$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100 with a 100 ante

Today we have one primary tournament in the Event Center, the second and final flight of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship. The first flight drew 396 entries for the $5,250 buy-in tournament to leave it only 223 away from making its $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. There’s little doubt it will get there today, the only real question is how big it will get.

Tony Sinishtag, 2017 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Champion, was here from Level 1 in Flight A and finished with 365,500. Chris Moneymaker, 2003 WSOP Main Event winner, was one of the last entries and finished the day in fourth with 309,000.

Other notables advancing include Tim Reilly, Scott Baumstein, Matt Brady, Matt Berkey, Ryan Riess, Paul Volpe, Mohsin Charania, Dan Suied, Mukul Pahuja, Jake Schindler, reigning WPT Poker Showdown champion James Carroll, and defending SHRPO Champion Brandon Eisen.

Chip counts for Flight A

Players will sit down to 40,000 starting stacks and play one-hour levels until 27 players remain. At that point, levels will increase to 90 minutes and remain that way until only two players remain. Late registration is available until the start of Level 9 at 9 pm and players may only re-enter one time in the Championship.

We get underway at 11 am and the first milestone will be getting to the $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool this afternoon then continue building until we close registration and finalize the Day 2 field.

• $3,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 60 minutes until 27 players remain; 90-minute levels until heads-up
• Late registration/single re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Players are allowed to enter the event a maximum of TWO times
• Day 1 will end after Level 10 or Tournament Director discretion
• Championship Structure Sheet

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Day 1B – $5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)

• $3,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 60 minutes until 27 players remain; 90-minute levels until heads-up
• Late registration/single re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Players are allowed to enter the event a maximum of TWO times
• Day 1 will end after Level 10 or Tournament Director discretion
• Championship Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

10AM: Event 58 – $555 Super Turbo Championship Satellite (1-in-10)

• 1 seat guaranteed into $3 Million GTD SHRPO Championship
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 10-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 8
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 58 Sheet

3PM: Event 59 – $300 SHRPO Event 21 Satellite (1-in-10)

• 10 seats guaranteed into SHRPO Big 4 Event 21
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 8
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 59 Structure Sheet

8PM: Event 60 – $300 SHRPO Event 21 Turbo Satellite (1-in-10)

• 2 seats guaranteed into SHRPO Big 4 Event 21
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 60 Structure Sheet

10:30M: Event 61 – $2,625 Super Turbo High Roller Satellite (1-in-10)

• 1 seat guaranteed into SHRPO Big 4 High Roller
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 10-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 8
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 61 Sheet

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Return to Level 11:  1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 138 of 396

Flight A: 396 Entries; 138 Advanced
Flight B: Saturday at 11 a.m.
Day 2: Sunday at 12 p.m.

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
End of Level 10:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 138 of 396

Day 1A of the $5,250 SHRPO Championship is in the books and 138 players from the field of 396 Flight A entries bagged and tagged at the end of the night.

On top of the chip counts is 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Champion Tony Sinishtaj, who bagged a chip-leading stack of 365,500. He is followed by Gal Yifrach with 356,000, Ben Farrell with 322,500, Chris Moneymaker with 309,000 and Athanasios Polychronopoulous with 302,000 as the unofficial top five stacks.

Sinishtaj scored an elimination late in Level 8 to increase his already hefty stack. That was around the time that Moneymaker actually joined the field, getting in about a half-hour before registration closed.

In the span of two levels and change, Moneymaker more than septupled his stack, mainly thanks to getting his stack in with pocket kings against pocket aces. His opponent flopped an ace to make a set, but the board brought running hearts to give Moneymaker the nut flush, en route to his bagging a top-four stack.

Those who bagged up will return Sunday at noon, while Day 1B kicks off Saturday at 11 a.m.

Full chip counts of the Flight A survivors will be posted later tonight.

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 143 of 396

Bob Mather limped from under the gun, Alex Foxen raised to 4,500 from the small blind and Mather called.

The flop was , Foxen checked, Mather bet 6,500, Foxen check-raised to 17,000 and Mather called.

The turn was the , Foxen bet 26,500 and Mather called.

The river was the , Foxen shoved with a covering stack and Mather called all in instantly for 91,000.

Foxen showed for a pair of fours, but Mather tabled for a pair of queens to double up through Foxen again.

Bob Mather – 270,000 (180 bb)
Alex Foxen – 35,000 (23 bb)

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 154 of 396

Ian O’Hara raised to 3,500 from the hijack, Darryll Fish called from the cutoff and Matthew Wantman called from the button. The player in the small blind three-bet all in for about 24,500, O’Hara folded, Fish reraised all in and Wantman folded.

Fish showed , leading his opponent’s .

The board came down , safe for Fish to score the elimination.

Darryll Fish – 85,000 (57 bb)

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 159 of 396

Alex Foxen raised to 3,500 from under the gun and Bob Mather called from middle position.

The flop was , Foxen continued for 6,500 and Mather called.

The turn was the , Foxen bet 11,000 and Mather called.

The river was the , Foxen bet 34,500, Mather raised all in for 54,500 and Foxen called.

Mather tabled for Broadway, besting Foxen’s holdings to double up.

Bob Mather – 141,500 (94 bb)
Alex Foxen – 155,000 (103 bb)

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Players Remaining: 159 of 396

The player in the small blind raised all in for about 13,000 and 2019 WPT Showdown Champion James Carroll called from the big blind with , slightly trailing his opponent’s .

The board came down , giving Carroll tens and fours to eliminate his opponent.

James Carroll – 80,000 (53 bb)

$5,250 SHRPO Championship (Single Re-Entry)
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight A Entries:  396

A player in middle position raised to 4,000, Paul Volpe three-bet to 12,500 from the big blind, the middle-position player four-bet all in for effectively 71,000 and Volpe called all in with , leading his opponent’s .

The board ran out , safe for Volpe to double up.

Paul Volpe – 144,000 (96 bb)