2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event 7: $360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Entries: 76
Prize Pool: $22,800
November 21, 2016

Brad Ruben is the newest winner at the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open, outlasting a field of 76 entries to snag the title in Event 7. Ruben collected $5,814 and his first Seminole Hard Rock Poker trophy for about 12 hours of work today in the Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event.

The champ is a 30-year-old professional poker player originally from this area, though he now makes his home in Hernando, which is just southwest of Ocala. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Masters in International Business, and he initially pursued a career in professional sales.

Poker became a larger focus as time went on, though, and Ruben began to transition into the game in a more serious way. He considers himself a pro now, though he still dabbles in real estate investing on the side. In his spare time, Ruben is an avid traveler even when there aren’t poker tournaments to chase around the globe. He’s been to more than 40 countries (Croatia is his favorite), and he speaks Italian, French, and Spanish in addition to English.

Ruben entered the final table sixth in chips, but his plight improved in a hurry. “I won a big pot with top set against a guy with a big draw,” he said as he thought back on the pivotal hands along the way. That was in reference to the huge clash with then-chip-leader Daniel Li in which Li lost the majority of his stack after having his aces out-flopped and bricking a combo draw.

That pot swung the tides in favor of Ruben, and he had more than 60 percent of the chips when Li was eliminated one hand later. A few orbits thereafter, he and Lewis Gallo Jr. were heads-up and essentially dead even in chips. The two men decided to talk numbers, and Ruben offered Gallo an even chop on the condition he could have the trophy. Gallo accepted, and handshakes were exchanged before Ruben sat down to pose for winner’s photos with his new hardware.

Final Results
1st: Brad Ruben – $5,814 + trophy
2nd: Lewis Gallo Jr. – $5,814
3rd: Harry Eisenberg – $3,078
4th: Brian Kicklighter – $2,280
5th: Daniel Li – $1,710
6th: Oren Maimon – $1,368
7th: Carey Pickus – $1,140
8th: David Shmuel – $912
9th: Kevin Love – $684

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 5,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 2 of 76

After the big pot that sent Harry Eisenberg to the payout desk in third place, Brad Ruben and Lewis Gallo Jr. began eying up their stacks, noticing they were quite even to begin the duel. When they counted down the chips, Ruben had Gallo covered by just 10,000, and he offered an even chop if he could have the trophy. Gallo quickly agreed, the two men shook hands, and the battle was over before it even began.

Ruben gets credit for the win, while Gallo earns runner-up honors, with the two men collecting $5,814 apiece for their day of work.

A more in-depth story about Ruben’s performance will be published shortly.

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 76

On a flop, Harry Eisenberg got himself all in for 137,000, Lewis Gallo Jr. did the same for about 320,000, and Brad Ruben committed his own big stack to put both opponents at risk.

Eisenberg:
Gallo:
Ruben:

Ruben had the best of it with the nut low draw and the nut flush draw. The turn was the and the river the to complete the board, and Eisenberg could not catch up. He was eliminated in third place, while the other two chopped the pot with matching trip queens.

Ruben and Gallo are now heads-up and essentially dead even in chips.

Harry Eisenberg – Eliminated in 3rd place ($3,078)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 4,000/8,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 76

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 5 of 76

Daniel Li opened to 12,000 under the gun, and he was called by both Brad Ruben (button) and Lewis Gallo Jr. (big blind) to create three-way action.

The flop was . It checked to Li, who continued for 25,000, and both opponents called. The turn was the , and it checked to Li again. He potted for 114,000, Ruben raised all in for 168,000 total, and Gallo folded out of the way. Li called to put Ruben at risk, having his opponent just barely covered.

Li: (pair of aces, combo draw)
Ruben: (set of jacks)

“Oh, I have outs,” Li realized with some hope in his voice. “Lots of outs.”

The river was the , though, and Ruben doubled up with jacks full. When the stacks were counted down and Li paid off his debt, he was left with just 2,000 chips, and he was eliminated one hand later from the big blind.

Ruben now has a significant chip lead with four players remaining, holding nearly 60 percent of the total chips in play.

Brad Ruben – 450,000
Daniel Li – Eliminated in 5th place ($1,710)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 6 of 76

Oren Maimon got his last 45,000 chips into the middle preflop against Brad Ruben.

Maimon:
Ruben:

The flop was a good sweat for both players, giving Maimon a queen-high straight but needing to fade Ruben’s flush draw. He could not. The turn was safe, but the river gave Ruben the nut flush and the knockout.

Maimon was eliminated in sixth place on the last hand of the level.

Brad Ruben – 195,000
Oren Maimon – Eliminated in 6th place ($1,368)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 7 of 76

Carey Pickus got the rest of her short stack into the middle preflop, heads-up for her tournament life against Brad Ruben.

Pickus:
Ruben:

The board ran out , and Ruben won the pot with two pair, queens and fours. Pickus was eliminated in seventh place, earning the first four-figure payout.

Brad Ruben – 115,000
Carey Pickus – Eliminated in 7th place ($1,140)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 10 of 76

In significant preflop action, Kevin Love ended up all in for about 55,000, David Shmuel got all in for about 80,000, and Daniel Li called both shoves to put both opponents at risk.

Love:
Shmuel:
Li:

The flop was about as good as it could get for Li, giving him the lead with a pair of aces and the nut low draw. The turn and river completed the board with blanks, so Li’s aces were enough to scoop the pot and eliminate both players.

Love began the hand with the shorter stack, so he took ninth-place money, worth $684.

Shmuel finished in eighth place for $912.

Daniel Li – 245,000
Kevin Love – Eliminated in 9th place ($684)
David Shmuel – Eliminated in 8th place ($912)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 10 of 76

M.R. Bernstein came into the final table with less than a single big blind, and he could not last an orbit. Bernstein got all in on the very first hand of ten-handed play, dropping out on the direct money bubble.

The nine remaining players are now all guaranteed to earn at least $684 this evening, with a top prize of 10 times that amount reserved for the winner.

$360 Pot Limit Omaha/8 (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 10 of 76

The starting field of 76 entries has been reduced to just 10 players, and they’re now gathered around the final table. Here’s the remaining lineup:

Seat 1: Oren Maimon – 138,500
Seat 2: Daniel Li – 119,500
Seat 3: M.R. Bernstein – 3,500
Seat 4: Carey Pickus – 35,500
Seat 5: Brian Kicklighter – 37,500
Seat 6: Brad Ruben – 89,000
Seat 7: Harry Eisenberg – 99,500
Seat 8: Lewis Gallo Jr. – 95,000
Seat 9: Kevin Love – 40,500
Seat 10: David Shmuel – 102,000

They’re now now on the direct money bubble, with the next player eliminated going home empty handed.