Founded in 2005 by entrepreneurs Todd Anderson and Greg Lang, HPT provides poker enthusiasts across the country with a televised tournament experience that prides itself on affordable buy-ins. HPT is currently filming its seventh season and is syndicated to more than 100 million US homes each week, as well as markets throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Both Anderson and Lang, along with the rest of the HPT management and production team based in Fargo, North Dakota, will continue to lead the HPT, manage its day-to-day operations, deliver first-class events and television programming, and serve the tour’s mission of “Real People, Unreal Money.”

“I believe our partnership with FS+G goes a long way to round out the American poker market,” said Todd Anderson, president and co-founder of Heartland Poker Tour. “Our tour, combined with the new FS+G professional poker league, creates an offering that serves aspiring enthusiasts of the game, as well as top poker professionals. This alliance will create bigger fields for HPT events, and even greater television coverage and viewership, which will ultimately benefit players, fans and the game.”

HPT has hosted more than 81,500 entrants, awarded more than $28.6 million in prize money, produced more than 170 hours of “high quality poker” television content, and staged nearly 90 events since 2005.

“Uniting with Federated Sports + Gaming is a natural fit because we share the common goal of innovating and growing the poker market,” said Greg Lang, executive producer and co-founder of Heartland Poker Tour. “As entrepreneurs with an established history of forging an independent path, we look forward to breaking new ground in poker by leveraging the talents of the accomplished team that FS+G has assembled.  As poker players, we are fired up about taking HPT to a new level of excitement and fun for our players and fans.”

Earlier this year, FS+G, in conjunction with the Palms Casino Resort, announced the launch of a revolutionary new professional poker league to serve more than 200 of the world’s top live tournament players. The first of four inaugural tournaments kicks off this August. A complete roster for players that have qualified for Season 1 of the league can be found on the FS+G website.

The four professional league main events will feature different formats of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, including six-handed play, a heads-up tournament with an innovative seeding structure and a special multi-format tournament to round out the season.  Each event week will include a Pro-Am event, a charity tournament, and a $20,000 buy-in rake-free main event.

2011 Heartland Season VII Tour Schedule

for more information see: http://www.federatedinc.com