HPO St. Louis Regional Main Event Day 1a: Bill Haner Leads with Chris Moneymaker in 7th
Day 1a of the Hollywood Poker Open St. Louis Regional Main Event wrapped up Friday night, and it was Bill Haner leading the way with 243,500 in chips. Ten players booked their ticket to Day 2, which will begin on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. local time.
Of the 74 Day 1a entrants, Haner had one of the biggest stacks all day, if not the biggest, and rode the wave all the way to the end. He won several hands against Cory Bogert, who finished on 203,500, including calling one hand with kings and thinking he was up against aces. He won that hand and a large pot, then seemed to always have the best of it when it came to Bogert.
Haner boasts $82,841 in live tournament earnings entering this event, with the largest score of his career being a third-place finish worth $61,021 in the 2015 Heartland Poker Tour St. Charles $1,650 Main Event. Of his six live cashes to date, Haner holds no victory, but he's in prime position to change that here in St. Louis.
Day 1a Survivors
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Haner | 243,500 |
| 2 | Cory Bogert | 203,500 |
| 3 | Zal Irani | 189,000 |
| 4 | Donald McArthur | 137,500 |
| 5 | Ryan Tepen | 131,500 |
| 6 | Peter Brooks | 131,000 |
| 7 | Chris Moneymaker | 125,000 |
| 8 | Ed McPike | 122,500 |
| 9 | Michael Kamenjarin | 119,000 |
| 10 | Jeremy Scharf | 77,000 |
The day could have ended with HPO ambassador and former World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker leading the way, but after getting aces cracked in the final few hands against Peter Brooks, it wasn't meant to be. Brooks finished the day slightly ahead of Moneymaker's 125,000 in chips with 131,000.
Ryan Tepen was short stacked earlier in the day, but doubled up a couple times in quick succession and then was able to put pressure on people and work his stack up to 131,500 where he finished.
Zal Irani finished the day third in chips with 189,000, and he'll prove a formidable competitor going forward. He too doubled up late in the day, with aces versus the pocket nines of the chip leader, Haner. Irani has a long list of live tournament cashes to his name and over $750,000 in earnings.
With Day 1a in the bag, stay tuned for Day 1b on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. local time. PokerNews will be on hand once again for coverage, and this time we'll see who makes it through from Day 1b to join these 10 players on Day 2.
Don't Miss the Next HPO Stop!
If you're sitting at home kicking yourself because you're missing out on this Hollywood Poker Open stop in St. Louis, don't worry because there are still more stops in Season 4 that you've got plenty of time to be a part of.
Next up on the HPO Season 4 schedule is Columbus for an 18-event series running April 28 through May 8. The HPO Columbus $1,115 Regional Main Event will take place May 6-8 and boast a $200,000 guarantee on the prize pool.
Click here to view the complete HPO Columbus schedule.
After that it will be time for the HPO Regionals to come to a close with a 32-event stop in Charles Town from May 12-22. The HPO Charles Town $1,115 Regional Main Event will take place May 20-22 with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Click here to view the complete HPO Charles Town schedule.
Just like in St. Louis, PokerNews will be at each of the HPO's remaining stops, so be sure to come out, say hello, and get your grind on.
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