Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
$1,000,000 Guarantee

August 16th-18th, 2015

Total Entries:  502
Total Prize Pool: $1,217,350

The final table bubble of Event 22 ($2,650 NLHE) at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open proved to be a pivotal stretch in the tournament that drew a field size of 502 players. It took close to four hours of play to bust one player when 10 remained, and it was during this time that Fabrizio Gonzales separated his stack from the pack to enter the final table in second chip-position with 1.74 million.

“Oh man that was really long. It was really entertaining too. I came in with 600,000 and I was down to 300,000, and then I ended up with 1.7 million so it was really fun. I just tried to create pressure with 10 people left because I felt like it was a good moment for my chips,” said Fabrizio when asked about the long final table bubble.

During the early stretch of play at the final table tonight, Fabrizio made sure to stay away from the overwhelming chip leader Xuan Liu (3.15 million) as Casey Yontz (ninth), David Diaz (eighth), Jon Borenstein (7th), Chris Hunichen (6th), and Seth Davies (5th) hit the rail during the first four hours of play. “I knew she was going to put pressure on the players. I just tried to play my best to avoid her pressure, and it worked out,” said Fabrizio when he was asked about his approach to Xuan.

The nature of the final table reset with four players remaining, and it was now Fabrizio who held the chip lead with 3.5 million. Daniel Fuhs then doubled up thru Xuan, and that left her with just 400,000. She was all in a short time later with , but Fabrizio was waiting with . The board ran out and Fabrizio improved to a flush to send Xuan home in fourth place, good for $70,900.

Just one hand later, Darryl Ronconi chose his moment to shove with in the hole. Fuhs was waiting with a pocket pair this time around, and he tabled . The flop fell and Ronconi was eliminated with authority by the quad sevens held by Fuhs. Ronconi was awarded the third-place prize money of $84,800.

Fabrizio held the chip lead when heads-up play began, and he only increased it further with steady aggression as play continued. Fuhs was down to 1.1 million when he shoved all-in holding . Fabrizio called with , and it was off to the races. The board was dealt , and Fuhs was eliminated in second place after a nice deep run in the tournament that gave him $141,800.

The made Fabrizio the champion, and the young resident of Spain took home the top prize worth $236,400 along with the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open trophy. “He was a tough player, but I think I picked up some good cards. I think I played very good heads up. I was grinding him down and kept the pressure on, and everything worked out,” said Fabrizio about the heads-up final against Fuhs.  Congratulations to our champion – Fabrizio Gonzalez.

Final Table Results:

1st: Fabrizio Gonzales – $236,400 (Pontevedra Marin)
2nd: Daniel Fuhs – $141,800 (San Diego, CA)
3rd: Darryl Ronconi – $84,800 (Naperville, IL)
4th: Xuan Liu – $70,900 (Toronto, ON)
5th: Seth Davies – $59,100 (Bend, OR)
6th: Chris Hunichen – $47,300 (Clayton, NC)
7th: Jon Borenstein – $35,500 (Teaneck, NJ)
8th: David Diaz – $29,500 (Bartlett, TN)
9th: Casey Yontz – $23,150 (Columbus, OH)