2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$1,000,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 1,573
Prize Pool:  $5,033,600
January 22-26, 2021

The return of a big, live poker series to South Florida was headlined by the 2021 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship. The $3,500 buy-in tournament attracted players from around the country and Ilyas Muradi walked away with the win for $620,000, which includes a seat into the 2021 WPT Baccarat Crystal Tournament of Champions.

“It’s amazing. It’s really amazing. I feel like a million bucks,” said an emotional Muradi after the win. “Anybody’s dream can come true. You just have to work hard and put in the effort. If you want something, you have to go get it. It’s not something you can just get by thinking about it. If you want something, you gotta go get it, and that’s what I did.”

The Championship featured a $1,000,000 guarantee and the incredible turnout of 1,573 entries pushed the prize pool up to $5,033,600. The turnout surpassed all expectations as we brought back live tournament poker in a safe and sound environment.

There were two starting flights with 576 players advancing to Day 2 and only 69 survived for Day 3. That was moving day with players building stacks or getting paid.

SHRP favorite Francis Margaglione stayed in the middle of the pack until late into the evening. His patience paid off and he returned for the final table on Day 4 with the chip lead.

Margaglione was trying to go wire-to-wire while holding the chip lead while Jesse Lonis, Philip Shing, and WPT Champions Club member Andy Hwang crashed out. The four remaining players went on dinner break and that’s where Margaglione’s run began to fail. He sent a double up to Robel Andemichael, lost a huge pot to Ronnie Bardah, and fell in fourth place. The final three players then worked out a deal, leaving $25,000 and the $15,000 entry into the WPT Baccarat Crystal Tournament of Champions left to play for.

Ronnie Bardah ultimately fell in third place. He eventually found himself as the short stack, three-betting all in for 13 big blinds with ace-deuce suited — and he ran into Andemichael’s ace-nine. There was a deuce on the flop to give Bardah hope for a comeback, but a nine on the river sealed his fate, and Bardah was eliminated in third place.

The ensuing heads-up match between Muradi and Andemichael went back and forth for more than two hours, but in the end it was Muradi’s pocket fours that held up against Andemichael’s ace-six.

“I actually came here for small events because my bankroll wasn’t enough to play events like this,” admitted Muradi. “But I got the opportunity because I missed my flight and I came back and played a satellite, and won a seat. In the field were a lot of amazing players. A lot of people that have played most of their lives. I don’t have as much experience as them, but now I’m the winner. This is amazing. This is…oh my God, it makes me about to cry. I still cannot believe I’m sitting here with these trophies.”

Final table results:

1st:  Ilyas Muradi  –  $620,000* (includes a $15,000 entry to the 2021 WPT Baccarat Crystal TOC)
2nd:  Robel Andemichael  –  $545,000*
3rd:  Ronnie Bardah  –  $566,135*
4th: Francis Margaglione – $293,510
5th: Jesse Lonis – $223,895
6th: Philip Shing – $168,990
7th: Andy Hwang – $115,630

*Denotes Three-Way Deal

*Denotes Three-Way Deal