Nader Wahdan Wins Heartland Poker Tour Golden Gates for $226,891
This past weekend, the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) was at the Golden Gates Resort in Black Hawk, Colorado for their latest $1,650 Main Event. The tournament attracted 686 entries and created a prize pool of $1,008,420, which marked the sixth stop in a row the HPT has cracked a $1,000,000 prize pool.
Several notables managed to cash the event including Greg Raymer (57th) and Chris Tryba (21st), but it would be Nader Wahdan, a deli owner from Aurora, Colorado, that would walk away with the title and $226,891 first-place prize.
"It's an awesome tournament," Wahdan said after the win. "The structure's beautiful. I love it."
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nader Wahdan | Aurora, CO | $226,891 |
| 2 | Chad Leasure | Colorado Springs, CO | $140,170 |
| 3 | Phil Mader | Grand Island, NE | $91,867 |
| 4 | Adam Zimowski | Racine, WI | $63,833 |
| 5 | Matthew Schierenberg | Lakewood, CO | $46,387 |
| 6 | Nils Bardsley | Denver, CO | $36,001 |
| 7 | Colin York | Black Hawk, CO | $30,253 |
| 8 | John Sacha | Denver, CO | $25,211 |
| 9 | Edith Mortellaro | Lakewood, CO | $20,168 |
According to the HPT live blog, it took just five hands at the final table for the first elimination to occur. It happened in Level 27 (25,000/50,000/5,000) when Edith Mortellaro opened for 150,000 from middle position and Phil Mader defended from the big blind to see a flop of K♣4♦3♣. Mader checked, Mortellaro moved all in, and Mader made the call.
Mortellaro: A♣10♠
Mader: J♣10♣
The 10♥ turn paired both players, but Mortellaro’s kicker had her out in in front. Unfortunately for her, the 7♣ spiked on the river to give Mader a flush. Mortellaro was eliminated in ninth place and took home $20,168 for her performance.
From there, John Sacha and Colin York followed her out the door in eighth and seventh place respectively, and then Nils Bardsley was bounced in sixth for $36,001.
On Hand #72, which took place in Level 29 (40,000/80,000/10,000), Matthew Schierenberg moved all in from the cutoff and Adam Zimowski called him from the button. The blinds both folded and the cards were turned up.
Schierenberg: 10♦8♣
Zimowski: A♥Q♥
The K♠J♦10♥ flop was gin for Zimowski as it delivered him a Broadway straight, while the 6♦ turn left Schierenberg drawing dead. After the 10♣ was put out on the river, Schierenberg took his leave in fifth place for $46,387.
Zimowski would be the next to go when his flush fell to Wahdan’s full house, and then Mader exited in third place when he shoved with the A♥8♦ only to run into the K♦K♠ of Chad Leasure. Wahdan began heads-up play with a nearly 3-1 chip lead, but it would take 36 hands before a winner to emerge.
In what would be the final hand of the tournament, which took place in Level 32 (80,000/160,000/20,000) on Hand #156, a short-stacked Leasure moved all in holding the Q♣4♦ and received a call from Wahdan, who held the 10♥7♥. The A♥9♠6♥ flop delivered Wahdan a flush draw, but he didn’t find a heart when the K♣ appeared on the turn. That said, he did when the 4♥ spiked on the river. Leasure had to settle for runner-up and a $140,170 consolation prize while Wahdan became the latest HPT champion.
For more on the HPT Golden Gates, check out this video:
The next stop for the HPT will be at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles from now until Sept. 21. A full schedule of events is available at HPTpoker.com.
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