Championship: Online Winner Thrilled at Opportunity

WPT Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship

Level 3: Blinds 75/150/25 ante
Flight B Entries: 153 (335 total)

Elaine Siegel
Siegel Already a Winner

“I was shocked,” says Elaine Siegel (Boca Raton) when she got the call that she was the Lucky Hearts Poker Open Online Contest Winner.

“I’ve always wanted to go into a big tournament, but too chicken to put up the money,” she says after she was randomly picked in the online drawing for the $3,500 seat into the Championship Event.

Siegel admits to being “nervous” at the start of play because of all the accomplished players in the field, but says “it’s just poker” and is now comfortably playing her game.

She says she plays at Coconut Creek, but more often at Hard Rock Hollywood where she’s done well in daily tournaments. Siegel says she learned the game from her dad and has been playing for years.

“We had to win,” she smiles, “he wouldn’t just give us the pot.”

It’s been rough going the first two levels for Siegel, who has half the 30k starting stack, but is hoping for a turn around after picking up pocket Aces before the break.

Siegel has gotten a lot of support from her family as her children Brad & Jill sent her good luck messages and she even got a text from one of her four grandchildren.

Coconut Creek and Stax Poker Lounge is glad to give Siegel a chance to play in this WPT Championship Event.

*** 2:30 pm Update ***

Siegel busts when she rivers two pairs with Q4, but her opponent turned a set of Jacks.

“That’s what happens when you play with the big boys,” she says. “It was a great experience. I’m very happy to have the opportunity to play in a big tournament.