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Vicksburg, MS - Chan Pelton has played poker for big money before, but never under the bright lights of a nationally-televised Final Table. Until now, that is.
Pelton steamrolled his way through the Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Main Event to win $42,560 and the bracelet at Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg Monday. The rancher from College Station, Texas took over the chip lead with seven players left and never looked back.
The only player at the table to give Pelton a real scare was his heads-up opponent Elby Tyson. Tyson slowly cut away at Pelton's 12 to 1 chip lead, almost drawing even with him before Pelton regained control and pulled away for the victory. Tyson, a contract welder by trade, won his seat into the event through a $375 satellite. The Wesson, Mississippi man parlayed that into a $26,417 score for second place.
In all, there were three players who made their way to the Final Table through a $375 qualifier entry. Third-place finisher Schuyler Thornton of Corpus Christi, Texas was one of them. Thornton came into the day with the most chips of any of the remaining players, but was eventually sent to the rail at the hands of the eventual champ. The third-place finish was good for a $17,611 payday.
Leo Boothe is a busy man. The recently retired judge now spends his time as a practicing attorney and he runs a cattle operation on the side. The father of seven enjoys hunting and fishing and somehow even found time to play poker this weekend at Ameristar Vicksburg. And he did quite well. Boothe, from Ferriday, Louisiana, would finish in fourth place to earn $12,988.
Anahuac, Texas' Larry Wells finished the day right where he started. The rancher came in fifth in chips and that's exactly where he finished when his king-queen couldn't hold up against Pelton's ace-jack. He collected $9,760 for his efforts. Shortly before his own departure, Wells managed to take out land developer Clay Henry in sixth place. That would earn Henry, a Many, Louisiana native, $8,072.
The most decorated player at the table was Robert Williamson III. The accomplished pro from Houston, Texas has a WSOP bracelet under his belt and more than $2.5 million in earnings. Williamson can also be seen on TV as a guest commentator alongside Jaymz Larson on several recent HPT episodes. Though he began third in chips, Williamson was never able to get much going. He exited in seventh place for $6,604.
David Chocheles flopped a flush early on only to see Tyson turn a full house for the better hand. The Mandeville, Louisiana man received $5,137 for finishing in eighth.
Much like Tyson and Thornton, Ronald Brown found his way to the Final Table via a $375 qualifier. He would be the first player of the day to be eliminated. Brown plans to apply the $4,306 he earned for ninth place towards home repairs.
All of the players enjoyed their time at the televised table from inside Bottleneck Blues Bar at Ameristar Vicksburg, especially the newest champion Chan Pelton. "The experience was really good from top to bottom," he said. "The staff was great and the players were all really friendly."
The next HPT series kicks off next Friday just outside of St. Louis, Missouri. After that, the tour will return to Michigan for its final tour stop of the year. Full schedule details are available at HPTpoker.com.
Chan Pelton defeated a field of 104 entries at Ameristar Vicksburg to win $42,560
(photo by Eric Harkins of IMPDI Worldwide)
Results
All Paid Players Listed at HPTpoker.com
Ameristar Casino Hotel Vicksburg
Vicksburg, MS
October 19, 2015
Buy-in: $1650
Main Event: 104
Total Prize Pool: $146,760
1st: Chan Pelton (College Station, TX) $42,560
2nd: Elby Tyson (Wesson, MS) $26,417
3rd: Schuyler Thornton (Corpus Christi, TX) $17,611
4th: Leo Boothe (Ferriday, LA) $12,988
5th: Larry Wells (Anahuac, TX) $9,760
6th: Clay Henry (Many, LA) $8,072
7th: Robert Williamson III (Houston, TX) $6,604
8th: David Chocheles (Mandeville, LA) $5,137
9th: Ronald Brown (Sunset, LA) $4,306
About Heartland Poker Tour (HPT)
Founded in 2005, HPT is built on a grass-roots philosophy of "Real People, Unreal Money". HPT is currently filming Season XI and is available in over 110 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.
