2025 Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 15
$1,100 Platinum Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guarantee
Entries: 384
Prize Pool: $372,480
March 23-25, 2025
Tuesday marked the end of the first $1,100 Platinum Stack event here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, where players began the tournament with 100,000 in chips. There were 384 entries across two starting flights, and 49 players made the money and survived to Day 2. When the final four players agreed to a deal, chipleader Dessiree Bennett was declared the winner, receiving the title, the trophy, and $49,199.
“It feels great,” said Bennett. “And I actually won on a satellite ticket, so that was even better.”
Bennett earned her entry into this $1,100 event for only $250, and she survived Day 1 in the middle of the pack. Day 2 went even better for Bennett, and by the time they reached the final table, she had the chip lead.
“I found the level of play was very, very high, which helped me because it made me play even better,” said Bennett. “It was a great field of players.”
Asked how it felt to start the final table with the lead, Bennett said, “There’s pressure, because you don’t want to blow it, but you also want to keep gathering chips.”
Bennett has come up with her own system to help guide her when she plays.
“I have rules that I make for myself,” said Bennett, “and that’s why I always stack my chips in weird ways, because I’m always trying to make measured bets and raises.”
Bennett’s husband Nick is the one who first taught her poker, but according to him, she’s the better player, and more passionate about the game. While she’s won poker tournaments before, this was her victory that came with a nice physical trophy she can display in their home in Aruba.
“This is my first trophy,” said Bennett. “So we’ll find a really nice place for it, because we love the Hard Rock. They always have great tournaments, and we really love it here.”
RESULTS:
| Place | First Name | Last Name | Prize Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dessiree | Bennett | $49,199* |
| 2 | Steve | Blackmon | $48,675* |
| 3 | Chad | Roedersheimer | $41,735* |
| 4 | Juan | Mubarak | $40,891* |
| 5 | Anibal | Pabon | $20,100 |
| 6 | Wayne | Leonard | $15,400 |
| 7 | Sean | Byars | $11,800 |
| 8 | Tanupat | Punjarojanakul | $9,200 |
| 9 | Samuel | Kim | $7,200 |
| 10 | Jessica | Cai | $7,200 |
| 11 | Chris | Da-Silva | $6,200 |
| 12 | Nancy | Birnbaum | $6,200 |
| 13 | James | Wiley | $5,200 |
| 14 | Kevin | MacDonald | $5,200 |
| 15 | Sebastian Toro | Henao | $5,200 |
| 16 | Marcus | Stein | $4,360 |
| 17 | Brent | Hoover | $4,360 |
| 18 | Zachary | Fischer | $4,360 |
| 19 | Patrick | Steele | $4,360 |
| 20 | Ramon | Martinez | $3,580 |
| 21 | David | D'Alessandro | $3,580 |
| 22 | Nick | Yunis | $3,580 |
| 23 | Karanvir | Singh | $3,580 |
| 24 | Thomas | Taylor | $2,920 |
| 25 | Deborah | Zwanka | $2,920 |
| 26 | Frederic | Normand | $2,920 |
| 27 | Semsettin | Ilyas | $2,920 |
| 28 | Grant | Wang | $2,920 |
| 29 | David | Castranova | $2,920 |
| 30 | James | Calderaro | $2,920 |
| 31 | Eldo | Rodriguez | $2,920 |
| 32 | Yury | Parad | $2,320 |
| 33 | Daniel | Vranich | $2,320 |
| 34 | Reynel | Hernandez | $2,320 |
| 35 | Scott | Heiligman | $2,320 |
| 36 | Simon | Auerbacher | $2,320 |
| 37 | Manny | Minaya | $2,320 |
| 38 | David | Smeeth | $2,320 |
| 39 | Dorian | Rios | $2,320 |
| 40 | Ross | Fischer | $1,940 |
| 41 | Daniel | Pearlman | $1,940 |
| 42 | Steve | Yagudaev | $1,940 |
| 43 | Brian | Barros | $1,940 |
| 44 | Igor | Tretyakov | $1,940 |
| 45 | Scott | Baumstein | $1,940 |
| 46 | Pasquale | Caiazza | $1,940 |
| 47 | Ginold | Rendel | $1,940 |
| 48 | Bradley | Smith | $1,940 |
| 49 | Pablo | Valdivieso | $1,940 |
* Indicates the results of a four-way deal.