2023 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 16
$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Entries:  238
Prize Pool:  $79,730
January 17, 2023

Event 16 of the 2023 Lucky Hearts Poker Open was a $400 Seniors 50+ No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry). A field of 238 entries created a prize pool of $79,730. Taking it down was Amir Baron, winning outright for $18,435.

For Baron, this marked his first SHRP major series trophy win, and it came on the heels of two recent close calls. During the 2022 SHRPO, Baron finished second in this same Seniors event in a four-way deal, and shortly thereafter took third place in a $150 No-Limit Hold’em event.

“I never won a trophy here, so it was to get it this time,” said Baron afterward. “Especially after we chopped the last time, this is what I really wanted to happen.”

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 238

After a flop of with about 375,000 already in the pot, Amir Baron checked, and Buck Bucceri checked behind.

The turn card was the , Baron checked, Bucceri bet 300,000, and Baron check-raised all in. Bucceri went into the tank with about 1,585,000 remaining in his stack.

“If you had gone all in on the flop,” said Bucceri, “I’d have snap-called.”

Bucceri thought for a little while longer before he called all in for 1,885,000 with for a pair of jacks.

But Baron turned over for a jack-high straight, and Bucceri was drawing dead.

The meaningless river card was the , and Baron won the pot — and the title and the trophy — with a jack-high straight.

Congratulations to Amir Baron on winning the Seniors Event!

1st:  Amir Baron  –  $18,435 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  Christopher “Buck” Bucceri  –  $13,000
3rd:  Mark McGarity  –  $8,175
4th:  Jeff Sauer  –  $4,970
5th:  Padraig Burns  –  $3,840
6th:  Peter Shapiro  –  $3,180
7th:  Andrzej Rogowski  –  $2,710
8th:  George Hortelano  –  $2,315
9th:  Deonarine Itwaru  –  $1,865

Stay tuned for a recap from this event later tonight.

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 238

After a flop of , Amir Baron checked, Buck Bucceri bet 100,000, and Baron check-raised to about 325,000.

Bucceri moved all in, and Baron called all in for 1,365,000 with for a pair of eights with a gutshot straight draw.

Bucceri turned over for a pair of nines with a different gutshot straight draw, and Baron needed to improve to stay alive.

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Baron rivered trip eights to win the pot and double up in chips.

Amir Baron  –  2,875,000  (58 bb)
Buck Bucceri  –  1,885,000  (38 bb)

1st:  $18,435 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  $13,000

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 238

Mark McGarity got it all in from the big blind for about 265,000 with , and needed to improve to stay alive against the of Buck Bucceri in the small blind.

The flop came , and McGarity flopped a pair of tens with an open-ended straight draw.

The turn card was the , giving Bucceri a pair of aces, but McGarity picked up some outs with a flush draw.

The river card was the , and Bucceri won the pot with his pair of aces to eliminate McGarity in third place.

Mark McGarity  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($8,175)

Here are the approximate chip counts for the start of heads-up play, followed by the final table payouts:

Buck Bucceri  –  2,800,000  (70 bb)
Amir Baron  –  1,950,000  (49 bb)

1st:  $18,435 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  $13,000

3rd:  Mark McGarity  –  $8,175
4th:  Jeff Sauer  –  $4,970
5th:  Padraig Burns  –  $3,840
6th:  Peter Shapiro  –  $3,180
7th:  Andrzej Rogowski  –  $2,710
8th:  George Hortelano  –  $2,315
9th:  Deonarine Itwaru  –  $1,865

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 238

Buck Bucceri got it all in from the small blind for 610,000 with , and needed to improve to stay alive against the of Mark McGarity in the big blind.

The board came , and Bucceri flopped a pair of kings to McGarity’s jack-high flush draw, with Bucceri rivering trip kings to win the pot and double up in chips.

Buck Bucceri  –  1,260,000  (32 bb)
Mark McGarity  –  1,545,000  (39 bb)

A few minutes later, McGarity raised from the button to 100,000, Bucceri raised from the big blind to 340,000, and McGarity moved all in for about 1,525,000.

Bucceri called all in for 1,220,000 with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against McGarity’s .

The board came , and Bucceri paired his ace on the turn to win the pot and double up again.

Buck Bucceri  –  2,500,000  (63 bb)
Mark McGarity  –  300,000  (8 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 1,585,000 (40 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,175 each.

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 238

Mark McGarity got it all in from the small blind for 920,000 with , and needed his hand to hold to stay alive against the of Amir Baron in the big blind.

The board came , and McGarity won the pot with his ace to double up in chips.

Mark McGarity  –  1,880,000  (47 bb)
Amir Baron  –  2,155,000  (54 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 1,585,000 (40 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,175 each.

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 238

Mark McGarity raised from the button to 150,000, Jeff Sauer moved all in from the small blind for 1,070,000, and Amir Baron moved all in over the top from the big blind for 1,775,000. McGarity folded.

Sauer turned over , and needed it to hold to stay alive against Baron’s .

The board came , and Baron paired his ace on the flop to win the pot and eliminate Sauer in fourth place.

Amir Baron  –  3,035,000  (76 bb)
Jeff Sauer  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($4,970)

With three players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 1,585,000 (40 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,175 each.

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 238

The final four players return from break to begin Level 25, with increased blinds of 20,000-40,000 with a 40,000 ante.

Here are the official chip counts from the break:

Seat 1.  Mark McGarity  –  1,150,000  (29 bb)
Seat 2.  Jeff Sauer  –  1,070,000  (27 bb)
Seat 3.  Amir Baron  –  1,815,000  (45 bb)
Seat 4.  Buck Bucceri  –  730,000  (18 bb)

And here are the final table payouts:

1st:  $18,435 + LHPO trophy
2nd:  $13,000
3rd:  $8,175
4th:  $4,970

5th:  Padraig Burns  –  $3,840
6th:  Peter Shapiro  –  $3,180
7th:  Andrzej Rogowski  –  $2,710
8th:  George Hortelano  –  $2,315
9th:  Deonarine Itwaru  –  $1,865

With four players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 1,190,000 (40 big blinds).

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 238

Padraig Burns moved all in from the cutoff for 185,000, and Mark McGarity moved all in over the top from the small blind for about 750,000 with .

Burns turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The flop came , and Burns flopped trip nines to take a huge lead.

But the turn card was — the !

McGarity turned a full house, kings full of nines, and Burns needed the fourth nine on the river to stay alive.

The river card was the , and McGarity won the pot with his full house to eliminate Burns in fifth place.

Mark McGarity  –  990,000  (33 bb)
Padraig Burns  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($3,840)

With four players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 1,190,000 (40 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $4,970 each.

$400 Seniors 50+ NLH (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 238

In a battle of the blinds on the turn of a board, Peter Shapiro was all in for about 330,000 from the big blind against Amir Baron in the small blind.

Shapiro:    (pair of queens)
Baron:    (pair of eights, inside straight draw)

The river was the , filling Baron’s draw and giving him an eight-high straight to eliminate Shapiro in sixth place.

Amir Baron  –  1,830,000  (73 bb)
Peter Shapiro  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($3,180)

With five players remaining from a field of 238, the average chip stack is around 950,000 (48 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $3,840 each.