2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  168
Prize Pool:  $55,400
Bounty Prize Pool:  $33,600
January 13, 2020

“It always feels great to win a trophy,” said Chris Blik. “It’s hard to win tournaments these days.”

Did you ever have one of those days where everything seemed to go right? That seemed to be the sentiment from Blik after winning Event #9 ($600 Double Black Chip Bounty) in a heads-up deal with Al Gomez.

Not just the specifics of winning key hands in his own event, but the fact that he and his friends came down to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood from Michigan (where it’s snowy and freezing) to play and support each other, and when Blik won this event, his friend Justin Lee was down to the final four in Event #10 ($400 Pot Limit Omaha).

When Blik had his winner’s photo taken, he requested an extra photo with his friends who all traveled down here together, and they waited for Lee to have a moment in between hands so he could run over and join the photo.

After that quick photo, Lee returned to his table, played for another two hours or so, and won that event outright. And this group of friends got to celebrate all over again with two trophies in one night.

Blik ended his post-victory interview singing the praises of his friends.

“Tournaments are fun,” said Blik. “They’re so stressful until you win one, and then when you win one, it’s the most amazing thing ever. I feel lucky with the people I surround myself with. Our friend Jesse was supposed to come down here with us, but he’s playing some tournaments in L.A. He’s going to be my first phone call. I wouldn’t be who I am in poker without him. He’s here with us in spirit.”

Final Table Results:

1st:  Christopher Blik  –  $11,175* + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  Aldring Gomez Torres  –  $11,175*
3rd:  Andrew Macdonald  –  $6,430
4th:  Yanir Hahitti  –  $4,710
5th:  Bradley Coultas  –  $3,520
6th:  Robert Banks  –  $2,680
7th:  Cangir Elcin  –  $2,085
8th:  Mark Metsla  –  $1,655
9th:  David Frenkel  –  $1,340

* Indicates a heads-up chop.

$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 168

After the elimination of Andrew Macdonald in third place, Chris Blik and Al Gomez played for a while heads-up before agreeing to chop the remaining prizepool evenly, with Blik receiving both bounties.

These were their official chip counts:

Chris Blik  –  1,490,000  (60 bb)
Al Gomez  –  1,030,000  (41 bb)

And here are the adjusted final table payouts to reflect their deal:

1st:  Christopher Blik  –  $11,175* + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  Aldring Gomez Torres  –  $11,175*
3rd:  Andrew Macdonald  –  $6,430
4th:  Yanir Hahitti  –  $4,710
5th:  Bradley Coultas  –  $3,520
6th:  Robert Banks  –  $2,680
7th:  Cangir Elcin  –  $2,085
8th:  Mark Metsla  –  $1,655
9th:  David Frenkel  –  $1,340

Stay tuned for a recap from this event to be posted later tonight.

* Indicates a heads-up chop.

$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 168

The final nine players have drawn for random seats at the final table, and play will continue tonight until they reach a winner. Here are their updated chip counts, followed by the remaining prizepool:

Seat 1.  Andrew Macdonald  –  552,000  (69 bb)
Seat 2.  Cangir Elcin  –  310,000  (39 bb)
Seat 3.  Brad Coultas  –  200,000  (25 bb)
Seat 4.  Mark Metsla  –  80,000  (10 bb)
Seat 5.  Timothy Banks  –  387,000  (48 bb)
Seat 6.  Yanir Hahitti  –  69,000  (9 bb)
Seat 7.  Al Gomez  –  498,000  (62 bb)
Seat 8.  Chris Blik  –  350,000  (44 bb)
Seat 9.  David Frenkel  –  101,000  (13 bb)

1st:  $13,410 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  $8,940
3rd:  $6,430
4th:  $4,710
5th:  $3,520
6th:  $2,680
7th:  $2,085
8th:  $1,655
9th:  $1,340

And here is a list of the players who have finished in the money so far, along with their payouts:

10th:  James Salmon III  –  $1,340
11th:  Zachary Mullennix  –  $1,110
12th:  Nicholas Palma  –  $1,110
13th:  David Levi  –  $940
14th:  Richard Chouinard  –  $940
15th:  Mark Weisser  –  $815
16th:  Trent Smith  –  $815
17th:  Jose Reyes  –  $720
18th:  Jeffrey Lehouillier  –  $720
19th:  Mark Amaral  –  $720
20th:  Drew Johnson  –  $720
21st:  Michael Tait  –  $720

$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 12:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining:  30 of 168

The books are closed on the $600 Double Black Chip Bounty tournament and it drew 168 entries to easily beat the $50,000 guarantee. They combined to put $55,400 in the regular prize pool and another $33,600 in bounties. The last 21 spots will be paid with a min-cash worth $720 and the Event 9 champ will earn $13,410.

2020 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  168
Prize Pool:  $55,400
Bounty Prize Pool:  $33,600
January 13, 2020

1st: $13,410 + LHPO Trophy
2nd: $8,940
3rd: $6,430
4th: $4,710
5th: $3,520
6th: $2,680
7th: $2,085
8th: $1,655
9th-10th: $1,340
11th-12th: $1,110
13th-14th: $940
15th-16th: $815
17th-21st: $720

$600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1:  100/100

The packed Monday schedule continues at noon with a good-sized bounty tournament that will wrap up in one day. Event 9 has a $600 buy-in with $200 bounties and a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool.

They’ll start out with 15,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels from start to finish. Late registration is available until the start of Level 9 at 4:30 pm and players may fire as many times as needed during that time. There is a dinner break scheduled at 6:30 pm and they will return to play down to a champion.

We will hit the highlights along the way during the major parts of the tournament.

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 9 Structure Sheet