Corey Thompson Tops Largest Field in HPT Daytona Beach Kennel Club History to Win $131,720
The Heartland Poker Tour Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room $1,650 Main Event attracted 389 runners, which created a $575,720 prize pool. It marked the tour's seventh visit to the property dating back to 2011, and this year's turnout was larger than any of the previous six stops.
On Monday, Florida's Corey Thompson more than tripled his previous best live tournament cash by winning the tournament for $131,720. Prior to the win, Thompson's best cash was $38,453 for a 270th-place finish in the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event. Aside from that, it was $6,153 for a 102nd-place finish in the 2011 WSOP $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corey Thompson | Winter Park, FL | $131,720 |
| 2 | Steve Karp | Miami, FL | $81,326 |
| 3 | Matt Bond | Dallas, TX | $54,122 |
| 4 | Plamen Stoyanov | St. Petersburg, FL | $37,513 |
| 5 | Corey Zedo | Denver, CO | $28,350 |
| 6 | Aditya Prasetyo | Cambridge, MA | $22,050 |
| 7 | Thomas Giorgi | Valrico, FL | $18,327 |
| 8 | David Jackson | Jonesboro, GA | $15,177 |
| 9 | Andrew Dykeman | Jacksonville, FL | $12,829 |
According to updates from the event, the first elimination of the day came when Thomas Giorgi opened for 90,000 and Andrew Dykeman three-bet jammed for 590,000. Giorgi called with AxQx, which was behind the AxKx of Dykeman. However, a queen on the turn drove a dagger through Dykeman's heart, and he had to settle for ninth place and $12,829 in prize money.
From there, David Jackson and Giorgi hit the rail in eighth and seventh place respectively before accomplished pro Aditya Prasetyo followed them out the door in sixth. It happened When Matt Bond opened for 110,000, Plamen Stoyanov called, and Prasetyo moved all in for 975,000. Bond moved all in over the top, Stoyanov folded, and it was off to the races.
Bond: AxKx
Prasetyo: QxQx
Prasetyo got it in good, but a king on the flop gave Bond the lead. Prasetyo watched helplessly as both the turn and river blanked, sending him to the payout desk to collect $22,050.
Thompson then eliminated Corey Zedo in fifth, Stoyanov in fourth, and Bond in third to take a more than 2-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Steve Karp, an entrepreneur from Miami who began the day with less than 12 big blinds.
In what would be the last hand of the tournament, Karp shoved all in preflop holding the 9?9? only to run it smack dab into the 10?10? of Thompson. The J?7?7?6?4? board failed to deliver Karp a third nine, and he had to settle for runner-up and a $81,326 consolation prize.
Congratulations to Corey Thompson, the HPT Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room champ for $131,720!
The HPT now heads to Vicksburg, Mississippi for the HPT Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg that will run through October 19. For more information, visit hptpoker.com.
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
