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Matt Juttelstad Wins the 2012 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Sorted In: Featured Blog, Matt Juttelstad, Jessica Welman, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, Season X, Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open05:09 PM, 02/15/12
No Student Loan Debt for WPT Champ Matt Juttelstad
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Matt Juttelstad may still have to sweat the result of his grad school admissions interview, but he certainly won't have to sweat how to pay for grad school.
The Florida native came back from a nearly year-long hiatus from poker to play in the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open only because he was going to be in the Miami area for his interview at Florida Atlantic University. He even busted on Day 1A and only re-entered on Day 1B after his interview ended earlier than expected. That decision was a profitable one for Juttelstad. He is now a WPT title holder and has $268,444.
When the Lucky Hearts final table began, it was Gigi Gagne who was in pole postion with a big chip lead over the field and a chance to become the first female winner of a WPT open event. She took a hit to her stack early though when she flopped two pair holding A
4
on an A54
board and got it all-in against Ferrera's A10. Ferrera spiked a ten on the turn to make a better two pair and double, then put another dent in Gagne's stack a few hands later.
Though it was Ferrera who got off to the fastest start at the final table, he was the player who exited first when he aggressively four-bet all-in preflop with Q-J and Juttelstad called with 99. Ferrera flopped a jack and looked in good shape to double, but the river brought the 9 to give Juttelstad a set and the pot, sending Ferrera home in sixth place.
Then it was Juttelstad's turn to hold the chip lead, but he had to weather a storm of rough hands, including short stack Todd Jacobson doubling thru him on two separate occassions. Jacobson came in as the smallest stack, but refused to give up and lasted through 192 hands of action before busting in fifth place when his pocket tens couldn't hold against Sharon Levin's [Abut asd4d] after the two got it all-in preflop.
Busting Jacobson added some chips to Levin's dwindling stack, but with both Juttelstad and Uri Kadosh sitting on big stacks, it was tough for Levin to keep up with the pack. Levin tried to pick up some chips by shoving all-in from the button with A3, but Gagne woke up with a bigger ace, A10, in the big blind. Her hand held and Levin exited in fourth place.
When three-handed play began, the trio of players were closely packed together in the counts, but then Juttelstad took command of the table and started amassing quite a pile of chips. Juttelstad doubled thru Kadosh to take the chip lead, then picked off even more of Kadosh's stack. Juttelstad dealt the final blow to Kadosh when Kadosh reraised all-in preflop holding J8
and Juttelstad called him with a dominant AJ.
Juttelstad's hand held to eliminate Kadosh in third place and give him a more than 3-1 advantage over Gagne going into heads-up play. Juttelstad may have had the chip advantage, but Gagne proved she could play with patience and wouldn't go down without a fight.
Over the course of roughly 30 hands of heads-up action, the two sparred in relatively small pots before the match abruptly screeched to a halt. On the final hand of play, the two limped in preflop and a saw the board fall 532. Gagne bet and Juttelstad called. The turn brought the A and Gagne, who had made the wheel with 4-8, moved all-in. Juttelstad called immediately and showed 46 for a bigger straight, leaving Gagne drawing dead to a chop.
The river 8 ended Gagne's hopes of becoming the first female open event winner and, in a flash, the frenetically paced final table, which plowed through 303 hands of action in less than nine hours, was over.
After the hand concluded and WPT's own Mike Sexton interviewed Juttelstad about his victory, Juttelstad said he needed to "decompress." That is certainly expected when you consider that in for the past four days Juttelstad played some impressive poker, staying near the top of the chip counts from Day 1 all the way to Day 4 en route to a WPT title, a seat in the WPT World Championship, and a quarter of a million dollars.
Juttelstad deserves some time to relax...until he has to start worrying about how that grad school interview went.
Here are the final table results from the Lucky Hearts Poker Open:
1st: Matt Juttelstad - $268,444
2nd: Gigi Gagne - $158,194
3rd: Uri Kadosh - $105,463
4th: Sharon Levin - $73,344
5th: Todd Jacobson - $54,649
6th: Keith Ferrera - $42,185
10:33 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #303: Matt Juttelstad Wins! ($268,444)
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Matt Juttelstad limps for 80,000, and Gagne checks. The flop comes 532, Gagne bets 300,000, and Juttelstad calls.
The turn is the A, Gagne moves all in, and Juttelstad immediately calls with 64 for a six-high straight. Gagne turns over 10-4 for a five-high straight, but she's drawing dead to a chop. Gagne needs a six on the river to stay alive.
The river card is the 8, and Matt Juttelstad wins the pot -- and the tournament -- with a six-high straight.
Gigi Gagne finishes as the runner-up, earning $158,194.
Matt Juttelstad wins the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open, earning $268,444, a WPT Champions Trophy, and a trophy from the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. His prize money includes a $25,500 seat in the WPT World Championship this May at the Bellagio.
Congratulations to Matt Juttelstad!
1st: Matt Juttelstad - $268,444
2nd: Gigi Gagne - $158,194
3rd: Uri Kadosh - $105,463
4th: Sharon Levin - $73,344
5th: Todd Jacobson - $54,649
6th: Keith Ferrera - $42,185
09:55 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #302: Gigi Gagne
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Gigi Gagne raises to 250,000, and Matt Juttelstad folds.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,655,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,195,000
09:48 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #301: Matt Juttelstad
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Matt Juttelstad limps for 80,000, and Gigi Gagne checks her option. Both players check to the river on a board of A7699. Juttelstad shows 10-6 to win the pot with two pair, nines and sixes, and Gagne mucks.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,745,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,105,000
09:48 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #300: Gigi Gagne
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Gigi Gagne limps for 80,000, and Matt Juttelstad checks his option. The flop comes JJ6, Juttelstad checks, Gagne bets 400,000, and Juttelstad folds. Gagne takes the pot.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,655,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,195,000
09:47 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #299: Gigi Gagne
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Matt Juttelstad limps for 80,000, and Gigi Gagne checks her option. The flop comes 972, Gagne checks, Juttelstad bets, and Gagne folds.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,745,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,105,000
09:46 PM, 02/14/12
Level 29 Begins
Level 29: 40,000-80,000, 10,000 ante
Level 29 begins with increased blinds of 40,000-80,000 and a 10,000 ante. Play continues without a break.
09:45 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #298: Matt Juttelstad
Level 28: 30,000-60,000, 10,000 ante
Gigi Gagne limps for 60,000, and Matt Juttelstad checks his option. The flop comes AJ8, Gagne checks, Juttelstad bets 80,000, and Gagne folds. Juttelstad takes the pot.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,655,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,195,000
09:44 PM, 02/14/12
Hand #297: Gigi Gagne
Level 28: 30,000-60,000, 10,000 ante
Matt Juttelstad raises to 120,000, Gigi Gagne reraises to 360,000, and Juttelstad calls. The flop comes A103, Gagne bets 250,000, and Juttelstad calls.
The turn card pairs the board with the 10, and Gagne moves all in for about 1 million. Juttelstad thinks for 20 seconds before he folds, and Gigi Gagne takes the pot.
Matt Juttelstad - 6,585,000
Gigi Gagne - 2,265,000
09:43 PM, 02/14/12
