$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 1,309

Jeff Fielder opened to 125,000 from under the gun and Faraz Jaka three-bet to 350,000 from the button. The blinds folded and Fielder moved all in for 1,340,000. Faraz called and it was one of those classic races.

Jaka:
Fielder:

Jaka was ahead for the knockout and Fielder missed the flop. He added a gutshot draw on the turn and paired the river to double.

Jeff Fielder  –  2,780,000  (56 bb)
Faraz Jaka  –  4,540,000  (91 bb)

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 1,309

Faraz Jaka and Jeff Fielder were heads-up to a flop and Jaka checked from the big blind position. Fielder bet 125,000 and Jaka check-raised to 390,000.

Fielder called, Jaka bet another 450,000 after the turn and Fielder called again. Jaka shoved the river and Fielder released his hand after thinking it through.

Jaka tabled his queen-high bluff then pulled up the Twitter app on his phone.

Lolol just ran this no equity checkraise triple barrel bluff with 10 left in @WPT @shrpo Main event. Third in chips now $700k up top. #rawagression https://t.co/UYpoxwLL00

— Faraz Jaka (@FarazJaka) April 17, 2018

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 1,309

Joe Cheong returned from break and found quick relief. He was all in against Zach Donovan with versus and doubled after he flopped a nine and rivered the case nine.

Then he tried again.

After Scott Margereson opened to 100,000 from the hijack, Cheong moved his new 1,000,000 stack in the middle from the big blind and Margereson called.

Cheong:
Margereson:

This time it was Margereson with the nines and Cheong was racing. He missed the flop but picked up a flush draw/gutshot wheel draw on the turn. Cheong blanked the river to go out in eleventh place.

One more elimination and they will form the final table nine.

Scott Margereson  –  9,400,000  (188 bb)
Joseph Cheong  –  Eliminated in 11th place  ($54,139)

$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Level 8: 800/1,600 Limits | Structure
Players Remaing: 33 of 47

“This might be the toughest $360 H.O.R.S.E field in the country,” A.J. Kelsall laughed.

Registration is closed in today’s 10am $360 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event and the numbers are final. It drew a tough, 47-entry field generating a total prize pool of $14,100. The final six get a piece with a min-cash worth $846. Meanwhile, payouts top out in the form of a $5,499 first prize along with a trophy to the winner.

Details:

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 20
$360 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Entries: 47
Prize Pool: $14,100
April 17, 2018

1st – $5,499
2nd – $3,243
3rd – $1,974
4th – $1,410
5th – $1,128
6th – $846

In regard to Kelsall’s comment, it’s a decorated field with some local talent alongside traveling pros.

We will provide another update at the nine-handed final table.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 1,309

Action folded to Brian England and he limped his small blind. Scott Margereson raised to 150,000 and England limp-raised to 475,000. Margereson moved all in with his big stack and England called off for 1,975,000.

England:
Margereson:

England was in good shape with the bigger pair and made the unnecessary bigger boat on the board to double.

Brian England  –  3,980,000  (80 bb)
Scott Margereson  –  9,330,000  (187 bb)

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 1,309

The 11 remaining players took their first break of the day and they are back in action. Scott Margereson continues to hold a big lead while Joe Cheong needs to do some work.

Table 1
Seat 1: Brian Hastings – 5,705,000 (114 bb)
Seat 2: Faraz Jaka – 2,300,000 (46 bb)
Seat 3: Tanner Millen – 1,805,000 (36 bb)
Seat 4: — Empty —
Seat 5: — Empty —
Seat 6: — Empty —
Seat 7: Joey Couden – 4,700,000 (94 bb)
Seat 8: Jeff Fielder – 2,895,000 (58 bb)

Table 2
Seat 1: Joe Cheong – 690,000 (14 bb)
Seat 2: — Empty —
Seat 3: — Empty —
Seat 4: Brian England – 2,035,000 (41 bb)
Seat 5: Scott Margereson – 11,230,000 (225 bb)
Seat 6: Pedro Palacio – 2,760,000 (55 bb)
Seat 7: Matt Stout – 3,670,000 (73 bb)
Seat 8: Zach Donovan – 1,475,000 (30 bb)

Chip counts:

1. Scott Margereson – 11,230,000 (225 bb)
2. Brian Hastings – 5,705,000 (114 bb)
3. Joey Couden – 4,700,000 (94 bb)
4. Matt Stout – 3,670,000 (73 bb)
5. Jeff Fielder – 2,895,000 (58 bb)
6. Pedro Palacio – 2,760,000 (55 bb)
7. Faraz Jaka – 2,300,000 (46 bb)
8. Brian England – 2,035,000 (41 bb)
9. Tanner Millen – 1,805,000 (36 bb)
10. Zach Donovan – 1,475,000 (30 bb)
11. Joe Cheong – 690,000 (14 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $696,740
2nd: $454,496
3rd: $336,466
4th: $251,523
5th: $189,880
6th: $144,775
7th: $111,495
8th: $86,740
9th: $68,174
10th: $68,174
11th: $54,139

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 1,309

Pedro Palacio is in good shape to make the televised WPT final table and his ROI will be better than anyone else. He’s here on a freeroll and making the most of his shot.

Palacio is a regular at our sister property in Coconut Creek and he won their March tournament leaderboard promotion. His prize for winning? A $3,500 entry into the WPT Poker Showdown Champion. Palacio has locked up at least $54,139 but there’s $696,740 up top that he wouldn’t mind taking back to the Coco poker room.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 1,309

The snappy pace slowed down after the three quick bustouts but the chips are moving. Scott Margereson began the day with a big chip lead and he pushed his stack over 10,000,000 in early action.

Joe Cheong is going in the other direction. His stack dropped under 1,000,000 after two big pots against Brian England.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 11 of 1,309

Tanner Millen opened to 90,000 from the hijack and Nicholas Schuman-Werb shipped for 1,095,000 from the cutoff. Jeff Fielder moved all in over the top for 1,900,000 from the small blind and Millen surrendered the pot.

Fielder:
Schuman-Werb:

Schuman-Werb was in trouble against the bigger pair and nothing on the board could keep him in the Championship.

Jeff Fielder  –  3,250,000  (81 bb)
Nicholas Schuman-Werb  –  Eliminated in 12th place  ($54,139)

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 12 of 1,309

After doubling up Nicholas Schuman-Werb, AJ Gambino was the new short stack and he moved all in for 600,000 from the button a few hands later. Joey Couden called in the small blind and Jeff Fielder folded his big.

Couden:
Gambino:

Gambino was dominated and could not catch up on the board to exit in 13th place.

Joey Couden  –  3,900,000  (98 bb)
AJ Gambino  –  Eliminated in 13th place  ($43,445)