Event 25 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown begins at 6pm. This is a $2,200 buy-in Eight Handed No Limit Hold’em Turbo tournament. It’s a fast pace with 15-minute levels, but there’s plenty of play with 20,000 starting chips. Late registration and unlimited re-entry are available until the start of Level 9 with play structured to narrow to a champion during the early morning hours of Tuesday.
2019 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 25 $1,100 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha Entries: 84 Prize Pool: $81,480 January 22, 2019
“I was long overdue for a trophy at the Hard Rock.”
After a couple of deep runs in previous tournaments here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, Matty Bretzfield overcame a field of 84 entries to win the final event of the Lucky Hearts Poker Open — $1,100 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha.
From the Money Bubble to the end of the tournament, Bretzfield held the chip lead most of the way. The final five players agreed to a deal to split the remaining prizepool, and as chipleader, Bretzfield won the title, the trophy, and $15,323.
“It’s 4 am, that’s why I wanted to chop so bad — I’m really tired. But it feels really good, and I’m really happy. I chopped with good people.”
It was a long night for the players at the final table, as it took nearly three hours to drop from 12 players to eight.
Bretzfield has a few victories under his belt, but he really wanted a trophy from Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, especially after finishing 10th in last August’s SHRPO Championship (earning a career-best $62,415), and 11th yesterday in Event #21, $2,500 No Limit Hold’em.
“The trophy means a lot to me. It’s a sense of accomplishment. My mom just moved down here about two months ago, and she’s never seen me win a trophy. She’s just seen the ones I already have. So now I get to go home and bring it to her, and that means a lot to me.”
This is Bretzfield’s first trophy from the Seminole Hard Rock, but he doesn’t plan on it being his last.
“I just started tournament poker seriously back in August. Now I’m on the circuit grinding and it feels great. Living my dream, living in paradise.”
Final Results:
1st: Matthew Bretzfield – $15,323 + LHPO Trophy 2nd: Sam Sweilem – $14,804 3rd: Tom Guedj – $12,495 4th: Robert Banks – $10,891 5th: Joseph Rahman – $10,307 6th: Joseph Irgon – $4,074 7th: Mario Cohen – $3,381 8th: Zachary Milchman – $2,852 9th: Farid Dhanani – $2,628 10th: Eitan Elbaz-Dahan – $2,444 11th: Mathyeu Provost – $2,281
$1,100 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry) Structure | Payouts Level 15: 5,000/10,000 Players Remaining: 5 of 84
Sam Snead raised under the gun to 10,000, Joseph Irgon moved all in from the hijack for 22,000, Matt Bretzfield called from the big blind, and Snead also called.
Bretzfield and Snead checked all the way down on a board of , and all three players turned over their cards.
Matt Bretzfield: (two pair, jacks and sevens) Sam Snead: (pair of queens) Joseph Irgon: (pair of nines)
Bretzfield won the pot with his two pair to eliminate Irgon in sixth place.
Matt Bretzfield – 468,000 (47 bb) Joseph Irgon – Eliminated in 6th Place ($4,074)
With five players remaining, the average chip stack is about 252,000 (25 big blinds).