Antonio De La Cruz Won His First Trophy, But Not the One He Wanted

2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 21
$400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  171
Prize Pool:  $41,040
Bounty Prize Pool:  $17,100
January 19, 2020

Event 21 Champion Antonio De La Cruz
Event 21 Champion Antonio De La Cruz

Antonio De La Cruz entered the $3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship, but didn’t make it to Day 2, which played out in the tournament area on Sunday. That freed up De La Cruz to enter Event 21 ($400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty), and he ended up winning that event to earn more money than any of the players who busted on Day 2 of the championship.

It’s also the first trophy of De La Cruz’s poker career.

“It’s nice,” said De La Cruz. “So many tournaments you final table, and you try so hard to win. I’ve been so close so many times, so I’m happy to win one.” Then De La Cruz pointed to the area where final 54 players in the championship event bagged up just an hour or two earlier. “I just wish it was that one.”

After the elimination of Jason Nablo in third place, De La Cruz had more than a 2-to-1 chip lead over Yulia Lisichkina (2,305,000 to 1,115,000). After a brief negotiation, De La Cruz and Lisichkina agreed to an ICM deal to split the remainder of the prizepool.

“Yulia was a really good player,” said De La Cruz. “I watched her play a lot during this tournament, and she played almost flawlessly. I really wanted to be heads-up with Nablo rather than her.”


Final Table Results:

1st:  Antonio De La Cruz  –  $9,598* + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  Yulia Lisichkina  –  $8,327*
3rd:  Jason Nablo  –  $4,209
4th:  Christopher Wilson  –  $2,561
5th:  David Howard  –  $1,976
6th:  Stephen Vecchio  –  $1,637
7th:  Oleksandr Vikhtiuk  –  $1,416
8th:  Solange Lucas  –  $1,239
9th:  Michael Hoch  –  $1,079

* Indicates a heads-up deal.

Event 21: Final Table Begins with Antonio De La Cruz in the Lead

$400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | StructurePayouts
Level 20:  5,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 171

The final nine players have drawn for random seats at the final table, and they will play down to a winner tonight. Here are their updated chip counts, followed by the payouts:

Seat 1.  David A. Howard  –  525,000  (35 bb)
Seat 2.  Solange Lucas  –  95,000  (6 bb)
Seat 3.  Antonio De La Cruz  –  750,000  (50 bb)
Seat 4.  Stephen Vecchio  –  170,000  (11 bb)
Seat 5.  Christopher Wilson  –  580,000  (39 bb)
Seat 6.  Jason Nablo  –  730,000  (49 bb)
Seat 7.  Oleksandr Vikhtiuk  –  235,000  (16 bb)
Seat 8.  Michael Hoch  –  50,000  (3 bb)
Seat 9.  Yulia Lisichkina  –  465,000  (31 bb)

1st:  $10,788 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  $7,137
3rd:  $4,209
4th:  $2,561
5th:  $1,976
6th:  $1,637
7th:  $1,416
8th:  $1,239
9th:  $1,079

10th:  Mark Cannon  –  $919
11th:  Jaime Campos  –  $919
12th:  Bret Bowman  –  $919
13th:  Christopher Funari  –  $778
14th:  Howard Schrager  –  $778
15th:  Larry Dean  –  $778
16th:  Michael Rosenberg  –  $646
17th:  Eric Halpern  –  $646
18th:  Michael Lerner  –  $646
19th:  Richard Chouinard  –  $523
20th:  Eddie Turner  –  $523
21st:  Gentry Hover  –  $523
22nd:  Franklin Lacava  –  $400

Event 21: Prize Pool and Payouts with $10K to the Black Chip Champ

$400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | StructurePayouts
Level 9:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Entries:  171

Registration is closed for the $400 Black Chip Bounty game and the tournament drew 171 entries to easily surpass the $50,000 guarantee. They put the normal prize pool at $41,040 with another $17,100 up for grabs in the form of bounties.

The last 22 players will make the money with a min-cash worth $400 and the winner will take home $10,788.

2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 21
$400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  171
Prize Pool:  $41,040
Bounty Prize Pool:  $17,100
January 19, 2020

1st: $10,788 + LHPO Trophy
2nd: $7,137
3rd: $4,209
4th: $2,561
5th: $1,976
6th: $1,637
7th: $1,416
8th: $1,239
9th: $1,079
10th-12th: $919
13th-15th: $778
16th-18th: $646
19th-21st: $523
22nd: $400

Event 21: Sunday Bounties

$400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1:  100/100

Seminole Hard Rock Logo

With the Championship moving forward, we are rolling out more tournaments over the last few days of the series including three new runs today. Event 21 kicks off at noon and is a $400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty with a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool and $100 bounties.

They’ll sit down to 20,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 4:30 pm with a dinner break at 6:30 pm. Since this is a one-day tournament, another LHPO trophy will be awarded later this evening.

  • $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 21 Structure Sheet

LHPO Day 11 Schedule

Primary Event Schedule

12PM: Day 2 – $3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship

12PM: Event 21 – $400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)

  • $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 21 Structure Sheet

3PM: Event 22 – $1,100 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)

  • $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 22 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

3PM: Event 67 – $140 Satellite into Event 24 (1-in-5)

  • 5 seats guaranteed into $600/$50K GTD LHPO Event 24
  • Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Structure Sheet

6PM: Event 68 – $2,650 High Roller Satellite (1-in-10)

  • 2 seats guaranteed into $1,000,000 GTD LHPO High Roller
  • Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Structure Sheet

10:30PM: Event 69 – $2,625 High Roller Super Turbo Satellite (1-in-10)

  • 1 seat guaranteed into $1,000,000 GTD LHPO High Roller
  • Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 10-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 8
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Structure Sheet

Complete 2020 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open Schedule

Juan Endara Wins His Long-Awaited First Trophy and $37,828 in the Final Event of RRPO

2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 21
$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  1,258
Prize Pool:  $149,760
December 2-4, 2019

Event 21 Champion - Juan Endara
Event 21 Champion Juan Endara

When the final table of the WPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship came to an end Wednesday night, there was still one event waiting to award a trophy — Event 21, $150 No-Limit Hold’em.

This is the kind of event that usually ends in a deal, with a very low buy-in but big prize money and large pay jumps for the final few spots. But there was no deal on this night, and Juan Endara defeated Daniel Le after a lengthy heads-up battle.

“It feels incredible,” said Endara. “I’ve made maybe six final tables, and the best I’ve finished is third place. I’ve gotten sixth a couple times. But this is my first win, and I’m very happy.”

There was a great turnout for this final event, with 1,258 entries in six starting flights over the previous three days, and they created a prizepool worth $149,760. There were 138 players who survived those starting flights to reach Day 2, but only 72 of them would finish in the money.

“It’s a small tournament, a $150 tournament, but you know what? A win is a win,” said Endara. “And it’s nice money. First place is a fantastic return on my money.”

Nice money indeed. Endara won $37,828, which is a 252x return on his $150 buy-in.

When the field got down to five players, there were murmurs about a possible deal, but they died quickly, and then they came up again when it was down to the final three players. But eventual runner-up Daniel Le wanted to keep playing. So they kept playing.

“I know sometimes it makes sense to chop,” said Endara, “and I was considering it, because we were very evenly stacked, and there was high variance. But honestly, I wanted to play.”

Endara was thrilled to win his first trophy in a poker tournament, and was particularly proud that he won it outright, with no deal. And it was his first time playing heads-up in a live tournament.

“I’ve played heads-up online,” said Endara, “but it’s not the same. I think I played well. I made two mistakes — I’m sure I made a lot more, but two that I know of for sure — but I think I played well overall.”

Endara lives in Miami, and has been coming to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood for about eight years.

“I love the staff,” said Endara. “Honestly, they’re the best around the country. I’ve played up in Atlantic City, I’ve played in Vegas, I’ve played in L.A., and these guys are top notch. Everything about the Seminole Hard Rock is just the best.”


Final Table Results:

1st:  Juan Endara  –  $37,828 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  Daniel Le  –  $21,940
3rd:  William Jennings  –  $14,377
4th:  Salvatore Sollecito  –  $9,660
5th:  Ross Lebo  –  $6,739
6th:  Michael Tait  –  $5,242
7th:  Jose Avila  –  $4,044
8th:  Brooks Long  –  $2,995
9th:  Alcides Gomez  –  $2,097

Event 21: Juan Endara Wins Outright in a Heads-Up Battle Against Daniel Le

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 1,248

Juan Endara
Juan Endara

With the final board showing Ad5h3dQhKh on the river and more than 2.5 million already in the pot, Juan Endara moved all in for about 13 million, dwarfing Daniel Le’s remaining stack of 2,825,000.

Le tanked for a very long time before he called with Kc6c for a rivered pair of kings, but Endara turned over 5d3s to win the pot — and the final RRPO trophy of this series — with a flopped two pair, fives and threes.

Stay tuned for a recap from this final event of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open.

1st:  Juan Endara  –  $37,828 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  Daniel Le  –  $21,940
3rd:  William Jennings  –  $14,377
4th:  Salvatore Sollecito  –  $9,660
5th:  Ross Lebo  –  $6,739
6th:  Michael Tait  –  $5,242
7th:  Jose Avila  –  $4,044
8th:  Brooks Long  –  $2,995
9th:  Alcides Gomez  –  $2,097

Daniel Le
Daniel Le

Event 21: Juan Endara Doubles Thru Daniel Le to Take the Lead

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 1,248

Juan Endara
Juan Endara

After a flop of 9d5h3h with 2.1 million already in the pot, Juan Endara checked, Daniel Le bet 525,000, and Endara thought for a while before he check-raised to 1,500,000.

Le took a moment or two to think before moving all in, and Endara stood up and took a deep breath before he said, “I call.”

Le said, “I have a five,” as he showed 5d4s for a pair of fives, and Endara turned over 10s9c for a pair of nines. Endara needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The turn card was the 8s, the river card was the 7c, and Endara won the pot with his pair of nines to double up into the chip lead.

Juan Endara  –  13,650,000  (34 bb)
Daniel Le  –  5,050,000  (13 bb)

Here are the payouts they’re playing for:

1st:  $37,828 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $21,940

Event 21: Daniel Le Takes the Heads-Up Lead at the Break

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35: 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 1,248

Daniel Le - Heads Up
Daniel Le – Heads Up

Daniel Le raised to 625,000, and Juan Endara called. The flop came KdQd2c, Endara checked, Le bet 525,000, and Endara called.

The turn card was the Ad, and both players checked.

The river card paired the board with the As, Endara checked, Le bet 1,450,000, and Endara tanked for a while before he called. Le showed Ac6s to win the pot with trip aces, and Endara mucked. Le won the pot to nearly tie things up.

Daniel Le  –  8,900,000  (30 bb)
Juan Endara  –  9,800,000  (33 bb)

A few minutes later, in the last hand of Level 34, Juan Endara raised to 850,000, Daniel Le reraised to 2,850,000, and Endara went into the tank for a very long time.

After a while, Endara said, “It’s a flip. A flip situation.”

Eventually, Endara folded, and Le took the pot — and the chip lead. Here are the official chip counts from the break, followed by the remaining payouts:

Daniel Le  –  10,125,000  (25 bb)
Juan Endara  –  8,575,000  (21 bb)

1st:  $37,828 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $21,940

Event 21: Juan Endara Doubles Thru Daniel Le

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 33: 125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 1,248

Juan Endara
Juan Endara

With the board showing 7h5d4d8h on the turn, Daniel Le checked, Juan Endara bet 1,075,000, and Le tanked for a while before he moved all in.

Endara snap-called all in for 4,250,000 with 6c4c for an eight-high straight, and Le turned over Jh5s for a pair of fives.

Le was drawing dead, and the meaningless river card was the 5c, giving him trips that were still not enough. Endara won the pot with his straight to double up in chips.

Juan Endara  –  11,800,000  (47 bb)
Daniel Le  –  6,900,000  (28 bb)