$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 2: 100/200 with a 25 Ante
Players: 64

The player count hit 64 in the second level to match last year’s total but we’ve already had two players hit the rail.

Mike Del Vecchio was the first to exit before Ryan Van Sanford got caught up in a hand versus Tyler Patterson.

Van Sanford opened to 600 from the button and Patterson three-bet to 2,000 from the small blind. Van Sanford called and Patterson bet another 2,500 after the flop. Van Sanford called and Patterson checked the .

Van Sanford bet 7,000, Patterson check/raised to 22,000 and Van Sanford moved all-in for ~40,000. Patterson quickly called and Van Sanford ran into a tough beat.

Patterson:
Van Sanford:

Van Sanford’s flopped set was behind Patterson’s turned set and he couldn’t find his one out on the river to go out early.

Tyler Patterson – 83,000 (415 bb)
Ryan Van Sanford – Eliminated

$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 2: 100/200 with a 25 Ante
Players: 61

There were eighteen new players eligible for the WPT Tournament of Champions this year and two of them made a big splash.

Ema Zajmovic became the first female WPT champion (in an open event) when she captured the WPT Playground title in February. That was her second big WPT run after her fifth place final table appearance in December’s WPT Montreal tournament.

That WPT Montreal tournament was won by Poker Hall of Famer, WSOP bracelet winner, and WPT Commentator Mike Sexton. After 15 seasons with the WPT and six seasons where he was eligible to play, Sexton broke through in December for his first WPT title.

Coincidentally, Zajmovic and Sexton are seated next to each other today.

$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 1: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Players: 56

This is only the second running of the WPT Tournament of Champions, which means we have only one WPT Tournament of Champions champion and he’s back with us today.

Farid Yachou made quite the impression last year. The Dutch poker player made his first recorded cash a memorable one when it resulted in a win the WPT Amsterdam event. That feat earned him a seat in last year’s first WPT Tournament of Champions and he outlasted 63 other tough opponents for the win. First two recorded tournament cashes, two big WPT victories.

Also in today’s field, the very last WPT World Champion. Asher Conniff won the 2015 WPT World Championship at the Borgata, the last one run before the WPT switched to a Tournament of Champions format last year.

$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 1: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Players: 51

The WPT Tournament of Champions hit 50 players in early action for a nice start to the day.

The last two players to qualify for this tournament picked up their titles here in the last two days. Tony Sinishtaj outlasted the 1,207-entry field in the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship two days ago and 2013 WSOP Main Event champ Ryan Riess added a WPT Finale title less than 12 hours ago.

$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 1: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Players: 50

Introduced during last year’s inaugural run of the WPT Tournament of Champions, the “Action Clock” is back in play today to help move things along at a nice pace.

Players will have 30 seconds to make a decision or use one of their five 30-second extensions. Once the clock expires, the player will automatically be extended an additional 30 seconds and the dealer will collect the time bank chip(s) at the end of the hand. If the player is out of time bank chips and the time expired, when facing a bet, it is a fold, when facing a check, it will be a check.

An interesting twist in the TOC structure and it was met with approval last year.

$15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions
Level 1: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Players: 46

After a round of introductions and announcements by WPT President Adam Pliska, Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton the “shuffle up and deal” command to kick off the WPT Tournament  of Champions.

12PM: Day 1 – $15,000 WPT Tournament of Champions

• Players begin with 50,000 in chips
• Levels will last 60 minutes
• 30-second “Action Clock” will be in use
• Each player will receive four 30-second extensions
• Late registration available until start of Level 3
• Day 1 will end after Level 10 or Tournament Director discretion
• WPT Tournament of Champions Structure Sheet

A reminder all daily tournaments are now taking place in the poker room

——————-

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Property Update

Preparations are underway for the development of an iconic hotel tower and resort:

• Parking – Poker players are encouraged to park in Winner’s Way Garage to access both the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown tournament space and The Poker Room

• The Poker Room – Players may access the poker room by entering through the main lobby or via the exterior entrance on the opposite end of Winner’s Way Garage.

• Inside hotel – Services and amenities inside the hotel will remain open along with regularly scheduled events and entertainment.

For additional construction updates, please visit TheNewHardRock.com

12PM: $10,000 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Finale Final Table

• WPT Finale Day 3 Chips and Seats
• WPT Finale Payouts

12PM: $1,550 WPT Tournament of Championship Satellite

• 2 seats guaranteed into $15K WPT Tournament of Champions
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 7
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• WPT Tournament of Champions Satellite Structure Sheet