Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Event 3: $250 Deep Stack Turbo No Limit Hold’em
August 17, 2014
Entries: 193
Prize Pool: $40,530
RECAP
Event 3 ($250 Turbo NLHE) at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open lived up to its name on Sunday and the field of 193 players quickly played down to the final table of nine by 7 p.m. after a noon start. Things went even faster at the final table, because after two players fell, the final seven agreed to chop up the remaining prize pool according to chip stacks.
That made 41-year-old Michael Moed (pictured above) the winner of the tournament and he took home $6,581, the SHRPO trophy, and a custom-framed photograph from IMPDI. Moed is from the Miami area and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is his home poker room. He said that his decision to play in today’s event was completely random. He chose to play because his wife was helping his friend Jeff Fogel (who has ALS) play in the tournament series, so Moed decided to join the turbo field. The tournament win is a nice result to come from a random decision. His wife and Fogel were also there to celebrate Moed’s win after the final table.
Above photo courtesy of Eric Harkins IMPDI
“I had been playing poker for a living since 2003, but a couple years ago my wife and I had a baby and started a business so I took a break. I started playing some more recently with a lot of good success and that continues here today,” said Moed of his poker career. Moed primarily plays in Omaha tournaments, and a quick glance at his results on HendonMob poker database shows that the majority of his 40 tournament cashes have come in Omaha events. Moed now holds $167,102 in career earnings and this is his eighth tournament victory.
“In this tournament you have to be aggressive. You can’t wait around. The blinds go way too fast so you really have to open up your game,” said Moed about his approach to the Turbo format. When asked about the chop that ended the tournament, Moed said the following. “It depends on the tournament, I wasn’t thinking about a chop at all in this tournament until the end. I was the one who brought it up because at the time I had ten big blinds and the chip average was that much. I looked around and nobody was short, we were all kind of even.”
Moed also had a lot to say about this property where he has played a lot of poker. “The Hard Rock is my home casino. I have been playing here since they opened. I think that the Hard Rock has grown so much in the last few years. They have the $10 million guarantee, but even before that with their tournament series they started to put out some big guarantees. I’m happy for it. I’m happy for the Hard Rock because when you see everything getting bigger where you learned and played for so long it’s nice. It’s also nice that I don’t have to travel. A thirty-minute drive rather than a three-hour plane ride is always better [Laughs].”
FINAL RESULTS
1. MICHAEL MOED (MIAMI BEACH, FL): $6,581
2. WL (PLANTATION, FL): $5,490
3. JOHN MACGREGOR (ROSWELL, GA): $5,075
4. DAVID SILVERMAN (MIAMI BEACH, FL): $4,218
5. DANIEL YOO (PALISADES PARK, NJ): $3,880
6. BRANDT SHULER (FT LAUDERDALE, FL): $3,517
7. EDUARDO LEZICA (BOCA RATON, FL): $3,257
8. FRANCIS MARGAGLIONE (DAVIE, FL): $1,216
9. ARMANDO FERNANDEZ (MIAMI, FL): $912
10. DONALD DRAPEL (OCALA, FL): $811
11. KONSTANTINOS PANTARIDIS (BELLE ISLE, FL): $811
12. STEEVE GABART (MIAMI SHORES, FL): $811
13. EDDYLEE MARTIN (CAYMAN BRAC, ): $709
14. JASON VIGNFAUX (DULUTH, GA): $709
15. LAURENCE NOVICK (HOLLYWOOD, FL): $709
16. ROSS FISCHER (DAVIE, FL): $608
17. JONATHAN OUNJIAN (DELRAY BEACH, FL): $608
18. WALTER BRAVO (GOLDEN BEACH, FL): $304
19. BRADLEY MCCLURE (CAVE SPRING, VA): $304