$2,500 Championship Event
Day 1b Completed
HPT Season XV Championship
$2,500 Championship Event
Day: 1b
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Day 1b of the Season XV HPT $2,500 Championship Event at Hollywood Casino St. Louis saw 143 more players hit the felt, bringing the combined field from the first two flights to a tidy sum of 200 entrants, with Sunday's Day 1c flight still to come. Just 39 players managed to make their way through a tough field, and it was Brent Barfield who ended the day on top, coming out of nowhere late in the day to bag up a whopping 398,300, good for the overall chip lead through two flights.
Barfield has found success recently in the area, notching a seventh-place finish at September's WSOPC Ameristar St. Charles $1,700 Main Event for a career-best cash of $18,810. Barfield will be able to smash that finish if he's able to end up on top.
The headliners in the counts for most of the day were Justin Coliny (132,800), who was able to spin his 30,000 stack up to over 180,000 before the end of Level 4, and Dan Lowery (292,700), who was the first to crack the 250,000 marker early in Level 9.
Following Barfield and Lowery, the rest of the top five includes Kevin Hopkins (218,100), two-time HPT Main Event champ Nick Davidson (213,400), and Christopher Audrain (206,100). Other notable players to make it through include BJ McBrayer (171,100), Jerod Smith (131,700), Melissa Bryne (105,500), Bobby Noel (77,800) and Aaron Johnson (45,700).
Josh Reichard, the defending HPT Season Champ, was unable to get anything going today, and will be returning tomorrow to make one more attempt at a title defense. Current HPT POY leader Nick Pupillo also failed to bag up chips, leaving him with one more flight to bag up a stack and protect his lead.
Other notables that'll be looking for one last chance to bag up after coming up short include former HPT Main Event champs Craig Casino and Reginald "Shawn" Roberts, WSOP Bracelet winners Blair Hinkle and Stephen Song, Aaron and Ralph Massey, and Keith Heine.
The final flight of the Season XV $2,500 Championship Event will kick off on Sunday, November 24th at Noon, with players starting with 30,000 in tournament chips. Late registration and a single re-entry option are available to players up until the beginning of Level 9.
Stay tuned right here to PokerNews as we track all the action from the final flight of the crown jewel of the HPT's successful fifteenth season, and good night from St. Louis!
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
398,300
97,300
|
97,300 |
|
||
|
292,700
32,700
|
32,700 |
|
218,100
133,100
|
133,100 |
|
213,400
38,400
|
38,400 |
|
206,100
100
|
100 |
|
171,100
45,100
|
45,100 |
|
152,600
-37,400
|
-37,400 |
|
151,600
151,600
|
151,600 |
|
|
145,600
-9,400
|
-9,400 |
|
145,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
132,800
-17,200
|
-17,200 |
|
131,700
-2,300
|
-2,300 |
|
130,900
60,900
|
60,900 |
|
122,800
122,800
|
122,800 |
|
109,300
-700
|
-700 |
|
105,700
-31,300
|
-31,300 |
|
105,500
9,500
|
9,500 |
|
104,400
104,400
|
104,400 |
|
103,100
-21,900
|
-21,900 |
|
102,100
-14,900
|
-14,900 |
|
|
100,000
68,000
|
68,000 |
|
91,900
1,900
|
1,900 |
|
86,700
16,700
|
16,700 |
|
86,300
2,300
|
2,300 |
|
86,200
-2,600
|
-2,600 |
|
||
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The field will play six more hands before bagging and tagging for the evening. Stay tuned for full chip counts and a full recap of the day's action.
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Kyle Kinder checked a 
flop from the small blind, and Bryan Skreens jammed for 24,200 in the big blind. Justin Coliny called in the cutoff, and Kinder check-raised all in for 57,500, sending Coliny into the tank. After two minutes, he elected to fold.
Bryan Skreens: 
Kyle Kinder: 
Skreens nodded upon seeing Kinder's set, and Skreens was dead by the turn of a 
, 
runout to send him to rail just before the end of the day's play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
150,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
125,000
125,000
|
125,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
On a flop of 
, the big blind checked, a middle-position player bet 3,500, and Jonathan Lawson called next to act.
The big blind apparently misclicked when he tossed out three 1k chips and a single 5k chip, raising to 8,000, but seemingly having intended to call. He threw up his hands at the error as the initial raiser called, and Lawson came along as well.
Upon seeing the 
on the turn, the big blind quickly cut out 8,000. The player in middle position folded, and Lawson raised to 20,000. The big blind checked his hand once more for good measure and mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
148,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Bill Byrnes limp-shoved for 37,000 from the small blind over a raise from John Richards in the big blind. Richards called.
Bill Byrnes: 
John Richards: 
Richards improved to top pair on the 
flop, but the 
gave Byrnes a straight draw, and the 
river completed the straight for Byrnes, sending a healthy chunk of chips from Richards over to May's HPT St. Louis Main Event champ.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
78,000 | |
|
19,000
-26,000
|
-26,000 |
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Action folded around to Brent Barfield on the button, who raised to 3,000 off a daunting stack exceeding 300,000. The small blind folded, and Matt Higgins called in the big blind.
The flop came 
, and Barfield continued for 4,100. Higgins called with no hesitation.
Both players checked the 
turn, which completed a straight draw and added a second flush draw.
The river went check-check as well, and Higgins showed 
for a rivered flush, having outdrawn Barfield's 
for a flopped two pair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
301,000
231,000
|
231,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
190,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
From the big blind, Dan Lowery bet 8,000 into a pot of 12,000 on a 
board, and his opponent on the button made the call.
Both players checked the river, and Lowery tabled 
for two pair. Lowery's opponent looked frustrated, then mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
260,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
Level 10
: 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Christopher Audrain raised to 3,000 from under the gun, and Stephen Song called in middle position. The player next to act jammed for 25,900, and after Audrain folded, Song looked up at the clock before shrugging and calling off the majority of his stack.
Opponent: 
Stephen Song:
Song couldn't get any love on a 
board to leave himself with under four big blinds. He busted a short time later.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
170,000
-8,000
|
-8,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||