Hundreds of players converged on central Iowa in the US this past week for the Heartland Poker Tour’s Iowa State Poker Championship, held at Meskwaki Bingo Casino Hotel, near the town of Tama, Iowa.

In the end, Donny Carlton, a 23 year old professional poker player and recent University of Iowa graduate, took down the latest HPT championship and won over $85,000. The main event prize pool was $307,280.

“This is awesome,” said Carlton. “Taking down a tournament like this is a great feeling, and I’m glad my friends were here to share it with me.”

Carlton, who plays professionally as a cash game player, has been on the road with his poker buddies the past month competing in various tournaments, including the last three HPT events.