Iadisernia Ships WPT Lucky Hearts for $611K
Giuseppe Iadisernia from Venezuela won the 2026 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship at Seminole Hard Rock, taking home $611,700 and the WPT Champions Cup.
By Card Shark McGee
Giuseppe Iadisernia just completed the dream run. The Venezuelan poker pro shipped the 2026 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Championship at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, banking $611,700 and his first WPT title.
The Quick Hit
- What happened: Iadisernia won the WPT Lucky Hearts Championship
- The damage: $611,700 first prize, WPT Champions Cup
- Why you should care: First WPT title of 2026 is in the books
- The move: The Venetian DeepStack Showdown is running right now if you're feeling inspired
From 1,229 Entries to Champion
The $3,500 buy-in event crushed its $3 million guarantee, drawing 1,229 entries to create a prize pool of $3,932,800. That's serious money for a mid-January event, and it speaks to the strength of the South Florida poker scene.
We tracked the final table coming together earlier this week, and Iadisernia led for most of the final day. He entered heads-up play with a roughly 2-to-1 chip advantage over Jorge Gomez and never let up.
The Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Giuseppe Iadisernia | $611,700 |
| 2nd | Jorge Gomez | $415,000 |
| 3rd | Thomas Boivin | $295,000 |
| 4th | Martins Adeniya | $220,000 |
| 5th | Ted McNamara | $165,000 |
| 6th | Cameron Deng | $125,000 |
Defending champion Martins Adeniya made a deep run but couldn't repeat, finishing fourth for $220,000. Still a solid payday to start the year.
The Knockout Hand
In the final heads-up duel, Gomez battled hard, doubling twice to stay alive. But Iadisernia had too many chips and too much momentum. When the final hand went down, Iadisernia secured his place in the WPT Champions Club.
Thomas Boivin's exit in third was particularly brutal—his Ace-Seven ran into Iadisernia's pocket Aces. That's poker.
What's Next on the Circuit
The WPT heads to Borgata next month for the Winter Poker Open, but if you can't wait that long, there's plenty of action happening right now. The Venetian DeepStack Showdown is running through February 8 with over $2.1 million in guarantees across the series.
For the mid-stakes grinders, the MSPT and RunGood tours are also hitting multiple properties in the coming weeks. Poker in 2026 is off to a hot start.
The Bottom Line
Iadisernia came to South Florida and handled business. A $611,700 payday, a spot in the WPT Champions Club, and the first major title of the year. Not a bad way to kick off 2026.
For everyone who was following Maryon Harper's chip lead earlier in the event—Harper made a solid run but fell short of the final table. That's tournament poker. The chip leader after Day 2 isn't always the champion on the final day.