Three-handed play lasted quite some time as Terry Ring, Rick Goulden, and Chris Louviere all battled for the chance to play heads up. It held through the river, ending the match and making Goulden the runner-up for $32,535. A queen came on the flop to give Louviere the lead in the hand. His stage fright wore off by the final hand when Rick Goulden of Des Moines moved all-in with ace-eight and was called by Louviere holding queen-ten. “I’ve been playing poker for the better part of my life,” said Louviere before taking his seat at the felt, “but this is my first time in front of cameras and I’m a nervous wreck.” Two hundred hands later, the insurance adjuster from Bangs, Texas was the last man standing, HPT’s latest champion, the first-ever Heartland MVP, and $54,225 richer. Louviere advanced to the nationally-televised Final Table seventh in chips. As HPT viewers have come to expect, anything can happen. Chris Louviere would have to finish in first place to surpass Grandstaff and that seemed unlikely. As the Main Event came to a close, only one player had enough points to potentially oust him.

Local player David Grandstaff had it locked up with two wins in the series and a sixth-place finish. Heartland Poker Tour named its first-ever Most Valuable Player early Tuesday in the heart of the Heartland at Prairie Meadows Racetrack Casino Hotel in Altoona, Iowa.

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