Brian Hastings has taken the World Poker Tour Regional Summer Splash title at the Hard Rock Seminole casino in Hollywood, Florida. It’s the first live tournament trophy for the Pot Limit Omaha online star, who outlasted 390 opponents to earn just shy of $214k. Griffin Malatino finished second, earning $117k, while Michael Degillio took third and $78k.
As he recently confided on his blog, despite his recent conversion to live poker fan, Hastings (like many other US players) is considering a move abroad so that he can continue his online play. “I really don’t like Vegas and just can’t imagine spending any more time there than the WSOP and a few shorter trips during tourneys or whatnot.” Canada is the current frontrunner for a new short term home “at least until it gets too cold.” Don’t forget your long underwear, pussy.
Elsewhere in Floridian WPT news, Tampa native Chris Conrad has won the WPT Regional $1,500 event in Jacksonville. The four-day event, the highlight of Jacksonville’s Summer Poker Series, saw 461 players buy-in, making it the largest poker tournament in Northeast Florida history. When it got down to heads-up play, Conrad earned $143k for defeating Ray Leone, who settled for $90k.
In Philadelphia, McLean Karr won the Parx Open Poker Classic main event, outlasting 180 opponents and defeating Dan Smith heads-up to earn $74k and a spiffy diamond bracelet. Some would say Karr’s victory is an embarrassment of riches, given that he’s currently dating smokin’ hot Bodog poker pro Tatjana ‘tattytats’ Pasalic.
Across the pond, Chaz Chattha earned top honors at the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour stop in Luton, earning over £59k in the process. The event attracted a field of 212, and when the final table of 10 was set, Chattha was sitting on the shortest stack. But the member of pro poker outfit “The Hit Squad” would not be denied, defeating 2010 European Poker Tour Vilamoura champ Toby Lewis heads-up. Lewis earned £40k for finishing second, while Andrew Feldman took third and £26k. Next up for the GUKPT is the ‘Goliath’ event, starting Wednesday in Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, at which the organizers expect some 1,600 players to take part.
In other stateside live tourney news, California’s Commerce Casino will kick off its 17-day Commerce Hold ‘Em Series starting Aug. 31. The $2,085 buy-in Main Event gets underway Sept. 16. In Nevada, the Caesars Palace Kick Off Poker Classic 2011 gets underway Sept. 1, and its $500 main event also gets going Sept. 16. Staying in Vegas, the Epic Poker League’s second go-round will take place next month, with the Pro-Am running from Sept. 2-5, and the $20k Main Event from Sept. 6-9. Wonder if David ‘Chino’ Rheem will have squared his financial accounts by then…
