2018 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 18
$360 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em      
Entries: 122
Prize Pool: $36,600 
November 27, 2018

Sergio Grosso claimed the second of three Hard Rock trophies being awarded on Tuesday. Grosso earned his trophy from the Seminole Hard Rock by taking down the 122-entry $360 seniors no-limit hold’em event.

Grosso defeated Marvin Brantley heads-up to earn the title and $10,615.

“It feels great,” said Grosso after his win. “I’ve been at this a long time and it’s nice to win my first seniors event.”

Grosso has scored a couple other wins in his career, including a victory in a Rio Daily Deepstack event during the 2017 World Series of Poker for just shy of $28,000, but it’s the first time he’s earned a title in the senior division.

According to Grosso, he is retired and just enjoying life. He currently resides just outside of Toronto, but traveled down to Florida to play in the $3,500 RRPO WPT Championship event. He’s taking poker as a serious hobby in his life after work, and will be taking more shots at WPT events in the short-term.

He is leaving South Florida tomorrow morning and heading straight to Las Vegas for the next WPT stop at Bellagio.

He’ll get there riding high, going nearly wire-to-wire with the chip lead at the final table. Grosso came into the final table with the chip lead, lost it briefly to David Albertson before regaining it for good.

“I was playing pretty solid the whole time,” said Grosso. “I just kind of popped up for like 15-20 minutes and they just kind of ran into me.”

Grosso won a massive pot to eliminate Albertson in fourth place when he flopped trip queens and got it all in on the turn against Albertson’s pocket sevens. He faded a two-outer on the river and had two-thirds of the chips in play with three players remaining.

Jerome Hyafil busted in third to Brantley before Brantley went heads-up against Grosso.

Brantley put a small dent in Grosso’s heads-up chip lead, but then he rivered a flush after Grosso turned a full house. All the chips got into the middle and Grosso left with the trophy.

Results:

1st: Sergio Grosso – $10,615
2nd: Marvin Brantley – $6,588
3rd: Jerome Hyafil – $3,935
4th: David Albertson – $2,471
5th: Fariborz Zojaji – $1,830
6th: Juan Carlos Diaz – $1,574
7th: Orlando Maldonado – $1,363
8th: Bruce Freedman – $1,208
9th: Nir Peleg – $1,061
10th: Robert Williamson – $933
11th: Alexander Orlov – $933
12th: Tony Guglietti – $933
13th: Neil Blumenfield – $814
14th: Truyen Nguyen – $814
15th: Brian Wilson – $814
16th: Gregory Anda – $714

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 1 of 122

There was about 100,000 in the pot on the river with a completed board of .

Marvin Brantley checked from the big blind and Sergio Grosso moved all in on the button, for a huge overbet. Brantley immediately called and was all in for his remaining 300,000.

Grosso showed , good for a full house, and was on the right end of a cold deck against Brantley’s , good for a flush.

Brantley was eliminated in second and took home $6,588, while Grosso earned $10,615 and the trophy for his win in the Seniors event.

Sergio Grosso – Seniors Event Champion
Marvin Brantley – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 2 of 122

Jerome Hyafil moved all in from the small blind and Marvin Brantley called from the big blind. Hyafil was the player at risk, all in for about 150.000.

Hyafil showed and was flipping with Brantley’s .

“I’ll take a race,” said Hyafil after the cards were tabled.

The board ran out and Hyafil lost the race. Brantley won the pot to eliminate Hyafil in third for $3,935. Brantley goes into heads-up play against Sergio Grosso facing a sizable chip disadvantage.

Marvin Brantley – 400,000
Jerome Hyafil – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 3 of 122

It was a battle of the blinds between David Albertson in the small blind and Sergio Grosso in the big blind. There was about 100,000 in the pot on the turn with the board reading .

Albertson bet 65,000 and Grosso moved all in for Albertson’s remaining 200,000.

Albertson thought for several minutes, while saying he was hoping that Grosso had a diamond draw or a six. Eventually, he called. Grosso showed and was in the lead against Albertson’s .

The river was the and Grosso won the pot to eliminate Albertson in fourth place for $2,471. Grosso now has about two-thirds of the chips in play.

Sergio Grosso – 950,000
David Albertson – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 4 of 122

Fariborz Zojaji moved all in from under the gun for about 175,000 and Sergio Grosso called out of the big blind.

Zojaji showed and was dominated by Grosso’s .

The board ran out and Grosso won the pot to eliminate Zojaji in fifth place for $1,830. Grosso moved back into the chip lead.

Sergio Grosso – 650,000
Fariborz Zojaji – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 4,000/8,000 with a 8,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 5 of 122

David Albertson raised to 25,000 from under the gun and Marvin Brantley moved all in out of the big blind for 99,000. Albertson called.

Brantley was flipping for his tournament life with his up against Albertson’s .

The board ran out and Brantley rivered an ace to stay alive and double up.

Marvin Brantley – 210,000
David Albertson – 405,000

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 5 of 122

Juan Carlos Diaz moved all in out of the small blind for about 100,000 and Sergio Gross called out of the big blind.

Diaz showed and was dominated by Grosso’s .

The board ran out and Grosso’s kings and jacks took the pot to eliminate Diaz in sixth place for $1,574.

Sergio Grosso – 310,000
Juan Carlos Diaz – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 6 of 122

Orlando Maldonado was getting up from his seat and his stack was being pushed to David Albertson.

Maldonado was out in seventh place and Albertson opened up a huge chip lead at the final table.

David Albertson – 410,000
Orlando Maldonado – Eliminated 

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 7 of 122

Bruce Freedman moved all in for 133,000 from middle position and David Albertson called from the cutoff.

It was a race with Freedman’s up against Albertson’s .

The board ran out and Albertson won the flip to eliminate Freedman in eighth place for $1,208.

David Albertson – 305,000
Bruce Freedman – Eliminated

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 8 of 122

Nir Peleg got all in preflop against Fariborz Zojaji. Peleg showed and was in terrible shape against Zojaji’s .

“I don’t know why I went up against him,” said Peleg as the cards were tabled. “It’s always aces and kings for him.”

Peleg never picked up a sweat and was drawing dead on the turn. He was eliminated in ninth place for $1,061.

Fariborz Zojaji – 185,000
Nir Peleg – Eliminated