Jeremy Kloeckner wins the Heartland Poker Tour Main Event at Ameristar East Chicago after beating Robert Edelstein in heads-up action.
Jeremy Kloeckner is the latest Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) champion.
Delusions of grandeur had taken a vacation for a man who, up until this point, had only cashed twice in his life (both times in $150 buy-in events). In total, he had won $3,000 in prize money – an amount annihilated by the $142,386 he banked after defeating Chicago’s Robert Edelstein in heads-up action.
Edelstein was one of two World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) gold ring winners making the final table. The second half of that tag team was Kenny Nguyen – who was by far the most experienced player at the final table. Nguyen had close to a million in cashes, including a World Poker Tour (WPT) final table appearance. Two players were making their second HPT final table appearance: Mike Deis finished seventh in an event held in Gary back in 2013, and Steve Sloan finished fifth in Tama back in 2007.
45 players reached the money. The minimum payout was $3,405, and that rose to $13,867 for the players who made the final table. The player who earned that exact amount was Milos Ivanovic after his pocket treys failed to make it to Fifth Street without blood being spilt by the KJ of Greg Koutelidakis.
Kloeckner took his first scalp of the final table when he eliminated Steve Sloan in eighth spot. Sloan moved all-in, holding K9s, and Kloeckner called with the overpowering AK. A cooler was waiting for Nguyen when he ran his pocket kings into the pocket aces of Deis, and Joe Sidoryk followed him to the rail shortly thereafter when his A4 failed to find the luck it needed to beat the AT of Rob Edelstein.
The fifth place finisher was Koutelidakis. He started the day as the chip leader, and will be disappointed not to ladder a few places higher. His straight was caught on the river by the flush of Edelstein – and then there were four.
Then there were three left in the bed. Michael Younan’s A3 failing to outsmart the T9 of the eventual winner, and heads-up was reached after Deis departed when his pocket fours failed to hold against the A6s of Kloeckner – an ace on the flop sealing the deal.
Kloeckner had to overcome a 3-2-chip deficit to take the title. The final hand of the tournament saw the pair get it in on the turn, on a board of [Ks] [Js] [9d] [5d], with Kloeckner’s K6 far stronger than the 98s of his opponent. The river fell just right for Kloeckner and he was hailed as the newest member of the HPT winner’s circle.
Final Table Results
1st. Jeremy Kloeckner – $142,386
2nd. Robert Edelstein – $87,909
3rd. Mike Deis – $58,503
4th. Michael Younan – $40,550
5th. Greg Koutelidakis – $30,644
6th. Joe Sidoryk – $23,835
7th. Kenny Nguyen – $19,811
8th. Steve Sloan – $16,406
9th. Milos Ivanovic – $13,867
