$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 25/50

Two flights are done for the $1 Million Guarantee and it was a nice start for a Thursday morning/evening. Flights A and B drew a combined 715 entries but now we’re moving into the weekend, when the regular grinders come out to play. Friday and Saturday are going to be fun and the ballroom will be packed.

Of those 715 entries, we have 133 players who have already booked their Day 2 seats for Sunday afternoon including Asher Conniff, Phil Hui, Darren Rabinowitz, Tony Ruberto, David Bradshaw, Brett Bader, and Seminole Hard Rock Tampa ambassador Wally Maddah along with Seminole Hard Rock Poker team members Jessica Dawley, Loni Harwood, and Mukul Pahuja.

Today’s players will try to join them.

Each entrant will start with a 20,000 deep stacks and play 30-minute levels on Day 1. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30pm and their day will conclude at the end of Level 14. Those with chips will put them in a bag and come back on Sunday for Day 2.

They’ll kick things off at 11am and we will keep you informed.

• $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 9 Structure Sheet

Main Event Schedule

11AM: Event 9 Day 1C – $570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 9 Structure Sheet

6PM: Event 9 Day 1D – $570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 9 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

9AM: Event 56 – $140 Mega Turbo Satellite into Event 9 (1-in-10)

• 2 seats guaranteed into $1 Million GTD Event 9
• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Satellite will be held in The Poker Room
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 56 Structure Sheet

3PM: Event 57 – $250 Multi-Event Satellite (1-in-10)

• 2 packages guaranteed; two $570 Showdown buy-ins & $1,050 WPT Finale Satellite seat
• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 57 Structure Sheet

8PM: Event 58 – $390 Championship Turbo Satellite (1-in-10)

• 2 seats guaranteed into $2M GTD WPT Showdown Championship
• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 58 Structure Sheet

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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.

For additional construction updates, please visit TheNewHardRock.com

2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Fla.
Event 10
$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 160
Prize Pool: $40,800
March 23, 2017

Scott Apgar is the champion of the $300 Seniors’ Event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. The 56-year-old from Fort Lauderdale outlasted the field of 160 entries to claim his first live trophy and the top prize of $7,070 after a four-way deal.

By day, Apgar is a poker shift manager a local casino, so his opportunities to take a seat at the tables are few and far between. “It’s definitely a hobby,” he said of the game. “I pay big tournaments once a year, if I’m lucky. You think my wife’s gonna let me out for 12 hours?” he chuckled. “Come on.”

Apgar has been married to his wife, Loran, for 26 years, and the couple has two daughters, ages 17 and 21. This result represents just his second cash on record and by far the largest of his part-time career.

The 30-minute levels kept the action moving steadily from start to finish over the course of the 13-hour day. Winning a poker tournament is seldom an easy feat, and Apgar found himself in deep trouble with 36 players left, running ace-ten into ace-king for his tournament life. He managed to run down a straight, though, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“You gotta get lucky along the way,” he said. “No doubt about it.”

By the time the final 10 players combined around the final table, Apgar had worked his stack up into fourth place. He was responsible for the eliminations of Lisa Levy (10th place), Julio Silva (7th), and former chip leader Tom Robinson (6th) thereafter, moving into the top spot with five players remaining.

When Tom Dujmovich was eliminated in fifth place, the final four players took a break to have a look at the numbers. An agreement was quickly reached, and Apgar’s big stack secured him the title, the trophy, and the largest payout.

“I really love the game,” Apgar said as he posed for the winner’s photos. Despite the fact that it was nearly 1 a.m. at the end of a long day, his sense of humor remained well intact. “In most tournaments, you have massage girls,” he laughed. “In the Seniors tournaments, we need chiropractors.”

The champ doesn’t have much time to enjoy the victory; he’ll be back at work in a suit and tie tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

This morning, rather…

Final Table Results:

1st: Scott Apgar – $7,070*
2nd: Carlos Sobenes – $6,690*
3rd: Jerome Hyafil – $5,621*
4th: Fariborz Zojaji – $5,439*
5th: Tom Dujmovich – $1,969
6th: Tom Robinson – $1,632
7th: Julio Silva – $1,418
8th: Mark Manesh – $1,273
9th: Arlene Dujmovich – $1,097

*Denotes four-way deal

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Returning to Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 133 of 715

Flight A: 359 Entries, 65 Advanced
Flight B: 356 Entries, 68 Advanced
Flight C: Friday at 11am
Flight D: Friday at 6pm
Flight E: Saturday at 11am
Flight F: Saturday at 6pm
Day 2: Sunday at 1pm

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Upcoming Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 Ante
Flight B Players Remaining: 68/356

The remaining 68 players from Flight B have bagged and tagged. Leading the way is Theodore Prystal (pictured) with 285,000, followed by Event 5 champion Hiep Doan (253,500), Daniel Mijac (253,000), and Ronit Chamani (226,000).

Full chip counts through Flight B will be posted in the next hour.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400 with a 400 Ante
Flight B Players Remaining: 81/356

After being down to less than two big blinds, Zo Karim ran his stack back up to more than 33,000 before winding up all in for 32,800 with against one opponent’s and another’s.

However, Karim’s hand went from first to worst as the board came down , ending his Flight B in the final level of the night.

Zo Karim – Eliminated

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 13: 1,000/2,000 with a 300 Ante
Flight B Players Remaining: 90/356

Zo Karim raised to 5,000 from the hijack, Ronit Chamani (pictured) three-bet to 12,500 from the cutoff, Karim four-bet to 31,300, Chamani five-bet shoved for 101,800, and Karim called.

Karim:
Chamani:

The board ran out , no help to Karim, securing the sizable double for Chamani.

Ronit Chamnai – 209,000 (104 bb)
Zo Karim – 3,600 (<2 bb)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 160

The final four players decided to stop and have a look at the numbers, and an agreement was quickly reached. Scott Apgar had the biggest stack of the four, so he’s the winner of Event 10, collecting the lion’s share of the prize pool, the trophy, and the freeroll seat.

Here are the official results at the top:

1st: Scott Apgar – $7,070
2nd: Carlos Sobenes – $6,690
3rd: Jerome Hyafil – $5,621
4th: Fariborz Zojaji – $5,439

A more in-depth story about Apgar’s win will be published shortly.

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 160

Tom Dujmovich moved all in for about 120,000 on the button, and Carlos Sobenes called in the small blind, putting Dujmovich at risk.

Dujmovich:
Sobenes:

“Come on, seven,” came a voice from the rail. It was Arlene Dujmovich, Tom’s wife, who was eliminated in ninth place just a short while ago.

She got her wish; the flop gave Mr. Dujmovich a big lead with two cards to come. The turn was the , a blank, but the river counterfeited Dujmovich’s two pair. He and Sobenes both ended with aces and eights, but the Sobenes’ queen kicker played to earn him the knockout pot.

Dujmovich was eliminated in fifth place.

Carlos Sobenes – 490,000 (31 bb)
Tom Dujmovich – Eliminated in 5th place ($1,969)

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 Ante
Flight B Players Remaining: 108/356

The player in the cutoff raised to 3,500, SHRP Team member Mukul Pahuja called from the button, and the player in the big blind called.

The flop fell and action checked around to Pahuja who bet 5,500. The player in the big blind check-raised all in for about 65,000, the cutoff folded, and Pahuja called with for the nut straight, leading his opponent’s .

The turn was the , giving Pahuja’s opponent a few outs to survive. However, the river was the , safe for Pahuja to score the elimination.

Mukul Pahuja – 165,000 (103 bb)