$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guarantee | Structure
Returning to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 97 of 1,027

The last multi-day tournament on the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open schedule featured a small buy-in with a big guarantee and drew a huge crowd over six starting flights.

The tournament had a $150 with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool that was easily surpassed to give our players a great return on investment. Over six starting flights, the tournament drew more than 1,000 entries with only 97 players are around for the start of Day 2.

Those returning include former SHRP champs Rafael Reis, Sean Shah,  and Josias Santos along with Seminole Hard Rock Tampa poker ambassador Wally Maddah.

They’ll return at 1pm and continue playing down to the money then on to the RRPO Champion.

Day 2 Chips | Day 2 Seats | Payouts

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 585

On the first hand of the day, Ari Engel opened the action and Michael Newman defended in the big blind to the flop. Newman called a flop bet, then led out for 600,000 after the turn.

Engel moved all in and Newman had to make a decision for his tournament on the first hand of the final table. He thought for a few minutes and called for 2,900,000.

Newman:
Engel:

Newman was best with the ace and better flush draw, Engel was drawing dead to the river and Newman doubled into the lead.

Michael Newman – 6,780,000 (85 bb)
Ari Engel – 1,100,000 (14 bb)

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 585

After two starting flights and three days of play, the Championship is down to the final table six and they will play for the title in front of the Poker Night in America live stream cameras for later broadcast.

It is a tough group of players with eight-time WSOP Circuit winner Ari Engel holding the chip lead followed by WPT Champions Club member Matas Cimbolas, high roller Tom Marchese, former SHRP champion Michael Newman, and Seminole Hard Rock Poker team members Sheddy Siddiqui and Darryll Fish.

They will take their seats at noon to kick off the action. They are all guaranteed to walk away with $75,380 but they are all aiming for the $374,240 top prize.

Seat 1: Darryll Fish – 2,385,000 (30 bb)
Seat 2: Michael Newman – 3,360,000 (42 bb)
Seat 3: Tom Marchese – 1,050,000 (13 bb)
Seat 4: Matas Cimbolas – 3,680,000 (46 bb)
Seat 5: Ari Engel – 4,495,000 (56 bb)
Seat 6: Sheddy Siddiqui – 2,580,000 (32 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st – $374,240 + Trophy
2nd – $262,440
3rd – $168,920
4th – $121,920
5th – $93,560
6th – $75,380

$250 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 1: 25/50

Time is running out to pick up an RRPO trophy and this afternoon kicks off a great value tournament. Event 16 is a $250 buy-in tournament with a nice $30,000 guaranteed prize pool that will award a trophy before the night is through.

Each entrant will start with a 10,000 stack and play 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration is available until the start of Level 9 at 4:30pm and unlimited re-entries are available during that time.

Before we are done today, we will crown one of the last RRPO champions of the series. Cards fly at noon and we’ll keep an eye on the field as they play down to a winner.

• $30,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 16 Structure Sheet

Among all the big final tables in Seminole Hard Rock Poker history, the final table of the 2017 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood might be one of toughest of them all. The six players who will play it out for the RRPO Championship represent nearly $28 million in career live tournament earnings and they are all worthy of the title.

The six players have combined for nine WSOP Circuit rings, an Aussie Million Tournament of Champions title, an Aussie Million Main Event win, a half-dozen SHRP titles, a WPT Champions Club member, and a half dozen SHRP trophies.

One of the best final tables you will find in recent memory, all trying to win the RRPO Championship.

Seat 1
Name: Darryll Fish
Chip Count: 2,385,000
Hometown: Cape Coral, FL
This former Dunkin’ Donuts employee has been a poker professional for quite a while, and a successful one at that. Fish has won over $3 million in live tournaments alone and countless more online. The 31- year-old is looking for his second biggest score of his career. The biggest score of his career happened here at the Hard Rock earlier this year when he finished second in the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown for $455,185.

Seat 2
Name: Michael Newman
Chip Count: 3,360,000
Hometown: New York, NY
Michael Newman is a regular at the Hard Rock and if there is a tournament series running in Hollywood,
he can usually be found in whatever is running. The 48-year- old used to work on Wall Street and is still in the banking industry now that he lives in Florida. He is looking for his second Hard Rock title after winning the $570 no limit hold’em at last year’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

Seat 3
Name: Thomas Marchese
Chip Count: 1,050,000
Hometown: Parsippany, NJ
Thomas Marchese is easily the most accomplished player at the final table. He comes in as the shortstack, but is still dangerous. He’s a regular in the highest stakes tournaments on the planet and a win in this event would push him over the $17 million mark in career earnings.

Seat 4
Name: Matas Cimbolas
Chip Count: 3,680,000
Hometown: Lithuania
Matas Cimbolas brings an international flare to the RRPO Championship event final table. The Lithuanian
poker pro is the only non-American at the table and is no stranger to success on the felt. The 24-year- old has seven figures in career earnings, while still being able to play on some of the major online sites outside of the U.S.

Seat 5
Name: Ari Engel
Chip Count: 4,495,000
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ari Engel comes into the final table as the chip leader and is the only player with more than 4 million in chips. Engel originally made his name in the poker world as an online phenom under the name “BodogAri.” After Black Friday, he made his transition to the live arena and continued to crush. This cash will put him over the $5 million mark in career earnings and his most notable live cash came down in Australia when he won the Aussie Millions main event for $1,120,110.

Seat 6
Name: “Sheddy” Siddiqui
Chip Count: 2,580,000
Hometown: Miami, FL
Sheddy Siddiqui is the local favorite coming into the final table. The 39-year-old father of two joins Darryll Fish as the other SHRP Team Member at the final table. Like every other player at this stacked final table, Siddiqui has seven figures in earnings. With his family responsibilities, he doesn’t leave South Florida too often, which makes his career earnings even more impressive. A win in this event would top his fifth-place finish in the 2015 WSOP Millionaire Maker for his biggest career cash.

Primary Event Schedule

12PM: Final Table – $3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)

• Championship Final Table Seat and Counts
• Championship Payouts

12PM: Event 16 – $250 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• $30,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 16 Structure Sheet

1PM: Event 12 Day 2 – $150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• Event 12 Day 2 Chip Counts
• Event 12 Day 2 Table/Seat Assignments
• Event 12 Payouts

6PM: Event 17 – $100 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• $20,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 17 Structure Sheet

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 585

Six players remain with a chance to win the RRPO Championship along with $374,240 for the title. Eight-time WSOP Circuit champ Ari Engel made a late move and will return tomorrow as the chip leader with Matas Cimbolas in second place.

Tom Marchese, Michael Newman, and SHRP team members Darryll Fish and Sheddy round out the tough final table to be played out in front of the Poker Night in America camera.

Seat 1: Darryll Fish – 2,385,000 (30 bb)
Seat 2: Michael Newman – 3,360,000 (42 bb)
Seat 3: Tom Marchese – 1,050,000 (13 bb)
Seat 4: Matas Cimbolas – 3,680,000 (46 bb)
Seat 5: Ari Engel – 4,495,000 (56 bb)
Seat 6: Sheddy Siddiqui – 2,580,000 (32 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st – $374,240 + Trophy
2nd – $262,440
3rd – $168,920
4th – $121,920
5th – $93,560
6th – $75,380

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 585

Michael Newman limped from under the gun with Denis Cyr having a lot of his stack already in the big blind. Ari Engel raised to 375,000 from the cutoff and Cyr called all in for his last 125,000.

Newman called then checked the flop and Engel bet 400,000. Newman mucked and the cards were flipped up.

Cyr:
Engel:

Engel was ahead with ace-high but Cyr added an open-ended straight draw on the turn. No save on the river and Cyr was eliminated in seventh place.

The clock was paused with 46 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in Level 29. The final six players will return tomorrow at noon to play for the Championship in front of the Poker Night in America cameras.

Ari Engel – 4,495,000 (56 bb)
Denis Cyr – Eliminated in 7th place ($62,200)

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 585

Michael Newman used his verbal skills to win a hand against Matas Cimbolas. He opened to 180,000 and called a three-bet from Cimbolas to 550,000. They checked the flop and Newman bet 200,000 after the turn. Newman began talking while Cimbolas thought about it.

He eventually called and Newman quickly bet 400,000 after the river.

“Ace high is no good,” Newman said. “I’m telling you.”

Cimbolas waited a few minutes, smiled, and mucked his hand.

Newman flipped over king-high to get a round of applause from everyone, including Cimbolas.

Michael Newman – 3,500,000 (44 bb)
Matas Cimbolas – 3,850,000 (48 bb)

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 585

Michael Newman opened to 225,000 and Ari Engel three-bet to 710,000 from the small blind. Sheddy Siddiqui cold four-bet shoved from the big blind for 1,510,000. Newman seemed reluctant to fold but released his hand before Engel went into a long tank.

He though for a few minutes and finally surrendered the big pot to Siddiqui with no further action.

Sheddy Siddiqui – 2,515,000 (31 bb)
Ari Engel – 3,300,000 (41 bb)