2017 Seminole Hard Rock WSOP Circuit
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$580 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 1,612
Prize Pool: $806,000
September 21-25, 2017

Hollywood, Florida — The first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino kicked off in grand fashion Thursday with a $580 buy-in re-entry opener. The tournament boasted six starting flights over the course of three days with Day 2 kicking off Sunday. Ultimately, it was Miami Lakes resident Niovel Chirino Alvarez who bested the 1,612-entry field taking home $135,022 along with the tour’s token prize, a gold ring.

“This is just my hobby,” Alvarez said afterward. “I’m not a pro at all. I’m shaking because I didn’t even think I could win.”

The event featured two starting flights daily Thursday, Friday and Saturday and permitted unlimited re-entry throughout. The weekday action was modest to start, but Saturday’s play nearly doubled the field settling it in at the 1,612 tally. The $806,000 prize pool handily bested the $500,000 guarantee and paid each of the final 171 players a piece of it.

Five-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Kurt Jewell, former Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year David Prociak and tournament pro Brian Hastings were among the standouts to play the event. There was a huge local turnout, too, as another former POY, Ory Hen, Seminole Hard Rock Poker team members Stewart Newman and Sheddy Siddiqui, Paul Balzano, Nancy Birndbaum and Abbey Daniels were among those jockeying for gold jewelry.

Day 2 began Sunday at 1pm with 218 players remaining and only 171 finishing in the money. The bubble burst shortly thereafter sending the remaining players home with a guaranteed payday. Daren Stabinski (26th), Steven McKoy (29th), Daniels (42nd) and Seminole Hard Rock Tampa ambassador Wally Maddah (57th) were among those who finished in the money.

It was late in the day when then 10-handed final table was reached. Gil Aboodi — the eventual runner-up — lead the action. Day 2 played until just before 3am when only three players remained. Aboodi retained the lead while Alvarez was second and Scott Sanders third. The trio returned for an additional, unscheduled day of play Monday and it moved along at breakneck speed.

Sanders busted third just a couple minutes into the action care of chip leader Aboodi. Aboodi had a two-to-one advantage over Aboodi at that point, but doubled up Alvarez and the tables quickly turned. On the final hand, Aboodi got his stack in holding and was second best to Alvarez’s . He never caught up and Aboodi was eliminated in second place earning $83,751.

The win marked the first major tournament cash for Alvarez, a 41-year-old married father of two. He was born in Cuba and now resides here in Florida where he owns a trucking company.

2017 marks the first time for the Seminole Hard Rock and the WSOP to team up in a co-branded series. In addition to their hefty cash prizes, all players who cash during the series will earn points toward the Casino Championship. Following the final ring event, the top points earner will be awarded with a $10,000 entry in the season-ending Global Casino Championship. Joining them at the one-of-a-kind event will be the Main Event champion who also earns a seat in the event.

“I always come [to][the][Seminole][Hard][Rock],” Alvarez said. “I don’t play anywhere else. I like it here. It’s cool, the people are nice here, I get along with basically everyone.”

Event 1 final table results:

1st: Niovel Chirino Alvarez – $135,022 + Gold Ring
2nd: Gil Aboodi – $83,751
3rd: Scott Sanders – $62,255
4th: Nagui Yassa – $46,974
5th: John Magnetta – $35,843
6th: Jordan Meltzer – $27,565
7th: Ruslan Dykshteyn – $21,585
8th: Vytautas Semaska – $17,031
9th: Matyas Csiszar – $13,589

10th: Rafael Oropesa – $10,962
11th: Ethiel Garcia – $10,962
12th: Jack Shea – $10,962
13th: Andres Morales – $8,939
14th: Manuel Rivera- $8,939
15th: Hobart Roberts – $8,939
16th: John Miller – $7,367
17th: Cameron Glendenning – $7,367
18th: Julio Ruiz – $7,367
19th: Derek Bowers – $6,142
20th: David Plotkin – $6,142
21st: Scott Zakheim – $6,142
22nd: Song O – $5,175
23rd: Chad Freedman – $5,175
24th: Russell Sullivan – $5,175
25th: Bruce Kahn – $4,401
26th: Daren Stabinski – $4,401
27th: Robert Tannenbaum – $4,401
28th: Wesley Lasher – $3,788
29th: Steven McKoy – $3,788
30th: Teddy Connor – $3,788
31st: Lucus Braga – $3,288
32nd: Alexander Gambino – $3,288
33rd: Bruce Snell – $3,288
34th: Chris Brown – $2,885
35th: Luiz De Farias Guimaraes – $2,885
36th: Ricard Eyzaguirre – $2,885
37th: Michael Mehallis – $2,555
38th: Perry McGinnis – $2,555
39th: Tony Roberto – $2,555
40th: Daryl Cahuasqui-Vega – $2,555
41st: Stuart Krasney – $2,555
42nd: Abbey Daniels – $2,555
43rd: Shaundra Seay – $2,555
44th: Eduardo Christ – $2,555
45th: Michael Goldfarb – $2,555
46th: Robert Transue – $2,289
47th: Jonah Miller – $2,289
48th: Manny Minaya – $2,289
49th: Jamil Dib – $2,289
50th: Vitor Coelho – $2,289
51st: Keith Borsdorf – $2,289
52nd: Mario Hudson – $2,289
53rd: Jeffrey Rubin – $2,289
54th: Max Campbell – $2,289
55th: Elizabeth Rainer – $2,071
56th: Ryan Miller – $2,071
57th: Wally Maddah – $2,071
58th: Sheldon Gross – $2,071
59th: Donald Scheib – $2,071
60th: Aaron Klausman – $2,071
61st: Jason Appel – $2,071
62nd: Stephen Allen – $2,071
63rd: Fredrik Wannius – $2,071
64th: Farid Jattin – $1,894
65th: Luis Torred – $1,894
66th: David Gelley – $1,894
67th: Stephen Leahy – $1,894
68th: Andrew Pacifico – $1,894
69th: Robert Peppe – $1,894
70th: John Brown – $1,894
71st: Yue Wang – $1,894
72nd: Raymond Nalbandian – $1,894
73rd: Michael Cortes – $1,741
74th: Carey Pickus – $1,741
75th: Steven Kasimow – $1,741
76th: Christopher Perkins – $1,741
77th: Isaiah Goldman – $1,741
78th: Joseph Ross – $1,741
79th: Tark Abboud – $1,741
80th: Jack Rolnitzky – $1,741
81st: Joe Patalano – $1,741
82nd: Leroy Grant – $1,604
83rd: Stephen Brown – $1,604
84th: Sean Perry – $1,604
85th: Hyndi Khomutetsky – $1,604
86th: Vinny Moscati – $1,604
87th: Gustavo Moscon – $1,604
88th: Giuseppe Ruvolo – $1,604
89th: Nathan Pitts – $1,604
90th: Peter Pacifico – $1,604
91st: Audrius Stakelis – $1,475
92nd: John Flynn – $1,475
93rd: Harry Johnson – $1,475
94th: Nicholas Suarez – $1,475
95th: Varadarajan Iyengar – $1,475
96th: Michelle Shah – $1,475
97th: Vladimir Kovalchuk – $1,475
98th: Erik Cajelais – $1,475
99th: Thomas Foley – $1,475
100th: Ryan D’Angelo – $1,354
101st: Ido Ashkenazi – $1,354
102nd: Stewart Newman – $1,354
103rd: Francis Margaglione – $1,354
104th: Jorie Damiani – $1,354
105th: Elizabeth McKane – $1,354
106th: Brett Bader – $1,354
107th: Raymond McDonough – $1,354
108th: Howard Becks – $1,354
109th: David Yoe – $1,249
110th: Vigorn Dancharnjitt – $1,249
111th: Andrew Kelsall – $1,249
112th: Michael Curtis – $1,249
113th: Mark Ellerbe – $1,249
114th: Edward Brackston – $1,249
115th: Joseph Gotlieb – $1,249
116th: Avery Bass – $1,249
117th: Jorge De Arruda Feres Ribe – $1,249
118th: Guillermo Hamilton – $1,153
119th: Julian Altieri Roman – $1,153
120th: Kevin Chan – $1,153
121st: Roberto Alberro – $1,153
122nd: Hagai Stein – $1,153
123rd: Jeffrey Sager – $1,153
124th: Shea Smith – $1,153
125th: Nancy Birnbaum – $1,153
126th: Jose Delacruz – $1,153
127th: John Cofhlin – $1,153
128th: Daniel Mizrachi – $1,153
129th: Richard Leger – $1,153
130th: Woodrow Pass – $1,153
131st: Michael Itaev – $1,153
132nd: Charles Wells – $1,153
133rd: Marcus Stein – $1,153
134th: Christopher Blanco – $1,153
135th: Alex Rocha – $1,153
136th: Stephen Ekin – $1,064
137th: Josias Santos – $1,064
138th: Lewis Campbell – $1,064
139th: William Brock – $1,064
140th: Krzysztof Stybaniewicz – $1,064
141st: Steven Risen – $1,064
142nd: Ardit Bitincka – $1,064
143rd: Dolphus Powers – $1,064
144th: Peter Jacobson – $1,064
145th: Joshua Gibson – $1,064
146th: Michael Bernier – $1,064
147th: Sergiu Nagit – $1,064
148th: Ory Hen – $1,064
149th: Daryl Salisbury – $1,064
150th: Wendy Lu – $1,064
151st: Peter Brown – $1,064
152nd: Israel De La Cerda – $1,064
153rd: Reinaldo Troconis Trutschel – $1,064
154th: Karolis Sereika – $975
155th: Michael LaRocca – $975
156th: Michael Newman – $975
157th: Chris Koulouvaris – $975
158th: Roberto Bendeck – $975
159th: Robert Gianquitti – $975
160th: Angelo Miele – $975
161st: Clifford Conners – $975
162nd: Russ Radom – $975
163rd: Jessica Dawley – $975
164th: Wayne Lovell – $975
165th: Mauricio Ameller – $975
166th: Kevin Scarola – $975
167th: Mahendran Ramanathan – $975
168th: Charlemagne Benjamin – $975
169th: Jonathan Hilton – $975
170th: John Dalessio – $975
171st: Ariel Rosello Quintana – $975