HPT Poker Championship Series in St. Louis

(St. Louis, MO ) - After a monumental season where Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) broke several records and awarded millions of dollars in prize pool money to poker enthusiasts nationwide, the popular poker tour and television show will cap off the year with a Championship Series at Hollywood Casino & Hotel St. Louis.

The 12-day series features over $1 million in total guarantees. Action kicks off this weekend with a $350 no limit hold'em tournament tagged with a $200,000 guarantee. Next weekend's prestigious $2,500 Main Event will offer players a shot at life changing money with its $700,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Other schedule highlights include a $500 Seniors Championship and the increasingly popular $400 Tag Team partners tournament. For those looking to play at slightly lower stakes, the HPT series at Hollywood St. Louis offers tournaments with buy-ins as low as $85. Click here for a look at the full lineup of events.

"Hollywood St. Louis is the perfect location for the Season XV Championship," says HPT marketing manager Korey Stewart. "We've seen a lot of buzz online about the event and we're anticipating big turnouts."

When the reputable poker tour first visited Hollywood St. Louis earlier this year, players came out in droves. The opening tournament of that March series saw 1,292 total entries, setting a state record for largest poker tournament in Missouri history. The trend of large field sizes continued when HPT returned to St. Louis in the summer and drew a Main Event prize pool just shy of $700,000. Chicago's Mike Shin took home the $160,632 top prize.

In addition to the large sums of money available throughout the series, there is also plenty of hardware at stake. The winner of Event #1 will earn an oversized custom gold chain. The winning duo in the Tag Team tournament will each take home a wrestling style belt. Classic trophies await the last player standing in the Seniors Championship and the Main Event.

Hollywood Casino St. Louis is a convenient 10 minute drive from the airport. The casino offers 120,000 square feet of gaming space with over 2,000 slot machines and nearly 100 table games. The 20-table non-smoking Poker Room is the largest in the market. Put in four hours of live play to receive a $15 food voucher.

"Hollywood Casino Hotel St. Louis is extremely excited to be hosting this world class poker event. Entrants and their guests will surely find our property to be the premier gaming destination in the market, with the best and most friendly team members around. Having proven this by the record setting tournament recently held at Hollywood, our property will continue to be the Midwest's leader for poker action," says Hollywood Casino Hotel Vice President and General Manager Michael Jerlecki. "Having the most comfortable and best action, 20 table year-round live poker room in St. Louis aligns us perfectly with HPT for this and more tournaments to come."

Players traveling to St. Louis for the HPT event are being offered exclusive discounted room rates starting at $79 per night. There are a limited amount of rooms available at the discounted rate here or by phone at 314-770-8100.

Thousands of players will make their way to Hollywood St. Louis to take a shot at poker glory during the November 14-26 HPT Championship Series. More details are available at HPTpoker.com.