2013 World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open Day 1b: Evan Teitelbaum Leads the Way
Day 1b of the 2013 World Poker Tour Lucky Hearts Poker Open came to a close Saturday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. After 153 entrants forked over the $3,500 buy-in on Day 1a, another 216 participated on Day 1b, creating a total field of 369 and a prize pool of $1,199,250. The eventual winner will take home $323,804, which includes a $25,000 seat for the WPT World Championship at Bellagio in May.
Eighty of the 216 runners survived Day 1b, and leading the way when play concluded was Evan Teitelbaum with 206,900 in chips. He was followed by Mark Darner (195,000), Todd Jacobsen (193,600), Cesar Fuentes (185,000), and Leif Oskarsson (172,000).
WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Day 1b Top 10
| Place | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evan Teitelbaum | 206,900 |
| 2 | Mark Darner | 195,000 |
| 3 | Todd Jacobsen | 193,600 |
| 4 | Cesar Fuentes | 185,000 |
| 5 | Leif Oskarsson | 172,000 |
| 6 | Patrick Madden | 168,300 |
| 7 | Michael Laake | 160,600 |
| 8 | Gordon Battle | 153,600 |
| 9 | Tony Ruberto | 131,000 |
| 10 | Arkadiy Tsinis | 125,000 |
Former WPT champ Tony Ruberto had a productive Day 1b, more than quadrupling his stack during the 10 levels of play. Roberto, who won the 2011 WPT Jacksonville for $325,928, eliminated fellow WPT Champions Club member Guillaume Darcourt in Level 9 on Saturday, shooting him into the top 10 of the leaderboard. According to the WPT Live Updates team, Ruberto bet 3,000 on a 5♣4♣2♠ flop and Darcout check-raised all-in for 22,000. Ruberto throught for a while before deciding to call, and he discovered that his 7♥5♥ was out in front of Darcourt's 9♦6♦ for a gutshot draw with two overs. The K♠ turn and A♦ river were no help to Darcout, and the Frenchman was eliminated on a Day 1 starting flight for the second straight day.
Leif Oskarsson is relatively unknown on the poker circuit, but the Florida native made some noise on Saturday when he won a massive pot near the end of the day against WSOP bracelet winner Brian Hastings. Looking at a Q♥8♣2♥9♣ board with around 20,000 in the pot, Oskarsson bet 11,000 from the big blind. Hastings then moved all in for around 56,000, barely having Oskarsson's stack covered, and Oskarsson tank-called with 9♦8♦ for two pair. Hastings rolled over 8♥6♥ for a pair and a flush draw, and the 6♦ on the river secured the double for Oskarsson. That pot increased his stack to 112,000. Hastings was eliminated a short while later.
Notables joining Hastings on the rail Saturday were Ebony Kenney, Guillaume Darcourt, Harrison Gimbel, Andy Frankenberger, Ted Lawson, Jonathan Tamayo, Micah Raskin, and Amir Lehavot.
While those players faltered, several others advanced to Day 2 with healthy stacks. Larry Sharp (105,900), Joe Serock (103,000), John DiBella (100,100), Matt Salsberg (100,000), Stu Patterson (67,000), Byron Kaverman (63,600), Aaron Massey (59,900), Darryll Fish (57,400), and Adam Levy (52,000) will be among the 143 players returning on Day 2.
Day 1a chip leader Raj Vohra will have the overall lead when Day 2 begins. Vohra takes 262,700 in chips into Sunday's action, which will kick off at 1 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to PokerNews for daily recaps from the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida.
Photo courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.
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