The Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO) returns to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Jan. 22 through Feb. 11, 2015, held in the resort’s ballrooms. The series will feature 21 main events along with several secondary events and qualifiers. The exciting live poker action culminates with the Seminole Hard Rock WPT Lucky Hearts $3 Million Guaranteed Championship beginning Feb. 5-11, with a $3,500 buy-in and three starting flights. The live streamed Championship final table will be held at the resort’s Paradise Live theater in Seminole Paradise.
The annual series kicks-off on Jan. 22 at 11a.m. ET with a four-day $570 buy-in deep-stack no-limit hold'em event featuring a $1 million guaranteed prize pool with six starting flights.
Super Bowl weekend will bring even more action with the WPTDeepStacks (WPTDS), which will kick off its 2015 tour at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. WPTDS is a one-of-a-kind partnership between the world’s most established poker tour, WPT®, and the world’s fastest growing poker tour, DSPT. The $1,100 buy-in, $300,000 Guarantee WPTDeepStacks-Hollywood will start Jan. 29 at 12 p.m. ET in the resort’s ballrooms.
Other highlight tournaments include a $350 buy-in deep-stack no-limit hold'em, $250,000 guarantee with five starting flights, from Jan. 25-28 and a two-day $150 buy-in no-limit hold’em $150,000 guarantee with eight starting flights from Jan. 28-31.
Satellite events for the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Jan. 22-Feb. 7, 2015.
Registration for all LHPO events will be open Dec. 15, 2015. To participate, players must obtain a free “Wild Card” at the Player’s Club or in The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise, located on State Road 7 (U.S. 441) in Hollywood, Florida. Take I-95, exit Stirling Rd. and travel west to 1 Seminole Way.
For more information and schedule visit www.SHRPO.com.
When Level 16 began, Chance Kornuth was hovering around average with the money bubble approaching. Less than 90 minutes later he had busted three players and was the new chip leader with more than 700,000.
We asked the live pro how he managed to triple his stack and how this field compares to some of the others he's played around the globe.
PokerNews: You started Level 16 with around 200,000 in chips and ran it up over 700,000. Can you talk about some of the key spots where you were able to chip up?
Kornuth: Well I got really lucky with an open-ender against an overcard and a flush draw and I turned a straight. That put me up to 250K, and then I just had a lot of really good hands was handed a lot of chips ... made the nuts a ton.
They went hand-for hand a few spots before the money bubble. You already had a big stack at that point ... did you feel like that hindered your ability to abuse the bubble at all?
Just a little bit because my table was playing fast. I would have been able to play a few more hands. But I still played enough so it was a pretty good bubble for me. It’s so funny when you win so many hands with air and then lose with your good hands. But there's a lot of good ways to run good in poker. This has been a fun day so far.
How does this field compare to some of the other tournaments you play around the world?
I would say it's on par for most $10Ks — maybe even a little softer — so I think it's pretty good value. I've seen some really tough tables with a lot of clickers and kids I don't know so it's difficult to play in some spots. But I've tried to "live pro" a couple of them and see if we can keep it going (laughs).
Do you feel like that gives you an advantage with so many online qualifiers here?
Yeah, for me personally I think reading people physically is one of the stronger parts of my game so I think that definitely helps.
We arrived in time to see Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu all in and at risk for his last roughly 80,000 against Pratyush Buddiga. The hands were revealed to find Negreanu in need of help.
Negreanu:
Buddiga:
The board ran out , keeping Buddiga's ladies out in front. Negreanu was eliminated from play and Buddiga increased his stack to about 620,000.
Former Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel just put a shorter-stacked Paul Knebel at risk before the flop with against Knebel's . The flop came , giving Knebel a gutter, but the on the turn ended things.
Duhamel has been grinding a short stack most of the day but has a healthy count now.
With approximately 75,000 already in the pot, Owen Crowe bet 58,000 on a board of and was called by Carter Swidler. The river was the and Crowe would muck after Swidler tabled for a pair of nines.
Andreas Samuelsson opened for a raise in middle position and saw Ioannis Kontonatsios make it 24,000 on his left. Daniel Strelitz cold four-bet in the blinds, and Samuelsson shoved. Kontonatsios shoved as well, and Strelitz mucked what he said was .
Kontonatsios:
Samuelsson:
The dealer spread a flop, giving Samuelsson a set. The turn was a brick, as was the river. Kontonatsios had about 200,000, and Samuelsson had him slightly covered.
Dietrich Fast and Carlos Chadha were heads up with the board reading . Fast was first to act and he led into the middle for 42,000. Chadha came over the top with a raise to 85,000 and Fast went into the tank. After about 90 seconds, Fast cut out calling chips.
The river brought the to the felt and Fast checked to the raiser. Chadha quickly checked it back.
Fast rolled over for top pair, but it was no good against Chadha's . He was awarded the pot and now has roughly 562,000 to his name.
![[user196676]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, keeping Buddiga's ladies out in front. Negreanu was eliminated from play and Buddiga increased his stack to about 620,000.
. The flop came 
, giving Knebel a gutter, but the 
and was called by Carter Swidler. The river was the 
and Crowe would muck after Swidler tabled 
for a pair of nines.
.
turn was a brick, as was the 
river. Kontonatsios had about 200,000, and Samuelsson had him slightly covered.
to the felt and Fast checked to the raiser. Chadha quickly checked it back.
. He was awarded the pot and now has roughly 562,000 to his name.