Brian Altman makes WPT history at Lucky Hearts Poker Open
January 23, 2020 10:10 pm
Brian Altman added his name to the World Poker Tour record book earlier this week, becoming the first person ever to win the same WPT championship Main Event twice.
Altman made history at this year’s WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino Hollywood in Florida. In this year’s $3,500 Main Event, Altman outlasted an 843-player field to cash $482,636 and collect his second WPT title.
Altman’s first Main Event win at the Lucky Hearts came in 2015. That year, he topped a 1,027-player field to earn $723,008 which still stands as the largest single cash of his professional poker career. His latest win bumped his lifetime live-poker career earnings to just over $4.2 million.
In his hunt for another Lucky Hearts title, Altman began the final table with the chip lead. The lead didn’t last long though as John Dollinger wrestled it away from him early on.
Altman and Dollinger proved to be the best of the final six at the final table as they were the last two left standing when the tournament went to heads-up.
When heads-up play began, Dollinger had the chip lead with 20.8 million in chips to Altman’s 12.8 million. That changed two hands later after Altman hit trips with Q-8 to take a big pot and the chip lead.
Dollinger almost made it back to even on the chip count against Altman at one point, but that would be close as he would get to mounting a comeback. Altman slowly chipped away at Dollinger’s stack and had a near 3-to-1 chip lead entering what turned out to be the final hand.
On the final hand with blinds at 125,000/250,000 Dollinger limped from the button with a call. From the big blind position Altman raised to 800,000. Dollinger quickly pushed all-in and Altman made an even quicker call.
Dollinger showed As-8s but was a massive underdog in the hand when Altman showed pocket Aces. The board ended up 7d-9s-Kc-2d-10h, failing to improve Dollinger’s hand, eliminating him and giving Altman his second Lucky Hearts win.
For second place Dollinger cashed $311,751.
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