Action Altman: Lucky Hearts Two-time Champion Back in Field at Borgata

By Sean Chaffin

Fresh off his second WPT title at the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open, Brian Altman (pictured) was right back in the field for another event on Sunday. After topping a field of 843 he took home $482,636 and becomes the first player to win the same event twice.

Altman has been in search of that second title and came close several times. In Season XIII he finished fourth at WPT Montreal for $113,109. He finished eighth at WPT Maryland Live! in Season XV for $45,527. In Season XVII he added a ninth (WPT bestbet Bounty Scramble, $32,647) and also recorded a fifth-place finish at the WPTDeepStacks Thunder Valley event for $32,375

This season, Altman added a third-place at WPT Maryland Live! for $149,515. Then the Lucky Hearts would do the trick – and make some history with another win at the same event he won in Season XIII for $723,008. 

“It feels fantastic to break through and win that second title,” he says. “I’ve had some close calls in the last handful of years. So it’s nice to get number two.”

After his win just a few days ago, it was on to Philadelphia to spend some time with friends before heading to Borgata in Atlantic City. Altman didn’t waste any time getting right back in the action and was in the field from the start of Day 1A.

“This event at the Borgata is awesome,” says Altman, who says he’ll be adding much of his winnings to his investments. “They put a huge $3 million guarantee on it, it attracts a ton of players, and it’s a great structure like all the WPTs. It’s just a great tournament.”

Now with an appearance on the WPT television show from his original win and also on the WPT live stream for his second, adding a trip to Las Vegas at HyperX Esports Arena in Luxor casino would be a nice addition for Altman.

“It would be awesome to go to Vegas and play in the Esports Arena,” he says. “It’s such a big stage. It would be cool to be able to have some friends and family to be there as well if I were able to be in that situation. I think it’s great. I think the delayed final table is kind of a great way to help sportify poker.”

Altman, originally from Massachusetts and now spending much of his time in South Florida, has $4.3 million in live tournament winnings. Along with his big WPT finishes, in 2019 Altman took sixth in the PCA Main Event in January for $297,000. He also scored two titles in events at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown in April for a total of $86,100, and then won a $1,100 event at the Venetian in May for $90,905.

The win at the Lucky Hearts moved Altman into the top spot in the Hublot Player of the Year standings. He has 2,100 points with WPT Bellagio Five Diamond Poker Classic winner Alex Foxen trailing him with 1,400 points. Altman plans on working to keep that No. 1 spot throughout the season.

“Being on top of [Hublot] WPT Player of the Year is great and something I will pursue for the remainder of the season,” he says. “Even before my Florida win, I was going to play the rest of the events on the schedule. However, It’s definitely nice to have some extra motivation moving forward.”

For more information on the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open, click here. For a complete look at the entire Borgata schedule, click here.