Final Table Photo from HPT St. Louis Championship Event
HPT Season XV Championship
$2,500 Championship Event
Day: 3
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
Level 22
: 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
The final table of nine is taking a short break before the final table commences. Be sure to tune in to HPT's Twitch channel to follow all the action on a fifteen-minute delay. The PokerNews blog will sync with the stream for the remainder of the tournament.
Final Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Table | Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | Brad Smith | Canada | 610,000 | 31 |
| 15 | 2 | Justin Coliny | United States | 1,445,000 | 72 |
| 15 | 3 | Hamid Izadi | United States | 3,120,000 | 156 |
| 15 | 4 | Christopher Audrain | United States | 1,460,000 | 73 |
| 15 | 5 | Paul Bianchi | United States | 1,795,000 | 90 |
| 15 | 6 | Aaron Johnson | United States | 375,000 | 19 |
| 15 | 7 | John Michalak | United States | 925,000 | 46 |
| 15 | 8 | James Burns | United States | 455,000 | 23 |
| 15 | 9 | Jason Darland | United States | 450,000 | 23 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,120,000 | 120,000 |
|
1,795,000 | |
|
1,460,000 | -20,000 |
|
1,445,000 | -210,000 |
|
925,000 | 60,000 |
|
610,000 | 30,000 |
|
455,000 | -95,000 |
|
450,000 | |
|
375,000 | -10,000 |
Kevin Hopkins Eliminated in 10th Place ($15,024)
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,795,000 | 460,000 |
|
Busted |
Darland Doubles Through Izadi
Level 22
: 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Jason Darland jammed for 210,000 from the hijack, and Hamid Izadi called in the big blind.
Jason Darland: 
Hamid Izadi: 
Darland's king-high held on a 
flop, but Izadi picked up four more outs on the 
turn. The 
river bricked off, and the start-of-the-day short stack doubled up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,000,000 | -120,000 |
|
|
450,000 | 190,000 |
Top Two Stacks Clash in Day 3's Second Hand
Level 22
: 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Second-in-chips Justin Coliny opened to 60,000 off his 2,140,000 stack from early position to start the day's second hand. Hamid Izadi, chip leader at 2,585,000 coming into today, three-bet to 130,000 from middle position. Action folded back to Coliny, who made the call.
The flop fell 
, and Coliny led for 125,000. Izadi called.
When the 
landed on the turn, Coliny announced, "300," and cut his bet out. Izadi thought for a moment before announcing a raise to 700,000, and Coliny gave it up fairly quickly. Izadi took down the pot, with a stack now exceeding three million.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,120,000 | 535,000 |
|
|
1,655,000 | -485,000 |
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 22
: 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Cards are in the air for the final day of the 2019 HPT Season XV Championship! As a reminder, after we lose one player, there will be a break as players fill out biography sheets and have their pictures taken for the final table.
Level: 22
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 20,000
Who Will Walk Away With the $181,874 Top Prize at the HPT Season XV Championship?
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!
$2,500 Championship Event
Day 3 Started