We are keeping one eye on the Omaha/8 event running in the meeting room, checking for notable players and those with a chance to take home the first title of the series.
Bill “Bumpereno” Munley began his day at a short-handed table that quickly filled after the start. He’s an east coast pro down here in the Sunshine State looking for his first SHRP cash. Munley is no stranger to the non-hold’em games and owns four trophies from a career with nearly $175,000 in earnings. Those four titles all came in Stud games but he had a near miss with a second place finish in a Borgata Spring Poker Open Omaha/8 event.
$360 Ultimate Re-Entry No Limit Hold’em $500,000 Guaranteed | Structure Level 2: 50/100 Flight A Players: 129
Francis Margaglione
The opening Ultimate Re-Entry field is growing at a steady pace and they topped 100 entries before the end of the first level. A fine pace for a Wednesday morning.
Seminole Hard Rock Poker regular Francis Margaglione is among the early starters and sitting next to fellow familiar face Daniel Pearlman. Margaglione has some success in this series and won the $150 multi-day event during the 2015 run for nearly $30K, the biggest cash of his career.
$300 Omaha 8 or Better Structure Level 1: 100/200 Limits
While the ballroom is being utilized by the opening event of the series, we have a smaller tournament kicking off at the same time in the meeting room for those who prefer their poker hands with four-hole cards.
Event 2 is a $300 buy-in Omaha/8 tournament and it will award the first trophy of the series later this evening. It will be a smaller affair than the big, no limit hold’em event but it will also be very talented. We expect to see some of our Omaha specialists hop in the game and try to take the title.
Omaha/8 players will start with 10,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels from start to finish. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30pm and there is a dinner break schedule at 5:30pm. After they return from that extended time away from the tables, they will continue down to the final table and our first RRPO champ.
Cards are in the air over in the meeting room and we will keep an eye on their progress throughout the day.
Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
The clock is nearing 11am and we are ready to kick off the 2017 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood with a big tournament. The opening event of the 2016 RRPO was a huge success and the tournament broke the record for the biggest field in Florida Poker history and we will be going for it again this year.
Last year’s event drew 5,018 entries and Seminole Hard Rock Poker regular Rafael Reis walked away with the title for more than $150,000 over a tough final table.
And this year we tweaked the opener to put the Ultimate Re-Entry format into play. Unlike previous runs, tournament players may enter as many of the eight starting flights as they wish and they can advance multiple stacks onto Day 2. They will play their biggest stack on Sunday and pick up a $2,500 multi-stack award payout for the other stacks they advanced.
Each flight will continue action until only 10% of the starting field remains (rounding down) and all players making it into Day 2 will return already in the money, so there will be a lot of players collecting payouts Sunday afternoon.
Action kicks off at the top of the hour with players sitting down to 15,000 stacks and 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration is open until the start of Level 13 at 5:45pm with unlimited re-entries during that time. If you would prefer to start fresh at the beginning, the evening flight will start at 5pm.
They will continue playing until they are in the money with 10% of the field remaining later this evening. Those players will have their stack inventoried instead of bagged and they will return to their biggest stack on Sunday for Day 2.
$500,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 13
10% of each flight’s field, rounded down, will advance to Day 2
All Day 2 players will be in the money
Players surviving more than one Day 1 flight will receive a $2,500 cash payout for each lesser multiple chip stack
October Big Stack Special $100,000 Guaranteed Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) Entries: 1,186 Prize Pool: $118,600 October 18-22, 2017
2017 PokerStars Charity Event Benefiting Feeding South Florida Hurricane Irma Relief Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $300 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) Entries: 124 Prize Pool: $10,500 October 3, 2017
PokerStars and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida teamed up for a charity event benefiting Feeding South Florida’s Hurricane Irma relief efforts.
Seminole Hard Rock Poker Tournament Director Tony Burns (left) and Feeding South Florida CEO Paco Velez kick off the event
The event boasted a $300 buy-in and saw South Florida poker pros, amateurs and television and radio personalities compete for over $50,000 in prizes.
ESPN’s Israel GutierrezRecording artist FRAN¢ aka former Miami Dolphin A.J. Francis
After the first $10,500, 100 percent of tournament buy-ins went directly to charity. PokerStars matched the prize pool’s charitable contribution and that was paired with the money raised by silent auction items. In the end, over $66,000* was raised with Bryan Emory of Plantation, Florida. going down as the tournament’s champion.
Bryan Emory (right) poses with Seminole Hard Rock Tournament Director Tony Burns
“I put three [entries] into it,” Emory said of his charitable contribution. “I probably wouldn’t normally do that […] It’s a good cause.”
In addition to $3,000 in cash, Emory earned a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Championship package.
“I took a break [from][poker] for the past few months and I’m ready to get to play and travel a little bit. I’m super excited,” Emory said of winning the package.
Bryan Emory
Final results:
1st: Bryan Emory – $3,000 + PCA Championship Package 2nd: Alberto Rodriguez – $2,000 + $10,000 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Entry 3rd: Paul Balzano – $1,400 + $5,250 SHRPO Championship Entry 4th: Natasha Mercier – $1,100 + $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Entry 5th: Scott Bailey – $800 + Hard Rock Punta Cana Three-Night Stay 6th: Mark Smith – $700 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Jason Taylor Guitar) 7th: Chris Van Vliet – $600 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Boston Guitar) 8th: Scott Bailey – $500 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Chris Rock Guitar) 9th: Gil Aboodi – $400 + Party Like a Rock Start Basket (Yes Guitar)
Preceding the tournament was an exclusive player party featuring passed hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.
In addition to player entry fees and PokerStars match, money raised in the silent auction went toward Feeding South Florida
Hurricane Irma was one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic and caused catastrophic damage. Feeding South Florida is the leading domestic hunger relief organization in South Florida with 98 percent of all donations put directly back in to the community. The organization serves Broward, Miami-Dade,Palm Beach and Monroe Counties. According to the organization’s CEO, every dollar affords them up to six meals for a needy Floridian.
Thank you to all who participated in this charitable event!
*$66,000 figure includes tournament prize pool donations along with all silent auction items and independent donations.
PokerStars Hurricane Irma Relief Charity Poker Tournament Level 13: 4,000/8,000 | Structure Players Remaining: 9 of 124
The PokerStars Hurricane Irma Relief Charity Poker Tournament benefiting Feeding South Florida is down to the final nine. Here’s a look at who’s left:
Seat 1: John Bond Seat 2: Natasha Mercier Seat 3: Scott Bailey Seat 4: Gil Aboodi Seat 5: Chris Van Vliet Seat 6: Bryan Emory Seat 7: Paul Balzano Seat 8: Alberto “Terminator” Rodriguez Seat 9: “Scooter” Mark Smith
1st – $3,000 + PCA Championship Package 2nd – $2,000 + $10,000 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Entry 3rd – $1,400 + $5,250 SHRPO Championship Entry 4th – $1,100 + $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Entry 5th – $800 + Hard Rock Punta Cana Three-Night Stay 6th – $700 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Jason Taylor Guitar) 7th – $600 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Boston Guitar) 8th – $500 + Party Like a Rock Star Basket (Chris Rock Guitar) 9th – $400 + Party Like a Rock Start Basket (Yes Guitar)
PokerStars Hurricane Irma Relief Charity Poker Tournament Level 12: 3,000/6,000 | Structure Players Remaining: 18 of 124
Natasha (left) and Jason Mercier
Husband and wife duo Natasha and Jason Mercier found themselves seated next to eachother late in the PokerStars Hurricane Irma Relief Charity Tournament. Natasha outlasted Jason, as he’s one of the event’s most recent eliminations.