Yousef Saleh Takes Down HPT Ameristar Vicksburg

The Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) Ameristar Vicksburg $1,100 Main Event had an action-packed run from August 9 to 12. The tournament logged in 146 entries from two starting flights and outlasting them all was Yousef Saleh (cover image).

Saleh defeated Jaron Bailey heads-up to capture his first HPT title along with a cheque of $36,895, not to forget a $3,500 HPT Season XV Championship package. The win has also propelled his live winnings to six-figures.

Saleh was in his aggressive element through the event and climbed up in the reckoning on Day 2 where he won a significant pot against Jimbo Hughes towards the tail-end of play to bag up the biggest stack of the day. “That was my plan; if you stay on top, you stay on top the whole way. Everybody thinks I’m lucky; you need luck, I know that. I folded a lot of good hands, I played my spots where I had it,” Saleh said after the tournament.

Day 2 began with 21 survivors, and within three hours, the nine-handed final table was formed.

Only 18 players were slated to earn a payday, and the list included notables like Nolam Burton (11th for $3,280), Jason Riesenberg (16th for $2,187), and Corey Harrison (17th for $2,187).

Final Table Chip Counts

1. Yousef Saleh – 1,020,000
2. Jaron Bailey – 806,000
3. Sley Sanchez – 604,000
4. CT Hoffecker – 546,000
5. Kip Jones – 322,000
6. Shomari Williams – 309,000
7. Judge Leo Boothe – 281,000
8. JW Carter – 255,000
9. BJ McBrayer – 234,000

Final Table Recap

The first hand on the final table saw JW Carter hitting the rail in ninth place. Not long after that, BJ McBrayer and Judge Leo Boothe were eliminated in eighth and seventh place respectively.

Kip Jones was eliminated by Shomari Williams in sixth place with the latter’s ace-nine holding up against Jones’ ace-deuce. By then Saleh had consolidated his lead holding two million in chips. He soon sent Sley Sanchez packing in fifth place with his pocket eights busting Sanchez’ queen-five.

In the next hand, Shomari Williams was scalped in fourth place, and this time it was his king-queen that cracked Jaron Bailey’s ace-jack after spiking two-pair on the board.

CT Hoffecker followed Williams to the rail after his were run down by Bailey’s . The rundown brought no relief for Hoffecker who was busted in third place.

Heads-up, Saleh held 2.335 Million versus Jaron Bailey’s 2.045 Million. A grueling battle ensued, but Saleh maintained his lead. The last hand saw both players check the flop. After the turn, Bailey led out 90,000 and Saleh raised for 290,000. Bailey three-bet moved all-in for 525,000 and Saleh called it off.

Jaron Bailey

Yousef Saleh

Bailey needed help, but with the river bringing an unfavorable , he had to concede to a runner-up finish. Shaking hands with Bailey, Saleh said, “On the first day, we said we were gonna be together at the final table, and here we are!”

Final Table Results (USD)

1. Yousef Saleh – $36,895
2. Jaron Bailey – $22,959
3. CT Hoffecker – $13,939
4. Shomari Williams – $10,250
5. Sley Sanchez – $7,653
6. Kip Jones – $6,286
7. Judge Leo Boothe – $5,535
8. BJ McBrayer – $4,851
9. JW Carter – $4,100

Content & Images Courtesy: Heartland Poker Tour & PokerNews