Mike Shin defeated Nick Pupillo heads-up to claim the Heartland Poker Tour title Monday night at Hollywood Casino St. Louis. Shin earns $160,632 for the win, Pupillo taking home $98,195 for his runner-up finish.
The HPT/MSPT connection stays alive for another season with Shin’s victory. Shin moves to 3rd on the HPT Player of the Year leaderboard with the win, while he also holds the top spot currently on the MSPT Player of the Year leaderboard. Last year, Aaron Johnson won both the HPT and the MSPT Player of the Year titles (something he should have been honored for with a Breakout Performer of the Year or Performance of the Year nod).
Pupillo extends his HPT Player of the Year lead with his St. Louis finish, his third final table of the year – including back-to-back as he was 7th two weeks ago in Black Hawk. He also won in Black Hawk in February. Pupillo moves to No. 4 on the HPT All-Time Money List with this cash, just $412 behind Alex Greenblatt for the No. 3 spot on the list.
Check here for the event recap and the full main event coverage from us, our fifth year as the HPT live reporting team.
Dan is the founder of PokerLiveUpdates, a veteran poker tournament reporter who can be found wandering somewhat aimlessly through tournament arenas worldwide. As a founding member of FunTour2.0, he searches for the best in craft beer at all locations in the poker world.
