Muradi wins WPT Main Event for $620,000

(PRESS RELEASE) -- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood resumed tournament play with the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open after a year of tournament cancellations due to the pandemic. This year’s LHPO concluded in the early hours of Wednesday with Ilyas Muradi emerging victorious in the World Poker Tour LHPO Main Event Championship. Muradi, of Fort Wayne, Ind., bested 1,573 entries bringing home $620,000, including a $15,000 entry to the 2021 WPT Baccarat Crystal Tournament of Champions.

With the implementation of the company-wide Safe + Sound initiative, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood gave players a safe and socially distant environment to enjoy major tournament play. In addition to thermal temperature scanning upon entry and mandatory masks/face coverings policy, all tables were outfitted with protective Plexiglas between dealer and players, and in between players. There was a 33 percent reduction in the number of total tables to encourage social distancing. Each table was played eight-handed, as opposed to the standard nine-handed. All chips and cards underwent routine cleaning, and all areas were sanitized once a player leaves the table and before another sits.

“It’s really amazing. I feel like a million bucks,” Muradi after the win. “Anybody’s dream can come true. You just have to work hard and put in the effort. If you want something, you have to go get it.”

“I actually came here for small events because my bankroll wasn’t enough to play events like this,” Muradi said. “But I got the opportunity because I missed my flight and I came back and played a satellite, and won a seat. In the field were a lot of amazing players. A lot of people that have played most of their lives. I don’t have as much experience as them, but now I’m the winner. This is amazing. I still cannot believe I’m sitting here with these trophies.”

The $3,500 finale boasted a final prize pool of more than $5 million, more than five times the $1 million guarantee. The last 197 spots in the field made the money.

Championship Final Table Results:

1st: Ilyas Muradi (Fort Wayne, Ind.) $620,000 + includes a $15,000 entry into the 2021 WPT Baccarat Crystal Tournament of Champions

2nd: Robel Andemichael (White Plains, Md.) $545,000

3rd: Ronnie Bardah (Henderson, Nev.) $655,135

4th: Francis Margaglion (Boca Raton, Fla.) $293,510

5th: Jesse Lonis (Medford, Oreg.) $223,895

6th: Philip Shing (Manhattan, N.Y.) $168,990

7th: Andy Hwang (Sugar Land, Tex.) $115,630

(Top three had three-way deal)

LHPO kicked off on Thursday, 14 January with the $600 Deep Stack NLH opener. With 3,004 entries, the event surpassed the $300,000 guarantee, creating a total prize pool of more than $1.5 million. Tampa, Fla. resident Fernando Rodriguez won the opener for $205,000.

Other signature event winners include:

• Chad Eveslage (Ramsey, Ind.), winning the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) for $101,572
• Dominique Mosley (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), winning the $2,200 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) for $140,342

Poker action will return to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood with the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown 15-27 April headlined by a series-ending championship boasting a $2 million guarantee. The WPT Showdown Championship event will run 23 April through 27 April with the final six players reconvening at a later date for a televised final table.