2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood
Event #14
$360 No Limit Hold’em Turbo 
Total Entries: 283
Total Prizepool: $84,900

Every tournament player is looking to pick up a sizable tournament score, but some players need it more than the others.

Steven Bennett took home a much-needed five-figure score on Monday night by besting a field of 283 players and winning the $360 No Limit Hold’em Turbo event in an eight-way deal. At the time of the deal, Bennett was the chip leader. He took credit for the win and earned $11,000.

“It feels great because I really needed the money,” said Bennett after his win. “I haven’t been running that well lately and I haven’t been playing that well either. Even when I have been playing well, I haven’t been running well. This really fells awesome and I get a trophy.”

Winning $11,000 in one day is a good showing, but the turbo format of this event ensured a great hourly rate for Bennett. The tournament got cards in the air at 3 p.m. and a deal was struck before the clock hit 11 p.m.

The faster structure requires a different set of skills. Bennett generally prefers non-turbo events, but at the end of the day found a way to outlast the competition.

“Honestly, I just played my hands,” said Bennett. “I got lucky and picked up a lot of big hands. I never doubled up at the final table. I just got so many big hands that I was just shoving over people or taking down the blinds. And the blinds were so high that I was chip leader with like 19 big blinds at the end.”

Bennett said that he picked up pocket jacks, queens, aces, and ace-king while at the final table. He either shoved over an initial raise and took down the blinds. He came into the final table as the second shortest stack and used those premiums to chip up without showdown and secure the chip lead at a fairly stacked final table.

He scored the only knockout at the final table as well when his bested Anderson Blanco’s . Shortly after that elimination, the chop discussions began and eventually agreed upon.

Bennett wasn’t facing your run of the mill $360 buy-in final table. This final table featured Bill Gazes, Randy Pfeifer, Frankie Flowers, and Steve McKoy. Flowers is a well-known East Coast grinder, McKoy is one of the best players in South Florida, while Gazes and Pfeifer combined to win over $4.3 million playing tournament poker.

Bennett had high praise for his competition in general, but felt McKoy was his biggest threat.

“I thought Steve McKoy would be the most dangerous player if he had a lot of chips,” said Bennett. “But the structure made it hard for there to be a lot of play.”

Bennett never referred to himself as a professional poker player, but has made all of his income from the last several years from his time spent on the felt.

He moved from Dallas to Florida in 2008 and started playing poker in 2011. As each year went by, he spent more time playing the game and by 2013, he was depending on it as his main source of income.

“I’ve been lucky enough to win enough to money to keep going and going,” he said of his poker history.

It wasn’t long after, that he started earning some large scores. In 2014, Bennett significantly padded his bankroll with a 67th place finish in the World Series of Poker Main Event. It was a score worth $103,025 and followed it up with a win at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open event and a fifth place a the Rock n’ Roll Poker Open here in Hollywood.

“I’ve had some decent scores,” he said. “But I haven’t done very well with my money. I’ve spent a lot and not played well. So this is huge for me.”

Bennett prefers tournaments with longer structures, but he is happy with his decision to enter the turbo.

“I’m really glad I played it.”

Here is a look at the final table results:

1st: Steven Bennett – $11,000
2nd: Kenneth Culbertson – $10,480
3rd: Steve McKoy – $8,793
4th: Bill Gazes – $8,752
5th: Frankie Flowers – $7,900
6th: Robert Elias – $7,250
7th: Yigal Hen – $7,003
8th: Randy Pfeifer – $6,487
9th: Anderson Blanco – $1,698

Download Final Results (PDF)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 190

Luca Famea completed from the small blind, and Moshe Wasser checked his option in the big.

The flop was . Famea checked, Wasser moved all in for about 30,000, and Famea quickly called to put him at risk.

Famea: (pair of aces)
Wasser: (pair of kings)

The turn and river completed the board, and Famea won the pot with a pair of aces. Wasser was eliminated in sixth place.

Luca Famea – 420,000 (26 bb)
Moshe Wasser – Eliminated

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 190

Marc Levy limped in under the gun, and Luca Famea raised to 30,000 next to act. Levy called the remainder to proceed.

Levy checked in the dark as the flop came . Famea bet 25,000, and Levy called. The turn was the , and Levy led out with a bet of 89,000. Famea moved all in, and Levy quickly called all in for 292,000, putting himself at risk.

Levy: (set of threes)
Famea: (pair of aces, straight draw)

The river was the , and Levy doubled up with a set of threes.

Marc Levy – 724,000 (60 bb)
Luca Famea – 345,000 (29 bb)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 190

Jeff Frerichs was all in for 97,000 preflop, heads up and dominated by Marsha Wolak.

Frerichs:
Wolak:

The board ran out , and Frerichs turned a ten-high straight to double up.

After paying off the debt, Wolak was left with less than a single big blind, and she was eliminated on the next hand. She won a Seniors’ Event here back in April 2015, but her bid for another glass trophy comes up short in seventh place.

Jeff Frerichs – 214,000 (18 bb)
Marsha Wolak – Eliminated

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 190

Moshe Wasser moved all in for 56,000 in middle position, and Elliott Zaydman re-shoved for 160,000 on the button. The blinds folded, and Wasser was heads up for his tournament life.

Wasser:
Zaydman:

The flop gave Zaydman a big lead with two pair, but the on the turn gave the lead right back to Wasser. The river was the , and Wasser doubled up with trip tens.

Moshe Wasser – 144,000 (12 bb)
Elliott Zaydman – 104,000 (9 bb)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 21: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 190

Moshe Wasser opened to 25,000 in early position, and Warren Jurkowicz called in middle position. From the big blind, Luca Famea three-bet to what looked like 155,000. Wasser folded, but Jurkowicz called all in for just less than 90,000 total, putting himself at risk.

Jurkowicz:
Famea:

The board ran out , and Famea won the pot with aces up. Jurkowicz was eliminated in eighth place. Famea now has about half the total chips in play with seven players remaining.

Luca Famea – 950,000 (95 bb)
Warren Jurkowicz – Eliminated

$360 No Limit Hold’em Turbo
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 283

A few hands after losing Anderson Blanco in ninth place, the final eight players agreed to an ICM chop. Steven Bennett had the chip lead when the deal was finalized and took the most money and the trophy.

Here is a look at the final table results:

1st: Steven Bennett – $11,000
2nd: Kenneth Culbertson – $10,480
3rd: Steve McKoy – $8,793
4th: Bill Gazes – $8,752
5th: Frankie Flowers – $7,900
6th: Robert Elias – $7,250
7th: Yigal Hen – $7,003
8th: Randy Pfeifer – $6,487
9th: Anderson Blanco – $1,698

A recap will be posted later tonight.

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 190

Jeff Frerichs opened to 20,000 in middle position, and Daniel Genachte three-bet shoved for 62,000 in the big blind. Frerichs called to put him at risk.

Frerichs:
Genachte:

The board ran out , and Frerichs won the pot with a pair of nines. Genachte was eliminated in ninth place.

Jeff Frerichs – 185,000 (23 bb)
Daniel Genachte – Eliminated

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 190

George Blocker got himself all in for about 110,000 preflop, flipping for his tournament life against Luca Famea.

Blocker:
Famea:

The board ran out , and Famea flopped queens full to earn the knockout. Blocker was eliminated in tenth place.

Luca Famea – 400,000 (50 bb)
George Blocker – Eliminated

$360 No Limit Hold’em Turbo
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 283

Action folded to the Steven Bennett in the small blind, who bet enough to put Anderson Blanco all in in the big blind.

Blanco called from the big blind and was all in for about 130,000. Blanco showed and was in the lead against Bennett’s .

The flop was and Blanco keeps the lead with a pair of kings against Bennett’s pair of nines.

The turn was the , putting Blanco further in the lead with kings and fours. Bennett was drawing to two outs and hit it with the on the river.

Blanco was eliminated in ninth place and took home $1,698 for his final table appearance, while Bennett chipped up.

Steven Bennett – 550,000 (14 bb)
Anderson Blanco – Eliminated