All posts by Seminole Hard Rock Poker

Main Event: Big Winners Looking for a South Florida Score

$560 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$75,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 Ante
Entries: 210

South Florida is one of the richest poker hotspots in the world and the quality of players is accordingly high. Here in the $560, there are a handful of individuals with seven figures worth of lifetime earnings. Two of them are still around late in the registration period — former November Niner Neil Blumenfield and Brian Hastings.

Neil Blumenfield

Blumenfield claims over $3,700,000 in earnings, much of which came following his third-place finish in the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Hastings, meanwhile, claims slightly less with about $3,350,000 in earnings. That sizable tally has come over the course of 80 reported cashes including six tournament wins.

Brian Hastings

Both Blumenfield and Hastings are here at the Seminole Hard Rock and among a big, 200+ entry field in the $560. All players are slated to go on break shortly and the final prize pool and payout tally will be calculated shortly thereafter.

Main Event: Event 1 Finalist Ory Hen in the $560

$560 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$75,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 8: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Entries: 189

Ory Hen

The Fun in the Sun Poker Open began last Wednesday with a multi-flight $250 buy-in, $50,000 guarantee. The prize pool cracked that figure easily with a final tally just shy of six figures. The 465-entry field was littered with Seminole Hard Rock notables late including Ory Hen, Ido Askenazi, Raminder Singh and Scott Efron — all of whom finished in the top 10.

When the dust settled, it was Ashkenazi and Hen who were left as the finalists agreeing to a heads-up chop. Ashkenazi went down as the champ and earned the trophy, but Hen went home with $16,403 consolation prize.

Fast forward to today’s Main Event and Hen has gotten the best of his previous heads-up foe thus far. Hen is still jockeying in Level 9 while Ashkenazi has already found the rail.

Main Event: Guarantee Gone After First Break

$560 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$75,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 7: 300/600 with a 600 Ante
Entries: 167

The first break in the $560 buy-in Fun in the Sun Main Event wrapped just a bit ago. The clock shows 167 in the game meaning the tournament’s $75,000 guarantee is already well surpassed. Registration and re-entry are available for about two more hours and the attendance figure is expected to continue a steady upward tick between now and then.

We’ll take a look at some of the notables in the field shortly.

Joseph Block Wins First-Ever Seminole Turnpike Series Following Six-Way Chop

Seminole Turnpike Series
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Seminole Casino Coconut Creek
Hollywood/Coconut Creek, Florida

$250 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 1,696
Prize Pool: $356,160
December 12-16, 2018

Final results:

FINISHNAMEPRIZE
1JOSEPH BLOCK$44,375
2GEORGE HORTELANO$41,670
3YI DING$28,220
4GABRIEL SACK$27,360
5NEAL CORCORAN$26,680
6SCOTT HARWOOD$23,670
7RANDY MATIENZO$11,930
8RAMINDER SINGH$8,725
9MICHAEL MONACO$6,235
10WILLIAM SMITH$4,095
11MARC BRONSTEIN$4,095
12RAFAEL RAMOS$4,095
13JOSEPH VILLACCI$2,671
14OVENSON BENOIT$2,671
15JOHN VIDAL$2,671
16ARMAS ALEJANDRO ADOLFO$1,852
17ZACHARY HAMMONS$1,852
18PREECHA TAEPAKDEE$1,852
19LUIZ STADLER III$1,567
20BRUNO FORTIN$1,567
21JASON UTLEY$1,567
22MANUEL AMARO ALVAREZ$1,567
23CARLOS CASTRO$1,567
24OLEG EFREMOV$1,567
25BRIAN DUNN$1,567
26ROBERT LEFF$1,567
27BRANDON MILLER$1,567
28SAMUEL DESTEFON$1,318
29OFIR STENDER$1,318
30RICHARD WHITEBROOK$1,318
31HOWARD MASH$1,318
32DAVID WHITE$1,318
33HERMAN ALTER$1,318
34MICHAEL GARCIA$1,318
35RICHARD DE VIVO$1,318
36WILLIAM VALLADARES HURTADO$1,318
37JOSUE GARCIA$1,122
38FRANCKY DUMORNAY$1,122
39DAVID SHAW$1,122
40DAVID BAKER$1,122
41DOMINICK SPADAVECCHIA$1,122
42ANTONIO COLON$1,122
43DAVID ZIONTS$1,122
44DAVID POCES$1,122
45TODD KASTEN$1,122
46HOLLANDER PREAP$962
47TIM SHANE$962
48BRANDON FREIHAGE$962
49MICHAEL KOPJANSKI$962
50ANDRES ARAUJO CASTILLO$962
51EGIDIJUS SEPUTIS$962
52JOEL HARWOOD$962
53DANIEL DIAMOND$962
54NIGEL MURRAY$962
55STEVEN ZUKOWSKI$819
56DAFNEY ADISSON$819
57CHRISTOPHER MEDEIROS$819
58CARLOS TORRES VAZQUEZ$819
59HOA LAN G$819
60CHRISTOPHER CRISTILLO$819
61JULIO FERNANDEZ$819
62PAUL SHAFRAN$819
63CARLO RODRIGUEZ$819
64GIUSEPPE LUNETTO$712
65PAULINO UEMURA JR.$712
66ARIEL ROSELLO QUINTANA$712
67JULIEN GOASMAT$712
68LUCKENSON PERICLES$712
69JULIO RUIZ$712
70MARCEL DESCHAMPS$712
71PAUL DOMB$712
72REYNEL HERNANDEZ$712
73AYCA ERAKBAS$659
74JOSEPH TUMMINELLI JR.$659
75HARRY ROSENBLUM$659
76JOSEPH PETROLINO$659
77MATHIEU SELIDES$659
78ALLAN BIELER$659
79ROBERT TANNENBAUM$659
80DANIEL GANACHTE$659
81JORGE ARISTIZABAL$659
82DAVID MORENO$605
83THAO LE$605
84VADIMS IVANOVS$605
85JOSEPH LEVITT$605
86LOUIS RATON$605
87CHASE MACEY$605
88DAVID BLEAU$605
89OSCAR TRESTINI$605
90GLENN FEINSTEIN$605
91GEORGE LUKAWSKI$559
92ANTHONY LETO$559
93MARC SACHELI$559
94ALEKSANDR TISHCHENKO$559
95DENNIS BRINN$559
96LLOYD KAPPER$559
97YONATAN BENYAMIN$559
98FRED ALESI$559
99SIDDHEE KUDTARKAR$559
100EDUARDO MOUCHERREK CECCHINATO$559
101PEDRO DIAZ$538
102PHILIP BRILL$538
103EVAN TEITELBAUM$538
104DANIEL PEARLMAN$538
105ROBERTO BENDECK$538
106AHMAD YARBOUH$538
107RENE ESQUIVEL$538
108STEVEN CARSWELL$538
109ODETTE CUTTER$538
110SEBASTIEN AUDY-BRODEUR$538
111RAYMOND MCDONOUGH$516
112BRIAN VASQUEZ LAGOS$516
113ANGEL BRACHO$516
114JORGE SOTO$516
115BERNARD COHEN$516
116DONALD COPLIEN$516
117ALEXIS PUGA ALVARINO$516
118LESLEY CUTLER$516
119CARLOS YEPEZ$516
120YURIY KOZINSKIY$516
121DANIEL WAYSON$499
122SHELDON GROSS$499
123PETER FELLOWS$499
124JOSEPH DUCHMAN$499
125ANTHONY MORALES$499
126RODOLFO RODRIGUEZ$499
127WILLIAM RINCON$499
128STEVEN BAKER$499
129ALLAN CARMEL$499
130GEORGE BOYADJIAN$499
131NICOLAS YUNIS$481
132JESSICA FRANCIS$481
133JOSEPH NAY$481
134PAUL CHACIN RINCON$481
135DONALD ABDELHAY$481
136JERRY WILLIS$481
137ANDRE BRYAN$481
138THOMAS PUCCIO$481
139WILLIAM SWICICKA$481
140BRIAN BARIS$481
141SCOTT DI BENEDETTO$463
142ALBERTO PALMA$463
143MICHAEL NEWMAN$463
144JASON WANDLING$463
145ANDREW DAIRE$463
146MILTON MIRANDA$463
147DONALD LAVIGNE$463
148GEORGE GUERRA$463
149LUIS FELIZ$463
150FREDERICO DABUS$463
151DAVID NATHANIEL$449
152VINCENT SIMONELLI$449
153STEVEN COHEN$449
154ALAIN CANDALES FALCON$449
155EMAD YARBOUH$449
156GILLES DALCO$449
157EDWARD JAFFY$449
158PEDRO PALACIO$449
159ROBERT KAHN$449
160MICHAEL LARKIN$449
161ANTHONY BARBERA$438
162DANIEL QUESADA$438
163KIM SCORATOW$438
164YOAV SCHVERD$438
165JEFFREY SMURLICK$438
166EPHRAIM UZAN$438
167MATTHEW ZACARDOOLAS$438
168BRIAN RAIK$438
169ALFREDO FERNANDEZ$438
170ALFRED VARGAS$438
171ANTONIO ARENCIBIA MONDUY$427
172ABBEY DANIELS$427
173ZACHARY MULLENNIX$427
174JACK SHEA$427
175JOHN UTLEY$427

Event 15: Restart Goes at 2pm in the Poker Room; 143 Remain, 81 Pay, $36K to the Winner

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 15: 2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 143 of 1,297

It took two days and six starting flights, but the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open $150 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed trophy event is on to the decisive playing session. Action restarts at 2pm and the 1,297-entry starting field is whittled to only 143 still in the game. The top 81 are set to score a payday with a min-cash awarding $389. Payouts escalate from there and top out in the form of a $36,687 prize.

Day 2 chip counts | Table draws | Payouts

Patrick Quinn tops the returners with 445,500 chips. Others around for Day 2 include Francis Margaglione, David Poces, Ory Hen and Elliott Zaydman.

Play resumes at 2pm and updates will be available all the way through to a crowning of a champion.

Good luck, players!

Seniors: Prize Pool and Payouts with $10,615 for a Day’s Work

$360 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Seniors Remaining: 36 of 122

Level 9 is kicked off and registration is closed in Event 18 of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open, a $360 buy-in Seniors tournament. A total of 122 South Florida seniors turned out for the one-day event. The prize pool hit $36,600 and is slated to pay the to pay the top 16 finishers. A min-cash earns $714 while the tournament’s champion earns $10,615 and the property’s token guitar pick trophy.

Full details:

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

1st – $10,615
2nd – $6,588
3rd – $3,935
4th – $2,471
5th – $1,830
6th – $1,574
7th – $1,363
8th – $1,208
9th – $1,061
10th-12th – $933
13th-15th – $814
16th – $714

We will pick up coverage of this event when it reaches the 10-handed final table.

2018 Fun in the Sun Schedule

DateTimeBuy-InTournamentDetails
Wed, Dec 2611:00 AM$250F.I.T.S. Event #1 Day 1A -- Big Stack NLH (RE) -- $50,000 GuaranteedStructure
Wed, Dec 267:00 PM$250F.I.T.S. Event #1 Day 1B -- Big Stack NLH (RE) -- $50,000 GuaranteedStructure
Thu, Dec 272:00 PMDay 2Day 2 -- F.I.T.S. Event #1 -- Big Stack NLH (RE) -- $50,000 Guaranteed - Winner Receives a $2,500 LHPO Event #21 Seat--
Thu, Dec 276:00 PM$130F.I.T.S. Event #2 Deep Stack Turbo NLH (RE) -- $15K GTD - $1,100 WPTDeepStacks Seat ADDED to 1st & 2nd PlaceStructure
Fri, Dec 2811:00 AM$350F.I.T.S. Event #3 Black Chip Bounty NLH (RE) -- $25K GTDStructure
Fri, Dec 286:00 PM$140Mega Satellite into Fun in the Sun Main Event (1 in 5) - 5 Seats GTDStructure
Sat, Dec 2911:00 AM$250F.I.T.S. Event #4 Big Stack NLH (RE) -- $25K GTDStructure
Sat, Dec 296:00 PM$140Mega Satellite into Fun in the Sun Main Event (1 in 5) - 5 Seats GTDStructure
Sun, Dec 3011:00 AM$560F.I.T.S. Event #5 F.I.T.S. Main Event Deep Stack NLH (RE) -- $75,000 GuaranteedStructure

Championship: Shuffle Up and Deal; Final 14 Eye a Spot in the Final Six

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining: 14 of 898

The clock hits 12pm eastern and cards are in the air for Day 4 of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship. Play will go until the live-streamed final table of six is reached.

Event 16: Big Buy-In Guarantee Gone

$5,000 Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 200/400 with a 400 ante
Entrants: 54

It was the biggest buy-in on the 2018 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open schedule and the players turned out early and often. Late in Level 5, the $5,000 buy-in eight-handed event cracked 53 entries busting the tournament’s $250,000 guarantee. As is, the field sits at 54 entries with a $256,500 prize pool. Registration and re-entry is available all the way until 6:10pm and the number will only grow between now and then.

This is a one-day event schedule to play to completion and we’ll pick up more of the action after the Championship and $1,650 Purple Chip Bounty tournaments wrap.

Championship: Joe McKeehen Doubles through Georges Boyadjian

$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 10,000/15,000 with a 15,000 ante
Players Remaining: 42 of 898

Georges Boyadjian (left) versus Joe McKeehen (right)

Georges Boyadjian limped from the small blind and Joe McKeehen promptly raised to 40,000 from the big. Boyadjian called and they were heads up to the Qc5h4d flop. Boyadjian checked and McKeehen C-bet 40,000. Boyadjian check-raised to 80,000 and McKeehen jammed for 210,000. Boyadjian called and the champ was at risk.

Boyadjian: 5d4h for two pair
McKeehen: AcAd for an over pair

Turn and river: TsAh

McKeehen spiked a set on the river to double through Boyadjian.

Joe McKeehen – 515,000 (34 bb)
Georges Boyadjian – 300,000 (20 bb)