The WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open series is set to wrap up today and we will award our Championship trophy later this evening.

The spotlight event drew 911 entries but only six players remain. They will play it out today in front of the WPT live-streamed cameras and the final table has plenty of talent.

They have combined for nearly $7.5 million in career earnings with Darryll Fish and Andy Frankenberger the two most experienced players. Aleksandr Shevelev is the least experienced but he will enjoy the chip lead to start. Ness Reilly is making her second big final table of the series with SHRP champ Brett Bader and Alan Krockey rounding out the final table six.

Seat 1: Brett Bader
Chip Count – 3,160,000

A regular face in SHRP games, Bader has more than $600,000 in career earnings including two WSOP Circuit wins. He won a 2013 SHRPO Deep Stack event and finished fourth in the opening event of the 2014 SHRPO series for nearly $80,000.

Seat 2: Darryll Fish
Chip Count – 5,920,000

“Fish” is becoming a regular member major SHRP Championship final tables. This is his second straight SHRP Championship final table and third in the last four series. He has $3.2 million in career earnings, a WSOP Circuit Main Event ring, and he won the Aussie Millions Tournament of Champions in 2016.

Seat 3: Alan Krockey
Chip Count – 2,810,000

From Chicago, Krockey is our elder statesman at the final table. He’s been playing poker for 50 years and appeared on two televised final tables on the Heartland Poker Tour. Krockey also has two WSOP Circuit final tables among his nearly $70,000 in career earnings.

Seat 4: Aleksandr Shevelev
Chip Count – 6,960,000

Shevelev comes to the final table with the chip lead and the most traveled of his competitors. Hailing from Siberia, he’s played in our games before and won a Turbo trophy during the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. Shevelev won his entry via a $390 satellite is already guaranteed to bank the biggest cash of his career.

Seat 5: Andy Frankenberger
Chip Count – 2,170,000

Frankenberger is one of the most experienced players at the final table and has more than $3.1 million in career earnings. He owns two WSOP bracelets; one from a 2010 WSOP $1,500 event and the second in the 2012 WSOP $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em Championship. This is Frankenberger’s fourth WPT title and he’s looking for his second WPT title (2010 WPT Legends of Poker Championship).

Seat 6: Ness Reilly
Chip Count – 6,295,000

Reilly is closing out a great run this series. She went deep and made the final table in the opening WPTDeepStacks Lucky Hearts Poker event and finished in eighth place for nearly $30,000. Reilly will be playing on her second live-streamed final table in less than a week and this result will push her career total over $450,000 no matter where she finishes.

Primary Event Schedule

12PM: Final Table – $3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship

• Championship Final Table Counts and Seats
• Championship Payouts

5PM: Event 22 Day 2 – $150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• Event 22 Day 2 Chip Counts
• Event 22 Day 2 Table/Seat Assignments
• Event 22 Payouts

2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 23
$5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries: 117
Prize Pool: $555,750
January 23, 2018

Event 23 of the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open was a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) tournament. A total of 117  entries generated a prize pool of $550,750, more than doubling the $250,000 guarantee. The final table produced a talented bunch and, in the end, it was Ben Tollerene who outlasted them all for an outright win worth $163,944.

For Tollerene, it was his second six-figure score of the day. He finished in third place in Event 20, the $25K High Roller, earlier in the day for $248,438. His scores today also pushed him past the $5.3 million-dollar mark in career live tournament winnings according to the Hendon Mob poker database.

“I completely bricked off PCA (PokerStars Caribbean Adventure), and was down a bunch. I think I won it all back today, so it feels great.”

A regular in the High Roller and Super High Roller scene, Tollerene liked the opportunity to work on his craft in lower stakes. He began the final table as the chip leader, and he navigated his way through to emerge victoriously.

“I focused really hard on this $5K and I’m really proud of that, because it’s not the biggest stakes for me. I tried to work on my game, and it feels great to get rewarded for that.”

Results:
1st: Ben Tollerene – $163,944
2nd: Andrey Plotnikov – $101,424
3rd: Wenhao Ying – $60,577
4th: Ramon Miquel – $38,903
5th: Philip Consolo – $29,455
6th: Olivier Busquet – $24,453
7th: Mark Radoja – $21,119
8th: Pablo Fernandez – $18,618
9th: Ben Yu – $16,395
10th: Victor Figueroa – $14,450
11th:  Armando Balbi –  $14,450
12th: Stephen Chidwick – $14,450
13th: Jeff Trudeau Jr. – $12,504
14th: Lander Lijo – $12,504
15th: Michael Simkins – $12,504

$5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1  of 117

Andrey Plotnikov took the chip lead from Ben Tollerene briefly, but ultimately finished in second place.

On the final hand, Tollerene limped on the button. Plotnitkov raised all in for 722,000 from the big blind, and Tollerene called instantly.

Tollerene:
Plotnikov:

The board came down , giving Tollerene a set of kings to seal the deal.

Plotnikov finished runner-up for $101,424.

$5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2  of 117

Ben Tollerene – 1,100,000 (46 bb)
Andrey Plotnikov – 665,000 (28 bb)

$5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2  of 117

Ben Tollerene raised to 50,000 from the button, and Wenhao Ying called from the big blind.

The flop came down , Ying shoved for 177,000, and Tollerene confirmed the amount before he called.

Ying:
Tollerene:

Both had draws, but Tollerene was in the lead with queen high.

The turn and river changed nothing, ending Ying’s tournament in third place for $60,577.

Wenhao Ying – Eliminated

2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 24
$2,200 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Entries: 67
Prize Pool: $134,000
January 23, 2018

Event 24 of the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open was a $2,200 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry) tournament. A field of 67 entries generated a prize pool of $134,000. Zhen Cai outlasted them all, winning the trophy and the first-place prize of $46,900.

Cai hails from Lakeland, FL and this result marks his second major tournament victory at the Seminole Hard Rock. His first came at the 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, where we won the $240 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo. His win tonight also bumps him past the $260,000 mark in career live tournament winnings according to the Hendon Mob poker database.

Results:
1st: Zhen Cai – $46,900
2nd: Joel Harwood – $26,800
3rd: Farid Dhanani – $16,415
4th: Bradley Ruben – $11,725
5th: Michael Junco – $9,045
6th: Peter Walsworth – $7,035
7th: Jeff Gross – $6,030
8th: Kyle Bowker – $5,360
9th: Ryan McKnight – $4,690

$5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 117

Ben Tollerene – 817,000 (34 bb)
Andrey Plotnikov – 671,000 (28 bb)
Wenhao Ying – 277,000 (11 bb)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 65 of 683
Day 1A: 25 survive from 264
Day 1B: 40 survive from 419

Just 65 players remain from a field of 683 entries in Event 22. Only the top 45 places make the money.

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 65 of 683
Day 1A: 25 survive from 264
Day 1B: 40 survive from 419

Just 65 players remain from a field of 683 entries in Event 22. Only the top 45 places make the money.