Event 1: Steven Bennett Wins Monster Opening Event

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries: 3,030
Prize Pool: $1,515,000
April 5-9, 2018

Steven Bennett, Event 1 Champion

The 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown opened its schedule in the new Hard Rock Event Center with a huge multi-day tournament. Event 1 drew more than 3,000 entries with Steven Bennett accounting for only one of them, but that was all he needed to win nearly $190,000 for his second SHRP title.

“This is amazing and I’m shocked,” Bennett said of his win. “I’m kind of speechless.”

The tournament drew 3,030 entries over six starting flights to push the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool over $1,500,000 by the time registration closed. The tournament paid out the last 300 players and they made the money early on Day 2 after 574 returned.

The field played down to the final table and paused action in the early hours. The last ten players took a ten hours break and returned to play it down on the bonus third day.

Six of the final ten players were already SHRP major title winners including WSOP bracelet winner Peter Eicchardt who began the final day with the chip lead. Michael Ortiz, Rafael Fernandes, and Schuyler Thornton were three quick eliminations and they were followed by former November Niner Jerry Wong.

Wong spent some time as the leader but lost some unlucky hands to go out in seventh place. The six remaining players went through two tough hours of play until luck ran out for the short-stacked Nicholas Mahabee.

Bennett took charge during that time and a did a lot of damage to Eichhardt’s chip stack. Eichhardt battled but ran his pair into the bigger pair of Josias Santos to exit in fifth place.

The four remaining players agreed to a deal that would divide up the remaining prize pool. Bennett had a big lead, more than eight million better than the second biggest stack, and earned the Event 1 crown.

Bennett cashed in for $186,308 after his perfect run through the tournament and now has another Seminole Hard Rock Poker trophy.

“I just ran great for three days and I ran pretty pure,” Bennett said later. “I was flopping great and didn’t get too many big hands preflop. But when I did, I got action.”

“You always think about these things, making it here, but it almost never happens,” he continued. “To build such a huge chip lead was good and I thought I played really solid.”

Steven Bennett won Event 1 following a four-way chop. All four players pocketed six figures.

Congratulations to Steven on his Showdown title and thank you to the players for a great kickoff to the series.

Event 1 final table results:

1st: Steven Bennett – $186,308 *
2nd: Josias Santos – $169,966 *
3rd: Dominic Pacelli – $145,277 *
4th: Jack Shea – $133,663 *
5th: Peter Eichhardt – $76,129
6th: Nicholas Mahabee – $59,843
7th: Jerry Wong – $43,935
8th: Schuyler Thornton – $29,543
9th: Rafael Fernandes – $21,210
10th: Michael Ortiz – $13,635
* – denotes results of a four-way deal