2016 SHRPO Live Updates

Event 3: Tournament Specialist Bill Johnson Wins in Three-Way Deal

2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL
Event 3: $300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Entries: 160
Prize Pool: $40,800
July 31, 2016

Bill Johnson (Jackson, OH)
Bill Johnson (Jackson, OH)

Bill Johnson is the newest Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Champion, topping a field of 160 entries to win Event 3 in a three-way deal. Johnson turned his $300 investment into a $7,616 payout over the course of a short day’s work.

Poker is the only serious work Johnson does nowadays. Born and raised in Jackson, Ohio, the champ is retired from his career as a government contractor, giving him enough free time to pursue the game recreationally. He’s married with four children, and he spends most of his time at home with his wife. “I live out in the country, about a mile from anybody,” he said.

Johnson was in his chair for the start of this event at noon, and by the time registration closed four hours later, just four tables remained in play. A couple hours thereafter, the field had been trimmed to the final nine, and they gathered around the final table set up like so:

Seat 1: Bill Johnson – 472,000
Seat 2: John Duhig – 63,000
Seat 3: Danny Romano – 132,000
Seat 4: Jeff Sanders – 165,000
Seat 5: Steve Pollack – 162,000
Seat 6: Ricardo Robles – 358,000
Seat 7: Zoltan Czinkota – 281,000
Seat 8: Jorge Gomez – 400,000
Seat 9: Thomas McFarland – 1,080,000

Thomas McFarland was in control of more than one third of the total chips when nine-handed play began, and he only increased that lead over the course of the first few orbits. The turbo format doesn’t leave much room for missteps, though, and four-handed play was unkind to the once-commanding chip leader. McFarland ultimately fell in fourth place, sending most of his chips to Jorge Gomez.

It looked like Gomez had the match nearly sealed at that point, but he was similarly unable to close it out. Eventually, the three stacks drew nearly even, and the three gentlemen decided to split the remaining prize money evenly and call it a night.

Johnson was declared the champion, congratulated by his final two opponents, and photographed with his shiny new trophy. When asked about his path to the win, he was modest in victory. “I got lucky,” Johnson said. “Well, you know… You run good, play good, and keep from being unlucky. That’s the key.”

Johnson learned the game while recovering from a triple bypass in 2004. He says he misses online poker in the worst way, but only the tournament half of it. “I’ve never played a cash game,” he admitted after the win. “Never. There’s a reason for that. I’m afraid I’d like it too much.”

Sticking to tournament poker is a plan that’s worked out just fine so far for Johnson. Despite only playing “two or three times a year,” he’s racked up nearly $400,000 in total tournament cashes. This one was worth $7,616, and it comes with a shiny glass trophy for his mantel.

Here are the full results for Event 3:

1st: Bill Johnson – $7,616 + trophy
2nd: Jorge Gomez – $7,616
3rd: Jeff Sanders – $7,616
4th: Thomas McFarland – $3,264
5th: Zoltan Czinkota – $2,448
6th: Steven Pollack – $2,040
7th: Daniel Romano – $1,632
8th: Ricardo Marte Robles – $1,224
9th: Johnie Duhig – $918
10th: Harold Rodriguez – $816
11th: Kai Koppe – $816
12th: Angelo Castaldi – $816
13th: Jose Sued – $714
14th: John McCaffrey – $714
15th: Walter Bravo – $714
16th: Jeffrey Milman – $612
17th: Mathew Paulson – $612
18th: Yves Fequiere – $612

Download Final Results (PDF)

Event 3: Bill Johnson Wins in Three-Way Deal

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 160

Johnny Good’s seemingly insurmountable chip lead was whittled away over the course of a few orbits, and the final three players decided to split the remaining prize money evenly. Each of them earned $7,616 for their day’s work, a fine return on their $300 investments.

Tournament specialist Bill Johnson is declared the winner, and a recap of his victory will be published shortly.

Bill Johnson
Bill Johnson – Winner ($7,616)

 

Jeff Sanders
Jeff Sanders – 3rd place ($7,616)

Event 3: Thomas McFarland Eliminated in 4th Place ($3,264)

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 160

Thomas McFarland
Thomas McFarland (Anna Maria Island, FL)

Over the course of the past few orbits, Johnny Good had managed to wrestle the chip lead away from Thomas McFarland, before the two tangled in a decisively big pot. It began with Good raising the button, and McFarland shoved for 875,000 in the small blind. Good called to put him at risk.

Good: AhKd
McFarland: As9d

The board ran out Jh7h6s6d5d, and Good’s kicker played to earn him the pot and the knockout. McFarland was eliminated in fourth place.

Johnny Good – 2,000,000
Thomas McFarland – Eliminated

Event 3: Steve Pollack Eliminated in 6th Place ($2,040)

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 160

Steve Pollack
Steve Pollack (Sunrise, FL)

Steve Pollack moved all in for about 60,000 on the button, and both Zoltan Czinkota (small blind) and Johnny Good (big blind) called.

The flop was 6s4d2s. Czinkota checked, Good bet 65,000, and Czinkota open-folded 2d3c. With Pollack at risk, the two live hands were shown down.

Pollack: Ks9h
Good: 5c6d

Good’s pair of sixes had him in the lead with two to come, but the Kh put Pollack one card from a double-up. The river was the 5s, though, giving Good the pot with two pair. Pollack was eliminated.

Johnny Good – 375,000
Steve Pollack – Eliminated

Event 3: Danny Romano Eliminated in 7th Place ($1,632)

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 160

Danny Romano
Danny Romano (Jacksonville Beach, FL)

Danny Romano moved all in for about 70,000 under the gun, and Bill Johnson called from the big blind, putting his opponent at risk.

Romano: Ac3c
Johnson: 7d9d

The board ran out Qh9h7sKdQd, and Johnson won the pot with two pair. Romano was eliminated in seventh place.

Bill Johnson – 530,000
Danny Romano – Eliminated

Event 3: Ricardo Robles Eliminated in 8th Place ($1,224)

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 24: 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 160

Ricardo Robles
Ricardo Robles (Puerto Rico)

There’s about 400,000 in the pot as the turn card arrives on a 6h5h3h6c board. Ricardo Robles gets himself all in for 370,000, and Thomas McFarland puts him at risk with his big stack.

Robles: Kh8d
McFarland: As7h

The river is the Ac, and McFarland improves to aces up to win the pot. Robles is eliminated in eighth place, while McFarland now has about half the total chips in play with seven players remaining.

Thomas McFarland – 1,650,000
Ricardo Robles – Eliminated

Event 3: John Duhig Eliminated in 9th Place ($918)

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 160

John Duhig
John Duhig (Tampa, FL)

John Duhig moved all in for 51,000 in early position, and Jeff Sanders put him at risk with the covering stack.

Duhig: Ac9h
Sanders: QdQh

The board ran out 8c2d2s7dKh, and Sanders won the pot with queens up. Duhig was eliminated in ninth place, guaranteeing at least four-figure payouts for the eight remaining players.

Jeff Sanders – 215,000
John Duhig – Eliminated

Event 3: Final Table Set

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 23: 10,000/20,000 with a 3,000 ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 160

From a starting field of 160 entries, just nine players remain in Event 3. Here’s the final table lineup:

Seat 1: Bill Johnson – 472,000
Seat 2: John Duhig – 63,000
Seat 3: Danny Romano – 132,000
Seat 4: Jeff Sanders – 165,000
Seat 5: Steve Pollack – 162,000
Seat 6: Ricardo Robles – 358,000
Seat 7: Zoltan Czinkota – 281,000
Seat 8: Johnny Good – 400,000
Seat 9: Thomas McFarland – 1,080,000

With 10,000/20,000 blinds, the average stack is about 18 big blinds. Here are the remaining payouts up for grabs this evening:

1st: $11,832 + trophy
2nd: $6,936
3rd: $4,080
4th: $3,264
5th: $2,448
6th: $2,040
7th: $1,632
8th: $1,224
9th: $918

Event 3: Prizepool and Payouts

$300 Deep Stack Turbo NL Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 35 of 160

Registration is closed for Event 3, and the numbers are in. This $300 Deep Stack Turbo drew a field of 160 entries, generating a prizepool worth $40,800. That money will be shared by the final 18 players thusly:

1st: $11,832 + trophy
2nd: $6,936
3rd: $4,080
4th: $3,264
5th: $2,448
6th: $2,040
7th: $1,632
8th: $1,224
9th: $918
10th-12th: $816
13th-15th: $714
16th-18th: $612

There are 35 players remaining, so the average stack is about 23 big blinds at the current level.