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Los Angeles, CA - After awarding over forty million dollars on national TV, Heartland Poker Tour will finally make its way to the world’s largest poker room for a televised event at The Commerce in Los Angeles September 4-23, 2013. The event is part of HPT’s West Coast expansion that will reach from The Commerce in the LA area to Thunder Valley Casino Resort in the Sacramento area. A stop at Club One Casino in Fresno from September 27-October 6th will complete the three-week California tour known as HPT’s Gold Rush Series.
“Working in the top poker properties in the state and the largest card room in the world is a huge honor,” said HPT Director of Operations Jen Mastrud. “We’ve been perfecting our tournaments for years to get to this level.”
Each California stop will culminate with its own nationally-televised Main Event. In addition to HPT’s ongoing Player of the Year race, poker enthusiasts will compete for a new title: Gold Rush Champion. Players will accumulate points by cashing in any event on the HPT schedule at The Commerce, Thunder Valley or Club One. The Gold Rush Champion will be featured on national television and win a sponsorship package into another HPT event.
With over 240 tables, The Commerce is the largest card room in the world. The complex also includes a full-service, 200-room Crowne Plaza Hotel offering dining, a day spa, beauty salon, pool, sundeck, banquet rooms and entertainment.
Now in its ninth season, HPT has gained widespread popularity in part due to a tournament structure designed by one of poker’s most-respected players, Daniel Negreanu. “The new structure is deep throughout,” said pro Allen Kessler, an HPT regular. “It provides more play than competing series and gives players fifty percent more starting chips. HPT got it right.”
Founded in Minnesota, HPT first broke out of the Midwest in 2007 with an event in Las Vegas and has since executed televised tournaments in New York, Arizona, and Florida. Californians have asked HPT to stop in their state for years, often traveling to other major HPT tournaments across the country. A regular at The Commerce, retiree Richard Enriquez of Los Angeles left the U.S. to play his first HPT aboard a luxury cruise in January. He returned a champion and a loyal HPT fan.
The Gold Rush Series will start with a $150 event at The Commerce on September 4th and conclude at Club One with the nationally-televised Final Table in the Main Event on October 7th. The Club One event is part of its popular Central Valley Poker Championship tournament series.
Located in Fresno, California, Club One features a 51-table casino offering Texas Hold’em, Blackjack, Spanish 21, EZ Baccarat and more. The casino also offers 24-hour dining, full bar service, a 200-seat Event Center and California’s first off-site satellite wagering facility.
Affordable satellites into HPT’s Gold Rush Series will be available at each host site and other participating properties in the state. For a complete list of Gold Rush Series events and venues, visit HPTpoker.com.
