AUTHOR: Jerry "Jet" Whittaker TITLE: Heartland Poker Tour Brings Big Action to Deadwood DATE: 4:33 AM ----- BODY: - The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) made its first appearance March 1-4 in
America's most legendary poker town, Deadwood South Dakota, at the Lucky
Nugget Card Club. The Final Table championship event was filmed just steps
away from the very spot that Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down while playing
draw poker at the Number 10 saloon in 1876, holding the now infamous "dead
man's hand," aces and eights. The Lucky Nugget is now located over that very
spot, with a Wild Bill memorial room in the casino. The Heartland Poker Tour
was a successful and significant event in the historic frontier town.
Hundreds of poker players from all over the United States scrapped their way
to the Lucky Nugget, despite blizzard conditions for the first two days of
the event. HPT Tournaments are customarily five days long. Preliminary
events are held the first four days and the Championship event concludes on
the fifth day. The elimination of the last nine players, the "Final Table",
of the Championship event is televised. By Saturday, March 3, 629 players
had entered preliminary qualifying events for a chance to play in the Sunday
Championship main event. With an additional 60 direct-buy-ins, the first HPT
Championship event in Deadwood started early Sunday morning with a field of
186 players and a prize pool of $279,000. Sixteen hours later, nearby
Gillette, Wyoming resident Sam Britton, took down the $75,000 first place
prize. Britton caught the right cards to enable him to come from behind to
claim his victory. Denver resident, and experienced player, Chris Bedowitz,
controlled the final table for most of the night, raising early and often,
aggressively taking down pot after pot. Bedowitz looked to be coasting to a
championship in his first ever HPT event until momentum swung in favor of
Britton, who finally prevailed when his pocket 3's held up against two
over-cards. 2006 Heartland Poker Tour "Player of the Year", Dennis Dubey,
continued his amazing run at HPT events by earning yet another final table
appearance and a sixth place finish for $13,394. Another final table
veteran, Jason Weber (Emory SD), finished in fifth place for $16,073.
Deadwood South Dakota, and the Lucky Nugget Card Club were exceptional hosts
the HPT event. First time visitors were enchanted by this small gambling
town nestled in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Deadwood foregoes
the usual casino glitz and glitter in favor of character driven shops and
casinos, friendly people, and a relaxing, casual atmosphere. And according
to the National Weather Service, those blizzards are few and far between, as
Deadwood lies in the "banana belt" of the Midwest. "Wow, what an incredible
week we had in Deadwood" said HPT co-founder Todd Anderson. "I think all the
players had a great time and the event was flawless. I know for a fact that
Deadwood South Dakota is now a favorite stop for all the players on the
Heartland Poker Tour, including me. It's just a fantastic place."

Lucky Nugget owner Matt Ramsey took a gamble of his own by bringing the HPT
to his 20 table room in Deadwood. Some told him he wouldn't get the needed
turnout but in the end, this event was one of the largest fields ever and
will no doubt be the site of a return engagement.

"I think this has been the biggest event in Deadwood since Wild Bill was
shot" joked Ramsey.

The Heartland Poker Tour continues its third season in just a few days with
a first ever visit to Meskwaki Casino/Hotel, in Tama Iowa March 15-18th. The
very next week, the HPT will return to the site of its largest prize pool
ever, the Majestic Star Casino in Gary Indiana. --------