Lucky Hearts Poker Open Kickoff Event Draws Nearly 2,800 Entries

The fifth time was the charm for Florida’s Fabian Foster. After four previous runs to the final table in kickoff events at Seminole Hard Rock poker festivals in Hollywood and Tampa that all fell just shy of a title, he finally broke through on his latest deep run. Foster outlasted a massive field of 2,784 entries in the $600 buy-in opening no-limit hold’em tournament at the ongoing 2025 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, striking a three-way deal at the finish that saw him secure the title and the top payout of $141,365.

“It’s meaningful because I have two trophies at home, and I have three daughters,” Foster told SHR poker blog reporters. “So this is going to be for my youngest daughter. She’ll be ecstatic when I hand this to her."

This was the fourth six-figure score on Foster’s poker resume. It increased his overall tournament haul to $942,913.

The 600 Card Player Player of the Year points that came with this title catapulted Foster into 10th place in the 2025 POY standings presented by Global Poker.

There were six starting flights for this event, with the turnout of nearly 2,800 easily beating the $1,000,000 guarantee. The $1,447,680 final prize pool was paid out among the top 349 finishers.

Only 15 contenders remained by the start of the final day, with Foster sitting at the bottom of the leaderboard. He battled his way into the middle of the pack by the time the final table was set.

Foster scored several knockouts in a row to overtake the lead heading into short-handed action. Bryan Rosen then eliminated Christopher Corneroli ($68,000) to narrow the field to just three. The clock was paused as a deal was hashed out to bring the event to an end. An agreement was eventually reached, with Foster capturing the title and the top payout of $141,365 as the chip leader. Rosen, who he had covered by just a handful of big blinds, placed second for $140,365. Ryan Hogan, who had 40 big blinds to Foster and Rosen’s 160 or so, earned $116,750 for his third-place showing.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credit: SHR Poker Blog.

Related Articles

'Rookie' Oertling Wins Beau Rivage Heater Main Event

WPT Announces First Half of Season 23 Schedule

Shannon Shorr Wins Another PGT Last Chance Title

Most Viewed Articles