2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 35
$2,650 No-Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry) 
Entries: 490 
Prize Pool: $1,188,250
August 8-10, 2021

The last time Shannon Shorr made his way to South Florida for a poker tournament was last April when he came down for the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

The Alabama native and longtime poker pro took down the $5,000 no-limit hold’em deep stack event for $296,535. His next trip to the Hard Rock also produced a title.

Shorr bested a 490-entry and Aditya Prasetyo heads-up to earn $186,261 after the final three players agreed to a chop and a save. Shorr was guaranteed to take home $155,606 after the deal was made between the two finalists and Mukul Pahuja, but earned an additional $30,655 for the victory.

Prasetyo earned $170,243 for his runner-up finish and Pahuja netted $141,966.

“I actually bought into this tournament after busting the main [event] about 30 shy of the money. And immediately busted a bullet,” said Shorr after the win. “You get a single re-entry and from there it just went really smoothly.”

After the re-entry, Shorr had problems losing pots. He finished both Day 1 and 2 near the top of the chip counts and had one of the smoother rides to a title of any champion this series.

Outside of being seated on the direct right of Aditya Prasetyo, the only player who could bust him at the outset of the final table, Shorr’s path to victory saw very few speed bumps.

“On Day 1, I just ran really good in preflop all ins. And then yesterday I went on a super heater. Sometimes you just go on these rushes. Poker is so crazy because sometimes you just don’t have a clue how to play and sometimes everything just works out,” said Shorr. “I came into the final table with probably the worst seat at the table. I got off to a slow start, but I rallied and it was fun.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on most of the world, it did wonders for Shorr’s poker game.

“Since the pandemic, I’ve been working really hard on my game. I’ve been studying a lot and playing a lot of online poker during the break,” he said.

Aside from the increased studying, Shorr is expecting his first child in the coming months. With fatherhood looming, Shorr is becoming more efficient with his time and making the most of his time on the road.

“It’s actually sort of tunneled me into this mindset where I’m actually super motivated to bring my best self and sort of do all the right things on these trips, as opposed to party and waste time,” said Shorr.  “I’m living much more intentionally knowing that I’m going to be a dad.”

*Reflects chop and save