If the $570 buy-in is bit above your bankroll, or you’re looking for some good value, Qualifiers will continue to run for the $1,000,000 Guarantee Event 5 until 9am on Saturday morning.
The $140 Qualifiers award one seat for every five players registered with 10 seats guaranteed in the 3pm runs and 2 seats in the 9am game.
That leaves four shots to get a piece of the huge prize pool for a smaller price.
The entrant count crossed over 200 for the first flight with three hours remaining to get in the game, there are plenty of satellite qualifiers in the mix along with the local regulars.
TJ Shulman, Jorge Gomez, Steven Bennett, Elliott Zaydman, Glen Cressman, Larry Klur, and Nancy Birnbaum are among the earlier grinders.
I have bad news and a good news:I got busted from Event#1 but than I played a Satty and won a seat to the Event#5-1M @shrpo#nevergiveup
$350 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) Level 1: 25/50
It’s time to pay respect to our elders when the Seniors Event kicks off in a few minutes. The tournament is restricted to those 50 years or older and it is always one of the more entertaining events on any Seminole Hard Rock Poker schedule.
The $350 No Limit Hold’em tournament has a $20,000 guaranteed prize pool with some big money up top. Players will start with 10,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels. Late registration/re-entry is available until the start of Level 9 and play is scheduled to stop when they reach the final table or the end of Level 18, whichever comes first.
They are starting to take their seats and tournament staff will get them underway at the top of the hour.
It’s a good start to the tournament with more than 125 sitting down before the start of the second level. Daren Stabinski and Robert “Uncle Krunk” Panitch.
We expect to see even more top locals to make an appearance today but not until the clock rolls around past the morning hours.
Now that the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown is well underway, it’s time for the second biggest tournament on the series. Event 5 is a $570 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament with deep stacks and the second largest guaranteed prize pool of the series.
Every entrant in the game has a chance to earn part of the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and have six starting flights to take a shot. The first flight is about to start with the second chance coming this evening at 6pm.
Players will sit down to 20,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9, approximately 3:30pm, and play is scheduled to stop for the day at the end of Level 14.
Players are taking their seats and Event 5 is about kick off.
2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $350 Buy-In Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) $30,000 Guarantee
April 8th, 2015
Total Entries: 120 Total Prize Pool: $24,000
Event 4 Champion Sebastien Girard
Recap:
A poker superstar, wild play, a controversial hand and a comeback Canadian-style were the stories of the night in Event 4 as Sebastien Girard managed to find his way to the winner’s circle and the Event 4 title.
The ten players reached the final table with all eyes on Ari Engel. While not in a commanding chip position, Engel was definitely the player at the table nearly everyone feared considering he brought a poker resume of over five million dollars live and on-line for his career.
But the attention of the table quickly shifted to Yuan Shen. After Girard eliminated James Gremmo in 10th place and Jaeli Moron fell in 9th, Shen hit aces twice building his stack and eliminating Christopher Frey in 8th. Shen also won a massive pot leaving Medhi Belhassan with only 4,000 chips.
Then came the hand of the night. After Belhassan doubled up twice, he found himself all-in against Kenny Bhakta, Andre Crooks and Shen. Belhassan could only watch as his opponents all checked the flop and the turn. After checks from Bhakta and Crooks, Shen fired out a sizeable bet. Bhakta was furious and started laying into Shen and showed a K-10 with a king on the board. Unfortunately for Bhakta, Crooks had not acted. Crooks folded and Shen said “I hope nine-high is good”. He wasn’t lying as he showed . The table was stunned as Belhassan showed he’d made a pair and quadrupled up getting himself back in the tournament. The hand closed out a level and sent the players to a break. Bhakta’s time away was a little bit longer as he was given a one-round penalty but swore he was going to be the one to end Shen’s tournament.
After that, the table settled in for a few levels until Belhassan was ousted in 7th and Ari Engel was eliminated by Shen in 6th. Shen continued to open up his range and build his stack eliminating James Padula calling him with a king-high flush draw.
But four-handed play saw the tide turn. Girard caught running cards to make quad kings to double up and then Girard opened up his range as well. He then eliminated Andre Crooks in 4th with vs. Crooks . Girard then managed to take a massive pot from Shen and had come out of nowhere to take control of the table. Shen then lost another big hand to his rival Bhakta and Girard finished him off as he cracked Shen’s with sending him to the rail in 3rd place.
After the hand was over, Kenny Bhakta offered a deal to Girard to end the tournament which Girard accepted and Event 4 had crowned its champion.
“All the way through I had 15-20 big blinds most of the way but I got some stacks and was able to play more and more. I got lucky against him (Shen) and that was it. I took the deal because he (Bhakta) had about 300,000 chips and I had about 900,000. He could still win so I took the guaranteed win.”
Girard and his friends are on a “working” vacation here at Seminole Hard Rock and he couldn’t be enjoying it more. “It’s a big win. It’s a good win. It’s fun. I had a great tournament and thanks to everyone here.”
Congratulations to our Event 4 Champion – Sebastien Girard!
$350 Buy-In Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) Level 22: 6,000/12,000/2,000 Ante
Following the elimination of Yuan Shen and a sensational late run by Sebastien Girard, he and Kenny Bhakta decided to call it quits. Bhakta offered to take $5,200 and concede the title and Girard accepted ending Event 4.
The deal closes out a wild night at the tables as Girard ends the evening as the Event 4 champion winning $7,280 and Bhakta taking 2nd place for $5,200.
Congratulations to our Event 4 Champion – Sebastien Girard!
$350 Buy-In Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) Level 22: 6,000/12,000/2,000 Ante
Yuan Shen went from being in control of the table to three hands ending his night. Sebastien Gerard fired the first punch, Kenny Bhakta hit him again and Gerard finished the job.
On the elimination hand, Shen went all-in holding and Gerard called with . Both players hit a straight draw after a and then Gerard paired his nine with the on the turn. He then called for Shen to hit his set and to add insult to injury, the showed up giving Shen a set but Gerard the wheel for victory.
With that, Yuan Shen finishes in 3rd place for $3,000.
$350 Buy-In Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) Level 22: 6,000/12,000/2,000 Ante
A chance taken by Sebastien Girard paid off big.
Andre Crooks pushed his stack into the middle getting the snapcall from Girard. Crooks showed and Girard was behind holding . With his friend calling the for an eight from the rail, Girard did hit it on a flop and then held Crooks off after the board ran out .
Crooks was eliminated in 4th place picking up $2,040 for his efforts.
. The table was stunned as Belhassan showed he’d made a pair and quadrupled up getting himself back in the tournament. The hand closed out a level and sent the players to a break. Bhakta’s time away was a little bit longer as he was given a one-round penalty but swore he was going to be the one to end Shen’s tournament.
vs. Crooks 
. Girard then managed to take a massive pot from Shen and had come out of nowhere to take control of the table. Shen then lost another big hand to his rival Bhakta and Girard finished him off as he cracked Shen’s 
with 
sending him to the rail in 3rd place. 
and then Gerard paired his nine with the 
on the turn. He then called for Shen to hit his set and to add insult to injury, the 
showed up giving Shen a set but Gerard the wheel for victory.
.