For some it may be a bit early to start thinking about plans for the next year. For poker tournament organizers – and the poker tours themselves – now is the time to start preparing for another new year and schedule out their events.
The Heartland Poker Tour, reaching its monumental Season Ten, is already looking to make the celebration big for their players over 2014. “We wanted a big start for our milestone year, so we looked to some of our biggest success stories of 2013 to lead the way,” HPT Director of Operations Jen Mastrud stated in announcing the early season stops. For the players, they will probably find something on the HPT schedule to their liking.
With just enough time for everyone to get over their New Year’s Eve hangovers, the HPT will hit the Caribbean just after the start of 2014. On January 12, the HPT will join forces with CardPlayer Cruises for a seven-day trip aboard the Royal Caribbean liner Freedom of the Seas for the “HPT on the High Seas” Main Event. That trip will be replete with the usual offerings of the HPT, including cash games and side tournaments, and will allow those who don’t want to take part in poker to enjoy the niceties of one of Royal Caribbean’s finest ships and destinations.
For those that may not be able to reach Florida to head off with the HPT to the Caribbean, California is beckoning. From January 17-26, the HPT will be in action at the Thunder Valley Casino Resort near Sacramento for their next event. Satellites for the HPT Main Event will begin on January 13 and the Main Event begins on January 23. After some time off, the HPT will then trek to Club One Casino in Fresno for their next stop, crowning a champion on February 10.
One of their most popular stops will follow up the California swing of the HPT Season Ten schedule. The Golden Gates Casino & Poker Parlour in Black Hawk, CO, will host the HPT for the sixteenth time when the action comes to the Rocky Mountains from February 7-16. The tournaments at the Golden Gates have long been popular with the players, with prize pools that have eclipsed the million dollar mark over the past few seasons.
Even though they have started planning for 2014, the HPT is in the midst of one of their strongest years in their history. Four tournaments are scheduled between now and the midpoint of December, including stops in St. Louis at the River City Casino (action is currently underway in the Gateway City), the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and their season ending event at the Majestic Star Casino in Indiana. Those tournaments should have a significant impact on the overall HPT Player of the Year race, which has a familiar name atop it.
Poker professional Allen Kessler has been able to accrue 129 points with four final tables during the course of the 2013 season to hold the pole position in the HPT POY, but that lead is far from secure. John Michalak currently is in second place, only 17 points behind Kessler, while Kris Wagner (99), Cruz Baca (96) and Mel Wiener (92) are all within striking distance of the top slot. It would take some work over the final four tournaments of the HPT’s Season Nine schedule for those in the bottom end of the Top Ten to overtake Kessler, although it isn’t out of the question.
Over $48 million in prize pools have been generated in the nine year history of the HPT, giving rise to players as they work their way to poker’s “major leagues.” The HPT broadcasts of their tournaments are available through syndication to over 100 million households in the United States alone and are also broadcast in Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. With a stirring end to the Season Nine schedule and strong events to open up their historic Season Ten slate in 2014, the Heartland Poker Tour is going to continue to provide poker enjoyment for players and television viewers alike.