2014 Hollywood Poker Open Charles Town Regional Event

HPO Charles Town Regional Championship
Day: 1
Event Info

2014 Hollywood Poker Open Charles Town Regional Event

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
kj
Prize
$39,756
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,629
Prize Pool
$116,928
Entries
72
Level Info
Level
23
Blinds
10,000 / 20,000
Ante
3,000

Level: 7

Blinds: 250/500

Ante: 50

Like a Cool Summers Breeze

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante

The final board read {4-Diamonds}{j-Clubs}{4-Hearts}{6-Hearts}{k-Diamonds} and more than 11,000 sat in the pot waiting to be claimed.

Mike Summers decided to fire a bet of 7,800 into the middle to try and do just that, but his opponent tanked long and hard while contemplating his options.

Eventually, after shooting a glance or three over to Summers, and counting out the calling chips to assess the damage should he call and lose, the man uncapped his cards and slid them to the dealer.

"How do you fold there?," asked Summers as he dragged the pot with a smile. "I bet so much to get you to call."

Although we never saw his cards to confirm the subtle boast, Summers planted the seed in his opponent's mind heading into the dinner break.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Mike Summers
Mike Summers
59,000

Tags: Mike Summers

Little Big Man

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante
Timothy Little's Stack is Anything Bet
Timothy Little's Stack is Anything Bet

After two players limped in before him, Timothy Little opted to raise the action holding the button. Next to act, Chris Moneymaker decided to three-bet and put the pressure back on Little and his suspected squeeze play.

Little decided to flat with {K-}{Q-} and the flop came down {j-}{10-}{2-} to give him an open-ended straight draw. Moneymaker c-bet the flop and Little flatted once more to take a trip down fourth street.

Turn: {9-}

With that, Little's gin card had arrived as he made the nut straight. Moneymaker moved a pile of chips into the middle to effectively force Little all in if he called, and call he did with the stone cold nuts.

Moneymaker tabled {A-}{a-}, but despite holding the best preflop hand in Hold'em, he was drawing dead heading to the river.
With the loss, Moneymaker's previously chip-leading stack dropped back down to the average mark, while Little chipped up to put himself in position for another deep run here at the HPO Charles Town stop.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
53,000
-18,000
-18,000
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
Profile photo of Timothy Little us
Timothy Little
51,500
22,000
22,000

Tags: Chris MoneymakerTimothy Little

Bravado and Braggadocio

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante
Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker

We noticed Chris Moneymaker's previous stack of 105,000 had been dented just a bit, as the 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion currently sits with just over 70,000 chips.

Hearing the booming voice of Mike Anderson one table over, we took a look and discovered the old maxim about players talking more when they're winning to be true.

Anderson was adding a sizable pot to his stack - which now holds more than 80,000 to give him top honors thus far - and after interrogating him as to the source of his windfall, we found out just how he earned his winnings.

"I'm the best player here... write that down," said Anderson, his tongue planted firmly in cheek. "Best player at the table, hell, best in the room!"

Having pushed ahead of Moneymaker on the leaderboard, Anderson's boast may not be entirely accurate, but at the moment nobody can convince him otherwise.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Mike Anderson us
Mike Anderson
82,000
35,000
35,000
Profile photo of Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
71,000
-34,000
-34,000
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer

Tags: Chris MoneymakerMike Anderson

Charles Town Tops the Turnout List

Level 6 : 200/400, 50 ante
The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races Has Surpassed the Previous Season High for Main Event Turnout
The Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races Has Surpassed the Previous Season High for Main Event Turnout

With the latest re-entry recorded here on Day 1, the field has swelled to 69 total entries, meaning the HPO Charles Town Main Event has officially become the top draw in terms of turnout this season.

When 67 entries were compiled at the last HPO stop in St. Louis, the number represented a major milestone for the up-and-coming tour, marking the most successful series stop to date. The positive momentum has carried over from the Gateway to the West to West Virginia, and today mark's the highest turnout so far at an HPO Regional Championship Main Event.

Level: 6

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 50

Chris Makes a Boatload of Money

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante

We noticed Chris Moneymaker adding another pile to his chip leading stack, and after a bit of inquiry we discovered the former World Champion had came out on the right end of brutal cooler.

Apparently, Moneymaker woke up with {A-}{k-} in the hole, and when the flop rained down {a-}{k-}{a-}, his big slick became the biggest boat on the block.

Unfortunately for Valerie Novak, however, the flop was a pretty good fit for her {A-}{Q-} as well. Even though the pot was played slowly by both players through fifth street, each trying to trap one another, all of the chips were pushed in when the river blanked off.

Moneymaker's unbeatable full house gave him the win, sending Novak to the rail for a re-entry ticket, and pushing the champ's stack over the 100,000 plateau.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
105,000
38,000
38,000
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
Profile photo of Valerie Novak us
Valerie Novak
20,000
-21,000
-21,000

Tags: Chris MoneymakerValerie Novak

Brian Cavaliere Extracts a Bit of Value

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante
Brian Cavaliere
Brian Cavaliere

On the {k-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}{8-Hearts} flop we saw Brian Cavaliere lead out for 1,500 from the big blind. Undeterred, his opponent tossed out raise to 5,100 and stared Cavaliere down from across the table.

Cavaliere assessed the situation for a moment before flatting the bet, taking the {9-Hearts} on the turn. Tapping the table for a check, Cavaliere watched his opponent do the same, bringing the {7-Clubs} to the board on river.

After a 7,000 wager by Cavaliere, his opponent agonized over his decision and talked himself through the hand. Eventually though, he slid seven orange T1000 chips into the middle, only to muck immediately when Cavaliere revealed the {3-Hearts}{4-Hearts} for a turned flush.

With the win, Cavaliere moved above double the starting stack, putting himself in comfortable position midway through Day 1 of this HPO Charles Town Main Event.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Brian Cavaliere us
Brian Cavaliere
41,000
41,000
41,000

Tags: Brian Cavaliere

Updated Chip Counts as Level 5 Begins

Level 5 : 150/300, 25 ante
Lee Childs is Slightly Above the Starting Stack Midway Through Day 1
Lee Childs is Slightly Above the Starting Stack Midway Through Day 1

With the fifth level of play now underway, here are a few updated counts for the notable names in the field.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Chris Moneymaker us
Chris Moneymaker
67,000
-14,000
-14,000
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 1X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
Profile photo of Michaelann Moser
Michaelann Moser
37,000
-5,000
-5,000
Profile photo of Timothy Little us
Timothy Little
29,500
7,100
7,100
Profile photo of Lee Childs us
Lee Childs
23,500
-800
-800
Profile photo of Todd Echols
Todd Echols
16,500