2021 LHPO in Review

Ilyas Muradi
Ilyas Muradi, 2021 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open champion

After hitting the pause button for a year, big tournament poker series returned to South Florida with the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open. A chance for players to compete for big money in a safe environment designed to protect them while they took their shot.

And they came out to play. We had record-setting fields beating numbers that have been around for nearly a decade and the 26 primary events combined to create prize pools of nearly $11 million.

The series was headlined by the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship, a $3,500 buy-in tournament drew 1,573 entries to create the third biggest field in World Poker Tour history.

The Championship had a $1,000,000 guarantee, which was topped before the first hand was dealt, and players ended up with a prize pool that topped $5,000,000.

Ilyas Muradi of Fort Wayne, IN pictured above and below) outlasted a tough final table for an emotional win, taking the title along with $620,000. In local news, Poker Room regular Francis Margaglione had our regulars behind him as he went on to finish in fourth place for $293,510.

Ilyas Muradi Emotional After Winning
Photographers capture the moment as Ilyas Muradi gets emotional after his victory in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship

It was a fantastic series by any measure. We thank our old friends and new for trusting us to run it with their safety in mind and look forward to seeing everyone again in April.

Lucky Hearts Poker Open by the numbers:

Primary Events:  26
Total Entries:  10,954
Total Guarantees: $2,160,000
Total Prize Pools: $10,919,235
Players Cashing $100K or More: 15

Here are the results and updates from all primary events:

Kevin Rines Wins Event 24 of the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Outright for $16,460

2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 24
$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guarantee
Entries: 770
Prize Pool: $92,400
January 25-27
, 2021

2021 LHPO Event 24 Champion Kevin Rines

Event 24 of the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, a $150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day), drew 770 entries over two starting flights and created a prize pool of $92,400, nearly doubling the $50,000 guarantee.

There were 97 players who cashed, returning to the Poker Room on Day 2 to play to a winner. New Hamshire native Kevin Rines began the day 19th in chips and navigated his way to the final table. Coming in third in chips of the final seven players, Rines was on the winning side of a set over set cooler to take the chip lead into heads-up play, before ultimately sealing the deal with a win.

“I’m down here on vacation with my family,” Rines said afterward. “I satellited into the Main and did horribly, and then I figured I’d just go into this one. Feels good to get a trophy.”

PlaceFirst NameLast NamePrize Amount
1KevinRines$16,460
2CorelTheuma$10,970
3AlfredoFernandez$8,095
4LesterTrimino$6,040
5MarkNahama$4,555
6SergioAlvez Sandoval$3,475
7IsraelDe La Cerda$2,380
8JohnJaramillo Prado$2,380
9CarlosVasquez Torres$1,645
10KevinMurphy$1,645
11JamesQuiles$1,310
12DeonarineItwaru$1,310
13ManuelJo$1,060
14EfthimiosPiperakis$1,060
15JamesTomblin$865
16JosephPatalano$865
17NorisBarcimanto$715
18AnthonyClose$715
19WalterBuss$715
20FrankRusso$715
21EricKolodny$595
22AndrewDel Rio$595
23RebeccaDellagloria$595
24DavidWalker$595
25RichardArno$505
26HalynaZamani Buriachenko$505
27AlanGold$505
28RicardoRuiz$505
29MatthewGallen$505
30ArielWilliams$505
31MichaelKurimsky$505
32EnriqueGoll$505
33ToninoD'Amore$430
34AlbertoFaur$430
35YigalHen$430
36KevinRodriguez$430
37TommyScott$430
38ZacharySmith$430
39JamesHamburger$430
40JosiasCardoso Dos Santos$430
41ConnerSullivan$375
42SteveMoreno$375
43RomanKornev$375
44ShimonTrakhtenberg$375
45FernandoVega$375
46ChristopherBuggs$375
47DevondMarshall$375
48JairoVelasquez$375
49PabloHernandez$330
50VitalyChaika$330
51MitchellRange$330
52AmirBaron$330
53RyanHiller Jr$330
54RichardCollier$330
55AlexanderBorukhovich$330
56AdrianaUdaeta$330
57JonathanMarcu$290
58BraianBezemer$290
59MarcoRodriguez$290
60RichardParadis$290
61WillieWiggins$290
62MarceloOpazo Costa$290
63CherieThoman$290
64MarkusPetteway$290
65StevenThoman$260
66JeanDeromedi Delplanoue$260
67RichardGanesh$260
68KeldCurtis$260
69HaimToorgeman$260
70CarlosYepez$260
71DaniloParada Echevarria$260
72PatrickPigford$260
73JosephGotlieb$240
74KonstantinPogodin$240
75JestinNevarez$240
76ChristopherYoung$240
77PaulOken$240
78PhilipWhitaker$240
79AnthonyBennett$240
80PatriciaConrad$240
81ChristopherWilliams$220
82AlainBoucher$220
83CharlesFleury$220
84EliasNassif$220
85BobbyPierre$220
86CarlCajuste$220
87AndreBryan$220
88CoreySegall$220
89OryHen$205
90MartinsPolakovs$205
91DanielHallowel$205
92BillyMichel$205
93JuanDa Costa$205
94FrederickAllenspach$205
95ElisaHawes$205
96MarkHowey$205
97MinhNguyen$205

Event 24: Kevin Rines Wins! ($16,460); Corel Theuma Finishes as Runner-Up ($10,970)

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 770

2021 LHPO Event 24 Champion Kevin Rines

After extending his lead, Kevin Rines opened from the button and Corel Theuma reraised all in for about 2,650,000 from the big blind. Rines called with AsJd, leading Theuma’s Kc9d.

The board came down 8c2s3c10s10c, safe for Rines to secure the victory for $16,460!

Corel Theuma finished runner-up for $10,970.

Corel Theuma – 2nd place

Event 24: Alfredo Fernandez – 3rd Place ($8,095)

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28: 50,000/75,000 with a 675,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 770

Alfredo Fernandez – 3rd place

Corel Theuma raised to 200,000 from the button and Alfredo Fernandez called from the big blind.

The flop was Jc5d3d and Fernandez shoved for about 1,450,000. Theuma thought for a while before he called with 10c10d, way ahead of Fernandez’s 10h8d.

The turn was the 7s, giving Fernandez a gutshot straight draw.

The river was the 7d, no help to Fernandez, ending his tournament in third place.

Alfredo Fernandez – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($8,095)

Event 24: Lester Trimino – 4th Place ($6,040)

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 770

Lester Trimino – 4th place

Lester Trimino raised from the button and Kevin Rines called from the small blind.

The flop was 6hAd10s and Rines check-called 125,000 from Trimino.

The turn was the 2s, Rines checked and Trimino bet 200,000. Rines check-raised to 450,000, Trimino raised to about 900,000, Rines shoved for 2,730,000 and Trimino called.

Trimino: 2c2h
Rines: 6s6d

Trimino was on the wrong side of set over set and found no help from the 5c river.

Down to about 70,000, Trimino busted the following hand.

Kevin Rines – 6,200,000 (103 bb)
Lester Trimino – Eliminated in 4th Place ($6,040)

John Orfanos Comes Back From a 12-to-1 Deficit to Win Event 26 in Memory of His Father

2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 26
$2,200 Deep Stack PLO (Re-Entry)
Entries:  113
Prize Pool:  $226,000
January 26-27, 2021

John Orfanos
John Orfanos

Even at the end of the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, events were crushing all expectations for turnout, and Event 26 ($2,200 Deep Stack PLO) was no different. The field size more than tripled from 35 entries a year ago to 113, creating a first prize of $66,671 that was almost equal to last year’s entire prizepool ($70,000).

And it featured a dramatic finish.

Richard Gayler was the shortest stack in the field when there were two tables left, but he bounced back to start the final table as the chipleader, and then knocked out second-in-chips Haim Or Krief to take a massive chip lead with 63% of all the chips in play.

Gayler continued adding to his stack, knocking out four of the five final tablists on his way to getting heads-up against John Orfanos with more than a 12-to-1 chip lead.

But that’s where the story took another dramatic turn.

“I’m super comfortable playing short-stacked. It’s one of my specialties,” said Orfanos, who loves pot-limit Omaha and considers it to be his strongest game. “As long as I have chips, I have a chance.”

Gayler’s momentum screeched to a halt as Orfanos won pot after pot, scoring a few early double-ups from preflop all-ins, and then steadily working his way back to even — and then the chip lead.

The next time they got it all in, Orfanos had more than a 3-to-1 chip lead, and he also had pocket aces (AdAsQs2c) that held up for the victory.

When asked about his comeback, Orfanos said, “It feels awesome to accomplish something like that, when your odds are less than, I’d say, 5-6%. It was amazing.”

“I just want to thank everyone that supports me,” said Orfanos, “and I want to dedicate this to my father who died two years ago.” Orfanos paused for a moment, a bit choked up as he looked toward the heavens. “This is for you, Dad.”


Final Results:

PlaceFirst NameLast NamePrize Amount
1JohnOrfanos$66,671
2RichardGayler$41,245
3SeanShah$24,634
4JamesHurley$15,280
5ElliottKampen$11,978
6ArtemMaksimov$9,944
7HaimOr Krief$8,079
8PhilHui$8,079
9JamesChen$6,667
10NoahSchwartz$5,876
11DalvinDavis$5,876
12KevinLove$5,876
13DavidProciak$5,085
14DonaldMaloney$5,085
15BradSailor$5,085

Event 24: Mark Nahama – 5th Place ($4,555)

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 770

Mark Nahama – 5th place

Corel Theuma raised all in from the small blind with a covering stack and Mark Nahama called all in from the big blind for about 875,000.

Theuma: 3d3h
Nahama: AdKc

The board ran out 7s6s8c5c3c, giving Theuma a set of treys to eliminate Nahama.

Corel Theuma – 4,600,000 (77 bb)
Mark Nahama – Eliminated in 5th Place ($4,555)

Event 24: Chip Counts

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 770

Seat 2: Alfredo Fernandez – 1,725,000 (29 bb)
Seat 3: Corel Theuma – 3,245,000 (54 bb)
Seat 4: Mark Nahama – 420,000 (7 bb)
Seat 5: Lester Trimino – 3,985,000 (66 bb)
Seat 7: Kevin Rines -2,170,000 (36 bb)

1st: $16,460 + LHPO Trophy
2nd: $10,970
3rd: $8,095
4th: $6,040
5th: $4,555

Event 24: Sergio Alvez Sandoval – 6th Place ($3,475)

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Double Re-Entry per Day)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 770

Sergio Alvez Sandoval – 6th place

Kevin Rines raised to 115,000 from the cutoff, Sergio Alvez Sandoval three-bet all in from the button for 855,000 and Rines called with 10c10s, leading Sandoval’s Jh10h.

The flop came QcQh5h, giving Sandoval a flush draw.

However, neither the 2d turn nor the 5s river were of any help, ending Sandoval’s run in sixth place.

Kevin Rines – 2,400,000 (48 bb)
Sergio Alvez Sandoval – Eliminated in 6th Place ($3,475)