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From January 6-21, the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in South Florida played host to the 2026 Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO), a 57-event series that catered to a combined 13,555 entries and awarded $12,130,235 in prize money.
PokerNews already recapped Giuseppe Iadisernia taking down the World Poker Tour (WPT) LHPO for $611,700, which you can read here. Did you know Iadisernia finished runner-up in the High Roller for $187,700? More on that below.
Another interesting story was that of Michael Taraf, who bookended the festival. First, he topped a field of 736 runners to win Event #1: $300 Slater Scoops Quad Stack NLH for $23,260, and then two weeks later, bested a 309-entry field to win the last tournament, Event #58: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH, for $9,425.
There were two other two-time winners during the series, including Ryan Hoenig, who navigated a 96-entry field to win Event #26: $600 Six-Max PLO8 for $15,200 and five days later emerged victorious in Event #53: $1,100 Deep Stack 5-Card PLO for $22,055.
The other two-time winner was Joseph Olivieri, who won Event #23: $600 S.O.R.B.E.T. for $9,450 and Event #37: $400 H.O.R.S.E. for $7,490.
Here’s a look at some other notable winners from the series.
Ramidner & Yuvee Extend Record
On January 11, Event #17: $400 Double Board Bomb Pot PLO attracted 122 runners and saw poker pro Yuval Bronshtein win his record-breaking 16th SHRP Major Series trophy, which broke a tie Raminder Singh – at least for six days.
That’s because Singh topped a field of 101 entries to win Event #42: $400 Black Chip Bounty NLH/PLO for $7,015 and his record-tying 16th title.
Thomas Boivin Wins High Roller
On January 15, Event #34: $25,500 High Roller NLH attracted 28 runners and awarded a $691,600 prize pool that was paid out to the top four finishers. That included Manuel Fritz (4th – $76,075) and Anatoly Niktin (3rd – $117,570), but ultimately it was Thomas Boivin besting Giuseppe Iadisernia in heads-up play to win the title and $310,255 top prize.
It marked Boivin’s third SHR title, though his first at the LHPO. He previously won the 2023 Showdown $25K High Roller for $711,300 and two years later the 2025 Showdown $10K Six-Max for $271,600.
Justin Saliba’s $236K Score
From January 18-19, Event #46: $10,000 Deep Stack NLH played out. The tournament drew 72 runners and awarded a $684,000 prize pool, which was more than the $500K guarantee. The final table of nine players made the money and included Stoyan Madanzhiev (8th – $27,360) and Matt Lambrecht (3rd – $83,790).
In the end, Justin Saliba defeated Zach Brunch in heads-up play to win the tournament for $236,925.
Event #46 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Saliba | $236,925 |
| 2 | Zach Bruch | $136,800 |
| 3 | Matt Lambrecht | $83,790 |
| 4 | Filipp Khavin | $61,125 |
| 5 | Qing Lu | $46,170 |
| 6 | David McGowan | $37,110 |
| 7 | Manuel Fritz | $30,780 |
| 8 | Stoyan Madanzhiev | $27,360 |
| 9 | Eli Berg | $23,940 |
2026 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Winners
| Date | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/6/26 | Event #1: $300 Slater Scoops Quad Stack NLH | 736 | $184,000 | Michael Tarafa | $23,260 |
| Jan. 7-12 | Event #2: $600 Deep Stack NLH | 3,586 | $2,000,000 | Justin Datloff | $232,848 |
| 1/7/26 | Event #3: $400 Seniors 50+ NLH | 252 | $83,160 | Jeffrey Homer | $18,100 |
| 1/7/26 | Event #4: $600 Deep Stack Big O | 124 | $64,480 | Jean Laurent | $13,730 |
| 1/7/26 | Event #5: $400 Quad Stack NLH/PLO | 105 | $34,650 | Mikhail Chykiliov | $10,360 |
| 1/8/26 | Event #6: $400 Limit Omaha 8 | 82 | $27,060 | Jonathan Moschel | $7,367 |
| 1/8/26 | Event #7: $800 Deep Stack Six-Max PLO | 84 | $59,220 | Ron Jacobowitz | $19,000 |
| 1/8/26 | Event #8: $400 Triple Stack Six-Max Black Chip Bounty NLH | 129 | $29,670 | Yevgeniy Kluyenko | $7,945 |
| 1/8/26 | Event #9: $600 Deep Stack Turbo PLO | 28 | $14,560 | Vito Lu | $6,545 |
| 1/9/26 | Event #10: $1,100 Double Black Chip Bounty 5-Card PLO | 71 | $54,670 | Marc Geissel | $19,015 |
| 1/9/26 | Event #11: $600 TORSE | 66 | $34,320 | Daniel Barlin | $11,980 |
| 1/9/26 | Event #12: $400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH | 112 | $25,760 | Tanner Martinelli | $7,660 |
| 1/10/26 | Event #13: $600 Deep Stack Mixed PLO | 108 | $56,160 | Grant Hart | $16,835 |
| Jan. 10-13 | Event #14: $1,100 Platinum Stack NLH | 608 | $589,760 | Benjamin Moschel | $63,853 |
| 1/11/26 | Event #15: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 466 | $153,780 | Benjamin Schneider | $17,530 |
| 1/11/26 | Event #16: $600 Mixed Triple Draw | 47 | $24,440 | Elias Nassif | $9,520 |
| 1/11/26 | Event #17: $400 Double Board Bomb Pot PLO | 122 | $40,260 | Yuval Bronshtein | $9,710 |
| 1/11/26 | Event #18: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH | 241 | $36,150 | Bret Grebow | $4,424 |
| 1/12/26 | Event #19: $600 Seniors 50+ Black Chip Bounty NLH | 124 | $52,080 | Gregory Spinder | $14,725 |
| 1/12/26 | Event #20: $600 10-Game Mix | 57 | $29,640 | Pawel Andrzejewski | $10,660 |
| Jan. 12-15 | Event #21: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 1,009 | $332,970 | Darin Utley | $38,311 |
| 1/12/26 | Event #22: $600 Six-Max Black Chip Bounty PLO | 105 | $44,100 | Guy Hayun | $12,810 |
| 1/13/26 | Event #23: $600 S.O.R.B.E.T. | 47 | $24,440 | Joseph Olivieri | $9,450 |
| 1/13/26 | Event #24: $600 Deep Stack 5-Card PLO | 105 | $54,600 | Miguelangel Salvador | $11,379 |
| 1/13/26 | Event #25: $1,700 Deep Stack Progressive Bounty NLH | 107 | $117,700 | Alex Yen | $26,790 |
| 1/14/26 | Event #26: $600 Six-Max PLO8 | 96 | $49,920 | Ryan Hoenig | $15,200 |
| Jan. 14-15 | Event #27: $2,200 Deep Stack NLH | 108 | $216,000 | Asher Neaman | $47,000 |
| Jan. 14-16 | Event #28: $800 Deep Stack PLO | 218 | $153,690 | Phuoc Vo | $33,730 |
| 1/14/26 | Event #29: $600 Triple Stud | 39 | $20,280 | Broc Kuerzi | $8,305 |
| 1/14/26 | Event #30: $300 Quad Stack Double Green Chip Bounty NLH | 165 | $33,000 | Ashok Panchumarthi | $8,770 |
| 1/14/26 | Event #31: $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo NLH | 46 | $46,000 | Scott Bohlman | $17,940 |
| 1/15/26 | Event #32: $600 2-7 Mixed Limits | 36 | $18,720 | Sam Spira | $7,670 |
| Jan. 15-16 | Event #33: $1,100 Deep Stack NLH | 180 | $174,600 | Karanvir Singh | $40,520 |
| 1/15/26 | Event #34: $25,500 High Roller NLH | 28 | $691,600 | Thomas Boivin | $310,255 |
| 1/15/26 | Event #35: $600 Triple Stack Six-Max NLH | 140 | $72,800 | Eric Bunch | $19,670 |
| Jan. 16-21 | Event #36: $3,500 WPT LHPO Championship | 1,229 | $3,932,800 | Giuseppe Iadisernia | $611,700 |
| 1/16/26 | Event #37: $400 HORSE | 65 | $21,450 | Joseph Olivieri | $7,490 |
| 1/16/26 | Event #38: $1,100 Progressive Bounty 5-Card PLO | 30 | $23,100 | Bulat Khusainov | $10,200 |
| 1/16/26 | Event #39: $400 Black Chip Bounty NLH | 143 | $32,890 | Carlos Bermudez | $8,990 |
| 1/17/26 | Event #40: $600 Limit Omaha 8 | 60 | $31,200 | Bobby Leff | $9,861 |
| 1/17/26 | Event #41: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 134 | $50,000 | Roberto Mora Rojas | $9,664 |
| 1/17/26 | Event #42: $400 Black Chip Bounty NLH/PLO | 101 | $23,230 | Raminder Singh | $7,015 |
| 1/17/26 | Event #43: $300 WPT Wildcard Lightning Stack | 124 | $31,000 | Wendy Horan | $5,671 |
| 1/18/26 | Event #44: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 382 | $126,060 | Andreas Ioakimides | $24,200 |
| 1/18/26 | Event #45: $1,100 Deep Stack Mixed PLO | 106 | $102,820 | Aleksey Filatov | $21,376 |
| Jan. 18-19 | Event #46: $10,000 Deep Stack NLH | 72 | $684,000 | Justin Saliba | $236,925 |
| Jan. 18-19 | Event #47: $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty NLH | 91 | $136,500 | Elisha Maarek | $28,870 |
| 1/18/26 | Event #48: $600 Badugi | 34 | $17,680 | Benjamin Goldstein | $7,340 |
| Jan. 18-20 | Event #49: $800 Deep Stack NLH | 441 | $310,905 | James Anderson | $54,305 |
| Jan. 19-20 | Event #50: $1,700 Deep Stack Seniors 50+ NLH | 74 | $111,000 | Brian Brunner | $37,480 |
| 1/19/26 | Event #51: $600 10-Game Mix | 51 | $26,520 | Kris Lord | $9,800 |
| Event #52: $25,500 High Roller Six-Max NLH | Cancelled | ||||
| 1/19/26 | Event #53: $1,100 Deep Stack 5-Card PLO | 65 | $62,050 | Ryan Hoenig | $22,055 |
| 1/19/26 | Event #54: $300 Quad Stack NLH | 98 | $24,500 | Rebecca Trianosky | $7,200 |
| 1/20/26 | Event #55: $400 Triple Stack Six-Max NLH | 160 | $52,800 | Daniel Vranich | $13,680 |
| 1/20/26 | Event #56: $5,000 Deep Stack 8-Handed NLH | 117 | $549,900 | Randall Emmett | $141,300 |
| 1/20/26 | Event #57: $1,100 Deep Stack Six-Max PLO | 92 | $89,240 | Antoine Sankari | $19,896 |
| 1/20/26 | Event #58: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH | 309 | $46,350 | Michael Tarafa | $9,425 |
The MSPT 2026 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
For Season 17 of the Major Series of Poker: The Tour (MSPT), a special event will take place in November!
The MSPT recently announced that every Main Event winner in 2026 will receive a seat into the $3,500 buy-in, $2 million GTD MSPT Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO) at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida. The MSPT Championship, which will offer 1.5X Player of the Year points, will be a part of the larger RRPO festival that will run from Nov. 18—Dec 2, with the full schedule to be released in the future.
It marks the first time the MSPT and Seminole Hard Rock, two of the most respected brands in poker, have joined forces, though the RRPO has a strong history in South Florida dating back to November 2013. It is one of the four main series operated by the Seminole Hard Rock alongside the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO), Lucky Hearts Poker Open, and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.
“It’s a great honor for the MSPT to partner with the Seminole Hard Rock for what’s sure to be one of the biggest events of the year,” MSPT President Bryan Mileski told PokerNews. “The RRPO has a rich history, and we look forward to carrying it forward by bringing all the MSPT Season 17 champions down to South Florida.”
In the past, the RRPO has been a part of the World Poker Tour (WPT), but this year it moves over to the MSPT. In 2025, Kevin Nee topped a field of 437 runners to win the WPT RRPO Championship for $605,100.
*Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.
PR & Media Manager