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Golden Gates Casino |
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Golden Gates Casino & Poker Parlour
Black Hawk, Colorado
September 20-October 5, 2008
Total Prize Pool: $582,600
1942 players in Qualifiers; 386 players in the Main Event
Congrats to Andreas Ramadanis taking home the "HPT Champion Jacket" and $174,780!
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View the Photos from this Event |
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Golden Gates Casino Quick Summary
“I told my girlfriend I’d buy her a car if I won,” said Ramadanis. “She’s my lucky charm. I guess now we’ll have to go shopping.”
Please check out the full event write up below. |
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Golden Gates Casino Top 6
First Place
Andreas Ramadanis
Denver, CO
$174,780 | Second Place
Kyle Orvis
Longmont, CO
$87,390 | Third Place
David Bellacose
Denver, CO
$52,434 |
Fourth Place
Chuck Plante
Denver, CO
$40,782 | Fifth Place
Jeff Wright
Denver, CO
$34,956 | Sixth Place
Tracy Wittbecker
Erie, CO
$29,130 |
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Golden Gates Casino Top 40 Finishers
| Place | Player | Cash | Points Earned |
| 1. |
Andreas Ramadanis |
$174,780 |
1,000 |
| 2. |
Kyle Orvis |
$87,390 |
750 |
| 3. |
David Bellacose |
$52,434 |
600 |
| 4. |
Chuck Plante |
$40,782 |
450 |
| 5. |
Jeff Wright |
$34,956 |
400 |
| 6. |
Tracy Wittbecker |
$29,130 |
350 |
| 7. |
Daniel Montoya |
$19,692 |
300 |
| 8. |
Trent Kite |
$16,604 |
250 |
| 9. |
Scott Holtzer |
$11,943 |
200 |
| 10. |
Kurt Criter |
$9,904 |
150 |
| 11. |
Christopher Gamble |
$8,506 |
100 |
| 12. |
Cliff Waite |
$7,574 |
95 |
| 13. |
Steven Bondurant |
$6,700 |
90 |
| 14. |
Sunil Murray |
$5,709 |
85 |
| 15. |
Khoa Nguyen |
$5,127 |
80 |
| 16. |
Sheri Bishop |
$4,544 |
75 |
| 17. |
Derek Dillehay |
$4,544 |
70 |
| 18. |
William Mietz |
$4,544 |
65 |
| 19. |
Mark Herrera |
$4,544 |
60 |
| 20. |
James Bott |
$4,544 |
55 |
| 21. |
Frank Montelongo |
$3,146 |
50 |
| 22. |
Robert Lee |
$3,146 |
45 |
| 23. |
James Rice III |
$3,146 |
40 |
| 24. |
Doanh Tran |
$3,146 |
35 |
| 25. |
Randall Greaves |
$3,146 |
30 |
| 26. |
Adam Hudson |
$2,505 |
25 |
| 27. |
James Taylor |
$2,505 |
20 |
| 28. |
Joshua Rodri |
$2,505 |
15 |
| 29. |
Jerome Goldenberg |
$2,505 |
10 |
| 30. |
Casey Weston |
$2,505 |
5 |
| 31. |
Luis Rosa |
$2,214 |
0 |
| 32. |
Anthony Palladino |
$2,214 |
0 |
| 33. |
Donald Colburn |
$2,214 |
0 |
| 34. |
Christopher Ortiz |
$2,214 |
0 |
| 35. |
Christopher Drake |
$2,214 |
0 |
| 36. |
Joseph Leta, Jr. |
$1,864 |
0 |
| 37. |
John Reno |
$1,864 |
0 |
| 38. |
Kamuar Razavian |
$1,864 |
0 |
| 39. |
Timothy Watkins |
$1,864 |
0 |
| 40. |
Richard Stein |
$1,864 |
0 |
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Golden Gates Casino Recap
A 31 year old sound engineer from Denver, Colorado rode a wave of prosperity to an HPT championship this evening and a first place prize $174,780. Andreas Ramadanis, who’s largest tournament cash to date was only $500, parlayed a $340 qualifier entry into one of the largest cashes of the year on the HPT, winning the Mile High Poker Open at Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado.
“I told my girlfriend I’d buy her a car if I won,” said Ramadanis. “She’s my lucky charm. I guess now we’ll have to go shopping.”
Once again it was an exciting atmosphere for two straight weeks during the Mile High Poker Open as thousands of players played in satellites and qualifiers, with the hope of taking down the top prize. Golden Gates ran over 500 single table satellites over the two week period, with a total of 1942 players competing in the popular HPT qualifiers throughout the week. Advancing in the qualifiers is the only way to make it to the main event in Colorado where gaming laws prohibit direct buys into the finale. In all, 386 players made it to the main event, making it one of the largest tournaments in Colorado history.
With his girlfriend Kortni watching casually from the front row, Ramadanis entered the final table as chip leader and never looked back, riding a run of good cards and good flops. One pivotal hand occurred early in the match when Ramadanis flopped a set of sevens and knocked out one of his nearest competitors.
“Yeah it was unreal,” said Ramadanis. “I just kept getting great flops. The set was huge, and a couple hands before that I won a big pot when I flopped a straight holding 9-6. It was a great night.”
Ramadanis said emphatically that he’s planning to have a really good time with his new found cash before dedicating some to bills.
The Heartland Poker Tour is in the homestretch for season four with a breakneck schedule over the next seven weeks. Here is the upcoming schedule for the rest of 2008.
Turning Stone Resort & Casino – Verona, New York, October 10th to 20th
Greektown Casino – Detroit, MI, October 17th – 26th
Meskwaki Casino – Tama, Iowa, November 2nd – 9th
Running Aces Card Club – Columbus, MN, November 9th – 17th
Majestic Star Casinos – Gary, IN (year end HPT Championship Open), November 12th – 24th
HPT officials say the 2009 season is nearing completion and will be ready for release within the next couple weeks.
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With the
Heartland Poker League
you can compete at your local casino for a chance to win a
HPT Main Event
seat!
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