CHICAGOLAND MAIN EVENT KICKS OFF TODAY

We have seen large fields in side events all week long in Chicagoland for the Heartland Poker Tour series at @AmeristarEC. The best is yet to come. Today marks the start of the nationally televised $1,650 Main Event. The first of three starting flights for that tournament kicks off today at 2pm.

HPT's last visit to Ameristar East Chicago in May yielded a Main Event prize pool of $898,560. Alex Ziskin outlasted the competition in that tournament to take home the top prize of $201,391.

All players who enter the Main Event start with a 30k stack and blinds are set at 40 minutes. Today's flight will play 15 full levels or down to 13% of the field, whichever comes first. Players get a 15-minute break every three levels with a full one-hour dinner break coming after Level 9.

When players return from the dinner break, at approximately 9:30pm this evening, registration will be closed for the opening flight. Flight B is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00pm and Flight C is at 12:00pm Saturday.

Players who advance through their respective flights return Sunday at noon for Day 2 two action. On Sunday, they'll play down to the final nine. That group returns Monday to play down to a winner under the bright lights. Fans and family can tune in to watch the final table livestream, with hole cards, Monday at twitch.tv/hptpoker.