Lone Star Poker Series Champions Social

Lone Star Poker Series Champions Social
Day: 1

John Samuelson Wins Event #11: $600 PLO Championship II

John Samuelson
John Samuelson

One of the premier events on the Lone Star Poker Series Champions Social schedule was Event #11: $600 PLO Championship II, which took place on Wednesday night.

The tournament attracted 91 runners and easily surpassed its $25K GTD by creating a $46,410 prize pool.

Among those to cash but fall short of making the final table were Curtis Cavasos (10th - $1,044), Henry Yu (11th - $1,044), Daniel Schmiech (12th - $1,044), and Kristopher Burchfield (13th - $600).

The final table, which was live-streamed, proved to be a lengthy affair that went into the early morning hours. In the end, it was John Samuelson of Westwego, Louisiana besting Houston's David Mzareulov in heads-up play to win the title and a hefty $13,028 first-place prize.

Event #11: $600 PLO Championship II Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1John SamuelsonWestwego, Louisiana$13,028
2David MzareulovHouston, Texas$8,386
3Bruce WaltersPasadena, Texas$6,065
4Santiago SantosHouston, Texas$4,177
5Robert ValdenCypress, Texas$3,365
6Tom HudsonN/A$2,669
7Michael LeHouston, Texas$2,088
8Jason LangSpring, Texas$1,624
9Roberto FloresN/A$1,276
PLO Championship Final Table
PLO Championship Final Table

Tags: John Samuelson

Linh Dinh Wins Event #10: $400 NLH Double Black Chip Bounty

Linh Dinh
Linh Dinh

The Lone Star Poker Series Event #10: $400 NLH Double Black Chip Bounty saw 62 entrants create a $20,150, just ahead of the $20K GTD. With $200 bounties in effect, that left $7,750 in the regular prize pool to be paid out to the top eight players.

Noted poker photographer Hayley Hochstetler and local player Stephen Johnston were both at the final table, but ultimately it came down to Erin Lee and Linh Dinh, with the latter coming out on top of a heads-up match to not only claim the title, but also the last two $200 bounties (Dinh got to keep his own and also collected Lee's).

Here's a look at the final results, which do now include any collected bounties.

Event #10 Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Linh DinhManvel, Texas$2,306
2Erin LeeBellaire, Texas$1,452
3Pheng VueVenice, California$1,142
4Stephen JohnstonHouston, Texas$810
5Russell BevanSealy, Texas$678
6Tyler RawlinsonTomball, Texas$600
7Hayley HochstetlerTulsa, Oklahoma$522
8Viet VoHouston, Texas$140
Event #10: $400 NLH Double Black Chip Bounty final table
Event #10: $400 NLH Double Black Chip Bounty final table

Tags: Linh Dinh

Thursday Tournament Schedule

DateDayTimeEvent #TitleBuy-InGuarantee
Jan 28THU10:00 AM MEGA SATTELITE (1 IN 6)$1351 PACKAGE ($600+30)
  12:00 PM PLO CHAMPIONSHIP II RESTART  
  2:00 PM#13LONE STAR SURPRISE BOUNTY $10,000 IN ADDED BOUNTIES$600$30,000
  5:00 PM MEGA SATTELITE (1 IN 6)$1351 PACKAGE ($600+30)
  6:00 PM#148-MAX BIG O$400$8,000

Darren Hicks & Rick Steven Chop Event #7: $400 NLH Mega Stack

Darren Hicks & Rick Steven
Darren Hicks & Rick Steven

On Tuesday, Event #7: $400 NLH Mega Stack attracted 97 runners and created a $31,525 prize pool, well ahead of the $20K GTD.

The top 12 finishers got paid including noted poker photographer Hayley Hochstetler (12th - $709), RGPS champ Derrick Contreras (9th - $867), Laura Hoppe (7th - $1,419), Dara Taherpour (4th - $2,837), and Sung Kim (3rd - $4,256).

When heads-up play was reached, the final two players opted to strike a near-even chip. Darren Hicks was crowned the winner for $7,409 and while Rick Steven finished in second place for $7,408.

Event #7 Final Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Darren HicksCorpus Christi, Texas$7,409
2Rick StevenN/A$7,408
3Sung KimHouston, Texas$4,256
4Dara TaherpourHouston, Texas2,837
5Asian WillHouston, Texas$2,286
6Akshay GolaniKingwood, Texas$1,813
7Laura HoppeHouston, Texas$1,419
8Patrick PhillipsMontgomery, Alabama$1,103
9Derrick ContrerasHouston, Texas$867
10Dana OlsonLeague City, Texas$709
11Timothy LewingN/A$709
12Hayley HochstetlerTulsa, Oklahoma$709
Mega Stack final table
Mega Stack final table

Wisconsin's Casey Robbins Wins Event #8: $400 Triple Draw 3-Game Mix

Casey Robbins
Casey Robbins

On Tuesday, Event #8: $400 Triple Draw 3-Game Mix drew 26 entrants who generated an $8,450 prize pool, a tad ahead of the $8K GTD.

Only the top three finishers made the money, and after Jamie Garcia bowed out in third place for $1,690, the title came down to Casey Robbins and Jason Daly.

The former ultimately prevailed and took home the $4,225 first-place prize. It marked a new career-high score for Robbins, who originally hails from Wisconsin.

Prior to the win, his best score was $3,704 for finishing 26th in the 2019 MSPT Wisconsin State Poker Championship at Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino.

Event #8 Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1Casey Robbins$4,225
2Jason Daly$2,535
3Jamie Garcia$1,690
Triple Draw final table
Triple Draw final table

Tags: Casey Robbins

Keith Norris Wins Event #9: $400 PLO Double Black Chip Bounty

Keith Norris
Keith Norris

On Tuesday, the Lone Star Poker Series Champions Social Event #9: $400 PLO Double Black Chip Bounty saw 36 players compete and create an $11,700 prize pool (ahead of the $10K GTD). That meant $4,500 went into the regular prize pool while $200 from each buy-in went towards the bounty pool.

While the number of bounties collected by players wasn't documented, we do know the top four finishers in the tournament split up the regular prize pool. In the end, Keith Norris defeated Santiago Santos in heads-up play to win the title for $1,800 plus the last two bounties in play.

Event #9 Final Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Keith NorrisHouston, Texas$1,800
2Santiago SantosHouston, Texas$1,215
3Amir AbtahiHouston, Texas$855
4Steven UmanDallas, Texas$630

Tags: Keith Norris

Multi-Way Chop Ends Event #6: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo

Doug Ngo
Doug Ngo

Players who couldn't get enough in the first two events of the day on Jan. 25 could get one last crack at the Lone Star Poker Series with Event #6: $250 No-Limit Hold'em Turbo.

This one drew 33 entries for a prize pool of $6,600, getting past the $5,000 guarantee.

The final five players would be paid, but after Genc Govori busted in fifth, it appears the last four struck a deal that saw everyone take home between $1,334 and $1,694. They'd play out for the official winner and Doug Ngo of Houston emerged as champ. Whether he collected any additional prize money wasn't reported, but he's the official winner over Brian Murphy, Darren Hicks and Gee Way Lee.

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Doug NgoHouston, Texas$1,694
2Brian MurphyN/A$1,334
3Darren HicksCorpus Christi, Texas$1,683
4Gee Way LeeHouston, Texas$1,629
5Genc GovoriN/A$260

Tags: Doug Ngo

Ray Henson Wins Event #5: $400 8-Game Mix

Ray Henson
Ray Henson

Ray Henson didn't let the disappointment of a fourth-place finish in the previous event stop him from taking another run at it in Event #5: $400 8-Game Mix. Lo and behold, when the dust settled, he'd finished on top for the outright win worth $4,160.

The event drew 32 entries, enough to edge past the guarantee of $8K by creating a prize pool of $10,400.

The others cashing with top-four finishes were Dean Joe ($2,808), Christopher Cooper ($1,976) and Brent Thomas ($1,456).

PlacePlayerHometownPrize
1Ray HensonSpring, Texas$4,160
2Dean JoeAustin, Texas$2,808
3Christopher CooperN/A$1,976
4Brent ThomasCypress, Texas$1,456