2017 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event 9
$150 No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 1,239
Prize Pool: $148,680
January 22 – 25, 2016

Event 9 was the last multi-day tournament on the 2017 Seminole Lucky Hearts Poker Open schedule and the small buy-in/big prize pool tournament brought out a lot of players. There were more than 1,200 entries in the game but it was Jordan Meltzer topping them all to take home the big prize and the LHPO trophy.

Event 9 helped close out the series with a $150 buy-in tournament with a big $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. There were six starting flights and they combined for 1,239 entries to put the prize pool up to $148,680. A huge increase on the guarantee. The last 72 players earned a piece but they would have to work for it after the opening flights.

Only 119 players survived for a shot at glory on Day 2. They joined together in the ballroom and quickly played down to the bubble in 90 minutes. Even after Afir Amirali put them in the money, they still didn’t slow down and were down to 22 players on dinner break.

Those players were relocated to The Poker Room to play it out and that is when Meltzer took command of the tournament. He was third in chips at a talented ten-handed final table and did a lot of work to get it shorter by knocking out several players.

Meltzer eliminated Bill Farnan in fourth place to hold more than 70% of the chips with three remaining. They quickly came to an agreement to chop up the rest of the prize pool with former SHRP champions Nicholas Mahabee and Franki Flowers taking home $20,000 each and Meltzer taking the remaining $33,620.

As Meltzer was processing the win and getting ready for his winner’s photo, he requested to take the picture with a pair of jacks. That was the favorite hand of his friend Jonathan “theSauceMkr” Abla who recently passed and Meltzer dedicated this win to him.

“I’ve been trying to win one for him ever since,” Meltzer commented. “I’m just really glad I could do it.”

Meltzer added to his $160,000 in career earnings, but in the end, all he wanted to do was to remember his friend who’s no longer here.

Congrats to Jordan for setting a goal and finishing it out to close the series. It was a great way to end the latest Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open and we crowned a very deserving champion.

Final table results:

1st: Jordan Weltzer – $33,620
2nd: Nicholas Mahabee – $20,000
3rd: Frankie Flowers – $20,000
4th: Bill Farnan – $9,590
5th: Voitto Rintala – $6,691
6th: Homero Molina – $5,204
7th: Andrew Thompson – $4,014
8th: Mark Nahama – $2,974
9th: Marcelo Bellizzi – $2,082

• Download: Event 9 Complete Results (PDF)