Wes Holland Wins Heartland Poker Tour Daytona Beach Kennel Club for $80,993
On Monday, the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) wrapped up its stop at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room in Daytona Beach, Florida. The $1,650 Main Event attracted a field of 227 players, which created a prize pool of $337,500, and after a full weekend of play, Wes Holland of Altemonte Springs, Florida emerged victorious to capture the $80,993 first-place prize.
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wes Holland | Altemonte Springs, Florida | $80,993 |
| 2 | Dalton Mills | Jacksonville Beach, Florida | $49,950 |
| 3 | Saum Sharifi | Longwood, Florida | $33,750 |
| 4 | Keith Romanovitz | Salem, Massachusetts | $23,963 |
| 5 | Gionni DeMers | Jackson, New Jersey | $18,563 |
| 6 | Chris Lindh | Las Vegas, Nevada | $15,188 |
| 7 | Joe Froehle | Springfield, Missouri | $12,656 |
| 8 | Jeremiah Pierce | Florence, South Carolina | $10,631 |
| 9 | Ed Buchanan | San Antonio, Texas | $8,775 |
*Prize includes $3,000 HPT Championship package
According to the HPT, the final nine players hailed from seven different states — though the only three Florida residents at the final table finished first, second, and third. However, before they got there six others had to fall.
The first to go was Ed Buchanan, a salesman from Texas who happened to be a loyal viewer of the show. “I love HPT,” Buchanan admitted, “I record all the programs. I got it on my DVR. I don’t miss a single episode.” Buchanan got to live out a dream, and ultimately finished in ninth place for $8,775.
The next to go was Jeremiah Pierce, who traveled from Florence, South Carolina to play the tour for the first time. “I think HPT is an excellent tour,” he said, “The structure is great and the staff is super friendly.”
Pierce fell in eighth place for $10,631 when his 10x8x failed to improve against the Ax7x of Dalton Mills. Not long after, Joe Froehle’s tournament came to an end in seventh place when his AxJx ran into the QxQx of Saum Sharifi. The Springfield, Missouri financial advisor took home $12,656 for his performance.
After Las Vegas’ Chris Lindh ran pocket threes into Keith Romanovitz’s pocket sixes to bust in sixth place for $15,188, New Jersey pro Gionni DeMers followed him out the door in fifth place for $18,563.
Romanovitz, who finished seventh at the HPT’s Daytona Beach event last October, got his chips in good holding Ax4x against Sharifi’s KxQx, but a queen on the flop sent the Salem, Massachusetts man to the rail in fourth place for $23,963.
Three-handed play lasted 67 hands, and then Sharifi fell in third place after his Ax3x fell to Mills’ Qx5x after a queen spiked on the river. Sharifi, who hails from Longwood, Florida, took home $33,750 for his third-place finish.
In the final hand of the tournament, which happened on Hand #184 of the final table, Holland raised to 300,000 in Level 20 (50,000/100,000/10,000) and then called when Mills moved all in.
Mills: Q♠J♣
Holland: A♣Q♣
It was a bad spot for Mills, and the 8♣5♠2♥ flop provided no help. The Q♥ turn paired both players, but of course Holland’s kicker had him out in front. Mills needed a jack on the river to stay alive, but it wasn’t in the cards as the 10♣ blanked. Mills had to settle for runner-up and a $49,950 consolation prize, while Holland, a pool builder, took down the title and $80,993 first-place prize.
For more information on Holland’s win, check out the HPT’s latest video:
The HPT’s next stop will run from April 25-May 5 at the Ameristar Casino Hotel in Kansas City.
*Data and photos courtesy of Heartland Poker Tour.
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