2019 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 3
$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Entries:  59
Prize Pool:  $17,700
January 11, 2019

Two days ago, Adam Walter had never won a poker tournament, and he had never been to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. He is a cash game player, and says his main game is Omaha 8 or Better. “I don’t play a lot of tournaments.”

Well, he may want to start playing more tournaments, because Walter just won back-to-back events on the first two days of the Lucky Hearts Poker Open, winning Event 2 ($360 Limit Omaha 8) last night, and adding a second trophy this evening by winning Event 3 ($360 H.O.R.S.E.).

The $13,698 that Walter has won over the past two days is more than quintuple his career tournament earnings before this ($2,675).

Walter was reluctant to praise himself too much after this victory, saying, “I’m a pretty good limit player, and I’ve just been lucky and getting good cards.”

Walter was second in chips when the final table began with nine players, but it didn’t take him long to take the lead, as he scored the first three knockouts, and six of the final eight eliminations on his path to victory.

When he flew down to South Florida from Ohio on Wednesday (to avoid the 20-degree weather), he planned to play poker for three days, but his plans for Saturday changed when he heard from an old friend in the area. “I’m going to meet up with my college roommate who I hadn’t seen in 25 years.”

While Walter is passing up a shot at winning his third straight tournament in order to catch up with an old friend, you can expect to see him at future tournaments here at the Seminole Hard Rock. “I’ll definitely come back, because it’s so close,” Walter said, referring to the relatively quick non-stop flight from Cincinnati. “The tournaments were well run, and everyone has been really friendly.”

The final eight players finished in the money, and here are the results:

1st:  Adam Walter  –  $5,790 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Adam Zeltser  –  $3,860
3rd:  Phil Hui  –  $2,570
4th:  Dale Phillips  –  $1,785
5th:  Cory Zeidman  –  $1,295
6th:  James Gunter  –  $980
7th:  Michael Barry  –  $775
8th:  Michael Dreese  –  $645

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 12,000/24,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 1 of 59

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    

During the Stud round, Adam Walter was dealt a pair of fours on fourth street, against Adam Zeltser’s seven-five. With a pair showing, Walter was able to double the bet to 24,000 (and he did), and Zeltser called.

There was about 70K in the pot as the dealer gave them their fifth cards.

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    

On fifth street, Walter again bet 24,000, and Zeltser called.

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    

On sixth street, Walter picked up a third club to go with his pair, and Zeltser’s board wasn’t looking great, and he was getting dangerously low on chips. Walter checked, and Zeltser checked behind.

Adam Walter:      
Adam Zeltser:      

On seventh street, Walter bet 24,000, and Zeltser called. Walter turned over his hand to show that he rivered a seven-high straight:

Adam Walter:      

Zeltser mucked, leaving himself just 42,000 in chips.

Adam Walter  –  666,000  (28 BB)
Adam Zeltser  –  42,000  (2 BB)

The next hand (still Stud), Zeltser got it all in on third street, and these were their hands:

Adam Walter:    [xxx][xxx][xxx]  
Adam Zeltser:    [xxx][xxx][xxx]  

Zeltser had split tens to Walter’s three clubs, and Zeltser needed to win this hand to stay alive. The dealer gave them the rest of their cards:

Adam Walter:      
Adam Zeltser:      

On sixth street, Walter made his club flush, and Zeltser hit a second pair to stay alive with outs to a full house.

Adam Walter:      
Adam Zeltser:      

Unfortunately for Zeltser, seventh street gave him a worthless third pair (deuces), and Walter won the pot — and his second Lucky Hearts Poker Open trophy in two days — with an ace-high club flush.

1st:  Adam Walter  –  $5,790 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Adam Zeltser  –  $3,860
3rd:  Phil Hui  –  $2,570
4th:  Dale Phillips  –  $1,785
5th:  Cory Zeidman  –  $1,295
6th:  James Gunter  –  $980
7th:  Michael Barry  –  $775
8th:  Michael Dreese  –  $645

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 8,000/16,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 2 of 59

During the Hold’em round, Phil Hui and chipleader Adam Walter saw a flop of . Hui bet 8,000, and Walter called.

The turn card was the , Phil bet 16,000, leaving himself just 2,000 behind. Walter thought he was all in and said “Call,” rather than putting him all in.

Hui moved all in dark for his final 2,000, and Walter called in the dark.

The river card was the , and Walter turned over for a rivered two pair, queens and sixes. (Walter had flopped a gutshot straight-flush draw.)

Hui showed , but it wasn’t enough, and he was eliminated in third place.

Phil Hui  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($2,570)

And these were the approximate chip counts before heads-up play:

Adam Walter  –  460,000  (29 BB)
Adam Zeltser  –  240,000  (15 BB)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 6,000/12,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 3 of 59

During the Stud Hi-Lo round, there were three players still in the hand on fourth street:

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    
Dale Phillips:    

Dale Phillips was all in for 15,000 on fourth street, up against Adam Zeltser and chipleader Adam Walter. Any further betting would create a side pot between Zeltser and Walter.

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    
Dale Phillips:    

On fifth street, Phillips had the visible lead with K-10 high, but since he was all in, the action was on Zeltser with his K-4 high. Zeltser checked, Walter bet 12,000, and Zeltser called, creating a side pot.

Adam Walter:    
Adam Zeltser:    
Dale Phillips:    

Zeltser improved to a pair of kings on sixth street, while Walter picked up a third club and Phillips picked up a third diamond. Zeltser bet 12,000, and Walter folded. Zeltser took the side pot worth 24K.

The dealer dealt seventh street to Zeltser and Phillips, and they turned over their hands:

Adam Zeltser:      
Dale Phillips:      

Neither player made a qualifying low, and Phillips rivered a pair of sixes. But it was much too little, much too late, and Zeltser won the pot with two pair, kings and threes, to eliminate Phillips in fourth place.

Adam Zeltser  –  275,000  (23 BB)
Dale Phillips  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($1,785)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 6,000/12,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 4 of 59

During the Razz round, Adam Walter bet his hand on sixth street, and Cory Zeidman thought for a few moments before calling all in.

These were their hands on sixth street:

Adam Walter:      (8-6 low)
Cory Zeidman:      (10-7 low)

Zeidman needed to catch an ace, a three, or a five — without Walter improving — to stay alive.

Adam Walter:      
Cory Zeidman:      

The nine for Zeidman on the river improved his hand slightly to a 9-7 low, but it wasn’t enough. Walter won the pot with his 8-6 low to eliminate Zeidman in fifth place.

Adam Walter  –  360,000  (30 BB)
Cory Zeidman  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($1,295)

Adam Walter, who won Event 2 last night, has now eliminated four of the five players who have busted since the final table began.

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 5,000/10,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 5 of 59

During the Razz round, James Gunter got it all in on sixth street while he was drawing to a wheel against the 10-low of Cory Zeidman.

But Gunter missed his wheel by pairing his queen, and Zeidman won the pot to eliminate Gunter in sixth place.

Cory Zeidman  –  45,000  (5 BB)
James Gunter  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($980)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 5,000/10,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 6 of 59

During the Razz round, Michael Barry got it all in on fifth street with a 10-8 low, but he would need a lot of help to catch up to Adam Walter’s 7-6 low.

Adam Walter:    
Michael Barry:    

6th Street:  Both players made a pair, and at this point, Barry was drawing dead.

Here were their final hands:

Adam Walter:      
Michael Barry:      

Walter won the pot with his 7-6 low to eliminate Barry in seventh place.

Adam Walter  –  265,000  (27 BB)
Michael Barry  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($775)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 5,000/10,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 7 of 59

During the Omaha-8 round, Michael Dreese got it all in against Adam Walter after a flop of , and they turned over their cards:

Adam Walter:    (gutshot straight draw)
Michael Dreese:    (pair of tens)

The turn card was the , the river card paired the board with the , and Walter caught running threes to win the top with trips and eliminate Dreese in eighth place.

Adam Walter  –  280,000  (28 BB)
Michael Dreese  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($645)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 15: 4,000/8,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 8 of 59

During the Stud Hi-Lo round, Mark Robinson was all in on third street against Dale Phillips and Adam Walter, who continued the hand all the way thru seventh street.

Dale Phillips:      
Adam Walter:      
Mark Robinson:      

4th Street:  Phillips bet 4,000 with his pair of aces, Walter raised to 8,000, and Phillips called.

5th Street:  Phillips checked, Walter bet 4,000, and Phillips called.

6th Street:  Phillips checked, Walter bet 8,000, and Phillips called.

7th Street:  Phillips checked, Walter bet 8,000, and Phillips called.

At that point, all three players turned over their holecards:

Dale Phillips:        (trip aces, no low)
Adam Walter:        (eight-high straight, 7-6 low)
Mark Robinson:        (two pair, no low)

Walter scooped the entire pot with his straight and the only qualifying low hand to eliminate Robinson in ninth place.

Adam Walter  –  255,000  (32 BB)
Dale Phillips  –  30,000  (4 BB)
Mark Robinson  –  Eliminated

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 15: 4,000/8,000 Limits
Players Remaining: 9 of 59

The field in the $360 H.O.R.S.E. event got down to the final nine players less than 10 minutes before a color-up break, and nobody busted in that time. Here is the official lineup for the final table coming back from that break to begin Level 15:

Seat 1.  Phil Hui  –  41,500  (5 BB)
Seat 2.  Dale Phillips  –  83,000  (10 BB)
Seat 3.  Michael Dreese  –  41,000  (5 BB)
Seat 4.  Adam Zeltser  –  176,000  (22 BB)
Seat 5.  Mark Robinson  –  29,000  (4 BB)
Seat 6.  Cory Zeidman  –  102,000  (13 BB)
Seat 7.  James Gunter  –  43,500  (5 BB)
Seat 8.  Michael Barry  –  27,000  (3 BB)
Seat 9.  Adam Walter  –  125,000  (16 BB)

Adam Zeltser leads with 176K, followed by last night’s Event 2 winner Adam Walter, who has 125,000. Michael Dreese is also here, after finishing slightly behind Walter last night in third place.

With nine players remaining, only the final eight will finish in the money. Here is the prizepool:

1st:  $5,790 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  $3,860
3rd:  $2,570
4th:  $1,785
5th:  $1,295
6th:  $980
7th:  $775
8th:  $645