$300 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold’em

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

Blinds 2k/4k/500 ante

After taking the chip lead, Seth Berger grinds down Vlad Varlashin to 140k (35 bb) before the final hand.

Berger:
Varlashin:

Flop: (Berger, pair of 8s]

Turn: (Varlashin OE)

River:

Berger dodges 14 outs and wins the tournament with a pair of 8s.

“I’m happy to get a win,” says Berger, “I’ve chopped before, but this is my first outright win.”

Berger, who had a second and third place finish at the 2013 WSOP for $620,000, picks up the Lucky Hearts Poker Open trophy and $26,520 for the win.

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

 Blinds 2k/4k/500 ante

Vlad Varlashin is all in with against for 140k (35 bb).

Varlashin picks up an OE straight draw on the turn with the board showing and has 14 outs going to the river, but the isn’t one of them.

Berger’s pair of 8s is the winner and Varlashin settles for second place.

“I was hoping to win my first trophy,” says Varlashin who earns $15,522 as runner-up. “For me it’s not about the money, I care much more about the trophy.”

Berger misses getting his first win, but it’s his 7th career final table to push his recorded live tournament earnings to nearly $325,000.

Berger is a Russian businessman who spends his winters in Sunny Isles Beach. He and his wife are days away from expecting their first child.

Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry) Place-Payout

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Payout

1st Seth Berger (Woodbury, New York) $26,520
2nd Vlad Varlashin (Krasnodar, Russia) $15,522
3rd Francisco Gomez (Lakeland) $10,140 (vlad)
4th Ryan D’Angelo (Brooklyn, NY) $7,410 (berger)
5th Jamar Lewis (Miramar) $5,538 (vlad)
6th Tomas Magni (Montreal, Canada) $4,290 (berger)
7th Joey Weissman (Boca Raton) $3,432 (Gomez)
8th Richard Kessler (Margate) $2,808 (Lewis)
9th Adam Levy (Coconut Creek) $2,340 (Vlad)

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

Blinds 1.5k/3k/400 ante

After beginning heads up play trailing Vlad Varlashin (530k to 400k), Seth Berger flips the script.

On a flop of , Berger 3-bets to 150k and Varlashin calls.

The turn brings the , Berger moves all in and Varlashin folds.

The hand gives Berger the chip lead 555k to 375k after winning the 350k chip pot.

*** Post Tournament Update ***

Berger says he flopped two pairs with K6
Varlashin says he held one pair and the nut flush draw

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

Blinds 1.5k/3k/400 ante

Francisco Gomez makes his last stand with pocket 7s for 120k against the AK of Vlad Varlashin.

Gomez loses the flip and finishes in third place for $10,140.

“First major tournament, not too bad,” says Gomez who says he’s been playing poker less than one year and picks up his first recorded cash.

“I’m like a rookie quarterback who went to the Super Bowl and lost.”

Varlashin has a slight lead over Seth Berger as they begin heads up play for the title.

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

Blinds 1.5k/3k/400 ante

Ryan D’Angelo and Seth Berger see a flop of .

D’Angelo checks
Berger bets 10k
D’Angelo raises to 25k
Berger calls

Turn:

D’Angelo bets 35k
Berger calls

River:

D’Angelo moves all in for 110k
Berger snap calls

D’Angelo (pair of Aces)
Berger (trip Ts)

D’Angelo can’t believe his Aces are cracked and throws his cards cross the table in frustration.

“Good luck guys,” says D’Angelo as he walks away in 4th place for $7,410.

D’Angelo has nearly $1.5 million in career recorded tournament earnings, including a win at the WPT World Championship last year.

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

Blinds 1.5k/3k/500 ante

On a flop of , Seth Berger bets 30k. Vlad Varlashin makes it 80k, Berger moves all in for 128k total and Varlashin calls.

Berger: (Ace high)
Varlashin: (flush draw, gutter ball)

Turn: (no change)

River:

“So many outs,” laments Varlashin who sees Berger win the hand with Ace-high, “that’s the flop I wanted.”

Berger gets the double-up and with the preflop action is up to 305k, while Varlashin drops to 445k.

$1,100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-entry)

After losing a big pot against Vlad Varlashin, Seth Berger ships an 88k double-up to Ryan D’Angelo with the chips all in preflop.

Berger: 99
D’Angelo: AQ

Flop: J-T-J (D’Angelo, gutterball)

Turn: K (D’Angelo straight)

River: 6

Broadway for D’Angelo takes him to 175k, while Berger drops to just under 200k.

Varlashin is the chip leader while Francisco Gomez is the short stack.

Chip Counts

Vlad Varlashin (Krasnodar, Russia) 455k
Seth Berger (Woodbury, New York) 195k
Ryan D’Angelo (Brooklyn, NY) 175k
Francisco Gomez (Lakeland) 95k