Johnson left his second HPT Championship Event final table in sixth.

Player	Chips	Progress
John Michalak	1,900,000
Aaron Johnson	Busted

Tags: Aaron Johnson John Michalak

11-26-2019 18:37 UTC-5

Jason Darland Eliminated in 7th Place ($26,726)

CarolineBassett

Level 24 : 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

John Michalak opened to 60,000, and Jason Darland three-bet shoved for 315,000 total. Justin Coliny didn't think long before calling, and action folded back to Michalak. He considered his options for a couple of minutes, eventually folding, saying, "Huge laydown."

Jason Darland:
Justin Coliny:

Upon seeing the hands, Michalak told the table that he'd folded pocket jacks. Assuming that was true, Darland was even further behind going into a flop of . With backdoor straight options seeming to be his only hope, Darland found no help on the turn or river, and his runner-runner trips were out kicked for 7th place.

Player	Chips	Progress
Justin Coliny	2,000,000 300,000	300,000
Jason Darland	Busted

Tags: Jason Darland John Michalak Justin Coliny

11-26-2019 18:22 UTC-5

Bradley Smith Eliminated in 8th Place ($22,140)

BrandonTemple

Level 24 : 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

Bradley Smith jammed for 300,000 from the button, and Hamid Izadi called in the big blind.

Bradley Smith:
Hamid Izadi:

Izadi spiked top pair on the flop, and Smith was left looking for a deuce after the turn. The river bricked off for Smith, and the lone Canadian at the final table hit the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hamid Izadi	2,900,000 300,000	300,000

Brad Smith	Busted

Tags: Bradley Smith Hamid Izadi

11-26-2019 17:41 UTC-5

Izadi Reclaims the Chip Lead

BrandonTemple

Level 23 : 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Hamid Izadi raised to 60,000 from middle position, and Aaron Johnson called on the button.

Izadi bet 60,000 on the flop, and Johnson called.

The fell on the turn, and Izadi bet 160,000. Johnson folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hamid Izadi	2,450,000 150,000	150,000

Aaron Johnson	460,000 -250,000	-250,000

Tags: Aaron Johnson Hamid Izadi

11-26-2019 16:22 UTC-5

James Burns Eliminated in 9th Place ($19,056)

CarolineBassett

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

John Michalak opened to 45,000 on the button, and short-stack James Burns shoved for 320,000 total next to act in the small blind. Michalak snapped with chips to spare.

James Burns:
John Michalak:

The flop offered no help for Burns, whose backdoor club draw was dead to Michalak's, nor did the turn or river, and the players were knocked down to eight-handed play.

Player	Chips	Progress
John Michalak	1,300,000 415,000	415,000
James Burns	Busted

Tags: James Burns John Michalak

11-26-2019 15:55 UTC-5

Johnson Jams Big Slick, Doubles through Chip Leader

CarolineBassett

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Still second in chips, Justin Coliny opened to 60,000 from under the gun and was called by chip leader Hamid Izadi next to act. Action folded to 2018 HPT Player of the Year, Aaron Johnson, who three-bet jammed for 325,000 total.

Initial raiser Coliny gave it up, and Izadi called.

Aaron Johnson:
Hamid Izadi:

With Izadi's pair a slight favorite, the flop paired one of Johnson's overcards, leaving Izadi drawing thin. Izadi found no recovery on the turn and , securing Johnson the double.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hamid Izadi	2,800,000 -320,000	-320,000

Justin Coliny	1,400,000 -100,000	-100,000
Aaron Johnson	760,000 385,000	385,000

Tags: Aaron Johnson Hamid Izadi Justin Coliny

11-26-2019 14:31 UTC-5

Kevin Hopkins Eliminated in 10th Place ($15,024)

CarolineBassett

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Just fifteen minutes into Day 3, Hopkins opened to 75,000 from the cutoff, the source of the chips being one of the stacks most desperately in need of a double. Chip leader Hamid Izadi called on the button, and Christopher Audrain folded his small blind.

Paul Bianchi in the big blind, however, had different plans for the hand.

After taking a look at his cards, he counted the remainder of Hopkins' stack with his eyes, then solemnly stared at the felt for a minute while the gears in his head turned.

He then grabbed chips and dropped 400,000 across the line, covering Hopkins, who quickly called. Izadi folded, sending the two to a flop heads up.

Kevin Hopkins:
Paul Bianchi:

Holding the best hand in poker, Bianchi found himself in excellent shape for the knockout, though the flop gave the ultimate sweat with , giving Hopkins the nut flush draw and backdoor straight outs.

The landed on the turn, and when the finished out the board with another brick, the table and its onlookers gave Hopkins a round of applause for a great run.

Player	Chips	Progress
Paul Bianchi	1,795,000 460,000	460,000
Kevin Hopkins	Busted

Tags: Hamid Izadi Kevin Hopkins Paul Bianchi

11-26-2019 12:39 UTC-5

Who Will Walk Away With the $181,874 Top Prize at the HPT Season XV Championship?

BrandonTemple

Day 3 of the HPT Season XV $2,500 Championship Event is set to kick off at 1 p.m. local time, as 10 players return from a field of 353 players, nine of whom will move on to the nationally televised final table, which will also be live-streamed at the HPT's Twitch channel.

The final ten players have all locked up $15,024, and advancing to the official final table nine guarantees a payday of $19,056. The eventual champion will take home $181,874 in prize money, along with the final trophy of the HPT's hugely successful fifteenth season.

Final Table Payouts

Position	Prize Money	POY Points
1st	$181,874	140
2nd	$115,129	105
3rd	$77,095	84
4th	$53,769	70
5th	$40,327	63
6th	$31,629	56
7th	$26,726	49
8th	$22,140	42
9th	$19,056	35

Hamid Izadi (2,585,000) comes into the day as the chip leader, as he and Justin Coliny (2,140,000) both boast stacks of over 100 big blinds to start the day. Christopher Audrain (1,480,000) and Paul Bianchi (1,335,000) are the only other chip millionaires, while HPT Season XIV Player of the Year Aaron Johnson (385,000) sits with just under twenty big blinds, but as he's already proven on Day 2, a start-of-the-day chip deficit is something the talented Minnesota pro can easily overcome.

Final Table Seat Draw

Table	Seat	Name	Country	Chip Count
15	1	Brad Smith	Canada	580,000
15	2	Justin Coliny	United States	2,140,000
15	3	Kevin Hopkins	United States	403,000
15	4	Hamid Izadi	United States	2,585,000
15	5	Christopher Audrain	United States	1,480,000
15	6	Paul Bianchi	United States	1,335,000
15	7	Aaron Johnson	United States	385,000
15	8	John Michalak	United States	865,000
15	9	James Burns	United States	550,000
15	10	Jason Darland	United States	260,000

Once we reach the final table, the HPT Twitch channel will host the final table (no hole cards will be shown due to Missouri gaming laws) on a fifteen-minute delay. The PokerNews team will live report the start of day's play, and once the official final table of nine is reached, the blog will coincide with the live stream for the remainder of the tournament. Stay tuned as the final day of Season XV HPT action gets underway here at Hollywood Casino St. Louis!

Tags: Aaron Johnson Christopher Audrain Justin Coliny Paul Bianchi