2018 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 16
$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em      
Entries: 95
Prize Pool: $451,250  
November 26, 2018 

If David Peters wasn’t already one of the best no-limit hold’em tournament players on the planet, there might be some credence to the theory that the shirt that he wore on Monday is his lucky shirt.

For the second consecutive year, the Ohio native won the Rock N’ Roll Poker Open’s $5,000 no-limit hold’em event. Last year, he defeated Scott Wright heads-up to take down the title and this year, he defeated a 95-entry field and bested Guillaume Diaz to earn the $143,159 and his second consecutive trophy in this event.

“Isn’t that the same shirt you wore last year?!” asked Peters’ girlfriend after the final card was dealt. “Yeah, it is. I bought you that shirt.”

Peters smiled and acknowledged how crazy it was for him to win the event for the second year in a row.

“It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “It was a fun tournament. I’m wearing the same sweatshirt and everything. Things went pretty well at the final table early on. Then I lost a bunch of chips and I battled back and it worked out.”

Peters has north of $29 million in career tournament earnings and is always in the discussion for ‘Best no-limit hold’em player in the world.’

His skill was on display for the entirety of the tournament, but was magnified in a hand against World Series of Poker bracelet winner Will Givens. Givens raised from under the gun and went bet, bet, jam on an runout.

Peters check-called down from the big blind with and doubled up against Givens’ . The pot gave him about a third of the chips in play eight-handed and left Givens with just a few big blinds. He was eliminated in eighth-place on the very next hand.

“I felt that there was a lot of small pairs, a lot of low suited connectors, queen-jack, jack-ten suited type hands that would keep barreling,” said Peters about his call on the turn.

The river card allowed Peters to piece together the rest of the hand.

“I was blocking the nut flush and the ace, jack and nine are all out there, so there aren’t too many combos of flushes,” said Peters about the most infamous hand of the final table. “I don’t think he’d bet that sizing on the flop with top set, I block queen-ten suited. I don’t think he’d immediately go all in with two pair or a set or hands like that. I thought there were a lot of hands like he had that are trying to blow me off a nine. I have a lot of weakish ace-x type hands that are obligated to call the turn. So I felt he was trying to blow me off a lot of those hands. So I called. It worked out.”

The $5,000 buy-in is a little smaller than what Peters is used to playing. He’s one of the elite players that participates regularly in $25,000 buy-ins and up. He’s got three seven-figure scores in the last month in those type of events.

In some of the smaller events, seeing Peters call down in that spot may make some less experienced players shy away from playing pots with him. This final table featured two bracelet winners, an EPT champion and a team PokerStars pro.

Peters didn’t think anybody at this final table would be intimidated in the slightest.

“I guess sometimes maybe some guys might not be trying to play too many pots with me or might avoid marginal situations,” said Peters. “So I can sometimes take advantage of that. On the flip side, you have some guys that are ready to battle. I don’t think any of these guys were scared or anything like that.”

The 95-entry field paid out the top 12 spots and here are the results:

1st: David Peters – $143,159
2nd: Guillaume Diaz – $85,738
3rd: Alexander Haber – $54,150
4th: Joey Weissman – $34,972
5th: Jake Schwartz – $27,075
6th: Stanley Lee – $21,434
7th: Jeff Gross – $18,050
8th: Will Givens – $15,794
9th: Chad Eveslage – $14,318
10th: Mykel Conroe – $13,086
11th: Paul Fisher – $12,184
12th: Joe McKeehen – $11,190

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 24: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 95

David Peters moved all in on the button and Guillaume Diaz called out of the big blind. Diaz was all in for for about 700,000 and in the lead with his against Peters’ .

The board ran out and Peters turned a queen to make the best hand, win the pot and the tournament.

Diaz was eliminated and took home $85,738 for his runner-up finish. Peters earned $143,159 for the victory.

David Peters – $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Single-Day Champion
Guillaume Diaz – Elimianted 

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 23: 15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 95

Alexander Haber moved all in from the small blind for about 260,000 and David Peters called from the big blind.

Peters showed and was in the lead against Haber’s .

The board ran out and Peters’ ace-high won the pot. Haber was out in third place and earned $54,150 for his deep run. Peters goes into heads-up play against Guillaume Diaz at a slight chip disadvantage.

David Peters – 800,000
Alexander Haber – Eliminated 

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 22: 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 95

Alexander Haber raised to 45,000 on the button and Guillaume Diaz called out of the big blind.

They both checked a flop of and the came on the turn. Diaz checked again and Haber bet 40,000. Diaz called and the river was the .

Diaz checked and Haber bet 75,000. Diaz called. Haber showed and Diaz won the pot with .

“Queen-high?” asked Haber.

“Sometimes it’s good,” said Diaz. “Sometimes it’s not.”

Guillaume Diaz – 920,000
Alexander Haber – 480,000

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 22: 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 95

David Peters limped in on the button and Guillaume Diaz moved all in out of the small blind. Alexander Haber called from the big blind and was all in for 270,000 before Peters folded.

Haber showed and was flipping against Diaz’s .

The flop was and Haber took the lead. The turn was the and the river was the . Haber made trip queens and doubled up.

Alexander Haber – 580,000
Guillaume Diaz – 800,000

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 21: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 95

Guillaume Diaz doubled up through David Peters when they got all in preflop with Diaz’s pocket eights against Peters’ in a battle of the blinds.

Just a couple hands later, there was about 160,000 in the pot on the turn with the board reading .

Peters checked from the big blind and Diaz bet 135,000 on the button. Peters called and the came on the river.

Peters checked and Diaz bet 240,000. Peters folded and Diaz took the pot. Peters mucked his hand and Diaz moved into the chip lead.

Guillaume Diaz – 790,000
David Peters – 625,000

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 21: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 95

Joey Weissman moved all in from under the gun for about 130,000 and David Peters called out of the big blind.

It was a race between Weissman’s and Peters’ .

The board ran out and Peters won the flip to eliminate Weissman in fourth place for $34,972. Peters has nearly two-thirds of the chips in play as three-handed play begins.

David Peters – 1,130,000
Joey Weissman – Eliminated 

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 21: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 95

Alexander Haber raised from under the gun and action folded around to Jake Schwartz in the big blind, who moved all in for about 145,000. Haber called.

Haber showed and was in great shape against Schwartz’s .

The board ran out and Haber won the pot to eliminate Schwartz in fifth place for $27,075.

Alexander Haber – 485,000
Jake Schwartz – Eliminated 

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 20: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 95

Stanley Lee moved all in from under the gun for 100,000 and Alexander Haber called out of the big blind. Lee showed and needed some help against Haber’s .

The board ran out ]. Lee turned two pair, but Haber rivered trip kings to win the pot and eliminate Lee in sixth place for $21,434.

Alexander Haber – 365,000
Stanley Lee – Eliminated 

$5,000 No-Limit Hold’em One-Day
$250,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts 
Level 20: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 95

Jeff Gross got all in from the small blind for about 60,000 against Stanley Lee in the hijack. Gross showed and was in great shape against Lee’s .

“Oh, what a spot,” said Gross.

The flop was and Lee picked up counterfeit equity. The turn was the , and Lee moved into the lead after spiking an ace. The river was the and Lee won the pot.

Gross was eliminated in seventh place and earned $18,050.

Stanley Lee – 170,000
Jeff Gross – Eliminated