Gabriel Ramos Makes Third Final Table of Series, Takes Home OE Title

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, FL
Event 7
$300 Omaha 8/Stud 8
Entries: 91
Prize Pool: $23,205
April 9, 2018 

Gabriel Ramos Wins $300 Omaha 8/Stud 8

The third time was the charm for Gabriel Ramos. He made his third consecutive non-hold’em final table of the series on Monday night and took home his first Hard Rock trophy.

Ramos was the chip leader four-handed when they agreed to a four-way chop and took credit for the win. He defeated 91 entries and earned $4,061 as part of a basically even four-way chop in the $300 OE event.

In his first two final tables, the North Carolina resident finished eighth in the $300 Omaha Hi-Lo and the $360 Pot-Limit Omaha for $821 and $1,004. He main focus, besides winning the event, was bursting through that eighth place barrier.

“I was just really focused on passing that eighth place threshold and then it just sort of spun out into winning,” said Ramos after his win.

Ramos got his undergrad degree at Duke University and stayed in the area to both play poker semi-professionally and also do some work in event planning.

With family in the South Florida area and several non-hold’em events to play, the tournament series at the Seminole Hard Rock are always a top priority for Ramos to get to.

“My family lives down here in Florida,” said Ramos. “I usually come down when they do these SHRPO events because they have three or four mixed events and that’s what I play. I don’t do much of the hold’em.”

After a few disappointing eighth place finishes, Ramos made some adjustments to his game and put them to work en route to his first victory at the Hard Rock.

“I went to the Omaha final table as the chip leader and the next day, I didn’t have that many chips, but I just realized that if I had a little more patience, other people would get knocked out and a nice hand would come for me,” said Ramos about his adjustments.

Having his family in the area and being able to earn some immediate redemption makes the win a bit more special than just a four-figure score.

“This means a lot to me,” said Ramos. “I’ve been trying to get a win here in Florida. I’ve been getting a lot of sixth, sevenths and eighths, but I have really been tasting gold. It’s nice to kind of take one home for once.”

The mixed games specialist chopped four-handed with Matt Axelrod, Brandon Berkenfeld and Larry St. Jean. They each took home $4,059.

The top 12 spots finished in the money and here are the results:

1st: Gabriel Ramos – $4,061*
2nd: Matthew Axelrod – $4,059*
3rd: Brandon Berkenfeld – $4,059*
4th: Larry St. Jean – $4,059 *
5th: Anthony Frederick – $1,548
6th: Harry Eisenberg – $1,176
7th: Georges Boyadjian – $932
8th: Ronald Schroeder – $771
9th: Stephen Reid -$665
10th: David May – $665
11th: Patricia Yannuzzi – $605
12th: Steven Roth – $605

*Indicates adjusted payouts as part of a chop