$2,500 Championship Event
Day 1a Completed
HPT Season XV Championship
$2,500 Championship Event
Day: 1a
Salazar Lurking, Henrichs Leading as 18 Survive Day 1a of the Season XV HPT $2,500 Championship Event
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The Season XV $2,500 Championship Event at Hollywood Casino St. Louis kicked off today with the first of three starting flights. 57 entrants hit the felt, all looking to navigate ten one-hour levels and find a bag. At the conclusion of play, just 18 remained, with Joshua Henrichs and his 230,300 chips leading the way.
Henrichs started his rise to the top by winning a three-way showdown between himself, Stephen Song and Mark Burgess. Henrichs applied the pressure late, and found himself with a comfortable stack of nearly 200 big blinds to take on to Day 2 play.
Eric Salazar, currently second in the Season XV HPT POY race, kept his slim hopes of taking over the top spot alive with a healthy bag of 191,500. Rounding out the top three is Season XV HPT East Chicago champ Chris Moon with 180,800 in chips. Other notables to make it through to Day 2 include WSOP Bracelet winner Brett Apter (105,000), Andreas Ioakmides (93,600) and Season XV HPT St. Louis champ Mike Shin (59,300).
Not everyone managed to make it through the day's play, however, and a few notables were unable to make it through to Monday's Day 2. Mike O'Neill, currently sitting in fourth place in the Season XV HPT POY race, was unable to get much going today and hit the felt early on. WSOP Bracelet winner Kyle Cartwright also found himself sans chips at the end of the night, as did Lily Kiletto, Jason Mangold, and Will Berry.
Current HPT POY points leader Nick Pupillo has arrived and will be in action tomorrow in what looks to be a much larger Day 1b flight, as other HPT regulars such as last year's Season XIV $2,500 Championship winner Josh Reichard, Todd Sladek, and Gary Herstein, will all be looking to join the 18 that managed to find a bag today in their quest for the final HPT trophy of the year.
Be sure to stay tuned right here to PokerNews as we catch all the action straight from the tournament floor as the second of three starting flights kicks off at Noon here at Hollywood Casino St. Louis.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts (full)
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
230,300 | 75,300 |
|
191,500 | 6,500 |
|
180,800 | 41,800 |
|
145,700 | 700 |
|
124,600 | -5,400 |
|
114,900 | 9,900 |
|
105,000 | -24,000 |
|
|
93,600 | -12,400 |
|
84,400 | -18,100 |
|
|
72,800 | -9,200 |
|
61,200 | -6,300 |
|
59,300 | -10,700 |
|
59,200 | -22,800 |
|
54,900 | -3,100 |
|
|
53,600 | -6,900 |
|
31,000 | 600 |
|
27,800 | -24,200 |
|
|
19,400 | -10,600 |
Three More Hands
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The remaining field of 18 (who have been frozen on that number for more than a level now) will play three more hands before bagging and tagging for the evening. Stay tuned for chip counts as well as a full recap of the day's action.
Hughes Shoves on Ioakmides
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Harry Sablotny raised to 3,500 from early position, and Andreas Ioakmides called in middle position. John Hughes three-bet to 8,500 from the button, and both Sablotny and Ioakmides called.
Action checked to Hughes on a 
flop, and he bet 17,000. Only Ioakmides called.
The 
fell on the turn, and Ioakmides checked again. Hughes jammed for 60,000 and Ioakmides folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
130,000 | 45,000 |
|
|
106,000 | -26,500 |
|
|
52,000 | -22,000 |
Henrichs' Overbet Gets Through
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Joshua Henrichs min-raised to 2,400 from middle position and was called by John Hughes next to act, as well as both blinds.
Henrichs showed no sign of slowing down on the 
flop, betting 6,000 when checked to. Hughes called, and the blinds folded.
When the 
turn came down, Henrichs took little time before overbetting the pot for 30,000. Hughes found a fold nearly as quickly, and Henrichs stacked the chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
155,000 | 27,000 |
|
|
134,000 | 49,000 |
Henrichs Isn't a Believer
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Freddy Williams raised to 3,200 from under the gun, and was called by Joshua Henrichs in middle position, as well as Harry Sablotny in the big blind.
Sablotny checked the 
flop to Williams, who bet 6,200. Henrichs called and Sablotny folded.
Williams bet 8,000 on the 
turn, and Henrichs called.
Both players checked the 
river, and Williams tabled 
.
"I didn't think you had a jack," Henrichs told Williams, showing his defeated 
before Williams brought in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
145,000 | 20,000 |
|
|
128,000 | -17,000 |
|
|
74,000 | -10,000 |
Moon Shines Again
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Moon opened to 2,700 in the cutoff, and Kyle Kloeckner elected to three-bet to a cool 8,200 from the big blind. Moon called.
Kloeckner quickly checked the 
flop, and Moon tossed out 7,300. Kloeckner called.
The 
turn and 
river both checked through. Kloeckner showed 
for ace-high, but Moon's 
prevailed, the turn having paired his queen.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
139,000 | 12,000 |
|
|
58,000 | 5,000 |
Level: 10
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 1,200
Salazar Takes the Chip Lead
Level 9
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Andreas Ioakmides checked a 
flop from the small blind, and Eric Salazar bet 4,000 into a pot of around 12,000 in the big blind. Ioakmides called.
Ioakmides checked again on the 
turn, and Salazar bet 11,800. Ioakmides folded, shipping the pot and the current chip lead to Salazar, who is currently sitting in second on the HPT Player of the Year race and looking to give Nick Pupillo a sweat for the title.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
185,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
132,500 | -17,500 |