Chris Moneymaker Becomes HPO’s First Celebrity Ambassador

Poker players from all over the world will get a chance to play with Chris Moneymaker, who made headlines in 2003 by winning the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, in the spring. This is because the second season of Hollywood Poker Open (HPO), run by Penn National Gaming, will continue will a 10-day qualifier at Hollywood Casino, Penn National Race Course, Grantville, Pennsylvania, from Feb 20 to March 4, 2014.

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In May, three more regional qualifying events of the HPO will be held. In June, the championship tournament will be held at the Las Vegas based M Resort Spa and Casino. Chris Moneymaker, one of the most famous poker personalities in the world, has become the HPO’s first celebrity ambassador.

During the inaugural HPO, over 200 players from 21 casinos all over the country qualified for the event. They all got the opportunity to take part in the championship tournament at M Resort Spa and Casino. Last year, 400 more poker players registered for the tournament, making the field size as large as 600 players and generating a prize pool of over $1.5 million.

Moneymaker is scheduled to take part in all the remaining four qualifier tournaments. He will also interact with his fans and other players during this time. Players can look forward to many 10-day qualifying events, which will begin next month. These will include the 31 events, which will be held from Feb 20 to March 2 at Hollywood Casino. Similar qualifiers will be held at St. Louis and Charlestown in March and in Columbus in May. The qualifiers will conclude with a mega championship tournament, which will be held at the M Resort in June.

Poker players from all over the world, both professional and recreational, are invited to take part in these events, which will include tournaments such as NL Hold’em, PL Omaha, Seniors NL Hold’em, and Ladies NL Hold’em. Although Moneymaker will be playing as an HPO ambassador, he will still be competing for a seat in the championship tournament.

Winners of the regional events will get an HPO trophy. The player who earns the highest points will get a $4k HPO prize package, including the buy-in of $2,500 to the $500k guaranteed championship event, and $1,500 for spending.

The M Resort, the venue for the HPO championship tournament, has 400 guest rooms, several bars and restaurants, spa and fitness center, and a large gaming floor.