The Heartland Poker Tour, although not quite as large as the World Poker Tour or as famous as the World Series of Poker, still attracts a large number of poker players, both professional and amateur. Before traveling across the country, stopping along the way at casinos like Shooting Star in Minnesota and Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Michigan, the tour kicks off 2010 in Las Vegas at the Red Rock Resort and Casino. The poker room at Red Rock will run single table satellites where three players advance into either the next satellite level or the main event, beginning Monday January 11th. The $1100 Heartland Poker Tour main event begins on Saturday January 16th and is a two day event.

Las Vegas Poker Source caught up with Las Vegas local Peter Payne, who will be a participant in the poker tournaments this week, to learn a little more about the process of getting to play in a major poker event such as the Heartland Poker Tour.

Las Vegas Poker Source: Peter, tell us a little about yourself and your poker background.

Peter Payne: I moved to Las Vegas in 2002 with my wife Patty, whom I’ve been married to for 36 years. I am a design drafter but have been unemployed since early 2009. As a result of unemployment, I have had a lot of time on my hands and no income, so I’ve been earning money playing poker. My wife and I both play poker and we mainly play tournaments with a $50 or less buy-in. We used to play at Nevada Palace every weekend, until it was closed to begin the Eastside Cannery project. We then began playing at Sam’s Town casino in their $23 10am tournament any time we had the chance. My wife and I spend a lot time playing live action cash games, and dedicated ourselves to earning the 50 hours at Boulder Station that is necessary to participate in the Station Casinos large freeroll poker tournament in January.

LVPS: What style of poker player do you consider yourself?

PP: I like to think of myself as being an aggressive player. I really like to play for the fun of the game. Some people may consider small stakes players or satellite winners "dead money," but I feel no pressure to win. I just really enjoy playing the game and am getting better at it as I go along.

LVPS: Are there any poker books you recommend or have found helpful to your poker game?

PP: I am currently re-reading Daniel Negreanu’s Small Ball Theory and have also read the Super System series by Doyle Brunson.

LVPS: So what did you have to do to earn a free satellite seat into the Heartland Poker Tour?

PP: Well, in addition to earning hours for the Station Casino $300K Freeroll event, poker players could also earn tickets into a Heartland Poker Tour drawing by playing live action cash games between December 17th and January 3rd. I ended up earning 112 tickets and Patty earned 114. That tells you how many hours we put in at the poker tables! On January 5th, every Station Casino drew two Boarding Pass (player’s card) numbers from all the qualifying HPT drawing tickets. Those two winners, a total of 18 among all Station properties, were given a $250 satellite seat. I was one of those lucky winners from Boulder Station!

LVPS: When is the satellite and how many players will move on to the main event?

PP: There were several different options available for the satellite, but I chose Tuesday Jan 12th, because I figure my odds may be a little better early in the week, before all the professionals get to town. I’m not worried about playing against pros, or I wouldn’t be taking the shot in the first place, but common sense tells me I would have more of an edge to play a qualifier that has less of them involved. The top 20% of each $250 satellite advance into the $1100 Main Event which begins Saturday and has a daytime and nighttime flight. The tournament continues into Sunday as well.

LVPS: What are you looking forward to most about playing in the Heartland Poker Tour?

PP: Well, obviously I am hopeful that the satellite goes well so that I can progess to the main event. I am looking forward to taking a shot at a well known major poker tournament, playing with some professional players and having my wife Patty there to root me on! I would also love to play this tournament because I don’t play many deep stack events, so starting with 15k in chips would be a pretty amazing opportunity for some quality poker play. I don’t feel pressure, I just feel confident in my abilities so I am going to get as much out of this great opportunity as I possibly can.

Las Vegas Poker Source would like to wish Peter and all other participants the best of luck during the Heartland Poker Tour. If poker players wish to find out more information on the Heartland Poker Tour, WSOP, WPT or any other great tournaments available to play during their stay in Las Vegas, we hope you will visit us on the web at www.lasvegaspokersource.com for complete and accurate details.