Kane Lai Wins Second Major Title of Year w/ HPT Ameristar St. Charles Win for $150,593
Kane Lai is having a heck of a year. Back in March, he topped a field of 409 to win the Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates Casino for $101,365, his first six-figure score. More recently, Lai won the Heartland Poker Tour Ameristar Casino Resort Spa St. Charles – a tournament that attracted 466 entrants and created a prize pool of $654,730 — for $150,593 and his second major title of the year.
"I feel fantastic," Lai said after the win. "It was a tough final table but the cards fell my way. The table was a bunch of great guys all the way around … I'll be playing more HPT stops in the future."
On a side note, Lai is back in Black Hawk, Colorado attempting a title defense in the latest MSPT Golden Gates Casino. He bagged the third-biggest stack on Day 1a.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kane Lai | Highlands Ranch, CO) $150,593 | |
| 2 | Chris Cornell | Clarksville, TN | $92,055 |
| 3 | William Haner | Collinsville, IL | $61,021 |
| 4 | Ryan Tepen | Bowling Green, MO | $42,427 |
| 5 | Greg Wood | St. Charles, MO | $31,754 |
| 6 | Scott Vetter | Washington, IL | $24,552 |
| 7 | Ryan White | Leawood, KS | $19,969 |
| 8 | Mark Fleddermann | Las Vegas, NV | $16,368 |
| 9 | Richard Gum | Granite City, IL | $13,095 |
According to updates from the event, Lai, a doctor from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, scored the first elimination by sending Richard Gum, a retired TWA crew chief from Granite City, Illinois, home in ninth place.
Not long after, Lai raised to 110,000 and a short-stacked Mark Fleddermann shoved all in.
"You're gonna like my hand," Lai said before tabling the 8♥2♥. Fleddermann was ahead with the A♥J♥, but the board ran out 10♠10♦9♥8♦8♣ to give Lai a winning full house.
From there, Business Development Executive Ryan White, who was making his third HPT final table appearance, was eliminated in seventh place for $19,969, and Scott Vetter, who won his seat via a $375 satellite, fell in sixth for $24,552 after his A♦9♦ failed to get there against Lai's Q♦Q♣.
Lai then eliminated local sales manager Greg Wood, the result of the latter's K♠5♦ failing to crack the pocket nines of Lai. Wood took home $31,754 for his fifth-place finish.
Ryan Tepen, who began the final table as the chip leader, soon found his tournament life at risk with king-queen against Lai's ace-jack. The ace-jack held up and Tepen made his way to the payout desk to collect $42,427 for his fourth-place finish.
William Haner, a local business owner who won his seat via a $200 qualifier, was then straightened out by Lai in third place, which set up a heads-up match featuring Lai (7,015,000) and logger Chris Cornell (6,995,000).
Lai managed to extend his chip lead a bit, and in the final hand of the tournament Cornell raised to 100,000 and Lai three-bet to 400,000. Cornell called and then called a bet of 400,000 on the K♦Q♣6♣ flop. When the A♥ appeared on the turn, Lai checked and Cornell bet 500,000. Lai raised to 1.4 million, Cornell called, and the 4♣ completed the board on the river.
Lai bet 2.4 million, Cornell shoved all in, and Lai called with the A♣K♣ for the nut flush, which bested the 9♣8♣ flush of Cornell, who took home $92,055 for his runner-up finish.
The HPT now heads to Michigan's Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort from November 13-23. For more information, visit hptpoker.com.
*Lead photo courtesy of HPT & Eric Harkins of IMPDI Worldwide.
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