HPO Regional Main Event in St. Louis Kicks Off Today
Day 1a of the Hollywood Poker Open St. Louis Regional Main Event starts today at 11:15 a.m. local time. The $1,115 buy-in event is one of the last on the schedule for the third stop of the HPO season. On top of the prize money, each HPO Regional Main Event winner is awarded a $2,500 seat to the HPO Championship at the M Resort in Las Vegas.
Linda Lieder won last year's Main Event, taking home $48,440. Kyle Cartwright came in second with $29,410. Cartwright is a former WSOP bracelet winner and has several WSOP circuit wins. He has $1,238,986 in lifetime earnings and is expected to be in the field today.
This is the third stop in HPO Season 4. The first stop was Lawrenceburg, IN, where Josh Lowing won $33,907, and the Championship event seat, after a six-way deal. Lowing defeated a field of 229 entries. After that, Michael Ermie took first in the Toledo Regional Main Event, the HPO's largest Regional Main Event Field so far (323 entires), for $60,017. Ermie made a three-way deal and won the trophy and the championship event seat with more than half the chips in play three handed.
The HPO ambassador is none other than former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker. As an extra incentive for players attending HPO events, Moneymaker announced the top three players on the HPO leaderboard would also receive seats to the $2,500 Championship event. Currently, Gregory McCurry is on top with 41 points, with Doug Holland and Shawn Bowen rounding out the top three.
The three seats will be awarded after the season, which has two more stops after this. The final two stops are Columbus, OH and Charlestown, WV. Season 4 will conclude in Las Vegas with the $2,500 Championship event at the M Resort. You can find out more about each stop by heading over to the Hollywood Poker Open's website.
For now, stay tuned to PokerNews.com for updates on all the action from St. Louis, as the start of the $1,115 Regional Main Event is just moments away!