$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 ante
Players Remaining:  83 of 843

Action folded to Mike Vela in the small blind, and he moved all in for 75,000 without looking at his cards.

Craig Varnell called from the big blind with , and Vela turned over — .

The board came , and Vela turned two pair, kings and sevens, to win the pot and double up in chips.

Other players at the table were encouraging Vela to shove all in dark on the next hand as well, but Vela didn’t bite.

Mike Vela  –  75,000  (9 bb)
Craig Varnell  –  228,000  (29 bb)

With 83 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 406,000 (51 big blinds), and action will continue tonight until the end of Level 20 (around 12:15 am).

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 ante
Players Remaining:  94 of 843

Aaron Massey raised from middle position to 18,000, Brock Wilson reraised from the hijack to 56,000, and Massey moved all in.

Wilson called all in for about 175,000 with , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against Massey’s .

The board came , and Massey flopped a set of tens to win the pot and eliminate Wilson in 95th place.

Aaron Massey  –  855,000  (107 bb)
Brock Wilson  –  Eliminated in 95th Place  ($5,959)

With 94 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 358,000 (45 big blinds), and action will continue tonight until the end of Level 20 (around 12:15 am).

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  96 of 843

On a final board reading Jonathan Jaffe checked from the big blind. Action was on Michael Amato in the hijack who bet 60,000 into a pot of around 150,000

Jaffe thought about it shorty before folding. Amato showed the .

Michael Amato – 650,000
Jonathan Jaffe – 320,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  101 of 843

Jim Collopy was all in for a162,000 with and in great shape to double against his opponent’s .

The board ran out and Collopy ended up with trip kings to avoid elimination.

Jim Collopy – 340,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  106 of 843

On the fifth hand of hand-for-hand play with a board reading Jason Wandling moved all in for 53,000 effective. His opponent went into the tank and used two time extensions.

“Wow.. I don’t know if I can get away from this.” He put in the calling chips with and was up against Wandling’s two-pair .

The river was the , giving Wandling a full house to eliminate his opponent and burst the money bubble.

Jason Wandling  –  335,000  (56 bb)

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  107 of 843

In Hand #5 of hand-for-hand play on the Money Bubble, Farhad Jamasi completed the small blind to 6,000, and Mukul Pahuja raised from the big blind to 26,000.

Both players had big stacks, but Jamasi had Pahuja covered by a little more than 100K. Jamasi said, “I’m not going to be the Bubble Boy,” and he called.

The flop came , Jamasi checked, Pahuja bet 18,000, and Jamasi called.

The turn card was the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , Jamasi bet 50,000, and Pahuja used one of his Time Chips to tank for nearly a minute before he called.

Jamasi showed to win the pot with two pair, aces and nines, and Pahuja mucked.

Farhad Jamasi  –  980,000  (163 bb)
Mukul Pahuja  –  660,000  (110 bb)

The final 106 players will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $5,666 each, while the next player to bust will receive nothing. (Perhaps gratitude from the rest of the field.)

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  107 of 843

With 107 players remaining, and only 106 getting paid, the field has begun playing hand-for-hand on the Money Bubble. The average chip stack is about 315,000 (53 big blinds).

The final 106 players will be guaranteed at least $5,666 each, and action will continue tonight until the end of Level 20, shortly after 12:15 am.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 16:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  116 of 843

Chris Da-Silva had a bet of 30,000 in front of him and Jason Wandling shoved for 135,000.  Da-Silva used a time extension chip before calling.

Wandling turned over and was ahead of Da-Silva’s .

The board ran out and Wandling ended up with a full house to avoid elimination.

Jason Wandling – 280,000
Chris Da-Silva – 250,000

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 16:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  117 of 843

There are about 20 minutes remaining in Level 16 as the players return from dinner, and the 30-second Action Clock is now in play.

Players have 30 seconds to make each decision, and everyone received seven non-transferable Time Chips that can be used to extend any decision for 30 seconds. These are the only Time Chips players will have until they reach the final three tables (24 players), when everyone will be reset to exactly six Time Chips.

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 20, around 12:15 am.

$3,500 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 16:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  117 of 843

When the field reached the final 13 tables (117 players), the clock was paused, and to simplify things, the players were sent on their 90-minute dinner break early so the 30-second Action Clock could be put into play.

So the players are on their dinner break until 7:45 pm, and when they return, this field will be using the 30-second Action Clock for the rest of the way.

With 117 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 288,000 (58 big blinds). A scan of the field during the break turned up four players with at least 600K in chips:

1.  Farhad Jamasi  –  1,050,000  (210 bb)
2.  John Dollinger  –  1,031,000  (206 bb)
3.  Mukul Pahuja  –  904,000  (181 bb)
4.  Brian Altman  –  836,000  (167 bb)

The final 106 players will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $5,666, and action will continue tonight until the end of Level 20, around 12:15 am.