The world has changed in ways that were hard to envision, and as people adapt to those changes so too must institutions and establishments. The Seminole Hard Rock did just this, implementing its Safe+Sound protocols to give guests and patrons peace of mind and a feeling of normalcy in a world that has felt anything but in 2020.

Aside from mandatory mask-wearing and plexiglass panel installations at every table in the Seminole Hard Rock poker room, every single chip in play has been washed and cleansed in 200 degree heat to ensure thorough sanitization. In addition, if a player leaves his or her seat for even a moment, dealers have a bottle of hand sanitizer ready to give the player upon returning. If a player is eliminated from a tournament or cash-game players leave a seat for good, thorough washing of the glass, rail, and chair is done within minutes.

https://twitter.com/SHRThePokerRoom/status/1344036757701013504?s=20

Poker vlogger Johnnie “Vibes” Moreno visited the Seminole Hard Rock over the past few days to partake in the cash games. Currently residing in San Diego, Johnnie has been playing a fair amount on the West Coast since poker rooms reopened during the pandemic, but not all the rooms he has played in have gone to the lengths that the Seminole Hard Rock has with regard to health and safety, and not just for the players but for the staff as well.

“I have played at places that have dividers on the left and right, but nothing in the middle to protect the dealer,” explained Vibes. “It seems more safe than the average place because the dealer is more protected. We are all like in a little cubby hole. It’s almost like your own wall of safety. It feels safer for sure. I really like how they are doing things here at the Seminole Hard Rock.”

Moreno was also cognizant of the older clientele in the room, recognizing their health risks were more severe than that of his generation.

“Knowing that Florida has a large elderly community, I just knew that there had to be some better safety precautions in place (compared to other places). There’s plexiglass, dealers are sanitizing hands every time somebody gets up from the table, they clean the station basically. I feel like it’s what you have to do in today’s climate. Everybody is making sacrifices. Having plexiglass and making sure your hands are clean are part of the process.”

For somebody like Moreno, whose primary source of income has come in live cash games for several years, a wave of uncertainty and uneasiness came over him when live poker was halted because of the pandemic.

“It’s been really crazy, just because when all of this started, I was definitely nervous. I was thinking about how am I going to make a living? Am I even good enough to play online poker anymore? I think when you have that mindset of being a poker player, you have to hustle and figure out a way. So, I just went into survival mode. I started looking for the best online games, joined clubs that I could get into, and it turned out good, but there’s always that fear because I haven’t been grinding online in probably eight years, and the fear is that maybe you just aren’t good enough, and you’ll know quickly online if you’re good enough or not.”

While he did play online a little bit, live poker is a much more preferable and enjoyable experience for Vibes. Not only to play with people who follow his vlog, but just being social and interacting with others is something that he feels passionately about.

“It’s one of the reasons that I gravitated to live poker, because I just love the social aspect of it. I’m the type of guy that when I’m at the poker table, I’m going to talk about the stock market, what bets people at the table have on the games tonight, etc… I can talk about anything that interests people, so I love that part of the game.”

With the necessary safety measures that places like the Seminole Hard Rock have taken, it has made that facet of the game more challenging, Vibes has noticed.

“A lot of times casino environments are loud, and your ability to read someone’s lips as they are talking will help you sometimes figure out what they are saying. So, with wearing a mask, and being behind plexiglass, and with being on the other end of the table, it’s almost impossible to talk to someone on the other end of the table.”

Have the changes had any effect on his poker game?

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that my reading ability has been affected by it, but there have been players that I’ve played with who I didn’t recognize because they had a mask on. One time I called a guy on the river who if I would have known who it was, since I had hours with them in the past, I would not have called him. After I heard his voice through the mask, I realized who it was and I wish I could have had that hand back so I could have folded the river. It definitely creates more anonymity with players.”

Even with the new challenges that players like Moreno face in the current state of the world, he is grateful for places like the Seminole Hard Rock for the freedom to keep playing in a healthy environment.

“Nothing is typical right now,  but I’m not going to complain. We have live poker.”

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Prize Pool: $82,500
Level 10: 500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Players Remaining: 48 of 165

A player in middle position raised to 4,000, Dimitry Agarchov called from the button, and T.K. Miles three-bet all in from the big bind for 25,000. The initial raiser folded while Agrachov called.

Agrachov:
Miles:

The board ran out , giving Miles a pair of queens to double up.

T.K. Miles – 52,000 (35 bb)
Dimitry Agrachov – 8,000 (5 bb)

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Prize Pool: $82,500
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 64 of 165

Kevin Chan raised all in for 4,500 from under the gun, Robert Mantin called from the hijack, Joseph Duchman called from the small blind, and the player in the big blind called.

The flop was and action checked to Mantin who isolated the pot with a shove of his own.

Chan:
Mantin:

The turn and river completed the board, little help to Chan, locking up the pot for Mantin.

Robert Mantin – 40,000 (50 bb)
Kevin Chan – Eliminated

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure | Payouts
Prize Pool: $82,500
Level 8: 400/800 with an 800 ante
Players Remaining: 71 of 165

Ory Hen raised all in from the button for 7,500 and David Poces called from the big blind with , leading Hen’s .

The board ran out , giving Hen a pair of aces to double through Poces.

Ory Hen – 16,200 (20 bb)
David Poces – 27,000 (34 bb)

2020 Fun in the Sun
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 4
$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 165
Prize Pool:  $82,500
December 29, 2020

1st: $21,767
2nd: $14,367
3rd: $8,465
4th: $5,152
5th: $4,008
6th: $3,296
7th-8th: $2,690
9th-10th: $2,257
11th-12th: $1,898
13th-14th: $1,609
15th-17th: $1,327
18th-21st: $1,139

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 7: 300/600 with a 600 ante
Entries: 165

The re-entry period has closed and with 165 entries, the prize pool is set at $82,500

21 players will make the money and payout information will be posted once it becomes available.

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 3: 100/200 with a 200 ante
Entries: 135

Nigel Murray – 62,000 (310 bb)
Eric Siegel – 57,000 (285 bb)
Joseph Duchman – 50,000 (250 bb)
Chris Nomikos – 35,000 (175 bb)
Eric Piderit – 28,000 (140 bb)
Scott Baumstein – 27,000 (135 bb)
Alcides Gomez – 25,000 (125 bb)
Mikhail Shlapakou – 25,000 (125 bb)
Ronnie Tate – 23,000 (115 bb)
T.K. Miles – 22,000 (110 bb)
Raminder Singh 20,000 (100 bb)
Michael Tait – 19,500 (98 bb)
Dimitry Agrachov – 19,000 (95 bb)
Juan Montoya- 17,500 (88 bb)
Solange Lucas – 17,500 (88 bb)
Evan Teitelbaum – 17,000 (85 bb)
Charlamagne Benjamin – 16,500 (83 bb)

$570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 1: 100/100

The Main Event of the 2020 Fun in the Sun is underway!

Late Registration is open until about 12:05 p.m. at the start of Level 3, or until the 119 max player field size has been reached. Players already in the field will then be able to re-enter until the beginning of Level 7 at about 2:15 p.m.

Primary Event Schedule

11 a.m. – Event #4 – $570 Deep Stack Main Event No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• 20,000 chips and 30/40 minute levels
• 119 Max Player Field
• Late Registration open ~Noon or until the 119 max player field size has been reached
• Event 4 Structure Sheet

Tournament updates will begin at about 12:30 p.m.

Secondary Event Schedule

6 p.m. – $130 Mega Satelite into January Big Slick

• Players begin with 10,000 in chips
• Levels last 15 minutes
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 5 (about 7:05 PM)
• Mega Satelite Structure Sheet

2020 Fun in the Sun
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 3
$360 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$20,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 163
Tournament Prize Pool:  $32,600
Bounty Prize Pool: $16,300
December 28, 2020

The third event of the 2020 Fun in the Sun, a $360 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry), gathered a field of 163 entries and created a total prize pool of $48,900, more than doubling the $20,000 guarantee. Of the total prize pool, $16,300 was set aside for bounties.

With three players remaining, Matthew Zarcadoolas was a commanding chip leader with more than 76% of the chips in play. Second and third place agreed to chop those respective payouts, with Zarcadoolas taking the entirety of the first-place payout. As the chip leader, Zarcadoolas is the official Event 3 Champion of the 2020 Fun in the Sun.

Zarcadoolas, a regular at the Seminole Hard Rock, pushed his career tournament winnings to more than $650,000 according to the Hendon Mob database.

*denotes three-way deal