2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 6
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  160
Prize Pool:  $155,200
March 27-28, 2022

Nick Palma overcame a long Day 2, where he spent much of his time as a short stack, to win the $1,100 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em event, earning $41,050 and his first Seminole Hard Rock trophy.

“It feels amazing,” said Palma after his victory. “I’ve been grinding really hard lately, with a lot of online poker and cash games, sharpening my skills for tournaments. It feels good to see hard work pay off.”

Day 2 began with 23 players, and Palma had the second shortest stack. Nearly four hours later, the final table began with nine players, and once again, Palma had the second shortest stack. But he never gave up.

“I grinded short stack for a long time today,” said Palma. “You just need to stay composed and wait for your spots. Your hands have to hold up, and you have to get lucky here and there, but if the right things fall your way, you’ll get the W.”

Palma picked his spots well at the final table. He lost an early race, but the impact was small as it was against the only player with a shorter stack (eventual ninth-place finisher Mike Beasley). Over the next four-and-a-half hours, Palma got into four all-in situations, and he was the dominant favorite each time. Palma’s hands held up to take him all the way to the final three.

Three-handed play lasted for a while, with Palma battling Don Flynn and Brandon Navarrete, and the stacks fluctuated so much that all three of them spent time as both chipleader and short stack.

Eventually, Palma knocked out Navarrete in third place to get heads-up against Flynn, though Flynn had the lead. But the right things fell Palma’s way, and over the next half hour he won both heads-up all-in situations to win the title, the trophy, and $41,050.

Palma is from New York, but he’s a regular player in the big tournaments down here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.

“This is a great venue,” said Palma. “I’ve been coming here for years. I know all the dealers and all the players, and everyone’s friendly. It’s a great place to play.”

Final Results: