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HOLLYWOOD, Fla.– Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. concluded its 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO) late Wednesday evening. This year’s LHPO marked the first time pairing of WPTDeepStacks™ and WPT brands in the same series, and the $3,500 WPT® Championship boasted a final prize pool of more than $2.9 million, easily exceeding the $2 million guarantee. Scroll Down For More...
Besting 911 entries in the Championship, Darryll Fish (31) of Cape Coral, Fla. took home the top prize of $511,604 plus a seat into the season-ending WPT Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas, valued at $15,000.
“I don’t play for the title but it doesn’t mean I don’t want one and it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it,” said Fish. “It’s been a lot of years playing the WPT so it feels really good.”
A frequent player at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Wednesday’s win marked Fish’s third top-three finish and fourth cash in the property’s last five poker majors. He previously finished runner-up in the 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship for $453,185; 33rd in the World Series of Poker Circuit Main Event for $6,034; third in last November’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship for $168,920; and, of course, first in yesterday’s LHPO Championship for $511,604. In all, he’s earned $1,139,743 in Seminole Hard Rock championships dating back to April of 2017.
“[Seminole Hard Rock] feels like home,” said Fish. “Every poker player has their home casino and the one they feel most comfortable playing in...I’ve played poker here since I was 18 years old…For it to happen here, more than anywhere, is extra special for sure.”
Championship Final Table Results:
1st: Darryll Fish (Cape Coral, Fla.) $511,604 + Seat into WPT Tournament of Champions
2nd: Aleksandr Shevelev (Russia) $331,116
3rd: Andy Frankenberger (New York, N.Y.) $244,342
4th: Ness Reilly (Boston, Mass.) $182,249
5th: Brett Bader (Boca Raton, Fla.) $137,440
6th: Alan Krockey (Chicago, Ill.) $104,784
The 24-tournament LHPO kicked off on Thursday, Jan. 11 with the $1,100 WPTDeepStacks™ Series Opener. The event drew 1,366 entries, highlighting a final prize pool of more than $1.3 million.
Other signature event winners include:
• Scott Baumstein (New York, N.Y.), winning the $1,100 WPTDeepStacks Series Opener for $220,238 + $3,000 WPTDeepStacks Championship Package
• Stefan Schillhabel (Brighton, Germany), winning the $50,000 Super High Roller NLH for $493,000
• Justin Bonomo (Yorktown, Va.), winning the $25,500 High Roller NLH for $556,873
• Benjamin Tollerene (Mansfield, Tex.), winning the $5,000 NLH for $163,944
Poker action will return to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. with the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown on April 5 – April 18, 2018, headlined by a WPTDeepStacks prelim and a series-ending WPT Championship with a $3 million guarantee.
Future tournament information and poker hotel rates are available at SHRPO.com.
