Heartland Poker Tour 2007: A Season of Success

The Heartland Poker Tour is a big success in the poker world.

Already one of the top three televised poker productions in the country viewed in more than 50 million households annually, the 2007 Tour has just completed a deal to air in 119 million homes throughout Europe and Asia.

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 six players, the “Final Table”, of the Championship event is televised. 

Convinced a lot of local players would like a shot at stardom, Heartland keeps the cost of entry within the reach of most people. Consequently, because there are so many participants the prize money is exciting. Add an audience, lights and TV cameras, and players in the Championship feel like they’re competing at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.     

The idea for the Heartland Poker Tour came appropriately out of Fargo, ND, not Las Vegas. It was the brainchild of Todd Anderson and Greg Lang, two television producers with a passion for poker. They were determined to create a nationwide tournament series accessible to local players and televise the final table on TV for regional viewers. 

Heartland kicked-off the new 2007 season at Hooters, in Las Vegas, and then traveled to Deadwood SD where it made it’s first appearance in the legendary town March 1- 4 at the Lucky Nugget Card Club. The final Championship event, with 186 players and a prize pool of $279,000. Winner Sam Britton, of Gillette, Wyoming, collected $75,006 for his victory.  

 “I think this has been the biggest event in Deadwood since Wild Bill was shot!” was how Nugget owner Matt Ramsey described the Heartland Tournament.