2019 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  338
Prize Pool:  $169,000
January 15, 2019

David Prociak outlasted a field of 338 entries and a roller-coaster of a final table to win the $570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em event, earning $33,035 for the title.

Prociak entered this tournament with about $970K in career live tournament earnings, and by winning this event, he officially crossed the $1 million mark.

When the final seven players advanced to the final table, Prociak had the big stack (83 big blinds), but it wasn’t an easy path to the winner’s circle.

There were a couple of bustouts early, and then the final four players battled for nearly two hours, with all four players contending for the chip lead and the short stack at some point.

“I would lose some hands, but I’d always claw back and just accumulate slowly, which was kind of the theme for me at this table,” said Prociak. “Just accumulating chips.”

The final table ended around 3:30 am, and when asked to name a key hand, a very tired Prociak said, “I just remember getting it all in with ace-four vs. ace-queen after an ace-deuce-deuce flop, and we chopped it somehow.” It was a deuce on the river that saved Prociak in that hand, giving both players identical full houses to chop the pot.

After Brian Hastings was eliminated in third place, Saber Hamrouni held a roughly 3-to-2 chip lead over Prociak. But it didn’t take long for Prociak to reverse the chip counts by doubling up within the first 10 minutes of heads-up play. The final hand came a short while later, with Prociak’s holding up against Hamrouni’s to end the tournament.

When Prociak was told that this victory gave him more than a million dollars in career live tournament earnings, he said, “Wow, that’s great! that was definitely a goal.”

Final Table Results:

1st:  David Prociak  –  $33,035 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Saber Hamrouni  –  $22,865
3rd:  Brian Hastings  –  $16,085
4th:  Barry Weprin  –  $11,510
5th:  Raffaello Locatelli  –  $8,380
6th:  Uri Kadosh  –  $6,210
7th:  Richard Leger  –  $4,685

Complete Event 9 results

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 338

After a few more hands of heads-up play, Saber Hamrouni got it all in with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against David Prociak’s .

The board came , and Prociak won the pot — and the Lucky Hearts Poker Open trophy — with two pair, sixes and deuces.

Stay tuned for a final table recap, to be posted later tonight.

1st:  David Prociak  –  $33,035 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Saber Hamrouni  –  $22,865
3rd:  Brian Hastings  –  $16,085
4th:  Barry Weprin  –  $11,510
5th:  Raffaello Locatelli  –  $8,380
6th:  Uri Kadosh  –  $6,210
7th:  Richard Leger  –  $4,685

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 338

David Prociak limped from the button, Saber Hamrouni raised from the big blind, and Prociak called.

The flop came , Hamrouni bet 200,000, Prociak moved all in, and Hamrouni called with for a king-high spade flush draw with two overcards.

Prociak turned over for a lower spade flush draw with a pair of threes.

The turn card was the — Hamrouni took the lead with a pair of tens, and Prociak got up, preparing to leave.

The river card was — the .

Prociak rivered trip threes to win the pot and double up into the chip lead.

David Prociak  –  3,350,000  (56 bb)
Saber Hamrouni  –  1,720,000  (29 bb)

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 338

Brian Hastings moved all in from the small blind for about 800,000, and Saber Hamrouni called from the big blind with .

Hastings turned over , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Hamrouni paired his jack on the turn to win the pot and eliminate Hastings in third place.

Brian Hastings  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($16,085)

Here are the approximate chip counts before heads-up play begins:

Saber Hamrouni  –  3,100,000  (52 bb)
David Prociak  –  1,900,000  (32 bb)

Reminder: In heads-up play, the button has the small blind and acts first before the flop.

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 338

David Prociak raised from the button to 150,000, Brian Hastings moved all in from the small blind for 205,000, and Saber Hamrouni asked for an exact count before he called from the big blind. Prociak also called, and any further betting will create a side pot.

Hamrouni and Prociak checked to the river on a board of , and all three players turned over their cards:

Saber Hamrouni:    (queen high)
David Prociak:    (nine-high flush)
Brian Hastings:    (queen-high flush)

Hastings won the pot with his queen-high spade flush to triple up to 675,000.

Brian Hastings  –  675,000  (11 bb)
Saber Hamrouni  –  2,350,000  (39 bb)
David Prociak  –  2,025,000  (34 bb)

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 338

Brian Hastings raised from the button to 120,000, Saber Hamrouni reraised from the small blind to 260,000, and Hastings called.

The flop came , Hamrouni bet 215,000, Hastings moved all in, and Hamrouni called all in for 945,000 with for a pair of jacks.

Hastings turned over for an open-ended straight draw, and Hamrouni needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The turn card paired the board with the , the river was the , and Hamrouni won the pot with two pair, jacks and sevens, to double up in chips.

Saber Hamrouni  –  2,510,000  (50 bb)
Brian Hastings  –  305,000  (6 bb)

One hand later, Level 26 came to an end, and Level 27 began with increased blinds of 30,000-60,000 with a big-blind ante of 60,000. With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.7 million (28 big blinds).

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 338

Saber Hamrouni moved all in from the button for about 900,000, and Barry Weprin called all in from the big blind for about 450,000 with .

Hamrouni turned over , and Weprin needed his jacks to hold to stay alive.

The board came , and Hamrouni paired his four on the flop and his ace on the river to win the pot with two pair, aces and fours, to eliminate Weprin in fourth place.

Saber Hamrouni  –  1,400,000  (28 bb)
Barry Weprin  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($11,510)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.7 million (34 big blinds).

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 338

Brian Hastings raised from the button to 120,000, Saber Hamrouni moved all in from the small blind for 230,000, and Hastings called with .

Hamrouni turned over , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came — Hastings flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned an open-ended straight draw, but Hamrouni rivered a set of fives to win the pot and double up in chips.

Saber Hamrouni  –  560,000  (11 bb)
Brian Hastings  –  1,830,000  (37 bb)

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 338

The players return from break to begin Level 25, with increased blinds of 25,000-50,000, and a big-blind ante of 50,000.

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.27 million (25 big blinds). Here are the official chip counts from the break:

Seat 2.  Saber Hamrouni  –  455,000  (9 bb)
Seat 3.  David Prociak  –  1,830,000  (37 bb)
Seat 5.  Barry Weprin  –  925,000  (19 bb)
Seat 6.  Brian Hastings  –  1,860,000  (37 bb)

$570 Six-Max NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 338

Brian Hastings moved all in from the button for 400,000, and Saber Hamrouni moved all in over the top for 1.6 million with .

Hastings turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Hastings paired his eight on the flop and rivered a full house to win the pot and double up in chips.

Brian Hastings  –  860,000  (29 bb)
Saber Hamrouni  –  1,200,000  (40 bb)

A few minutes later, Level 24 came to an end, and Level 25 began with increased blinds of 20,000-40,000 and a big-blind ante of 40,000. With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1.27 million (32 big blinds).