2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event 16
$1,100 No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 260
Prize Pool: $252,200
March 29, 2017
Miguel Riera Suarez has had a very successful poker career, but it was almost exclusively on the virtual felt. The Bristol, Spain native has played over 40,000 tournaments online, but only had about $3,500 in live cashes before the wee hours of Thursday morning.
Suarez added a lot more to his live tournament earnings after winning the $1,100 no limit hold’em. He bested a stacked final table and a field of 260 players to win his first trophy and $57,437.
“It’s always nice to win, no?” said Suarez. “It’s my first tournament win in live. In tournament live, it is my first time I win. I won the trophy. The money doesn’t matter.”
Suarez left Spain with a few friends to travel around the U.S. and Panama to play some poker tournaments and see the country. Before coming to South Florida, he already tasted some success in Panama.
“Last week in Panama, he finished third in a similar event,” said one of his friends working as a translator. “He’s been doing well in PokerStars for years, but this is his first win live. He is a top online player, but he’s only played like 15 tournaments live.”
It’s obvious that Suarez is one of the top online players on PokerStars because he was able to come out on top of a final table that featured a lot of poker talent. With a final table that featured James Romero, Kevin MacPhee, Cord Garcia, Scott Montgomery, David Prociak, and Team SHRP member Chance Kornuth, there were plenty of WPT titles and WSOP bracelets to go around the table.
Suarez waded his way through the shark infested waters that was the final table and got heads-up with Tony Tran. After a heads-up battle that was very swingy, Suarez slammed the table and celebrated his victory with his friends after the final card hit the felt.
The 35-year-old poker pro has a win under his belt, but will be staying here through the main event and is looking to build his live resume even further before he leaves South Florida to head back across the Atlantic.
Even if he does leave without another cash under his belt, it’s likely he’ll be back at some point to take another shot.
“We love traveling,” said Suarez. “And it’s nice to come here and know the country. I like Miami and California too much. I will try to come here every time.”
Here are the final table results:
1st: Miguel Riera Suarez – $57,437
2nd: Tony Tran – $40,410
3rd: Aleks Dimitrov – $25,851
4th: Chance Kornuth – $15,725
5th: Kevin MacPhee – $12,143
6th: Scott Montgomery – $10,063
7th: Cord Garcia – $8,449
8th: David Prociak – $7,062
9th: Spencer Champlin – $5,745
10th: James Romero – $4,855