There was a total of 639 entrants creating a prize pool of $319,500. 63 players will make the money with first place taking home $81,823. Full payouts are as follows:
His stay was short lived as he was recently eliminated with a nut flush draw that would not improve against bottom two pair, but Mukul Pahuja was among the many that decided to come down to try their luck in the $300,000 Guaranteed NLHE tournament here at the STAX Poker Lounge. Mukul has over 1.85 million in reported live career earnings including a recent 2nd place finish at the 2013 WPT Montreal tournament for $362,430. His biggest score, however, was a 3rd place finish at the $10,000,000 Guarantee at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood for $872,625.
Other notables that took part in the poker action today include Michael Beasley, Joshua Hillock, Steven Karp, Adam Levy, Seth Berger, Kevin Ho, Michael Minetti, and Stuart Paterson. Barry Hutter was also in the field fresh off his 5th place finish at the 2013 WPT Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $219,165 as well as a win at a 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Deep Stack Poker Series in Hollywood.
There are 108 players remaining of the 165 entrants that started the day.
Registration is officially closed for Event 1 with the final number of registered entrants for the final flight being the highest of the five flights at 165 bringing the unofficial total to 639. will have prize pool and payout information posted as soon as they it becomes available. Here is the unofficial current updated number of entrants and returnees.
Day 2 Blinds: 1,500/3,000/300 ante 37 players remaining, 109k avg (36 bb)
Like a scene from the film The Firm, Ryan Sherman (No. Miami Beach) raced through the Seminole Coconut Creek parking garage and casino, and to register for Flight D of Event 1 of the Lucky Hearts Poker Open. After catching his breath, Sherman sprinted pasted the field to take the flight chip lead with 255k.
“I barely made Level 5,” said Sherman, who like Tom Cruise in the movie, is a lawyer. “I cut it a little too close,” and said he only had five minutes to spare.
Sherman finished ahead of WSOP bracelet holder Norman Ketchum (Loves Park, IL) who bagged 218k. Both players are here because of the $300,000 Guaranteed prize pool, and this week is the first time they’ve been to the Stax Poker Lounge.
“It’s a nice room,” says Ketchum who won his bracelet in 2004.
Sherman almost didn’t make it through the day and said, “I had one foot out the door,” when he hit an Ace on the river with A-Q to crack pocket Queens for a 30k double-up just a few levels after his late arrival.
162 entries were in the fourth of the five flights and 37 advanced to Saturday’s Day 2. That puts the four flight title at 474 entries and 102 players advancing with the 7 pm flight still in progress.
Wendy Freedman (Las Vegas, NV) bagged 63k and was one of the recognizable names who advanced, but WSOP bracelet holder David Diaz (Bartlett, TN) and Mike Beasley (Davie), both with more than $1.3 million in career tournament earnings failed to bag and tag.
Sherman is currently 6th overall and trails Michael Laake’s 293k who was the Flight A big stacks and overall chip leader.
Every table, all 27 of them, in the Stax Poker Lounge is filled and the tournament has met the $300,000 Guarantee easily as there are 148 registered entrants with approximately 25 minutes left to register.
The final flight for Event 1, a $300,000 Guaranteed NLHE tournament, has officially begun. We have 474 entrants prior to the start of this event meaning we need just over 125 entrants to hit the Guarantee. Thus far we are at 58 for the evening but it’s Friday night in South Florida so we’re sure to see that number increase dramatically until registration closes at approximately 9:10 pm.