$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Entries:  383

After a flop of , Marvin Rettenmaier was short stacked and all in under the gun with (seven high), and he needed to improve to stay alive against the (eight high) of Jerry Wong in the big blind.

The turn card was the , and the river card was the . Rettenmaier spiked a six on the river to stay alive and double up in chips.

Marvin Rettenmaier  –  5,500  (11 bb)
Jerry Wong  –  115,000  (230 bb)

The next hand, Patrick Serda raised under the gun to 1,200, Athanasios Polychronopoulos moved all in from middle position for about 10,000, and Ami Alibay called from the hijack. Marvin Rettenmaier called all in from the big blind for 5,000, and Serda folded.

These were their cards in descending order of chip counts:

Ami Alibay:  
Athanasios Polychronopoulos:  
Marvin Rettenmaier:  

The board came — Polychronopoulos turned a gutshot straight draw, but that was as close as anyone go to Alibay, who flopped a set of kings. Alibay knocked out both players just a few minutes before the dinner break.

Ami Alibay  –  80,000  (160 bb)
Athanasios Polychronopoulos  –  Eliminated
Marvin Rettenmaier  –  Eliminated

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after this level (in just a few minutes), and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (about 9:15 pm). Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Entries:  380

After a flop of , Cord Garcia (UTG) and the player in the cutoff put in 2,400 each, and a third player folds from one of the blinds.

The turn card was the , Garcia checked, the cutoff bet 4,700, and Garcia check-raised to 11,200. The player in the cutoff moved all in, and Garcia snap-called all in for 38,600 with for trip trees.

The cutoff turned over , and Garcia needed to avoid a queen on the river to stay alive.

The river card was the , and Garcia won the pot with his trip threes to double up in chips.

Cord Garcia  –  85,000  (170 bb)

At another table, Jonathan Jaffe raised from the hijack to 1,100, the player in the cutoff reraised to 3,100, and Anton Wigg cold-four-bet it from the button to 8,000.

Jaffe folded, and the player in the cutoff thought for a while before he folded as well. Wigg took the pot to reach 68K.

Anton Wigg  –  68,000  (136 bb)

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after this level (about 5:30 pm), and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (about 9:15 pm). Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries:  363

Mark Dube called his opponents all in for 7,000 with and was up against .

The board ran out and Dube, who just recently won the $400 Deep Stack Event, scored the knockout.

Mark Dube – 70,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries:  351

A player limped under the gun for 400, the UTG+1 player limped for 400, and Mike Chiappetta raised from middle position to 1,600. The small blind called, the big blind called, and the UTG player moved all in for 7,100.

Everyone folded except for Chiappetta and the player in the big blind, who both called. Any further betting would create a side pot.

The flop came , the big blind checked, Chiappetta bet 5,000, and the big blind folded.

The UTG player showed for a gutshot straight draw, and he needs to improve to stay alive against Chiappetta’s (two pair, queens and eights).

The turn card was the , and Chiappetta clinched the pot with a full house. The meaningless river card was the , and the UTG player was eliminated.

Mike Chiappetta  –  83,000  (208 bb)

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6 (about 5:30 pm), and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (about 9:15 pm). Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries:  342

Matt Waxman opens to 900, Roman Korenev who finished in fourth place for $194,605 in the past November’s WPT Seminole Rock n Roll Poker Open, called from late position, as does Mike Sowers.

All three players checked the flop. The turn brought the , and Waxman bet 1,600 winning himself the pot.

Matt Waxman – 53,000
Roman Korenev – 80,000
Mike Sowers – 52,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries:  335

The players return from break to begin Level 5, with increased blinds of 200-400 and a 400 ante.

A scan of the field during the break turned up five players with at least 130K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Michael Newman  –  151,100  (378 bb)
T2.  Zachary Caspe  –  146,200  (366 bb)
T2.  Alan Schein  –  146,200  (366 bb)
4.  Kenneth Frey  –  134,200  (336 bb)
5.  Darren Elias  –  132,800  (332 bb)

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6 (about 5:30 pm), and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (about 9:15 pm). Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries:  319

In a battle of the blinds on a flop of , Curt Kohlberg checks to Brock Wilson who bets 2,000 into a pot of 1,900.  Kohlberg calls.

Both players checked the on the turn. The river brought the , Kohlberg checked and Wilson bet 5,200.

Kohlberg thought about it awhile before calling. Wilson tabled but was no good against Kohlberg’s .

Curt Kohlberg – 135,000
Brock Wilson – 30,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries:  319

After a flop of with about 8,000 already in the pot, Larry Lipman checked the big blind, and 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown winner Eric Afriat bet 2,000 from under the gun.

Fred Goldberg raised from middle position to 6,000, and Lipman folded. Afriat reraised to 13,000, and Goldberg tanked for a while before moving all in for about 40,000.

Now it was Afriat’s turn in the tank, and he asked Goldberg if he was on his first bullet. “Second,” said Goldberg. They briefly discussed the re-entry rules, because Afriat thought players were only allowed two entries per day, but this event has unlimited re-entries until registration closes around 9:15 pm.

Goldberg said, “Show me when you muck, and I’ll show you what I have.”

“I know what you have,” said Afriat.

Goldberg asked, “What do you think I have?”

“Ace-seven of diamonds,” said Afriat.

Goldberg laughed. “With a 2,500 raise?”

Eventually, Afriat folded, and Goldberg showed his cards anyway — for a gutshot Royal Flush draw. Goldberg took the pot to reach about 62K.

Fred Goldberg  –  62,000  (207 bb)
Eric Afriat  –  30,000  (100 bb)

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6 (about 5:30 pm), and registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the start of Level 9 (about 9:15 pm). Action will continue tonight until the end of Level 10, around 11:15 pm.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4:  200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries: 308

On a final board reading Joey Couden bet 15,000 into a pot of around 20,000 from late position.

Action is on WPTDeepstacks Champion Michael Tureneic who went into the tank for a few minutes. Tureneic eventually called and Couden tabled the winning two pair.

Joey Couden – 95,000
Michael Tureneic – 25,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3:  100/200 with a 200 ante
Entries: 298

A player opened from middle position and Maria Ho three-bet to 1,800 from late position. The big blind called as did middle position. The big blind checked in the dark.

The flop came , middle position checked, and Ho bet 1,500. Both of her opponents fold and Ho adds to her big stack.

Maria Ho – 100,000