'Player of the Year' wins Heartland Poker Tour event

The fourth time was a charm for James Mutchler, taking home $180,030 for winning the Heartland Poker Tour championship at Majestic Star Casinos & Hotel in Gary.

Mutchler, of Brighton, Colo., was named "Player of the Year" in 2007 on the HPT when he made the final table three times during the season.

He outlasted more than 300 players in the final round, which ended April 28, and is now in the lead for the 2008 "Player of the Year" honor.

"This is so awesome," Mutchler told HeartlandPokerTour.com.

"I finally got the monkey off my back."

It must have been in the cards for Mutchler, who traveled to this event despite the fact that he and his fiancee were scheduled to close on a new home the same day as the HPT final table was due to happen, officials said.

"My fiancee and Realtor both told me to make plans to be on the final table today," said Mutchler, who signed power of attorney documents just before leaving, on the closing day of the event.

"I was all set to fly home Sunday to be back in time for closing on my house. Guess it worked out for me."

Mutchler and his new fiancee will have plenty of cash to furnish their new home as the first place award was one of the largest awarded on the HPT.

Second-place finisher Judi Bilar, of Homer Glen, was all smiles at the end of the tournament as well, after she entered the final table as one of the short stacks and still finished second, pocketing $90,015 for her efforts, officials said.

That is not bad for someone who was once told by a poker pro to quit the game, officials added.

"Twenty-five years ago someone told me to quit because I just wasn't very good," Bilar told HeartlandPokerTour.com.

"I took his advice for a long time and started playing again after I retired. Guess I'm getting better."

The Majestic Star, one of the favorite stops on the HPT tour, proved to be another great event, officials said.

Thousands played in the two weeks of events leading to the championship round.

The total prize pool was $603,100.

The final six in the tournament also included:

• Nicholas Woolworth, of Plainfield, with $54,009.

• Jeff Boehm, of Bloomington, with $42,007.

• Scott Rokita, of Willowbrook, with $36,006.

• Frank Rusnak, of Chicago, with $30,005.

Did you know?

The Heartland Poker Tour is a poker tournament where anyone can win and win big, officials said.

HPT poker tournaments take place at select casinos, drawing hundreds of people to the opening round and always boiling down to a final table of the six top players.

The tour tapes this final table and creates two one-hour episodes with full commentary to be aired at a later date.

HPT started with modest expectations and has hosted several successful events that have been shown in millions of households throughout America.

The HPT on TV schedule is available online at HeartlandPokerTour.com.

Upcoming episodes include the final table of the December HPT Championship Open at Majestic Star Casinos & Hotel in Gary. The first part will air on May 25 on Comcast SportsNet, and the second part is set to air during the weekend of May 31.

News Added: 08 May, 2008

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