2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 11
$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Entries: 97
Prize Pool:  $32,495
January 19, 2021

When the final table began for Event #11 ($400 Omaha 8/Stud 8), Byron Hubert was the short stack with fewer than two big bets, but he survived long enough to make it heads-up against Joseph Grimes, who started the final table with nearly 10 times as many chips as Hubert.

Even when heads-up play began, Grimes had a 1.8-to-1 chip lead, but it wasn’t until Hubert had taken the chip lead that they agreed to chop the remaining prizepool based on an ICM deal.

As chipleader, Hubert was awarded the trophy and the title, along with $7,903.

Final Results:

* Indicates results of a two-way deal.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  50,000/100,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 97

After about 40 minutes of heads-up play, Byron Hubert and Joseph Grimes agreed to an ICM chop of the remaining prizepool. These were their final chip counts:

Byron Hubert  –  704,000  (7 BB)
Joseph Grimes  –  458,000  (5 BB)

As chipleader, Hubert would be declared the winner and would receive the trophy. Here are the payouts they both agreed to:

1st:  Byron Hubert  –  $7,903 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  Joseph Grimes  –  $7,262

Stay tuned for a recap later tonight.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 97

Brian Gelrod got it all in on third street with against Byron Hubert’s .

The dealer put out the rest of their cards:

Byron Hubert:      
Brian Gelrod:      

Neither player made a qualifying low, and Hubert picked up two pair on fifth street, kings and fours, to win the pot and eliminate Gelrod in third place.

Brian Gelrod  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($4,120)

Here are the updated chip counts for the start of heads-up play:

Joseph Grimes  –  745,000  (12 BB)
Byron Hubert  –  417,000  (7 BB)

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  3 of 97

Daniel Pearlman was eliminated during a Stud-8 hand, getting it all in on third street when he turned over for a pair of tens to the of Joseph Grimes.

But when the boards finished running out, neither player had a qualifying low, and Grimes won the pot with a full house, sixes full of queens, to eliminate Pearlman in fourth place.

Joseph Grimes  –  750,000  (13 BB)
Daniel Pearlman  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($2,900)

With three players left, the average chip stack is about 390,000 (7 Big Bets), and the remaining players are all guaranteed at least $4,120 each.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  25,000/50,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  4 of 97

Andy Edgington raised under the gun to 50,000, Joseph Grimes called from the hijack, Daniel Pearlman called from the small blind, and Brian Gelrod called from the big blind.

The flop came , and Pearlman bet 25,000. Gelrod called, and Edgington called all in for 8,000. Grimes folded. Edgington was all in, while Pearlman and Gelrod had an additional side pot worth 34,000 between them.

The turn card was the , Pearlman bet 50,000, Gelrod raised, and Pearlman called all in for 51,000. All three players turned over their cards:

Byron Hubert:    (wheel)
Brian Gelrod:    (wheel draw)
Andy Edgington:    (drawing dead)

The river card was the , and Hubert scooped the entire pot with his wheel, doubling thru Gelrod and eliminating Edgington in fifth place.

Byron Hubert  –  360,000  (7 BB)
Brian Gelrod  –  180,000  (4 BB)
Andy Edgington  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($2,120)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is about 290,000 (6 Big Bets), and they are guaranteed at least $2,900 each.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  5 of 97

Bryce Fox and Byron Hubert just played a hand all the way to a showdown, and when Fox called Hubert’s bet, he left himself with just 3,000 in his stack.

Byron Hubert:      
Bryce Fox:      

Hubert didn’t have much showing (no pairs and no two-card draws), while Fox had a pair of nines. But then they flipped over their hole cards.

Byron Hubert:      
Bryce Fox:      

On sixth street, Hubert had queen high with a 6-5 low draw and a gutshot straight draw, and the four was a perfect card for him on seventh street, giving him a 6-5 low and a six-high straight to scoop the entire pot.

Meanwhile, Fox never even showed his hole cards as he mucked, surprised that Hubert caught such a lucky card with what he was holding.

Byron Hubert  –  275,000  (9 BB)
Bryce Fox  –  3,000  (0.1 BB)

Fox technically still had chips, though his 3,000 would be immediately put toward the ante in the next hand and he’d be forced all in. But Fox was in no mood to play after his bad beat, and forfeited, asking to be paid out for sixth place.

Fox was directed to the payout desk, but his chips were still live so he was still dealt a hand, and since he was all in, it would be dealt all the way to seventh street — and it was, in a hand against Joseph Grimes.

Fox showed a pair of deuces on his up cards, while Grimes showed a pair of jacks. But since Fox abandoned his seat, he had no chance to win the hand, since his hole cards wouldn’t be revealed, and four cards aren’t enough to make a valid poker hand.

So Fox was technically eliminated on the next hand by Joseph Grimes.

Bryce Fox  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($1,610)

With five players remaining, the average chip stack is about 235,000 (8 Big Bets), and they are guaranteed at least $2,120 each.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  6 of 97

Nick Pupillo was just eliminated during an Omaha-8 hand, with the final board showing .

There were no possible lows, and Andy Edgington showed for an ace-high straight. Pupillo couldn’t beat it, and mucked his cards as he was eliminated in seventh place.

Andy Edgington  –  290,000  (10 BB)
Nick Pupillo  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($1,165)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 195,000 (7 Big Bets), and the remaining players are all guaranteed at least $1,610 each.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19:  10,000/20,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  7 of 97

After the elimination of Joanne Pedroso in eighth place, the final seven players redraw for random seats at the final table. Here are their seating assignments along with their updated chip counts:

Seat 1.  Joseph Grimes  –  341,000  (17 BB)
Seat 2.  Bryce Fox  –  130,000  (7 BB)
Seat 3.  Daniel Pearlman  –  76,000  (4 BB)
Seat 4.  Byron Hubert  –  35,000  (2 BB)
Seat 5.  Brian Gelrod  –  126,000  (6 BB)
Seat 6.  Nick Pupillo  –  192,000  (10 BB)
Seat 7.  Andy Edgington  –  262,000  (13 BB)

Here are the final table payouts they’re playing for, followed by the players who have finished in the money so far:

1st:  $9,095 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  $6,070
3rd:  $4,120
4th:  $2,900
5th:  $2,120
6th:  $1,610
7th:  $1,165

8th:  Joanne Pedroso  –  $1,165
9th:  Thomas Hannon  –  $910
10th:  Georges Boyadjian  –  $910
11th:  Thomas Milmore  –  $825
12th:  Vincent Basilicata  –  $825
13th:  Mark Hurst  –  $780

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 165,000 (8 Big Bets).

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  6,000/12,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  13 of 97

In the second hand of hand-for-hand play on the Money Bubble, the player in the big blind started the hand with 43,000, and already had 42,000 of it in the pot by the time the river card was dealt.

The board showed , the big blind checked, Bryce Fox bet from the hijack, and the big blind called all in for his last 1,000.

Bryce Fox:    (full house, queens full of kings)
Big Blind:    (trip queens)

Fox won the hand with his full house to eliminate the big blind in 14th place, bursting the Money Bubble in the process.

Bryce Fox  –  219,000  (18 BB)

The remaining 13 players are all guaranteed at least $780 each, and the average chip stack is about 90,000 (8 Big Bets). They will combine to a final table when there are seven players left.

$400 Omaha 8/Stud 8 (Freeze-Out)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  6,000/12,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  14 of 97

Nick Pupillo raised from middle position to 12,000, the player on the button called all in for 5,000, and Andy Edgington called 12,000 from the big blind. There was now 15,000 in the main pot, and another 14,000 in the side pot between Pupillo and Edgington.

The flop came , Edgington checked, Pupillo bet 6,000, and Edgington called. The turn card was the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , and they checked again. With no possible lows, all three players revealed their cards:

Andy Edgington:    (two pair, queens and fours)
Nick Pupillo:  briefly showed, then mucked
Button:    (pair of tens)

Edgington won the entire pot with his two pair to eliminate the player on the button in 15th place.

Andy Edgington  –  106,000  (9 BB)
Nick Pupillo  –  145,000  (12 BB)

With 14 players remaining, and only 13 getting paid, the field begins hand-for-hand play on the Money Bubble. The average chip stack is about 83,000 (7 Big Bets).