$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 150/300 with a 50 ante
Flight A Entries: 402

Harrison Gimbel and Dean Baranowski were heads-up on a flop. Gimbel checked from the big blind, and Baranowski bet 1,300. Gimbel check-raised all in for 12,150, and Baranowski instantly called to put him at risk.

Gimbel:
Baranowski:

Baranowski had flopped the nuts, leaving Gimbel dead to a runner-runner straight flush. “Hey, I have outs!” he found the silver lining.

The turn and river completed the board, sending Gimbel to the rail.

Dean Baranowski – 55,000
Harrison Gimbel – Eliminated

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 150/300 with a 50 ante
Flight A Entries: 401

The entry count jumped over 400 after the second break and the $2,000,000 Guarantee is within easy reach early tomorrow.

Jason Mercier is one of those to grab a seat over the last few levels and he’s in a good mood. The new poppa is reducing his poker schedule, along with skipping the $50,000 Super High Roller to spend time with his son, but he came out today for the big field, major tournament.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 150/300 with a 50 ante
Flight A Entries: 376

Loni Harwood opened to 800 in middle position, and the player in the cutoff three-bet to 2,600. On the button, Scott Clements cold four-bet to 7,500, and Harwood moved all in for 33,725 total. The cutoff folded, but Clements quickly called to put Harwood at risk.

Harwood:
Clements:

The flop was safe for Clements, but the on the turn pulled Harwood into the lead with one to come. The river was the blank , and Harwood doubled up with a set of queens.

Clements was parted with about 90 percent of his stack as he paid off the debt.

Loni Harwood – 70,700
Scott Clements – 3,925

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 150/300 with a 50 ante
Flight A Entries: 376

The second break is complete and the entry count is climbing towards 400 with registration open until 10:15 pm.

Faton Marke moved to the top of the counts with more than 100,000 from 30,000 over four hours. Former SHRP champ Brett Bader sits in second followed by Michael Russo, David Liu, and 2015 WPT LHPO champ Brian Altman.

Top ten stacks:

1. Faton Marke – 114,000 (380 bb)
2. Brett Bader – 95,600 (319 bb)
3. Michael Russo – 93,725 (312 bb)
4. David Liu – 90,000 (300 bb)
5. Brian Altman – 87,000 (290 bb)
6. David Farber – 86,000 (287 bb)
7. Keith Morrow – 83,000 (277 bb)
8. John Spadavecchia – 82,250 (274 bb)
9. Joel Harwood – 76,825 (256 bb)
10. Staffan Lind – 75,150 (251 bb)

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 150/300 with a 50 ante
Flight A Entries: 376

Ray Qartomy opened to 1,050 in early position, and Darren Elias three-bet to 3,000 on the button. Mario James called in the small blind, but Erik Seidel wanted to play for more in the big. He four-bet to 15,300, leaving just 1,675 behind. Qartomy and Elias quickly folded, but James re-raised enough to set Seidel all in.

James:
Seidel: [JKs]

The board ran out in James’ favor, coming . He won the pot with jacks up to eliminate Seidel.

Mario James – 48,000
Erik Seidel – Eliminated

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 100/200 with a 25 ante
Flight A Entries: 376

Flight A players are taking their second break of the day with a very healthy 376 entries showing on the clock. Well on the way to hitting the $2,000,000 Guarantee later tomorrow.

Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel is one of the latest to get in the game and looking for his second career WPT title. Most of his big scores are courtesy of his eight WSOP bracelets and legendary status in High Roller events. Seidel sits in second on the all-time poker earnings list, only Daniel Negreanu has more and that might not last too long.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 100/200 with a 25 ante
Flight A Entries: 362

There’s no such thing as an easy table in this field, but a few of them are particularly difficult places to operate this afternoon.

Table 70 is the winner of the informal “toughest table” poll among the reporters and staff. Have a look at the lineup over there:

Seat 1: Michael Laake
Seat 2: Aaron Massey
Seat 3: Brian Altman
Seat 4: Scott Davies
Seat 5: Mukul Pahuja
Seat 6: –empty–
Seat 7: Brad Albrinck
Seat 8: –empty–
Seat 9: Maria Ho

Altman and Albrinck are the two big stacks over there, each working toward 100,000. Ho’s count is the leanest of the bunch, under half a starting stack.

As we type, Seat 6 has been filled. And it hasn’t made things any easier. The new neighbor is Nick Petrangelo, currently the 10th-ranked player in the world according to GPI.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 100/200 with a 25 ante
Flight A Entries: 358

South Florida poker legend Ari Engel has been on a nice hot streak over the last few months, adding to his already impressive list of accomplishments that includes eight WSOP Circuit rings.

Since November, Engel made the SHR Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship final table, won a Heartland Poker Tour event in St. Louis. and had a deep run in the PCA High Roller before flying back to South Florida.

He’s been here for a few days and immediately booked a win in the $1,100/$100,000 Guarantee Event 13 two days ago then followed that up with a ninth-place finish in the $2,200/$200,000 Guarantee Event 14 last night.

Good luck to his table today.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 ante
Flight A Entries: 344

Joining the action on the turn, the board showed and there was just over 25,000 in the pot.

In three-way action, Neil Blumenfield checked from the small blind. The player under the gun bet 6,500, and Justin Bonomo moved all in for 10,125 next to act. Blumenfield pondered for a long while before folding, and the bettor quickly called to put Bonomo at risk.

UTG:
Bonomo:

Bonomo needed to fade a jack or a trey to survive, and he did. The river was the , giving him a double-up with a pair of queens.

Justin Bonomo – 46,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 ante
Flight A Entries: 344

The field continues to climb and we’re seeing more regular faces join the crowd of big names.

The last major series of 2017 saw SHRP regular Michael Newman capture the Rock ‘N’ Roller Poker Open Championship in November. He earned nearly $375,000 for the win over a tough final table that included Sheddy Siddiqui, Darryll Fish, Tom Marchese, Ari Engel, and Matas Cimbolas.

The win also pushed Newman to the top of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year standings. The POY is a race that will award a prize package worth more than $25,000 and ends after the 2018 SHRPO Championship.