$50,000 Super High Roller (Re-Entry) Level 1: 200/400 with a 50 Ante
There will be some serious business being handled in the meeting room today. A talented group of players will be in there working through a small, tough field in our $50,000 Super High Roller event with at least a $1,000,000 prize pool.
In November, the Super High Roller topped seven-digits and we put a $1,000,000 Guarantee on today’s event. Some of the top players in the game are in town for the World Poker Tour events starting on Friday and we’ll see some of them warm up with the big buy-in tournament.
The structure is deep and slow as expected with a tournament of this caliber. Players begin with 125,000 starting stacks and the tournament will run 40-minute levels at the start. Late registration is available until the start of Level 10 after the dinner break and re-entires are available during that time. Level lengths will switch up to 60 minutes after Level 11 and Day 1 will conclude after Level 16.
Those with chips will return tomorrow and play down to the Super High Roller champion.
It is sure to be an entertaining tournament and we will follow the action throughout the day.
$1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Players begin with 125,000 in chips
Levels 1-12 will last 40 minutes; Levels 11+ last 60 minutes
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10
Day 1 will end after Level 16 or Tournament Director discretion
2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, FL Event #14 $570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Entries: 274 Prize Pool: $137,000
Sean Shah wins $570 six-max no limit hold’em
Throughout Sean Shah’s career as a professional poker player, the 29-year-old has had many close calls. He finished second in a World Series of Poker event and just missed a WPT televised final table with a seventh place finish in the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown main event.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, however, all that changed and he took home his first piece of poker hardware. Shah came out on top of a four-way chop in the $570 six-max no limit hold’em event to take home the hard rock trophy. He bested a field of 274 to win $21,809 in an ICM deal.
With over $600,000 in career tournament earnings and a couple six-figure scores under his belt, this isn’t even close to the biggest score of Shah’s career. But the importance of a win isn’t lost on him.
“It’s my first physical trophy,” said Shah after his win. “It’s somehow more important than all the money that has come along the way. When all the money is gone, I can be like ‘Well, look at this.'”
Many pros will get down about their close calls that came up short. Shah took a different approach. He loves being at the table and battling wits on the felt. Regardless of his results, he truly enjoys what he does.
“I love playing poker. It’s always been pressure-free to me,” said Shah. “I’ve always enjoyed watching it and playing it and everything about it is great. The losing, the suckouts, getting sucked out on. It’s all great. I love all of it.”
Aside from the money and the trophy, Shah becomes the last of the players eligible for the freeroll that takes place on Wednesday night. The winners of the first 14 events of the series are entered into a freeroll where the winner will get a seat into the $10,000 WPT Finale and the runner-up gets a seat into the $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown main event.
The seat was a big deal to Shah and during the negotiations, he acknowledged that he doesn’t normally chop, but the fact that he would get credit for the win and get the seat incentivized him to agree to the chop for the shot at parlaying this into a big payday.
Shah has been playing professionally for quite some time with plenty of success. He’s been able to transition his poker skills into the real world. Well, the game show world.
The New Jersey native and local South Florida resident had success on two of television’s most popular game shows – Wheel of Fortune and Who Wants to be a Millionaire.
“I think I bluffed them into thinking that I’m a real enthusiastic and outgoing person,” said Shah about using his poker skills to get on TV. “And that goes a long way on television from what I’ve seen. There was a lot of psychology and reading people and knowing what I have to do to get on the show.”
Shah got on Wheel of Fortune back in 2010 when he was still playing mainly online. At the advice of his friends, he applied two years earlier.
“My friends were like ‘Man, you’re so good at this you should apply,’ cause we used to watch it and I would solve all the puzzles,” said Shah. “So, I signed up online and forgot about it. Two years later I got an invitation for an audition in Times Square.”
Shah was picked from the couple hundred prospective players at the audition to head out to California and participate on the game show. He had a pretty successful showing on the show and ended up with a five figure score.
“I won a little over $10,000,” said Shah about his performance. “That was like seven or eight years ago. So, at the time, it was my biggest score in anything.”
He’s not allowed to disclose how he did on Millionaire because the show hasn’t aired yet. But the appearance on the show gave him some joy on a day that most poker players consider the saddest day of the year.
“Last year, after I busted the WSOP Main Event, I went back to my room after a busted, and, I swear to God, I turned on the TV and Who Wants to be a Millionaire was on,” said Shah. “And at the end of the show they said “If you would like to audition, we are holding auditions in Vegas.’ And I went in the next day. It saved my summer.”
Shah was born in Pakistan, but his family immigrated to America when he was three years old. He lived in New Jersey for most of his life until 2011.
After Black Friday, Shah wasn’t able to play online poker anymore. He came down to South Florida to finish and further his education after online poker wasn’t viable for him anymore.
“I moved here to finish college,” said Shah. “I got my Bachelors and Masters degree down here after online shut down. Then I thought ‘Let’s give live tournaments a try.’ I never looked back after that.”
Final Table Results:
1st: Sean Shah – $21,809 2nd: Sandy Sanchez – $19,041 3rd: Hyon Kim – $17,240 4th: Elilton Goveia – $16,587 5th: Max Le – $6,590 6th: Nissim Gozlan – $5,459
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Property Update
Preparations are underway for the development of an iconic hotel tower and resort:
Parking – Poker players are encouraged to park in Winner’s Way Garage to access both the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown tournament space and The Poker Room
The Poker Room – Players may access the poker room by entering through the main lobby or via the exterior entrance on the opposite end of Winner’s Way Garage.
Inside hotel – Services and amenities inside the hotel will remain open along with regularly scheduled events and entertainment.
$570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante Players Remaining: 4 of 274
Sean Shah
After a couple minutes of running numbers and discussion, the final four players have agreed to an ICM chop.
Sean Shah comes out on top and gets the trophy and the seat into tomorrow’s freeroll, where he will battle the other winners of the first 14 events for a $10,000 WPT Finale seat and a $3,500 WPT main event seat.
A complete recap will be posted tomorrow. Here are the results:
1st: Sean Shah – $21,809 2nd: Sandy Sanchez – $19,041 3rd: Hyon Kim – $17,240 4th: Elilton Gouveia (“Tom Alves”) – $16,581
Sandy SanchezHyon KimElilton Gouveia aka Tom Alves
$570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante Players Remaining: 4 of 274
Max Le
Sean Shah raised to 54,000 from the cutoff and Max Le moved all in from the big blind for 272,000. Shah got an exact count from the dealer before calling.
Shah showed and was dominated by Le’s . The board ran out and Shah hit a three-outer on the turn to eliminate Le in fourth place.
Shah extended his chip lead and Le picked up $6,590 for his fifth place finish.
$570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante Players Remaining: 5 of 274
Nissim Gozlan
Hyon Kim raised out of the small blind and Nissim Gozlan moved all in out of the big blind for about 135,000. Kim snap-called.
“I hope you got aces,” said Gozlan.
Kim tabled and did indeed have aces.
“Good,” said Gozlan. “You’ve never seen aces get broken? It’s about to happen now.”
Gozlan showed and needed a lot of help. The board didn’t cooperate with Gozlan, however, as it came and Gozland was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $5,459 for his finish and Hyon dragged the pot.
Hyon Kim – 560,000 (23 bb) Nissim Gozlan – Eliminated
$570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Level 23: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante Players Remaining: 6 of 274
Sean Shah raised on the button to 45,000 and Elilton Gouveia called out of the big blind.
The flop was and Gouveia checked. Shah bet 54,000 and Gouveia called. They both checked the turn card and the came on the river.
Gouveia bet 85,000 and Shah called. Gouveia showed , but Shah took the pot with . Shah wins the pot with a bigger kicker and now has a bigger stack than anybody else at the table.
Sean Shah – 1,000,000 (50 bb) Elilton Gouveia – 825,000 (41 bb)
$570 Six-Max No Limit Hold’em Level 22 – 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante Players Remaining: 6 of 274
Izzy Patel
Sean Shah raised from early position and Izzy Patel moved all in from the big blind for 156,000. Shah got a count from the dealer and thought for a few moments before calling.
Shah showed and needed a little help against Patel’s . The flop was , giving Shah a big advantage with top pair and a flush draw.
The turn was the , which gave Shah the second nut flush and left Patel drawing dead to the river. Patel was eliminated in seventh place for $3,830, and the rest of the table is credited with making an official final table.
Sean Shah – 780,000 (48 bb) Izzy Patel – Eliminated
and was dominated by Le’s 
. The board ran out 
and Shah hit a three-outer on the turn to eliminate Le in fourth place.
and did indeed have aces.
and Gozland was eliminated in sixth place. He took home $5,459 for his finish and Hyon dragged the pot.
turn card and the 
, but Shah took the pot with 
. Shah wins the pot with a bigger kicker and now has a bigger stack than anybody else at the table.
. The flop was 
and Le took the lead with top two pair.
. The flop was 
, giving Shah a big advantage with top pair and a flush draw.
, which gave Shah the second nut flush and left Patel drawing dead to the 
.
and Sanchez picks up an open-ended straight draw.
and Le rivers a full house to double up.