2019 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 3
$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Entries:  59
Prize Pool:  $17,700
January 11, 2019

Two days ago, Adam Walter had never won a poker tournament, and he had never been to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. He is a cash game player, and says his main game is Omaha 8 or Better. “I don’t play a lot of tournaments.”

Well, he may want to start playing more tournaments, because Walter just won back-to-back events on the first two days of the Lucky Hearts Poker Open, winning Event 2 ($360 Limit Omaha 8) last night, and adding a second trophy this evening by winning Event 3 ($360 H.O.R.S.E.).

The $13,698 that Walter has won over the past two days is more than quintuple his career tournament earnings before this ($2,675).

Walter was reluctant to praise himself too much after this victory, saying, “I’m a pretty good limit player, and I’ve just been lucky and getting good cards.”

Walter was second in chips when the final table began with nine players, but it didn’t take him long to take the lead, as he scored the first three knockouts, and six of the final eight eliminations on his path to victory.

When he flew down to South Florida from Ohio on Wednesday (to avoid the 20-degree weather), he planned to play poker for three days, but his plans for Saturday changed when he heard from an old friend in the area. “I’m going to meet up with my college roommate who I hadn’t seen in 25 years.”

While Walter is passing up a shot at winning his third straight tournament in order to catch up with an old friend, you can expect to see him at future tournaments here at the Seminole Hard Rock. “I’ll definitely come back, because it’s so close,” Walter said, referring to the relatively quick non-stop flight from Cincinnati. “The tournaments were well run, and everyone has been really friendly.”

The final eight players finished in the money, and here are the results:

1st:  Adam Walter  –  $5,790 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Adam Zeltser  –  $3,860
3rd:  Phil Hui  –  $2,570
4th:  Dale Phillips  –  $1,785
5th:  Cory Zeidman  –  $1,295
6th:  James Gunter  –  $980
7th:  Michael Barry  –  $775
8th:  Michael Dreese  –  $645