2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 24
$25,500 High Roller
Entries:  145
Prize Pool:  $3,581,500
April 26-27, 2021

The 2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown has broken record after record, and the 145 entries in Event 24 shattered the previous casino record for a $25K High Roller, generating a juicy prizepool worth more than $3.5 million. And Tuesday night, everything fell into place for Chad Eveslage at just the right time for him to win the title, the trophy, and $767,577 in a three-way deal.

For most of the final table, it was Byron Kaverman who was in control with the chip lead. With more than $15.5 million in career live tournament earnings, Kaverman was also the most accomplished player at the table.

“It was tough,” said Eveslage. “Byron Kaverman had a lot of chips, and he was playing well. He always plays well. I just kept getting very lucky.”

Eveslage was downplaying himself, as it clearly takes more than luck to survive two full days against the largest $25K High Roller field in Seminole Hard Rock history, featuring players like Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, WPT Player of the Year Brian Altman, and two-time GPI Player of the Year Alex Foxen, just to name a few.

But when the final table got down to the final four players, they battled for about two hours with nobody busting out. That’s when the cards fell Eveslage’s way in two key spots in the span of four hands, catapulting him from the short stack to the chipleader.

In the first hand, Eveslage moved all in for 18 big blinds with , only to be dominated by Kaverman’s . But Eveslage turned a five-high straight to win that pot and double up.

Three hands later, Eveslage and Kaverman played another pretty big pot on a board of . After betting big on the river, Kaverman showed for trip jacks, but Eveslage turned over to win the pot with a rivered king-high straight. That pot propelled Eveslage to a commanding chip lead, and he never let it go.

A short while later, the two shortest stacks got it all in, with Sean Perry’s turning a jack-high straight against Wilson’s to eliminate Wilson in fourth place.

The final three players — Eveslage, Kaverman, and Perry — quickly agreed to an ICM chop. As chipleader, Eveslage was awarded the title, the trophy, and the largest payout — $767,577.

This is the second Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood trophy that Eveslage has won so far in 2021; he won the $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em event in the Lucky Hearts Poker Open to earn $101,572.

“My biggest live cash before this was $100,000 or so, maybe a little bit more,” said Eveslage, “but this is way bigger.”

Eveslage lives in Fort Lauderdale, and he’s a regular in the tournaments here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.

“I’m here for every tournament series,” said Eveslage, “and I’m really looking forward to the big series in August.”

That’s the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, which is scheduled for July 22nd until August 10th. Though as much as Eveslage loves the poker tournaments here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, they aren’t the only thing that keeps him coming back.

“The Guitar Tower is awesome,” said Eveslage. “I can see it from my home, about five miles away.”

Final Results:

* Indicates results of a three-way deal.