2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  4,184
Prize Pool:  $1,380,720
April 13-17, 2023

Event #1 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown had a massive field of 4,184 entries, generating a total prizepool worth $1,380,720. After a long Day 3 on Monday, Carlos Loving outlasted them all to win the title, his fourth Seminole Hard Rock trophy, and $153,690.

“It feels great,” said Loving. “It’s so hard to beat this many people.”

When the nine-handed final table began, Loving was sixth in chips, and the three players below him were all eliminated within the first hour.

“The beginning was a slow start for me,” said Loving, “but then I won a couple of big hands and it all turned around.”

With six players remaining, Loving was down to 11 big blinds when he got it all in with against Fabian Foster’s . Foster flopped a set of kings, but Loving turned an ace-high straight to double up.

Fifteen minutes later, Loving got it in with against the of chipleader Johnathan Norris, and Loving won the race to double up to a comfortable 53 big blinds.

“Then I was able to really open up my game,” said Loving.

Action slowed after the elimination of Johnathan Norris in fifth place, and four-handed play lasted more than two hours. But then Loving played a hand against Fabian Foster on a board of , and Foster shoved the river.

Loving tank-called with for two pair, and Foster showed for a jack-high bluff. Foster was eliminated in fourth place, and Loving took the chip lead for the first time.

A short while later, it was Loving’s turn to shove the river, this time on a board of , and it put Amin Akhlaghi to the test.

Akhlaghi tank-called with for trip aces, but Loving wasn’t bluffing — he turned over for trip aces with a higher kicker to eliminate Akhlaghi in third place.

That propelled Loving to a 2-to-1 chip lead over Steve Karp as heads-up play began.

Heads-up play lasted about an hour, and while Karp briefly narrowed the gap, Loving had a substantial lead for most of it.

Eventually, after a flop of , Karp check-raised all in with for a flush draw, and Loving called with for top two pair. The flush never came, and Loving rivered a jack to win the pot — and the tournament — with a full house.

“I’ve always loved playing here,” said Loving after winning his fourth Seminole Hard Rock trophy. “I consider this to be one of my home casinos.”

What keeps Loving coming back to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood?

“The large fields, the big prizepools, and the beautiful weather,” said Loving. “And the dealers are amazing.”

Final Table Results:

* The final three players agreed to adjust the final three payouts.