2017 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 10 
$360 No Limit Hold’em Turbo 
Entries: 77 
Prize Pool: $30,000 
November 26, 2017 

Poker players face adversity every time they sit at the table. Whether it’s a cold streak of cards, an unlucky river card or being short stacked and on the brink of bubbling a tournament. By nature, they learn to deal with the curveballs that the poker gods throw at them.

Having been diagnosed with ALS six years ago, Jeffrey Fogel is no stranger to dealing with less than ideal situations.

On Sunday, things went Fogel’s way. He defeated a 77-entry field in the $360 no limit turbo to win his first Hard Rock trophy. As part of a six-way deal, the 46-year-old poker player from Miami won $3,939 for the win.

“It’s a great feeling to come in first,” said Fogel after his win.

It’s the second time this series that Fogel was a part of a six-way deal. In the $570 deep stack no limit hold’em re-entry event, Fogel finished fourth in a six-way deal for $30,019.

“I’m blessed that I’m having a good series,” said Fogel. “I chopped the $570 six ways and I did not play the main. I didn’t want to. It’s just a blessing.”

Blessed was a word that Fogel used frequently after his win. Living with advanced stages of ALS, he has a couple of friends that are with him around the clock to help take care of him both medically and at the poker table. He just feels lucky to have those guys around.

“Pierre, right here, is my nurse,” said Fogel. “He drives me. He takes care of me. I’m blessed to have him in my life.”

In order for Fogel to talk after his win, Pierre needed to detach him from his ventilator. The ventilator is a machine that ran down his throat via a tracheostomy tube that helps him breathe.

He’s unable to speak when he’s attached to the machine and when he’s not, he can’t talk for long. Pierre is there to make sure all of his medical needs are met.

At the poker table, however, his friend Miguel helps him out. Miguel met Fogel through a mutual friend and they’ve known each other for seven or eight years.

Miguel peels Fogel’s cards, he places the bets, moves the chips and physically makes the action that Jeff wants.

“It’s a blessing that they have been with me for so long,” said Fogel about the team of people that surround them.

Living in the area, Fogel spends a lot of time grinding tournaments at the Hard Rock, but he’s succeeded on bigger stages as well. In 2015, he finished 158th out of 22,374 entries in the Colossus at the World Series of Poker. He cashed for $8,155.

“I learned a lot at the World Series of Poker,” said Fogel. “It’s amazing. It was like a kid in a candy store.”

To cash in the Colossus, Fogel needed to grind for dozens of hours over several days. This being a turbo event, Fogel only needed about seven hours to earn his money.

He preferred the faster structure.

“I love it,” said Fogel. “I love the turbos. I get in and out.”

This is Fogel’s third career live tournament win. All of which came at Hard Rock properties in South Florida. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I just enjoy playing poker a lot,” said Fogel. “The Hard Rock. This is my home.”

Complete Results:

1st: Jeffrey Fogel – $3,939*
2nd: Cangir Elcin – $3,939*
3rd: Jason Walker – $3,939*
4th: Leon Benmargui – $3,939*
5th: Larry Hirschfield – $3,939*
6th: Richard Arno – $3,939*
7th: Jeronimo Abalos – $1,193
8th: Frank Gil – $1,035
9th: Georges Boyadjian – $915
10th: Aaron Friedman – $825
11th: Robert Campbell – $825
12th: Luis Mantilla – $825
13th: Konstantin Tourevski – $750

*Indicates adjusted payout to reflect the final deal 

• Download: Final Results (PDF)

$1,650 Purple Chip County No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guarantee | Structure
Returning to Level 17: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 12 of 105

The $1,650 no limit hold’em purple chip bounty made the money in the last level of the day and then lost two players before completing the scheduled 16 levels of play and bagged up for the night.

The 105-entry field was trimmed down to 12 by the night’s end and Derek Bowers bagged a massive chip lead on the verge of the final table.

He’s the only player above the 300,000-chip mark and has over 100,000 more than Alexandre Caperonis, who will start Day 2 second in chips with 204,500.

Top pro Phil Laak is also still in the hunt for a bounty title. Arguably the most accomplished player in the field sits right in the middle of the pack with 85,500. Anton Wigg, who won the WSOP Circuit high roller event here last month brings up the bottom of the chip counts.

The cards get back in air for this event on Monday at 2 p.m. Everybody is guaranteed $2,783 and the winner, who will be crowned Monday evening, will take home $31,497.

Table 73
Seat 1: — Empty —
Seat 2: Alexandre Caperonis – 204,500 (68 bb)
Seat 3: Nick Pupillo – 27,000 (9 bb)
Seat 4: — Empty —
Seat 5: — Empty —
Seat 6: Matthew Shafman – 69,000 (23 bb)
Seat 7: Derek Bowers – 305,000 (102 bb)
Seat 8: Arkadiy Tsinis – 58,000 (19 bb)
Seat 9: Brandon Caputo – 100,000 (33 bb)

Table 74
Seat 1: Phil Laak – 85,500 (29 bb)
Seat 2: — Empty —
Seat 3: Ken Ray – 167,500 (56 bb)
Seat 4: Yvonne McQuillan – 33,000 (11 bb)
Seat 5: Johanssy Joseph – 111,500 (37 bb)
Seat 6: David Eller – 79,000 (26 bb)
Seat 7: — Empty —
Seat 8: Anton Wigg – 20,000 (7 bb)
Seat 9: — Empty —

Complete Chip Counts:

Derek Bowers – 305,000
Alexandre Caperonis – 204,500
Ken Ray – 167,500
Johanssy Joseph – 111,500
Brandon Caputo – 100,000
Phil Laak – 85,500
David Eller – 79,000
Matthew Shafman – 69,000
Arkadiy Tsinis – 58,000
Yvonne McQuillan – 33,000
NickPupillo – 27,000
Anton Wigg – 20,000

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 21: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 34 of 585

Flight A: 273 Entries, 91 Advanced
Flight B: 312 Entries, 124 Advanced
Day 2: 215 Returned, 34 Advanced
Day 3: Monday at Noon
Day 4: Tuesday at Noon
Day 5: Final Table at Noon

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Returning to Level 21: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 34 of 585

Flight A: 273 Entries, 91 Advanced
Flight B: 312 Entries, 124 Advanced
Day 2: 215 Returned, 34 Advanced
Day 3: Monday at Noon
Day 4: Tuesday at Noon
Day 5: Final Table at Noon

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
End of Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 34 of 585

After another 10, 60-minute levels, Day 2 of the $3,500 No Limit Hold’em Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship event is in the books and there are two players over the 1 million chip mark that lead the final 34 players.

Jessy Alech holds the chip lead with 1,205,000 and Joao Simao is right on his heels with 1,073,000. They are the only two players with a seven-figure chip count at the end of Day 2.

Jean Gaspard (962,000), Ari Engel (912,000) and Joe McKeehen (906,000) round out the top five. SHRP Team Member Sheddy Siddiqui is the only other player above 900,000. He’ll start Day 3 with 902,000.

Other notables still in the hunt for an RRPO title and $374,240 include Curt Kohlberg, Thomas Marchese, Shaun Deeb, Jake Bazeley, SHRP Team Member Darryll Fish, David Peters, Dan Colman, SHRP Team Member Faraz Jaka and Victor Figueroa.

The day started with 215 players hoping to get into the money with the top 79 players securing at least a min-cash worth $4,900. The money bubble burst just six minutes before the dinner break. When they came back, they lost more than half of the field and finished with 34 players.

Cards get back in the air at noon on Monday for Day 3. The levels will be increased to 90 minutes in length and the plan is to play down to the final 18 players before stopping for the night. Everybody is guaranteed at least $10,260.

Complete chip counts will be posted shortly.

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 35 of 585

On a flop of , Ari Engel checked from middle position and Curt Kohlberg bet 35,000 from the hijack. Engel called and the turn was the .

Engel checked again and Kohlberg bet 125,000. Engel thought for a minute before calling.

The river was the and Engel checked for a third time. Kohlberg sat motionless for several minutes before betting 170,000. Engel tanked for a couple minutes himself before folding.

Kohlberg mucked and took the pot just before the end of the day.

Curt Kohlberg – 780,000
Ari Engel – 900,000

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 36 of 585

“This is the pot of the day, baby,” said Otto Palacios while Mattas Cimbolas was in the tank and contemplating a decision.

The board read and there was about 400,000 in the pot. Barry Hutter moved all in for about 300,000 and Mattas Cimbolas was on the button and thought for a couple minutes before calling.

“I just got an ace,” said Hutter.

“I got two pair,” said Cimbolas.

Cimbolas showed , giving him aces up, and won the pot against Hutter’s .

Hutter was eliminated in 37th place and Cimbolas took the chip lead.

Mattas Cimbolas – 1,100,000
Barry Hutter – Eliminated 

$3,500 RRPO Championship (Re-Entry)
Championship Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 40 of 585

Jean Gaspard raised to 20,000 on the button and Bob Bounahra moved all in for 112,000 out of the small blind. Joe McKeehen called out of the big blind and Gaspard called as well.

The flop was and McKeehen checked. Gaspard checked behind. The turn was the and McKeehen bet 125,000. Gaspard called, which created a 250,000 side pot between McKeehen and Gaspard.

The river was the and McKeehen moved all in for about 150,000. Gaspard folded fairly quickly.

McKeehen showed and won the pot against Bounahra’s . Bounahra was eliminated in 41st place for $8,600 and the former WSOP Main Event champion more than doubled up after winning both the side and the main pot.

Joe McKeehen – 745,000
Bob Bounahra – Eliminated 

$1,650 Purple Chip County No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guarantee | Structure
Level 14: 800/1,600 with a 200 ante
Players Remaining: 18 of 105

The players are back from a 15-minute break and there was one elimination already, which left the field with 18 players and just two tables.

Alexandre Caperonis still has the chip lead with just four eliminations before the money, but there are a couple players right on his heels.

Here is a look at the top stacks with the money bubble approaching:

Alexandre Caperonis – 136,000
Matt Shafman – 116,000
Derek Bowers – 110,000
Bruce Kramer – 100,000
Brandon Caputo – 86,000