2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 17
$1,100 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries: 137
Prize Pool: $132,890
August 1 – 2, 2022
The 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open series put two Seniors 50+ Events on the schedule and the $1,100 buy-in edition drew 137 entries for a huge turnout. Neil Blumenfield entered Day 2 with the chip lead and never let it go, finishing the tournament at the top spot and earning $31,670 after a heads-up deal.
“I just got hit by the deck,” Blumenfield said of his run. “I can’t believe how many big pairs I had in the first four hours and they all held.”
The players created a prize pool worth $32,890 with the last 18 players getting paid. They extended play at the end of Day 1 to burst the money to make sure everyone returning for Day 2 was in the money.
Blumenfield chipped up early in the tournament and came in the last day with the chip lead. Players dropped around him throughout Day 2, some with his assistance, until former WSOP Ladies Champ was eliminated in 10th place to send the remaining players to the final table.
Blumenfield rolled through the final table, with only one minor blip, and never relinquished the lead. When Mark Dickstein was eliminated in third place, Blumenfield and Emerson Ward quickly agreed to divide the remaining prize pool.
Ward earned $28,390 for his runner-up finish while Blumenfield took home $31,670 and his very first Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood trophy.
“I’ve been playing at the Hard Rock non-stop for seven years,” Blumenfield said. “And this is my first trophy. That’s pretty cool.”
“It’s the coolest win I’ve ever had. Not the coolest poker experience I’ve ever had though,” he laughed and the former WSOP November Niner did not have to explain.
“This place is home. It’s nice to win here,” Blumenfield said later. “This is the best place to play tournament poker, four big series a year and a ton of stuff in between. I love it.”
Results:
| Place | First Name | Last Name | Prize Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neil | Blumenfield | $31,670 * |
| 2 | Emerson | Ward | $28,390 * |
| 3 | Mark | Dickstein | $13,885 |
| 4 | John | Famularo | $8,375 |
| 5 | Michael | Woloshin | $6,515 |
| 6 | Mark | Threadgill | $5,450 |
| 7 | Jeff | Silverstein | $4,720 |
| 8 | Carlo | Sciannameo | $4,195 |
| 9 | Naoum | Zarcadoolas | $3,715 |
| 10 | Marsha | Wolak | $3,715 |
| 11 | David | Feigenbaum | $3,255 |
| 12 | David | Finkelstein | $3,255 |
| 13 | Stacey | Manning | $2,825 |
| 14 | David | Poces | $2,825 |
| 15 | Jeffrey | Revell | $2,825 |
| 16 | Deonarine | Itwaru | $2,425 |
| 17 | Randal | Taylor | $2,425 |
| 18 | Ronald | Katz | $2,425 |
* – denotes results of a heads-up deal