By Sean Chaffin
After a year away from the Main Tour, the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open returns January 17-22 at the Seminole Hard Rock. This year, the event comes back in an even bigger way with the WPTDeepStacks Hollywood also running at the venue January 9-13.
The two events are part of a huge few weeks of poker and should attract a nice field of players looking for some big poker action and opportunity for some South Florida sunshine.
The Lucky Hearts was first on the schedule in Season X and features a $3,500 buy-in with a $2 million guarantee. Darryll Fish won the last event in Season XVI (2018) for $511,604. Fish should be back in the field hoping to defend his title at one of his favorite properties.
“I always like playing here, my home base is basically here,” he says. “I live in Miami so I’m more comfortable here than anywhere else in the world. That was my first big victory, so it felt really good to get it on my home turf. I’m always excited to play the tournaments here, they’re getting better and better.”
Matt Juttelstad won the first event for $268,444 and other past winners include Matt Giannetti, James Calderaro, and Brian Altman. That was only one of two WPT cashes for Juttelstad, but the other three players have become regulars on the tour with numerous cashes.
The WPTDS Hollywood should also make for a great event and is traditionally the largest field of the season on the tour. The event features a $1,100 guaranteed prize pool and three starting flights on January 9, 10, and 11. The final table will be live streamed on WPT.com. In 2019, Jason Young topped a field of 1,643 entries to take the title and $263,205. A year earlier, tour regular Scott Baumstein won the event for $223,238.
Beyond these two events, the LHPO schedule features a packed schedule of 29 events with something for everyone.
Those looking for some lower buy-in events will have several to choose from that feature some nice guarantees. One highlight is the $150 Big Stack on January 10. This event should produce a nice field with a $30,000 guarantee and WPTDeepStacks Hollywood seat also going to the winner.
A few other nice options include: $400 Deep Stack (January 12) $50,000 guaranteed; $600 Six-Max Single Re-Entry (January 14) $50,000 guaranteed; and the $400 Black Chip Bounty (January 19) $50,000 guaranteed.
One of the final events of the series is also a nice low roller option. The Seminole will host a $150 event beginning on January 20 with a $50,000 guarantee. The event offers two starting flights and a chance at some big bang for the buck.
Players with a bigger bankroll will also find several events for their poker trip to South Florida. One highlight is the $25,500 High Roller on Jan. 20 with a $1 million guarantee. Here’s a look at some others:
January 12 – $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty (Single Re-Entry), $100,000 guaranteed
January 15 – $1,100 Eight Handed (Single Re-Entry), $100,000 guaranteed
January 16 – $2,200 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry), $200,000 guaranteed
January 19 – $2,200 Short Deck (Re-Entry)
January 21 – $5,000 Eight-Handed (Re-Entry), $200,000 guaranteed
Mixed game players and those looking for something away from No Limit Hold’em will also find a few interesting tournaments. Check out the $400 Omaha Hi-Lo event with a $25,000 guarantee on Jan. 9 and the $400 HORSE a day later. There is also a $400 Pot Limit Omaha event (Jan. 13), a PLO Hi/Lo (Jan. 14), and a split Omaha and Stud Hi/Lo event (Jan. 14).
Another nice event for women is the $250 Ladies Championship on Jan. 18. The event features a $10,000 guarantee with an $1,100 Six-Max entry added for the winner ($100,000 guaranteed).
The entire series should make for an interesting few weeks of poker with numerous nice guarantees. Get your bankroll together and head to the Seminole Hard Rock for sun, fun, and plenty of poker.
For more on the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open, click here. For a complete schedule, click here. For more on the WPT DeepStacks Hollywood, click here.
Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas, and his work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.