SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 26: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 847

The 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Poker Championship final table features players who have earned nearly $13 million dollars in the career but the $1,000,000 first place prize here will the biggest for any other them.

Seat 1: Seth Davies
Bend, OR
3,350,000 (56 bb)

Davies has $558,000 in career earnings and got his first career tournament victory when he won the Won partypoker WPT Canadian Spring Championship in April. He followed it up with a win this series when Davies won the $1,100 Six-Max event.

Seat 2: Roman Valerstein
Langhorne, PA
2,895,000 (48 bb)

An east coast grinder that has more than $1 million in career earnings including a WSOP Circuit victory. He also won a Borgata Deep Stack event and another in Malta one year ago. Valerstein is seen mostly on the east coast but he has a chance for a South Florida title.

Seat 3: Tom Midena
Brooklyn, MI
4,395,000 (73 bb)

Midena is successful on the MSPT Tour player and won one of their events back in 2013. He also owns a WSOP circuit ring that he picked up less than a month after his MSPT title. Midena’s biggest career cash was for nearly $100,000 when he finished 2nd during an HPT tournament two weeks later.

Seat 4: Ryan Fair
Miami, FL
1,335,000 (22 bb)

Fair’s highest position cash came when he made the final table during the 2013 PCA Main Event when he finished up 9th for $120,000. But his two biggest results came when he finished 31st in the 2009 WSOP Main Event then 48th for another deep run in the WSOP Main Event in 2014.

Seat 5: Jason Koon
Weston, WV
3,595,000 (60 bb)

Koon is one of the most accomplished players at the final table with more than $4 million in career earnings. He won the Bellagio High Roller this summer to go along with eight WSOP final tables and a 4th place finish in the 2010 WPT World Championship.

Seat 6: Zo Karim
Orlando, FL
1,295,000 (22 bb)

Zo is a local favorite and also very successful. He has a WSOP Circuit ring from 2013 and two Seminole Hard Rock Poker titles from 2011 and 2014. He has more than $1.4 million in career earning and the biggest came when he finished 3rd at the 2013 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship.

Seat 7: Paul Balzano
Sunrise, FL
4,120,000 (69 bb)

Balzano is a SHRP regular with two series trophies to his credit. He has nearly $700,000 in career earnings with his best result coming from a Wynn Poker Classic victory followed by a fourth place finish last week in the 2016 SHRPO $570 Event 10.

Seat 8: Joe Serock
San Diego, CA
1,845,000 (31 bb)

With more than $3 million in career earnings, he’s still due for a major tournament victory. Serock has second place finishes in three different major series including two runner-up WSOP results in 2009 and 2010.

Seat 9: Tim Burt
Dilberbille, MS
2,575,000 (43 bb)

Burt has more than a dozen tournament victories to his credit including three WSOP Circuit rings. He’s still waiting for his first six-digit cash with his biggest to date coming from a deep run in the WSOP Main Event last month for $42,000.

Final table lineup:

Seat 1: Seth Davies – 3,350,000 (56 bb)
Seat 2: Roman Valenstein – 2,895,000 (48 bb)
Seat 3: Thomas Midena – 4,395,000 (73 bb)
Seat 4: Ryan Fair – 1,335,000 (22 bb)
Seat 5: Jason Koon – 3,595,000 (60 bb)
Seat 6: Zo Karim – 1,295,000 (22 bb)
Seat 7: Paul Balzano – 4,120,000 (69 bb)
Seat 8: Joe Serock – 1,845,000 (31 bb)
Seat 9: Tim Burt – 2,575,000 (43 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
End of Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 529

The 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Event 23 Big 4 final table includes players with nearly $9 million in career earning led by double-WSOP bracelet winner Dan Heimller. Newcomber Bradley Snider leads the final table when they return but has some big names trying to chase him down for the trophy.

Seat 1: Nicholas Immekus
Pittsburg, PA)
495,000 (17 bb)

Immekus is a Pittsburgh native with two cashes during the 2015 SHRPO series including a final table in the $1,650 Purple Chip Bounty event. He has $430,000 in career earnings including a $161,000 win during the 2015 PCA series.

Seat 2: James Gilbert
Philadelphia, PA
965,000 (32 bb)

Gilbert has over $1 million in earnings in his young career. He earned his first WSOP circuit ring in 2012 in Atlantic City but his biggest finish came last September when he was runner-up to David Peredes for the WPT Borgata Poker Open title.

Seat 3: Jeffrey Chang
Bethesda, MD
580,000 (19 bb)

Chang is lawyer from Maryland with over $480,000 in career earnings. He has several deep tournament run but his biggest came with a fourth place finish in the 2014 Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” Championship.

Seat 4: Dan Heimiller
Plymouth, MI
1,370,000 (46 bb)

Heimiller is the elder statesman at the final table with more than $5.7 in career tournament earnings including two WSOP bracelets and two WSOP circuit rings. His first tournament cash came back in 1992 and he won the WSOP Seniors Event in 2014. Not to be put out to pasture, Heimiller added a SHRPO title to his list of credits last week.

Seat 5: Bradley Snider
Plantation, FL
3,210,000 (107 bb)

Snider is one of the unknowns in today’s Big 4 festivities. He’s studay orginally from Fort Lauderdale with no recorded tournament cashes so he already set to earn the biggest poker payday of his career.

Seat 6: Jerry Wong
Brooklyn, NY
1,345,000 (45 bb)

Wong was a local poker celebrity long before he made his mark this summer. He already had some big results to his credit, including a third place finish in the 2013 PCA Main Event, but most will know Wong now as a member of the 2016 WSOP Main Event November Nine.

Seat 7: Koray Aldemir
Vienna, Austria
680,000 (23 bb)

Aldemir is one of our more successful players in the event. He cashed eight times this summer during the World Series of Poker including a second place finish to poker legend Adrian Mateos. But his biggest success came when he finished 3rd in the $111,111 Big One for One Drop High Roller for more than $2 million.

Seat 8: Alex Wilson
Wheeling, WV
1,305,000 (44 bb)

Wilson appears to be a short-handed poker specialist with two deep finishes in WSOP Six-Max events with his best finish coming with a 5th place result in the 2009 $2,500 Six-Max Event for more than $100,000.

Seat 9: Dermot Blain
Dublin, IR)
630,000 (21 bb)

Blain is our Irish friend and he finished second in our $1,100 NLH Turbo event a few days ago. While that was a nice result, he biggest tournament victory was in 2009 when he won the APPT Macau HK$40,000 buy-in Main Event.

Final table lineup:

Seat 1: Nicholas Immekus – 495,000
Seat 2: James Gilbert – 965,000
Seat 3: Jeffrey Chang – 580,000
Seat 4: Dan Heimiller – 1,370,000
Seat 5: Bradley Snider – 3,210,000
Seat 6: Jerry Wong – 1,345,000
Seat 7: Koray Aldemir – 680,000
Seat 8: Alex Wilson – 1,305,000
Seat 9: Dermot Blain – 630,000

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 828 players

The smallest buy-in SHRPO tournament in The Big 4 still outperformed many tournaments with the same buy-in. The nine final table members have accounted for more than $7 million in tournament earnings including WSOP braclets and SHRP titles.

Seat 1: Adam Krach
Longmeadow, MA
1,310,000 (22 bb)

Krach is a new player from Massachusetts with only three tournament results to his credit but all coming this year. Two of those happened this summer when he cashed in the massive-field WSOP Colossus II event and followed that up with a 24th place finish in the WSOP Main Event.

Seat 2: Jordan Joeckel
Tampa, FL
1,005,000 (17 bb)

Joeckel comes from the west coast of Florida but also has some big scores in Massachusetts. He final tabled a Foxwoods Poker Classic event but his last big finish came with a deep run in the 2015 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship.

Seat 3: George Boyadjian
Pompano Beach, FL
500,000 (8 bb)

Our shortest stack at the final table is a SHRP regular. Boyadjiam has won five tournaments at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, FL including victories during the Lucky Hearts Poker Open and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Seat 4: Guy Smith
Shelton, CT
1,420,000 (24 bb)

Smith is another Northeast grinder at the final table and he’s coming off a win in Foxwoods $1,000 Summer Kickoff. His best result here wasn’t too bad either; he finished 57th in the 2014 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship.

Seat 5: Marsha Wolak
Pompano Beach, FL
595,000 (10 bb)

Wolak is a familiar site during SHRP events. She won a WSOP Circuit Seniors event and follwed that up with a Seniors event win here during the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. But what she’s most known for his her gold bracelet from winning the 2011 WSOP Ladies Championship.

Seat 6: Phil Hui
San Antonio, TX
4,575,000 (76 bb)

Hui is among the most accomplished players at the final table and has nearly $1 million in career earnings. He has four WSOP Circuit rings over the years and captured his first WSOP bracelet in the 2014 $3,000 Omaha/8 event. In recent news, Hui finished second in the H.O.R.S.E. event earlier this series, almost earning his second SHRP trophy.

Seat 7: Daniel Buzgon
Marlton, NJ
675,000 (11 bb)

While Hui may have more tournament victories than him, Buzgon has nearly $1.6 million in career earnings. His only tournament win came during the 2015 Borgata Winter Open but his biggest score was a televised WPT Borgata Poker Open final table where he finished third for $335K.

Seat 8: Aaron Massey
Chicago, IL
655,000 (11 bb)

Hui has tournament wins and Buzgon has big cash, but Massey has them both. He’s won a dozen tournaments including two HPT titles, good enough to earn him that tour’s Player of the Year honors. Massey has nearly $3 million in career earnings, five cashes over six-digits, including a Foxwoods title and WSOP third place finish in 2014.

Seat 9: Ruslan Dykshteyn
Hollywood, FL
1,690,000 (28 bb)

A local sleeper, the Hollywood Florida resident has nearly $800,000 in career earnings including $200,000 for a WSOP Circuit Main Event win in 2014. Dykshteyn is a regular in the SHRP tournament and he earned his first victory here this spring with a big-field, $570 event during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Final table lineup:

Seat 1: Adam Krach – 1,310,000 (22 bb)
Seat 2: Jordan Joeckel – 1,005,000 (17 bb)
Seat 3: George Boyadjian – 500,000 (8 bb)
Seat 4: Guy Smith – 1,420,000 (24 bb)
Seat 5: Marsha Wolak – 595,000 (10 bb)
Seat 6: Phil Hui – 4,575,000 (76 bb)
Seat 7: Daniel Buzgon – 675,000 (11 bb)
Seat 8: Aaron Massey – 655,000 (11 bb)
Seat 9: Ruslan Dykshteyn – 1,690,000 (28 bb)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 847

Joe Serock limped from under the gun and Corey Hochman moved all in for 130,000 from middle position. Zo Karim called in the small blind along with Paul Balzano in the big.

Karim bet 75,000 after the flop, Balzano released, and Joe Serock called. Karim checked dark before the turn and Serock bet 200,000.

Karim let his hand go, showing the and Koon showed . It was better than Hochman’s to send him out in 10th place and set the televised final table.

Joe Serock – 1,845,000 (37 bb)
Corey Hochman – Eliminated in 10th place ($50,000)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 847

Joe Serock moved all in from the hijack and Corey Hochman asked from a count from the big blind. Serock was all in for 640,000 and Hochman called.

Serock:
Hochman:

Serock hit the flop and Hochman couldn’t catch back up on the turn or river. Serock picked up the big double while Hochman was left short.

Joe Serock – 1,355,000 (27 bb)
Corey Hochman – 180,000 (4 bb)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 847

Jason Koon opened to 125,000 from the button and Paul Balzano called to see the flop. Balzano checked, Koon bet 75,000 and Balzano check-raised to 225,000.

Koon called and Balzano led for 290,000 after the turn, Koon called, and the river was .  Balzano bet 675,000, Koon called, and Balzano showed to win the pot with a wheel.

Paul Balzano – 3,570,000 (71 bb)
Jason Koon – 4,300,000 (86 bb)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 847

The last ten players redrew seats and action is back underway with Jason Koon leading.

Seat 1: Seth Davies – 3,425,000 (69 bb)
Seat 2: Roman Valenstein – 2,330,000 (47 bb)
Seat 3: Corey Hochman – 850,000 (17 bb)
Seat 4: Thomas Midena – 4,410,000 (88 bb)
Seat 5: Ryan Fair – 1,500,000 (30 bb)
Seat 6: Jason Koon – 4,840,000 (97 bb)
Seat 7: Zo Karim – 1,785,000 (36 bb)
Seat 8: Paul Balzano – 2,825,000 (57 bb)
Seat 9: Joe Serock – 750,000 (15 bb)
Seat 10: Tim Burt – 2,580,000 (52 bb)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 847

Said Mossallam opened to 175,000 from the cutoff and Seth Davies raised to 450,000 from the button. Mossallam moved all in for 850,000 and Davies called.

Davies:
Mossallam:

Mossallam needed to dodge the over cards but one came on the flop. The turn and river were no help and Mossallam was sent out in 11th place.

Tournament staff paused the clock to redraw the final table ten. One more elimination and they will pause for the evening, returning tomorrow for the televised/live-stream Big 4 final table.

Seth Davies – 3,425,000 (69 bb)
Said Mossallam – Eliminated in 11th place ($50,000)

SHRPO $5 Million GTD Championship
Level 25: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 847

Thomas Midena limped from the small blind and Joe Serock checked his big blind option to the flop. Midena bet out 75,000 and Serock raised to 220,000 to get a three-bet from Midena to 675,000.

Serock called after a long think and Midena moved all in for 1.47 million after the turn. Serock thought again before he called with his flopped jacks up and was up against Midena’s top pair/flush draw .

The river got Midena there and he doubled big against Serock.

Thomas Midena – 4,450,000 (89 bb)
Joe Serock – 700,000 (14 bb)