Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel

 

The Heartland Poker Tour made it’s first stop in Iowa this weekend and the end result was a record turn-out and a monster win for nearby Cedar Rapids native Jason Fish, who took down the $82,000 first place and a trip to the HPT tournament of champions in December.

The Heartland Poker Tour made it’s first stop in Iowa this weekend and the end result was a record turn-out and a monster win for nearby Cedar Rapids native Jason Fish, who took down the $82,000 first place and a trip to the HPT tournament of champions in December.

 

Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel was the host to nearly 800 entries over the weekend, an HPT record for attendance, and 209 players in the main event, filling all 19 tournament tables 11-handed. Fourteen hours to the minute after the first cards flew, Fish took down the top prize when his QJ prevailed over the AJ of second place finisher Curtis Van Gilder on a Queen high board.

 

The win for Fish seemed inevitable after he narrowly avoided elimination when he got his chips in bad against William Drumm III of Brillion, WI. On a nine high board, Fish bluffed at the pot and was all in against top pair with an A6 offsuit. When running sixes hit the turn and river, Fish went from a near certain fourth place finish to chip leader, picking up pocket aces a couple hands later knocking out third place finisher Carl Harvath Jr, a former motocross racer from South Bend, Indiana.

 

The final table was filled with twists, turns and rivers. Sixes proved to be the magic cards throughout the final table all the way to the end as the final tournament card came up six of hearts when Van Gilder needed a nine, ace or king to win a huge pot that would have given him the chip lead.

 

The Heartland Poker Tour made its third stop of the 2007 season in the small town of Tama, Iowa at the gorgeous Meskwaki Casino. Iowa proved to be fertile ground for the tour as the HPT experienced its largest field to date. The tour rolls on this week with a return visit to the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana where another large field and record prize pool is expected. By this Sunday, the HPT will have awarded over 1 Million in prize money for the month of March.

 

Meskwaki was an ideal first time host for the HPT as Iowans were anxious for a chance to compete in a televised poker event. Travelers from near and far were treated to a luxury casino, complete with well appointed rooms, a new buffet, and live gaming action that included craps and roulette. Players were also pleased to play in the new poker room which is secluded from the casino and features seven flat screens (NCAA first round) and 17 tables (2 tables were rescued from storage as attendance soared).

 

The HPT will be in Gary, Indiana all week, with the main event this Saturday and a prize pool that is sure to reach $500,000, largest in HPT history. Play early as this event will assuredly sell out.

 

After Majestic, the HPT will be off for a few weeks before making return engagements to Shooting Star Casino (April) and Leelanau Sands Casino (May) in the coming months. In June the HPT is looking forward to its first trip to the Turning Stone Casino in New York for a eight day, seven event run that will include TWO TV TABLES.