Raffi Der Gregorian Wins HPT Agua Caliente For $74k

Raffi Der Gregorian won his way through to the $1,650 HPT Agua Caliente Main Event via a $200 qualifier, and now a week later the amateur player has taken down the tournament to claim the title, as well as the $74,276 top prize. Following his first ever live tournament score, the California native commented:
“This is my first experience with HPT. I like it.”
The Heartland Poker Tour event was held at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, California, and by the time the final table of nine had been reached, Gregorian was seventh in chips with a number of big name pros still in contention, including 5-times WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham, HPT Player of the Year contender Stan Jablonski, and poker pro Michael Rocco.
Final Table Chip Counts:
1 Cunninghamn – 1,509,000
2 Chris Tolone – 1,079,000
3 Alex Madraiga – 952,000
4 Rocco – 896,000
5 Brent Thompson – 742,000
6 Bob McMillan – 482,000
7 Der Gregorian – 464,000
8 Jablonski – 204,000
9 Ronald Segni – 192,000
Allen Cunningham (As-JS), Stan Jablonski (Ad-3s) and Alex Madraiga (Ah-10h) then went all-in on a 9s-8h-7s flop and after the turn and river came Qc-5d, Cunningham eliminated Jablonski in 9th ($8,046) and Madraiga in 8th ($9,749).
Following Brent Thompson’s exit in 7th ($11,606), Michael Rocco (10-10) then hit a straight against Ronald Segni (J-J) on a K-J-2-A-Q board to send him to the rail in 6th ($13,927), before being dealt 9-9 and doing likewise to Bob McMillan (K-J) in 5th for $17,021.
Raffi Der Gregorian (A-A) then knocked out Allen Cunningham (8-8) in 4th for $21,973, and after Michael Rocco dispatched Chris Tolone to the rail in 3rd ($30,948), the final showdown got underway between Der Gregorian and Michael Rocco for the title.
At the beginning of heads-up, Gregorian held a 4.2m to 2.3m chip advantage over Rocco, and 35 hands later all the chips went to the centre of the table with Gregorian’s A-Q up against the A-K of his opponent. Fortunately for Gregorian, however, the board rolled out Q-J-4-2-3 to secure him the victory, while Rocco picked up $45,803 for his runner-up finish.
Final Table Results:
1 Raffi Der Gregorian – $74,276
2 Michael Rocco – $45,803
3 Chris Tolone – $30,948
4 Allen Cunningham – $21,973
5 Bob McMillan – $17,021
6 Ronald Segni – $13,927
7 Brent Thompson – $11,606
8 Alex Madraiga – $9,749
9 Stan Jablonski – $8,046


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