2017 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event 9
$150 No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 1,239
Prize Pool: $148,680
January 22 – 25, 2016

Event 9 was the last multi-day tournament on the 2017 Seminole Lucky Hearts Poker Open schedule and the small buy-in/big prize pool tournament brought out a lot of players. There were more than 1,200 entries in the game but it was Jordan Meltzer topping them all to take home the big prize and the LHPO trophy.

Event 9 helped close out the series with a $150 buy-in tournament with a big $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. There were six starting flights and they combined for 1,239 entries to put the prize pool up to $148,680. A huge increase on the guarantee. The last 72 players earned a piece but they would have to work for it after the opening flights.

Only 119 players survived for a shot at glory on Day 2. They joined together in the ballroom and quickly played down to the bubble in 90 minutes. Even after Afir Amirali put them in the money, they still didn’t slow down and were down to 22 players on dinner break.

Those players were relocated to The Poker Room to play it out and that is when Meltzer took command of the tournament. He was third in chips at a talented ten-handed final table and did a lot of work to get it shorter by knocking out several players.

Meltzer eliminated Bill Farnan in fourth place to hold more than 70% of the chips with three remaining. They quickly came to an agreement to chop up the rest of the prize pool with former SHRP champions Nicholas Mahabee and Franki Flowers taking home $20,000 each and Meltzer taking the remaining $33,620.

As Meltzer was processing the win and getting ready for his winner’s photo, he requested to take the picture with a pair of jacks. That was the favorite hand of his friend Jonathan “theSauceMkr” Abla who recently passed and Meltzer dedicated this win to him.

“I’ve been trying to win one for him ever since,” Meltzer commented. “I’m just really glad I could do it.”

Meltzer added to his $160,000 in career earnings, but in the end, all he wanted to do was to remember his friend who’s no longer here.

Congrats to Jordan for setting a goal and finishing it out to close the series. It was a great way to end the latest Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open and we crowned a very deserving champion.

Final table results:

1st: Jordan Weltzer – $33,620
2nd: Nicholas Mahabee – $20,000
3rd: Frankie Flowers – $20,000
4th: Bill Farnan – $9,590
5th: Voitto Rintala – $6,691
6th: Homero Molina – $5,204
7th: Andrew Thompson – $4,014
8th: Mark Nahama – $2,974
9th: Marcelo Bellizzi – $2,082

• Download: Event 9 Complete Results (PDF)

2017 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino 
Hollywood, FL
Event 16
$360 No-Limit Hold’em Big Stack 
Entries: 87 
Prizepool: $26,100 
January 25, 2017 

Carlos Loving closes out the 2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open with a win in the $360 No-Limit Hold’em Big Stack event.

After besting a field of 87 entries, Loving made a heads-up deal with Claudemir  Osorio. Loving earns $9,135 and takes credit for the win, while Osorio earns $4,959 for his portion of the deal.

“It feels great,” said Loving. “I love trophies. I have probably four of them already so this will look great on my mantle.”

After playing close to a full slate of events this entire series, the win is a series saver of sorts for the Tampa native.

“It will help me recover some of of my losses from the other tournaments,” said Loving. “I only cashed one other tournament before this, so this helps.”

Loving’s last win at the Hollywood Hard Rock came last April when he took down the $350 No-Limit Hold’em Black Chip Bounty for $8,120.

The 39-year-old poker dealer and engineer has a laundry list of poker accomplishments, but he saw something in this tournament that he had never seen before.

“One dealer in just 30 minutes dealt aces versus kings three times and aces five times total,” said Loving. “I had aces one of the times. I just won the blinds and antes, but the other people who had aces versus kings, they doubled up every time.”

Loving defeated a final table full of Florida regulars and local grinders. Dylan Drazen, who won the last even of the 2016 Rock n’ Roll Poker Open, Nancy Thomas, Marcus Stein, and Osorio are all regulars in the Florida poker scene.

Drazen finished seventh, Thomas hit the rail in sixth, Stein finished fourth, and Osorio was the runner-up in the deal.

Here is a look at the results:

1st: Carlos Loving – $9,135
2nd: Claudemir Osorio – $4,959
3rd: Marc Sacheli – $3,132
4th: Marcus Stein – $2,349
5th: Anthony Barbera – $1,827
6th: Nancy Thomas – $1,566
7th: Dylan Drazen – $1,305
8th: Frederico Dornelas Camara – $1,044
9th: Jay Klitzner – $783

$360 No Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Level 24: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 87

After a long negotiation, Carlos Loving comes out of the event victorious in a heads-up deal. Loving will take the win, the trophy and $9,135. Claudemir Osorio earns $4,959 for his second place finish.

A complete recap of the action will be posted later tonight.

2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Event 15
$300 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Total Entries: 58
Prize Pool: $14,790
January 25, 2017

Hollywood, Fla. (January 25, 2017) – Event 15 of the 2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, a $300 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry), drew 58 entries and generated a prize pool of $14,790. After about eight-and-a-half hours, a three-handed even chop was agreed upon by the final three players. Omar Recuero was chip leader at the time, earning him the official victory.

Originally from New York, Recuero has lived in South Florida for 10 years. He plays cash games for the most part, but loves to play mixed game tournaments at the Seminole Hard Rock.

“I decided to play this today because this is the only time I get to play H.O.R.S.E.,” said Recuero after the deal was made. “I used to play online, but after Black Friday I stopped. So whenever there is a chance to play, I’ll usually do it if I can. I really like playing H.O.R.S.E. because I know how to play all the games. I learned them before no limit hold’em cash games got super popular, so I like getting the chance to do this.”

When play became three-handed, the remaining players quickly agreed to a deal. Recuero had the lead on both of his opponents, but saw reasons to get a deal done.

“Even though I had the chip lead, I felt like this was going to last another two hours or so. Getting the trophy was definitely part of it, and I figured we’ve all worked hard to get to this point. So I felt like why not.”

*denotes three-handed chop

$360 No Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 87

Marc Sacheli raises on the button and Claudemir Osorio moves all in from the small blind. Sacheli quickly calls and is all in for about 250,000.

Osorio shows and is in trouble against Sacheli’s .

The board runs out and Osorio spikes a two-outer on the river to eliminate Sacheli.

Sacheli earns $3,132 for his finish and Claudemir Osorio will go heads-up against Carlos Loving with a three-to-one chip lead for the title.

Claudemir Osorio – 915,000 (57 bb)
Marc Sacheli – Eliminated 

$360 No Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 87

Marc Sacheli moves all in on the button for about 150,000  and Marcus Stein moves all in from the small blind for 132,000. Claudemir Osorio folds his big blind and the cards are tabled.

Sacheli shows and is in bad shape against Stein’s . The board runs out and Sacheli hits an ace on the river to send Stein to the rail.

Stein earns $2,349 for his efforts and there are three players remaining for the trophy.

Marc Sacheli – 270,000 (16 bb)
Marcus Stein – Eliminated 

$360 No Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 87

Anthony Barbera moves all in on the button for about 130,000 and Claudemir Osorio calls from the small blind.

Barbera shows and is in bad shape against Osorio’s . The board runs out and Osorio’s hand holds up to eliminate Barbera in fifth place.

Barbera earns $1,827 for his finish and Osorio scoops the pot.

Anthony Barbera – 420,000 (35 bb)
Claudemir Osorio – Eliminated 

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 32: 75,000/150,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 1,239

After Bill Farnan was eliminated, the three remaining players quickly agreed to a deal to chop up the rest of the prize pool. Frankie Flowers and Nicholas Mahabee grabbed $20,000 with the rest going to Jordan Meltzer as the overwhelming leader.

Counts:
Jordan Meltzer – 8,720,000 (58 bb)
Nicholas Mahabee – 1,850,000 (12 bb)
Frankie Flowers – 1,775,000 (12 bb)

1st: Jordan Weltzer – $33,620
2nd: Nicholas Mahabee – $20,000
3rd: Frankie Flowers – $20,000

$360 No Limit Hold’em Big Stack
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 87

Carlos Loving raises from under the gun and Nancy Thomas moves all in on the button for about 30,000. Loving calls and Thomas is at risk with her against Loving’s .

Thomas takes the lead on a flop of , but the comes on the turn to give Loving the lead. Thomas turns a flush draw, but the comes on the river to eliminate Thomas in sixth place.

She heads to the cage to collect her $1,566 sixth place money, while Loving is at the top of the chip counts.

Carlos Loving – 420,000 (35 bb)
Nancy Thomas – Eliminated