Ameristar Casino to Host First Televised Poker Tournament in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Poker enthusiasts will have an opportunity to play on national television in Kansas City for the first time when Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) visits Ameristar Casino April 25-May 4, 2014. The 10-day series will include several preliminary events, satellite opportunities, and a two-day televised Main Event. The first-place prize is anticipated to be six figures, which is consistent with other HPT stops across the country.
“HPT is a game-changing, life-changing tournament and we’re very excited Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City will quickly become one of the main stops for major tournament poker,” said Ken Long, Poker Room Manager at Ameristar Casino.
Now in its 10th year, HPT has awarded over $50 million to poker enthusiasts from coast to coast. In 2013, HPT changed the lives of Teresa Hemingway and Kris Tong, along with hundreds of other players who won on HPT. Hemingway of Black Hawk, Colo. collected $226,000; Tong of Los Angeles, Calif. walked away with $180,000.
Although the upcoming visit to Ameristar Casino will be HPT’s first stop in Kansas City, the tour has awarded more than $2 million dollars in Missouri. Players may buy directly into the Main Event for $1650 or advance from one of many affordable satellite opportunities. At a recent stop at River City Casino & Hotel in St Louis, Jose Ivan Montes of Bronx, N.Y. turned a $60 satellite entry into $57,456 in third place. Local player Andy Kazen of St. Louis made an investment of $160 that resulted in an eighth place win at River City for $16,000. Ari Engel ultimately took down that event for $142,000, while Paul Fehlig of St. Louis was the runner-up winning $88,000.
“Ameristar Casino Hotel Kansas City offers an unrivaled gaming and entertainment experience,” said Kim Sumimoto, Vice President of Casino Operations at Ameristar Casino. “We have one of the largest poker rooms in the Midwest, we offer world-class dining, a AAA Three Diamond full-service hotel, live entertainment, and now, the very best in tournament play.”
Televising more poker tournaments in the world than any other tour, HPT is the first national poker show to film in Kansas City. Fifteen cameras will capture all of the action when the final nine players advance to a full production set erected at Ameristar Casino. Two one-hour episodes will be filmed and syndicated to more than 100 million homes throughout the United States, in addition to widespread distribution throughout Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
The tournament schedule and structure will be available soon at www.hptpoker.com.
About HPT
Founded in 2005, HPT is built on a grass-roots philosophy of “Real People, Unreal Money”. HPT is currently filming their milestone tenth season and is available in over 100 million homes throughout the United States each week, in addition to widespread distribution throughout Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. For more information and a schedule of upcoming events, visit www.HPTPoker.com.
