The 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship televised final table is set and it is one of the most successful you will find.

The last six players have combined to earn more than $15.4 million in their live tournament careers. Faraz Jaka’s $5.7 million makes him the biggest earner at the final table with Scott Margereson’s $570,000 the lowest. But Margereson has more than $4.1 million earned on his online poker résumé.

Their accomplishments include three WSOP bracelets, two WPTDeepStack titles, three WSOP Circuit rings, and the Season VIII Player of the Year.

Here are your six members listed by their final table seats.

Seat 1: Jeff Fielder
Chip count – 4,320,000

From West Des Moines, Iowa, Fielder has more than $1.4 million in career earnings. He won two WPTDeepStacks titles, the last coming in December 2017, and two WSOP Circuit Main Event rings since he started playing poker in 2010.

Seat 2: Matt Stout
Chip count – 3,190,000

Originally from New Jersey and now residing in Las Vegas, Stout has earned $3.7 million in live poker tournaments. This is his third WPT final table and his second final table in this event. Stout has four WSOP final tables to his credit and two back-to-back runner-up finishes at WSOP Circuit at Seminole Coconut Creek Casino in February.

Seat 3: Brian Hastings
Chip count – 12,855,000

A hometown Fort Lauderdale poker pro, Hastings has booked $2.64 million in his tournament career. He owns three WSOP bracelets; Heads-Up NLH, Seven-Card Stud, and 10-Game Mix. Online poker legend who once won $4.2 million in one day in the cash games. This is the eighth six-digit cash in Hastings’ career.

Seat 4: Faraz Jaka
Chip count – 2,450,000

Born in San Jose CA, his $5.7 million career earnings make him the most successful player at the final table. This is his sixth WPT final table and he was the WPT Player of the Year for Season VIII. Jaka also has six WSOP final table appearances and he won the WPT South Africa High Roller in 2014.

Seat 5: Joey Couden
Chip count – 8,255,000

A South Florida resident, Couden has earned nearly $1.4 million in his tournament career. He picked up his biggest cash in the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship with a televised sixth-place finish. Couden also owns a Borgata Poker Open Six-Max title from 2014.

Seat 6: Scott Margereson
Chip count – 8,195,000

Hailing from the United Kingdom, Margereson is guaranteed to push his live career total over $600,000 with any final table cash. He has two WSOP final table appearances and won the 2016 PCA Eight-Handed Turbo event. In the online poker world as “Aggro Santos”, Margereson has two World Championship of Online Poker titles and $4.1 million in online tournament earnings.

Primary Event Schedule

4PM: Final Table – $3,500 WPT Showdown Championship

• WPT Championship Final Table Counts/Seats
• WPT Championship Payouts

5PM: Event 18 Day 2 – $150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Day 2 will be played in the Poker Room

• Event 18 Day 2 Chip Counts
• Event 18 Day 2 Table and Seat Assignments
• Event 18 Payouts

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 21
$360 No-Limit Hold’em 
Entries: 156
Prize Pool: $50,000
April 17, 2018

After grinding tournaments and cash games at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood for several years, local pro Matthew Zarcadoolas took home his first-ever Hard Rock trophy in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Zarcadoolas was the chip leader and got the better end of a heads-up chop with Elias Nassif in the $360 no-limit hold’em. He defeated 156 entries and took home $11,500 as part of the deal.

For the poker pro that was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida, the trophy means a lot to him.

“I’ve been wanting to get a trophy here for so long,” said Zarcadoolas. “It feels so good to finally get a trophy here.”

Zarcadoolas came into the final table with the chip lead and never let up. With very little resistance and never being on a short stack, it was a dream final table for him.

“I came in as the chip leader and it was smooth sailing most of the way,” said Zarcadoolas. “I really didn’t have too much adversity facing me. Everything went my way.”

The final two players agreed to a deal heads-up, so there was no winning hand for Zarcadoolas to have in his winner photo. Instead, he went with the five-seven offsuit, which was the hand that put him in the lead for good.

“There were like five limpers and I was in the big blind with five-seven off-suit,” said Zarcadoolas. “I flopped two pair and then I turned a full house where another guy had top pair and another guy had an open-ended straight flush draw. We all got the chips in the middle and I knocked out two players to get us down to three-handed.”

Dean Baranowski made his second consecutive final table in this event. He finished ninth for $1,329 just a day after finishing runner-up in the $570 no-limit hold’em. Dan Heimiller, who was one of the players eliminated in the massive pot with Zarcadoolas’ five-seven, finished in fifth and just missed out on his second Hard Rock trophy.

The 156-entry field paid out the top 21 spots and here are the results:

1st: Matthew Zarcadoolas – $11,500*
2nd: Elias Nassif – $10,497*
3rd: Gregory Baird – $5,130
4th: Joseph Duchman – $3,123
5th: Dan Heimiller – $2,410
6th: Norman Zapcynski – $1,998
7th: Arkadiy Tsinis – $1,730
8th: Mario De La Puente – $1,525
9th: Dean Baranowski – $1,329
10th: Kevin Blewitt – $1,150
11th: Raymond Roberty – $1,150
12th: Nadya Magnus – $1,150
13th: Luis Mantilla – $975
14th: Raminder Singh – $975
15th: Nashaat Antonius – $975
16th: Sharon Bachar – $810
17th: Andrew MacDonald – $810
18th: Paul Balzano – $810
19th: Ariel Rosello Quintana – $651
20th: Dimitry Agrachov – $651
21st: Marc Sacheli – $651

*Indicates adjusted payouts for heads-up deal

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 22
$1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo
Entries: 93
Prize Pool: $93,000
April 17, 2018

Joseph Cheong busted just a few spots shy of the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown main event on Tuesday afternoon. Despite the heart break of finishing in 11th place and missing out on a six-figure score, Cheong rebounded for a title int he final event of the series.

The high-stakes tournament pro, most famous for his third place finish in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event, defeated 93 entries in the $1,100 no-limit hold’em turbo event. He took home $29,503 and his first hard rock trophy.

“It’s great. I got like one extra pay jump by winning this tournament,” said Cheong in jest, referencing a missed pay jump in the main event. “I got a trophy, but I’m kind of disappointed that it’s not guitar shaped.”

Cheong puts in some of the most volume of anybody you could find. Throughout the final table, he was discussing his upcoming travel plans with the other players at the table. He plans on hitting multiple tournaments going up the east coast.

When asked if there was anybody who loves it more, Cheong immediately had one name in mind.

“Ari. Ari Engel,” said Cheong. “But he doesn’t drink, so he’s not as fun as me.”

Just like every other higher buy-in postlim event at the series, the final table was filled with laughs, good times and a few adult beverages.

“It was a good time,” Cheong simply put it.

With 93 entries in the field, the top 12 finishers left with extra money in their pocket. Cheong defeated Jose Reyes heads-up. Here are a look at the results:

1st: Joseph Cheong – $29,503
2nd: Jose Reyes – $17,670
3rd: Brian Green – $11,160
4th: Joseph Elpayaa – $7,208
5th: Brian Powell – $5,580
6th: Michael Kopjanski – $4,418
7th: Jeff Rodriguez – $3,720
8th: Dylan Wilkerson – $3,255
9th: Steven Bennett – $2,951
10th: Evan Teitelbaum – $2,697
11th: Scott Clements – $2,511
12th: Ari Engel – $2,327

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 20
$360 HORSE
Entries: 47
Prize Pool: $14,100
April 17, 2018

Jeff Cookson needed to complete an epic comeback heads-up against an experienced mixed game player to take home the $360 HORSE title.

Cookson started out in a big hole against AJ Kelsall, who is a regular in high-stakes mixed games, both cash games and tournaments at the start of heads-up play. But by the end of the day, Cookson ended up with all of the chips to take defeat a 47-entry field and take home $5,499.

“He had me 4-to-1 at the start of heads-up play and then we had a big hold’em hand where I made a straight and he missed a flush draw,” said Cookson. “That got me back to even. From there, I just kind of wore him down a little bit.”

Cookson was short on chips for most of the final table, but that didn’t deter him from staying around long enough to give himself a chance to win.

“It feels good,” he said. “I played solid most of the time. I hung around until I got some chips and then I won it.”

The retired air traffic controller from Miami is a fan of limit games, but doesn’t get to take part in much of them besides limit hold’em and Omaha hi-lo. There aren’t many stud games spread throughout the state.

“I just always play limit hold’em and any time there is a limit game, I want to play,” said Cookson.

Kelsall took home $3,243 for his runner-up finish. Matt Axelrod, Peter Cleven, Steven Kaplan and Michael Conti rounded out the top six finishers, who all finished in the money.

Results:

1st: Jeff Cookson – $5,499
2nd: AJ Kelsall – $3,243
3rd: Matt Axelrod – $1,974
4th: Peter Cleven – $1,410
5th: Steven Kaplan – $1,128
6th: Michael Conti – $846

$150 No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Returning: 55 of 565

Registration closed on the last multi-day event of the series and the small buy-in tournament attracted a lot of players. Event 18 had a $150 buy-in with a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool that was quickly surpassed.

There were 565 combined entries across the two starting flights to create a prize pool worth $67,800. The last 36 spots will be paid with a min-cash walking away with $441 and the Event 18 champ taking home $18,299 plus the Showdown trophy.

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 18
$50,000 Guaranteed
$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries: 565
Prize Pool: $67,800
April 16-18, 2018

1st: $18,299
2nd: $10,848
3rd: $7,119
4th: $4,916
5th: $3,627
6th: $2,882
7th: $2,204
8th: $1,593
9th: $1,153
10th – 12th: $881
13th – 15th: $712
16th – 18th: $610
19th – 27th: $509
28th – 36th: $441

$150 No-Limit Hold’em
$50,000 Guaranteed
Heading to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Returning: 55 of 565

$150 No-Limit Hold’em
$50,000 Guaranteed
Heading to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Returning: 55 of 565

$1,100 Deep Stack Turbo (Re-Entry)
Structure| Payouts
Level 23: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 93

After a couple raises, Joe Cheong was all in for 890,000 on the button with against Jose Reyes’ .

The board ran out and Cheong, despite his rail of support cheering for a nine, won the pot with a better ace-high.

Reyes was left with less than a big blind and lost the next hand when his couldn’t hold up against Cheong’s .

Cheong earned $29,503 for his win and Reyes netted $17,670 for his runner-up finish.

Joe Cheong – $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Champion
Jose Reyes – Eliminated 

$1,100 Deep Stack Turbo (Re-Entry)
Structure| Payouts
Level 23: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 93

Joe Cheong moved all in from the small blind and Brian Green called out of the big blind.

Green was all in for about 170,000 with against Cheong’s .

The board ran out and Cheong won the pot with ace-high to eliminate Green in third for $11,160. Cheong dragged the pot and goes heads-up with Jose Reyes for the title.

Joe Cheong – 770,000
Brian Green – Eliminated