2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, FL 
Event 6
$360 Six-Max No-Limit Hold’em 
Entries: 231
Prize Pool: $115,500 
April 8, 2018 

During the last major series run at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, Matthew Yorra won his first Hard Rock trophy. He won his second in the early hours of Monday morning after a grueling 14-hour day of poker than ended just after 5 a.m.

Yorra defeated 231 entries and won the $570 six-max no-limit hold’em in a five-way ICM chop, taking home $17,534 and the trophy.

“This my second $570 [win]. I won the $570 at Lucky Hearts. That was a regular nine-handed tourney, so I’m king of the $570s,” said Yorra with a laugh.

His took home $22,697 for his first win last January during Lucky Hearts, but seemed to enjoy the short-handed format a little more since it allows room for wider hand ranges.

“Six-max is funner,” said the Miami native. “You can play more hands. This is the first six-max I’ve won, so it’s nice.”

Yorra lives and works in the Miami area in the technology field, but still finds time to play “a lot of poker.” He’s a regular at the Hard Rock and is battling in most of the major series run in Hollywood.

He wasn’t the only regular at the final table. Ory Hen and Jose Reyes were both in the hunt for another trophy. Hen, one of the most successful tournament players in Hard Rock history, finished third in the chop while Reyes finished sixth.

Yorra had nothing but good things to say about both the local opposition and some of the other pros that traveled to get here.

“It was fun. We were playing with mostly regulars, but there were some really good players in the tournament too,” said Yorra. “I’m glad Ari [Engel] got knocked out earlier. But it’s a good way to start the series for sure.”

The final seven players redrew for seats at the unofficial final table, but played for nearly two and a half hours before sending someone home.

Amelio Amato hit  the rail in seventh and Reyes followed him to the cashier’s cage shortly after in sixth. With blinds continuing to increase, nobody’s stack was very deep at that point. The chop negotiations ensued and the final five players agreed on an ICM chop.

“The blinds were getting so big that it just made sense to chop,” said Yorra.

The 239-entry field saw 39 players cash and here is a look at the results:

1st: Matthew Yorra – $17,534*
2nd: Joshua Gibson – $14,450*
3rd: Ory Hen – $14,365*
4th: Robert Kessler – $12,626*
5th: David Melman – $9,545*
6th: Jose Reyes – $4,463
7th: Amelio Amato – $3,362
8th: Bradley Patton – $3,362
9th: Patrick Eskandar – $2,588
10th: Jacob Ristich – $2,588
11th: Michael Elbilia – $2,037
12th: Ari Engel – $2,037
13th: Oscar Guzman – $1,641
14th: Jeffrey Higgins – $1,641
15th: Gregory Back – $1,354
16th: Hyndi Khomutetsky – $1,354
17th: Michael Wang – $1,143
18th: Benoit Barral – $1,143
19th: Ira Schwartz – $990
20th: Michael Tureniec – $990
21st: Claudio Piedrabuena – $990
22nd: Deborah Farmer – $990
23rd: Scott Zakheim – $990
24th: Ryan Galpern – $990
25th: Raffaello Loccatelli – $879
26th: Douglas Decker – $879
27th: Manny Minaya – $879
28th: Matthew Bianchini – $879
29th: Jack Rolnitzky – $879
30th: Matthew Zarcadoolas – $879
31st: John Courtney – $800
32nd: Joshua Lewis – $800
33rd: Raminder Singh – $800
34th: Derek Bowers – $800
35th: Pete Walsworth – $800
36th: Luis Mantilla – $800
37th: Israel de la Cerda – $748
38th: Donald Williams – $748
39th: Nick Yunis – $748

*Indicates adjusted payouts as part of the chop