It would be easy to consider the The Heartland Poker Tour,  a minor tour.  Heartland Poker Tour events don't cost $10,000 to enter, they aren't always filled with World Champions and they're never held in exotic locations like Monte Carlo or Paris, yet these events created for "real people" according to their own press releases, can now be seen in 90 million homes all across the United States.

The Heartland Poker Tour's grass roots strategy has obviously taken them far since the tour's conception back in 2005 but it seems lately things are really kicking into high gear, with two new high profile sponsors signing on recently to share in the success.

PokerStars.net, the World's largest poker site, is now the title sponsor of the Heartland Poker Tour and will be featured prominently throughout season five broadcasts.

"Our partnership with PokerStars kicks off an exciting new direction for our company," says Heartland Poker Tour President Todd Anderson.  "We are eager to connect with their giant fan base and introduce PokerStars to our loyal viewers and players."

Those loyal Heartland Poker Tour viewers may notice another major change to the broadcast besides the "presented by PokerStars.net" that will appear in the title.  New episodes of the show will now also feature tips from PokerRoad's Daniel Negreanu, as he shares his knowledge of the game while representing Poker VT, his popular online training site and the second major sponsor to sign on with the Heartland Poker Tour in just the last few months.

Story by Mark Anderson