After nearly a year of hiatus, the World Poker Tour has returned to the live felt, and it returned in force with 1,573 entries in its Lucky Hearts Poker Open $3,500 Main Event at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida.
An unlikely champion emerged in satellite winner Ilyas Muradi. A player with minimal live cashes on record, Muradi managed to navigate to three-handed play, where he battled Ronnie Bardah and Robel Andemichael.
There, the remaining players came to a deal, one that saw each player secure a minimum of $545,500, with Muradi taking $580,000 as the chip leader.