2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event #2
$300 Deep Stack Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)
Entries: 354
Prizepool: $90,270
August 6, 2017

Nigel Murray is the winner of Event 2 at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. He defeated a field of 354 entries in the $300 Deep Stack Turbo event to claim the trophy and the top prize of $18,570 in a three-way deal.

Born and raised in Jamaica, the 36-year-old Murray relocated to South Florida about a dozen years ago, jumping headlong into one of the more robust poker communities in the county. He plays the game full-time now — and with some good success, too.

During his time in the States, Murray has amassed nearly $700,000 in live tournament earnings, including several victories right here at this venue. After this most recent win, he was congratulated by SHRP’s own Stewart Newman, among others.

“Everybody knows me around here because I’m always winning,” Murray beamed in his postgame interview. “I’m a sick poker player. You guys will see in the future.”

The confident Murray entered the ten-handed final table with a commanding chip lead that he never relinquished. Things happen quickly in an event of this format, and it took less than an hour to run from there down to the final three players.

With the stacks all shallowing out and some big pay jumps looming, the trio decided to pause and talk numbers. An agreement was quickly reached, and Murray’s big stack earned him the hardware and the lion’s share of the prizepool.

“I just bullied the table,” he told reporters about his final table strategy. “They were so soft. That’s it. They didn’t understand. They kept on folding, folding, folding until they missed their opportunity.”

The trophy for Event 2 was the first one handed out for this edition of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, and it joins a few others residing on Murray’s mantel.

Final Table results:

1st: Nigel Murray – $18,570* + trophy
2nd: Jeff Fogel – $12,432*
3rd: Hector Pacheco – $10,000*
4th: Rafael Ramos – $5,588
5th: Gary Malcom – $4,306
6th: Vitor Coelho – $3,561
7th: Vincent Spadavecchia – $2,988
8th: Angel Jara – $2,442
9th: Justin Levy – $1,907

*denotes three-way deal