2023 Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 18
$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Entries:  94
Prize Pool:  $91,180
January 17-18, 2023

“I haven’t won a trophy in a while, so it’s nice to finally bring one home.”

The last time Zhen Cai won a poker trophy, it was 2018, and his son was only three years old. But now his son is seven and understands what Cai does for a living.

“Every time I go play cards, he asks me if I win,” said Cai. “So it’s nice to finally come back and say, ‘I won something this time.'”

Event #18 (Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8) was a two-day event with 94 entries, and by the time they reached the seven-handed final table at the end of Day 1, the average chip stack was only 17 big blinds. Cai was the big stack with 38 big blinds, followed by Sean Troha with 31. (Nobody else had more than 15.)

Cai and Troha remained the big stacks as the final table lost four players in the first 45 minutes, which included a 10-minute break to color up chips.

During three-handed play, Cai increased his lead quite a bit, putting him in a pretty dominating position over Troha and Danny Chang.

When Cai eventually knocked out Chang in third place (details here), he held a 6-to-1 chip lead over Troha, who wasn’t able to bounce back. Heads-up play only lasted about 13 minutes before Cai sealed his victory with a king-high flush (details here).

Cai plans to take a couple days off, and then return to play in the $3,500 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship, which begins with starting flights on Friday and Saturday.

Cai’s last trophy here came during the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, when he won a $2,200 PLO event. So what keeps him coming back to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood?

“The Hard Rock is great,” said Cai. “It’s comfortable, it’s roomy, and it’s a close drive for me. It’s like my home casino.”

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 94

Sean Troha got it all in from the button for about 175,000 against Zhen Cai.

Zhen Cai:  
Sean Troha:  

The board came , and since neither player made a qualifying low, Cai won the pot — and the title and the trophy — with a king-high flush.

Congratulations to Zhen Cai!

1st:  Zhen Cai  –  $27,880 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  Sean Troha  –  $18,000
3rd:  Danny Chang  –  $11,900
4th:  Clint Hartshorn  –  $8,210
5th:  Steven Novak  –  $5,795
6th:  John Holley  –  $4,215
7th:  Phil Hui  –  $3,165

Stay tuned for a recap from this event, which will be posted later this afternoon.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 94

Danny Chang got it all in from the big blind for less than 100,000 against Zhen Cai in the small blind.

Zhen Cai:  
Danny Chang:  

The board came , and with no possible lows, Cai won the pot with the higher two pair, sevens and threes, to eliminate Chang in third place.

Danny Chang  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($11,900)

And here are the approximate chip counts for the start of heads-up play, followed by the final table payouts:

Zhen Cai  –  1,600,000  (64 bb)
Sean Troha  –  270,000  (11 bb)

1st:  $27,880 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  $18,000

3rd:  Danny Chang  –  $11,900
4th:  Clint Hartshorn  –  $8,210
5th:  Steven Novak  –  $5,795
6th:  John Holley  –  $4,215
7th:  Phil Hui  –  $3,165

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  15,000/25,000 with a 25,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 94

With the board showing on the river and about 190K already in the pot, Zhen Cai bet 90,000 from the big blind, and Danny Chang raised from the button to 250,000.

Cai asked how much Chang had left in his stack, and it was 135K. Cai moved all in, and Chang quickly folded.

Cai showed his first, saying he was value-betting his two pair on the river. But right after he bet, he realized that his other two cards, , rivered an ace-high straight.

Chang took the loss in stride, smiling and saying, “I’m in my comfort zone. No chips.”

Zhen Cai  –  1,335,000  (53 bb)
Danny Chang  –  135,000  (5 bb)

The next hand, Chang got it all in from the big blind for 110,000 against Zhen Cai in the small blind.

Zhen Cai:  
Danny Chang:  

The board came , and since neither player made a qualifying low hand, Chang won the pot with a higher two pair, aces and sevens, to double up in chips.

Danny Chang  –  260,000  (10 bb)
Zhen Cai  –  1,225,000  (49 bb)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is around 625,000 (25 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $11,900 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 94

Zhen Cai completed the small blind to 20,000, and Danny Chang checked his option in the big blind.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Cai checked, Chang bet 25,000, and Cai called.

The river card was the , Cai checked, Chang bet 30,000, and Cai check-raised to 175,000. Chang tanked for a while before he called.

Zhen Cai:    (ace-high straight)
Danny Chang:  mucked

With no possible lows, Cai won the pot with a flopped ace-high straight, and Chang mucked.

Zhen Cai  –  925,000  (46 bb)
Danny Chang  –  575,000  (29 bb)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is around 625,000 (31 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $11,900 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 94

With the board showing on the turn, Clint Hartshorn got it all in from the big blind against Sean Troha in the small blind.

Sean Troha:    (eights full of fives, 8-5 low draw)
Clint Hartshorn:    (eights full of threes, 8-7 low draw)

The river card was the , and Troha scooped the pot with a higher full house (eights full of fives) and an 8-5 low to eliminate Hartshorn in fourth place.

Sean Troha  –  755,000  (38 bb)
Clint Hartshorn  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($8,210)

With three players remaining, the average chip stack is around 625,000 (31 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $11,900 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 94

Danny Chang limped from the hijack for 20,000, Steven Novak moved all in from the cutoff for 55,000, and Chang called.

Danny Chang:  
Steven Novak:  

The board came , and with no possible lows, Chang won the pot with two pair, eights and sixes, to eliminate Novak in fifth place.

Danny Chang  –  440,000  (22 bb)
Steven Novak  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($5,795)

With four players remaining, the average chip stack is around 470,000 (24 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,210 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 94

After a short break to color up the 1K chips, the players return to begin Level 21, with increased blinds of 10,000-20,000 and a 20,000 ante.

Here are the official chip counts from the break, followed by the final table prizepool:

Seat 1.  Danny Chang  –  335,000  (17 bb)
Seat 2.  Steven Novak  –  55,000  (3 bb)
Seat 3.  Sean Troha  –  465,000  (23 bb)
Seat 4.  Clint Hartshorn  –  340,000  (17 bb)
Seat 5.  Zhen Cai  –  685,000  (34 bb)

1st:  $27,880 + LHPO Trophy
2nd:  $18,000
3rd:  $11,900
4th:  $8,210
5th:  $5,795

6th:  John Holley  –  $4,215
7th:  Phil Hui  –  $3,165

With five players remaining, the average chip stack is around 375,000 (19 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $5,795 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20:  8,000/16,000 with a 16,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 94

John Holley got it all in from the small blind for about 150,000 against Clint Hartshorn on the button.

Clint Hartshorn:  
John Holley:  

The final board showed , and with no possible lows, Hartshorn won the pot with two pair, kings and queens, to eliminate Holley in sixth place.

Clint Hartshorn  –  375,000  (23 bb)
John Holley  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($4,215)

With five players remaining, the average chip stack is around 376,000 (24 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $5,795 each.

$1,100 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha 8 (Single Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20:  8,000/16,000 with a 16,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 94

Danny Chang raised from the hijack to 40,000, Phil Hui moved all in from the small blind for about 85,000, and Chang called.

Danny Chang:  
Phil Hui:  

The board came , and Hui flopped a set of kings and rivered a king-high flush, but it was no good because Chang rivered an ace-high flush. Chang won the pot to eliminate Hui in seventh place

Danny Chang  –  380,000  (24 bb)
Phil Hui  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($3,165)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is around 313,000 (20 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $4,215 each.