$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day) $50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante Players Remaining: 3 of 770
Lester Trimino – 4th place
Lester Trimino raised from the button and Kevin Rines called from the small blind.
The flop was and Rines check-called 125,000 from Trimino.
The turn was the , Rines checked and Trimino bet 200,000. Rines check-raised to 450,000, Trimino raised to about 900,000, Rines shoved for 2,730,000 and Trimino called.
Trimino: Rines:
Trimino was on the wrong side of set over set and found no help from the river.
Down to about 70,000, Trimino busted the following hand.
Kevin Rines – 6,200,000 (103 bb) Lester Trimino – Eliminated in 4th Place ($6,040)
2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 26 $2,200 Deep Stack PLO (Re-Entry) Entries: 113 Prize Pool: $226,000 January 26-27, 2021
John Orfanos
Even at the end of the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, events were crushing all expectations for turnout, and Event 26 ($2,200 Deep Stack PLO) was no different. The field size more than tripled from 35 entries a year ago to 113, creating a first prize of $66,671 that was almost equal to last year’s entire prizepool ($70,000).
And it featured a dramatic finish.
Richard Gayler was the shortest stack in the field when there were two tables left, but he bounced back to start the final table as the chipleader, and then knocked out second-in-chips Haim Or Krief to take a massive chip lead with 63% of all the chips in play.
Gayler continued adding to his stack, knocking out four of the five final tablists on his way to getting heads-up against John Orfanos with more than a 12-to-1 chip lead.
But that’s where the story took another dramatic turn.
“I’m super comfortable playing short-stacked. It’s one of my specialties,” said Orfanos, who loves pot-limit Omaha and considers it to be his strongest game. “As long as I have chips, I have a chance.”
Gayler’s momentum screeched to a halt as Orfanos won pot after pot, scoring a few early double-ups from preflop all-ins, and then steadily working his way back to even — and then the chip lead.
The next time they got it all in, Orfanos had more than a 3-to-1 chip lead, and he also had pocket aces () that held up for the victory.
When asked about his comeback, Orfanos said, “It feels awesome to accomplish something like that, when your odds are less than, I’d say, 5-6%. It was amazing.”
“I just want to thank everyone that supports me,” said Orfanos, “and I want to dedicate this to my father who died two years ago.” Orfanos paused for a moment, a bit choked up as he looked toward the heavens. “This is for you, Dad.”
$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day) $50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante Players Remaining: 4 of 770
Mark Nahama – 5th place
Corel Theuma raised all in from the small blind with a covering stack and Mark Nahama called all in from the big blind for about 875,000.
Theuma: Nahama:
The board ran out , giving Theuma a set of treys to eliminate Nahama.
Corel Theuma – 4,600,000 (77 bb) Mark Nahama – Eliminated in 5th Place ($4,555)
$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day) $50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante Players Remaining: 5 of 770
$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day) $50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante Players Remaining: 5 of 770
Sergio Alvez Sandoval – 6th place
Kevin Rines raised to 115,000 from the cutoff, Sergio Alvez Sandoval three-bet all in from the button for 855,000 and Rines called with , leading Sandoval’s .
The flop came , giving Sandoval a flush draw.
However, neither the turn nor the river were of any help, ending Sandoval’s run in sixth place.
Kevin Rines – 2,400,000 (48 bb) Sergio Alvez Sandoval – Eliminated in 6th Place ($3,475)
and Rines check-called 125,000 from Trimino.
, Rines checked and Trimino bet 200,000. Rines check-raised to 450,000, Trimino raised to about 900,000, Rines shoved for 2,730,000 and Trimino called.
river.
, giving Theuma a set of treys to eliminate Nahama.
.
, giving Sandoval a flush draw.
turn nor the 
river were of any help, ending Sandoval’s run in sixth place.