Nick Pupillo Wins HPT Season XV Player of the Year
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Last week, the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) wrapped up its 15th season with the $2,500 Championship at Hollywood St. Louis. While Paul “Walnuts” Bianchi emerged victorious in the tournament for $181,874, he wasn’t the only winner at the stop.
That’s because the HPT Season XV Player of the Year race also came to a head, and it was no surprise to see Nick Pupillo come out on top. Pupillo, who held a massive point lead down the stretch, not only etched his name in the history book but he also claimed a $10,000 prize package to use towards HPT buy-ins next season along with hotel accommodations at those stops.
“It’s always nice to see one of the good guys get recognition for all the hard work they put in."
“This is a much-deserved honor for a notable pro like Nick that has already accomplished so much in his career on the felt,” said the HPT's Korey Stewart. “It’s always nice to see one of the good guys get recognition for all the hard work they put in. Nick is well respected in the industry and we look forward to having him represent HPT as our newest Player of the Year.”
Pupillo joins a prestigious club of HPT POYs that includes last year’s champ Aaron Johnson, Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Ari Engel, Shawn Roberts, Aaron Massey and Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler.
HPT Season XV POY Final Standings
| Place | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pupillo | 324.70 |
| 2 | Eric Salazar | 217.80 |
| 3 | Nick Davidson | 204.80 |
| 4 | Mike O’Neill | 189.00 |
| 5 | Mike Shin | 175.40 |
| 6 | Chris Moon | 166.10 |
| 7 | Spenser Cramer | 154.00 |
| 8 | Greg Wood | 152.50 |
| 9 | Mike Sabbia | 146.40 |
| 10 | Dan Wagner | 143.40 |
Career Year for Pupillo
Pupillo, who has more than $3 million in lifetime tournament earnings, is currently enjoying a career year. He’s amassed $925,600 in cashes thus far in 2019, and if he adds a little more in December he can eclipse seven figures in a single year for the first time. Obviously, he’s come a long way from when he had to take a loan from his grandparents, a story he shared in this PokerNews feature article.
In Season XV, Pupillo notched six cashes totaling $330,646, or about a third of what he’s won in 2019. He got off to a good start when he topped a 588-entry field to win February’s HPT Golden Gates in Colorado for $194,479, which marked his second HPT title after winning the HPT East Chicago in 2015. The tour returned later in the year and Pupillo cashed twice more at the venue. He also had a runner-up finish in St. Louis for $98,810.
Nick Pupillo HPT Season XV Cashes
| Date | Stop | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 19, 2019 | HPT Golden Gates | 13th | $7,733 |
| August 29, 2019 | HPT East Chicago | 53rd | $3,238 |
| August 1, 2019 | HPT St. Louis | 2nd | $98,195 |
| July 17, 2019 | HPT Golden Gates | 7th | $19,810 |
| May 9, 2019 | HPT East Chicago | 16th | $7,192 |
| February 14, 2019 | HPT Golden Gates | 1st | $194,478 |
The HPT will kick off Season XVI Jan. 9-20 with a $1,650 Main Event at Ameristar East Chicago. Other upcoming stops include HPT on the High Seas Jan. 25-Feb. 1, HPT Golden Gates Feb. 5-17, and HPT St. Louis Feb. 13-24. Visit hptpoker.com for more information.
