New Poker Pro Wins Richest Heartland Poker Tournament
GARY, IN - Joel Casper, 26, a former Chicago financial planner who recently quit his job to play poker fulltime, won 1st Place and $122,335 in the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) tournament at the Majestic Star Casino Sunday, October 29th.
Playing in the biggest event of the year on the HPT Tour, Casper outlasted more than 700 players to capture the crown. 'It sure makes me feel like I made the right decision to pursue a professional poker career,&' the winner concluded.
There was over $450,000 in prize money in the five day tournament. The $1,000 buy-in final Championship event started with 185 players. Casper, wearing his lucky Cincinnati Bengals hat, defeated runner-up Dennis Dubey, of Menominee WI.
It was Dubey's third HPT final table appearance of the year. He is the leading money winner on the Heartland Poker Tour with one first place and two second place finishes in HPT tournaments.
The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) was created for poker players in local casinos and neighborhood card rooms around the country. The HPT is like the Minor Leagues. It was designed and developed to give players everywhere a chance to make the Big Time.
Convinced a lot of local players would like a shot at stardom, Heartland keeps the buy-ins within the reach of most people. Consequently, because there are so many entries the prize money is exciting. Add an audience, lights and TV cameras, and players in the Championship feel like they're competing at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
The idea for the Heartland Poker Tour came appropriately out of Fargo, ND, not Las Vegas. It was the brainchild of Todd Anderson and Greg Lang, two television producers with a passion for poker. They were determined to create a nationwide tournament series accessible to local players and televise the final table on TV for regional viewers.
'Chicagoland is heart and soul America. These are the people the HPT was created for&', says Anderson, 'We're proud to be invited to the Majestic Star Casino, Gary's premier local casino.&'
In its second year, the Heartland Poker Tour conducts and broadcasts tournaments in a dozen locations around the country. One of the top three televised poker productions in the country, HPT tournaments are viewed in more than 50 million households.
Majestic Star poker manager Dom Niro reports the HPT has created considerable interest among Chicagoland poker players. 'They're excited. Every player dreams of getting to the final table and giving a commanding performance when it's ‘lights, camera, action!'&' Niro says.
For more information about the HPT, go to heartlandpokertour.com, or call the Majestic Star at (888) 225-8259 or (219) 917-7444.
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