2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 24
$25,500 High Roller
Entries:  145
Prize Pool:  $3,581,500
April 26-27, 2021

Registration closed for the High Roller with 145 entries, making this the largest High Roller event in Seminole Hard Rock history, beating the previous record of 123.

The record-breaking field created a total prizepool worth $3,581,500, and the final 20 players will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $44,770 each, with $970,600 waiting for the winner, along with a Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown trophy.

1st:  $970,600 + Trophy
2nd:  $658,970
3rd:  $404,710
4th:  $286,520
5th:  $179,075
6th:  $128,935
7th:  $103,865
8th-9th:  $87,750
10th-11th:  $78,795
12th-13th:  $69,840
14th-16th:  $60,885
17th-18th:  $51,930
19th-20th:  $44,770

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 25 of 2,482

Matt Ploof raised to 125,000 from under the gun, Viet Vo three-bet to 330,000 on the button and Ploof called.

The flop came and Ploof checked to Vo who continued for 200,000. Ploof check-raised to 500,000 and Vo called.

The turn was the , Ploof bet 400,000, Vo raised all in with a covering stack and Ploof called all in for about 1,100,000.

Ploof:
Vo:

Vo needed help and got it when the river fell, giving him kings full of queens to eliminate Ploof in 26th place.

Viet Vo – 7,700,000 (128 bb)
Matt Ploof – Eliminated in 26th Place ($26,130)

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 11:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  51 of 145

Richard Seymour moved all in from the hijack for 98,000, and Byron Kaverman called from the small blind with .

Seymour turned over , and he was dominated as he faced elimination.

The board came , and Kaverman won the pot with his king kicker to eliminate Seymour from the tournament.

Byron Kaverman  –  830,000  (138 bb)
Richard Seymour  –  Eliminated

With 51 players remaining from a field of 145, the average chip stack is about 284,000 (47 big blinds). Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 26 of 2,482

Jon Borenstein raised to 140,000 from the cutoff, Sergio Aido three-bet shoved from the big blind for about 1,000,000 and Borenstein called.

Borenstein:
Aido:

The board came down , safe for Borenstein to eliminate Aido in 27th place.

Recent Eliminations
28th: Kevin Johnson – $26,130

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 11:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  57 of 145

After a flop of , Joseph Cheong got it all in from the big blind with for a pair of jacks with a gutshot straight draw, and he needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Noah Schwartz, who was UTG+1. Schwartz had a pair of jacks with a lower kicker, along with an open-ended straight draw.

The turn card was the , the river was the , and Schwartz rivered a queen-high straight to win the pot and eliminate Cheong from the tournament.

Noah Schwartz  –  300,000  (50 bb)
Joseph Cheong  –  Eliminated

With 57 players remaining from a field of 145, the average chip stack is about 254,000 (42 big blinds). Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 11:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Players Remaining:  57 of 145

Jason Mercer was all in from the hijack for 81,000 with , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Derek Gregory in the cutoff.

The board came , and the entire table reacted as Gregory flopped queens for the stone cold nuts to win the pot. Mercier was eliminated from the tournament.

Derek Gregory  –  180,000  (30 bb)
Jason Mercier  –  Eliminated

With 57 players remaining from a field of 145, the average chip stack is about 254,000 (42 big blinds). Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 10:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  64 of 145

T.K. Miles moved all in from the hijack for 48,000, Sam Soverel called from the cutoff, and Lee Markholt tanked for a while on the button before he moved all in over the top for 113,000.

Soverel asked for an exact count, and with 68K behind in his own stack, Soverel had Markholt covered by just 3K. Soverel tanked for a while before he folded.

Miles showed , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against Markholt’s .

The board came , and the pocket queens held up for Miles to win the pot and triple up in chips.

T.K. Miles  –  157,000  (31 bb)
Sam Soverel  –  68,000  (14 bb)
Lee Markholt  –  65,000  (13 bb)

With 64 players remaining from a field of 145, the average chip stack is about 227,000 (45 big blinds). Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 28 of 2,482

Javier Gonzalez raised all in for about 870,000 from under the gun and Rey Henson isolated with a shove of his own from the next seat over.

Gonzalez:
Henson:

The board came , giving Henson a pair of kings to eliminate Gonzalez in 29th place.

Ray Henson – 3,200,000 (53 bb)
Javier Gonzalez – Eliminated in 29th place ($26,130)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining: 29 of 2,482

Ray Henson raised from the hijack, Tom Wheaton three-bet all in for about 1,260,000 from the button and Steven Snyder isolated with a four-bet shove from the small blind.

Wheaton:
Snyder:

The board came down , no help to Wheaton, ending his tournament in 30th place.

Steven Snyder – 3,820,000 (64 bb)
Tom Wheaton – Eliminated in 30th Place ($26,130)

Recent Eliminations
31st: Donald Maloney – $26,130

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 10:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Entries:  145

Chris Hunichen moved all in from the hijack for 100,000, and Lanny Vaysman moved all in over the top from the cutoff with .

Hunichen turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came — Vaysman flopped a set of kings and rivered a full house to win the pot and eliminate Hunichen from the tournament.

“That was a quick 25,000,” said Hunichen.

Lanny Vaysman  –  395,000  (79 bb)
Chris Hunichen  –  Eliminated

Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.