The final table, which took place at the Palms Casino Resort, was arguably the most star-studded in HPT history and included Dan O’Brien, Steve Gross, Matt “ADZ124” Marafioti, Leo Wolpert, recent HPT champ Terry Presley and of course Collins.
“I’ve really enjoyed my experience with HPT,” said the 27-year-old after winning. “The structure is phenomenal.”
The exceptionally fast-paced final table eventually led to a heads-up showdown between Toronto-native Marafioti and Collins.
Collins finished the tournament with a bit of luck as his Ace-Nine out-drew Marafioti’s Ace-Queen on the final hand.
The Las Vegas resident finished fifth in the 2012 WSOP Main Event to take home $2.2 million. The HPT victory is his first major live tournament win.
Terry Presley was the first player out of the final table but picked up another 28 points in HPT Player of the Year standings. Presley is up to 78 points and that’s good enough for first overall as Tony Lay is a distant second with 51 points.
The $1,650 buy-in HPT Nevada drew a total of 195 players to create a prizepool of $275,000. Randy Dorfman, Christina Lindley and Dutch Boyed were among the numerous notable players to cash in the event.
Later this week the HPT will head to Black Hawk, Colorado, specifically the Golden Gates Casino and Poker Parlor, for another $1,650 buy-in tournament.
The event is historically one of the biggest on the HPT schedule and will take place April 18-22, 2012.
Here are the complete HPT Nevada final table payouts:
1. Phil Collins - $71,5562. Matt Marafioti - $41,5703. Steve Gross - $25,8974. Leo Wolpert - $22,4895. Dan O'Brien - $17,1736. Terry Presley - $14,666
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