Tom West has won the Heartland Poker Tour Main Event in Thunder Valley after overcoming a relatively inexperienced final table in California.

For Tom West, the fifth tour stop of the freshest Heartland Poker Tour (HPT) season to date was all about redemption.

At the turn of the year West experienced equal measures of pain and pleasure finishing third in the HPT Main Event in Thunder Valley. He picked up $64,676 for that finish. Nick Shkolnik took the first prize of $159,599.

Victory means the $154,590 that West took home to his family is the largest score of his career. His previous best was $126,925 secured when he finished runner-up to Michael Woo in a 2007 LA Poker Classic side event that brought players into the fold in their droves. He also has two World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event cashes to his name.