Scott Baumstein Wins WPTDeepstacks Hollywood
The Lucky Hearts Poker Open at Seminole Hard Rock is well under way, and one of the big events of the series wrapped up Tuesday night when Scott Baumstein claimed the $1,100 WPTDeepStacks Hollywood title.
It's the biggest score in a career that's seen the longtime tournament grinder pile up over $1.8 million in cashes.
"I feel good, I'm just glad it's over," he told tournament reporters. "It was a long day, I ran well, and that's what you have to do to win poker tournaments."
Official Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Baumstein | $223,238* |
| 2 | Lumni Zhuta | $155,126 |
| 3 | Matt Zarcadoolas | $100,579 |
| 4 | Stephen Smith | $74,549 |
| 5 | AJ Kelsall | $56,239 |
| 6 | Justin Harvell | $45,398 |
| 7 | Ramon Miquel | $37,440 |
| 8 | Ness Reilly | $29,587 |
| 9 | Michael Aron | $22,025 |
*includes $3,000 WPTDeepstacks Championship package
The tournament exceeded the $1 million guarantee by drawing 1,366 players across three starting flights. There would be 171 places paid, and JJ Liu, Jake Schwartz, Tristan Wade, Josh Beckley, Mukul Pahuja and Hard Rock Ambassadors Sheddy Siddiqui and Loni Harwood were among those cashing but falling short of the final table.
Former WSOP Main Event champ Joe McKeehen made a strong run, but he and Pahuja each busted at roughly the same time to bubble the official final table and the final day. Each player lost a flip, with McKeehen failing to hold with jacks against king-queen and Pahuja with fives against Baumstein's jack-ten.
The final table began with stacks on the shorter side as nobody was over 65 big blinds, according to the live updates.
After short stack Michael Aron went down early on, Ness Reilly got all in for her last 20 big blinds with K♣Q♣ in a limped pot on A♦9♣3♣. Unfortunately for her, Baumstein had flopped her nearly dead with A♣7♣ and while a king hit the turn, no further help emerged.
Baumstein found another fortunate flop when he hit a set of fours on 9♣4♥3♦. Ramon Miquel check-called him down through the 10♦ turn and 7♠ river, enough of a non-believer to put his remaining chips in on the end with just pocket fives.
With six left, the key hand of the final table developed for Baumstein. It was a massive preflop all in, with start-of-day leader Justin Harvell jamming just under 20 big blinds with J♠10♠ and Baumstein putting him at risk with 6♣6♠. The flop brought a six and that was all she wrote for Harvell, with Baumstein moving into a big lead holding 17 million, half of the chips, at 125,000/250,000/25,000.
Baumstein then flopped another set, albeit one he didn't need, when his jacks won against AJ Kelsall's A♣4♣ all in preflop. He then flopped yet another set with nines, only to double Lumni Zhuta when Zhuta hit a flush on the river after jamming his draw on the flop.
That would prove to be a mere bump in the road, though. Baumstein soon mowed down short stack Stephen Smith and Matt Zarcadoolas in preflop all-in pots, going heads up with Zhuta and holding a comfortable lead over 2-1.
Baumstein hammered Zhuta down below 15 big blinds multiple times, but each time, Zhuta would double up. The fourth double gave Zhuta the lead when he got flopped bottom two pair in against Baumstein's top pair and held. Each player would then double up once apiece before the decisive pot finally went down.
Less than 35 big blinds total sat on the table by this time, and Zhuta decided to gamble when he called all in preflop with 7♣6♣. Baumstein had K♥J♣, but he fell behind on the 10♥7♦4♠ flop. The Q♣ turn gave Baumstein more outs and he got there on the 9♠ river with a straight.
Left with two big blinds, Zhuta finally capitulated after that, giving Baumstein the $220K in prize money and the WPTDeepStacks Championship package worth $3,000.
Photo courtesy of WPT
