Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Sets Another Record

Gary, IN – The biggest poker tournament in Chicagoland history was held by the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) at the Majestic Star Casino, March 19 – 24. More than a half-million in prize money
Jimmny Knoll (seated) takes home more than $140k with his HPT victory at the Majestic Star  and 841 participants were both new records for the highly popular Heartland Tour.  

The final, filmed-for-TV Championship was won by Jimmy Kroll, of New Lenox, IL. For his victory, Kroll collected $140,963! “I’m going to Vegas!” declared the Champ.

Although Kroll started the Final Table as one of the short-stacks, he slowly built up his chips until, in the end, his full-house finished Gio Magat’s two-pair. Magat settled for 2^nd Place and $70,842.

“This was a fantastic tournament,” exclaimed HPT Producer Todd Anderson, “We had a huge turn-out, the Majestic Star was a five-star host, and the action was incredible!” He added, “Flops and river cards created a lot of excitement and drama.”

HPT Tournaments are customarily five days long. Preliminary events are held the first four days and the Championship event concludes on the fifth day. The elimination of the last six players, the “Final Table”, of the Championship event is televised. 

Convinced a lot of local players would like a shot at stardom, Heartland keeps the cost of entry within the reach of most people. Consequently, because there are so many participants 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 Heartland Poker Tour, the third largest televised poker show, is viewed in more than 50 million homes. With a dozen tournaments scheduled for the year, the Majestic Star was just the third event of the 2007 season.

The Heartland Tour’s next tournament is at the Shooting Star Casino, in Mehnomen MN, April 11 – 15. Pre-registration is available on site or by phone with a credit card at: (218) 935-2711 and ask for Shelley at ext. 7241. Hotel registration is: (800) 453-7827.