The Heartland Poker Tour will kick off one of its largest events this weekend when the $2,500 main event gets underway at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana, on Saturday, July 28. According to HPT cofounder, Todd Anderson, approximately 300 players should enter the event to create a prize pool over $700,000. The first-place prize should be around $200,000.
"Every time we go somewhere new, we pick up more people," said Anderson of the growing tournament fields. The HPT has taken a number of steps to ensure that the poker player who also has a 9-to-5 day job can play in the events. The main event of each tournament stop takes place primarily on the weekends. The HPT has also implemented something unique, a "Ride/Room Share" tab on its website, so players from the same region or hometown can travel together to events to cut down on costs. The HPT features multiple days of $400+$50 satellites to build up tournament fields and give everyone a chance to become a television poker star.
"The 10k buy-in is really out of range for 99 percent of the population," said Anderson. "It's more affordable; it's more realistic. Our events are a lot of fun; they're not as serious." The HPT creates an easy-going sense of community, due to smaller buy-ins and less pressure, and that atmosphere has created a cult-like following in many regional poker circles. "I liken it to a fishing trip with your buddies…it's a different experience," said Anderson.
Anderson founded the HPT with Greg Lang in 2005 and has watched the tournament circuit grow to 16 events in 2007. The tour began in the Midwest, but as more people show interest, the tour adds new stops throughout the country. This includes a new event in Tucson, Arizona, for fall 2007. The 2007 tour also saw the first East Coast stop on the tour in Verona, New York, at Turning Stone Casino. The HPT has its eyes fixed on Tunica (Mississippi), Oklahoma, and Denver as potential expansion stops on the tour. "It's kind of a function of when we get on television," said Anderson about the expansion of the tour. The television interest has increased, and the tour has grown as a result. A number of new events have been added this fall to the schedule. "We booked a lot of new events for the fall…so there's lots of chances to play," said Anderson.
Remaining 2007 HPT Tournaments:
- Grand Series at Grand Casino Mille Lacs (Mille Lacs, Minnesota): Aug. 20-27, 2007
- Northern Light Casino (Walker, Minnesota): Sept. 12-19, 2007
- Golden Gates Casino (Black Hawk, Colorado): Oct. 8-14, 2007
- Lucky Nugget Card Club (Deadwood, South Dakota): Oct. 15-21, 2007
- Meskwaki Casino (Tama, Iowa): Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2007
- Casino Del Sol (Tucson, Arizona): Nov. 11-18, 2007
- The HPT Championship Open at the Majestic Star Casino (Gary, Indiana): Dec. 1-9, 2007
