Casey Carroll Triumphs At 2016 Ameristar East Chicago

The Ameristar East Chicago Casino in Indiana has become one of the Heartland Poker Tour’s most popular destinations, and this year was no exception with an impressive 541 players entering the $1,650 Main Event. Five days of action later, and it was Michigan resident Casey Carroll who would claim the title, as well as the event’s $174,469 first place prize.
Carroll racked up his previous biggest score last year after winning the 2015 HPT $300 Mount Pleasant for $28,200, and following his victory in Chicago now boosts his live career earnings to $227,373.
The $1,650 HPT Main Event featured a prize pool worth $779,040, and amongst the 63 players subsequently seeing a return on their buy-ins was Aditya Prasetyo in 59th ($2,792), Craig Casino in 39th ($3,567), Allen Kessler in 36th ($4,265), Greg Raymer in 30th ($4,265), Ryan Van Sanford in 26th ($5,118), Joe Kuether in 19th ($5,118), and Aaron Massey in 16th ($6,824).
After the final table of nine had been reached, Carroll (J-J) eliminated Michael Esquivel (4-4) in 6th, before being dealt pocket sevens and catching a lucky break against Kevin Beck (Q-Q) to send him to the rail in 4th. Carroll (A-5) subsequently took care of a short-stacked Andy Hwang (7-4) in third to take a 12-1 chip advantage over John Seyferth into the heads-up phase of the tournament.
The one-sided affair was short-lived, though, with Seyferth eventually eliminated after moving all-in holding 8-9 and getting picked off by Carroll with a pair of pocket deuces. A 2 on the flop all but sealed the deal, and with no more surprises on turn or river, John Seyferth then had to be content with a runner-up finish worth $107,786. Meanwhile, Casey Carroll was crowned the champion, and following his remarkable triumph made a reference to a Mother’s Day spent competing at the poker tables with his mother giving him support from the rails. As he commented:
“I told my mom I’d get her something really cool.”
Final Table Results:
1: Casey Carroll $174,469
2: John Seyferth $107,786
3: Andy Hwang $70,643
4: Kevin Beck $49,085
5: Chan Pelton $35,670
6: Michael Esquivel $27,683
7: Mark Oushanna $23,263
8: Robert Castoire $19,386
9: Andres German $15,509