2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 5
$600 Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Entries:  109
Prize Pool:  $57,225
July 28, 2022

“I’ve been playing Omaha hi-lo since I was a kid,” said Aaron Kupin. “It’s one of my favorite games.”

So it’s fitting that Kupin won his first poker trophy at his home casino (Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood) in Event 5, $600 Limit Omaha 8.

“I used to live near Seminole Coconut Creek,” said Kupin, “and they always had this $110 Omaha-8 tournament on Wednesdays. I would go and play and I was the youngest person there, usually by about 40 years.”

Kupin began this final table with a massive chip lead — he had about 39% of all the chips in play with nine players left. His stack didn’t change much as the next five players were knocked out, but Kupin still held onto the lead with four players left.

“I had one big hand against Donny [Rubinstein],” said Kupin, “where he three-bet aces in the big blind and I just flopped and turned the world. I feel like that was the pivotal hand, and I just ran away with it from there.”

Kupin went on to eliminate Rubinstein in third place, and began heads-up play with a 2.6-to-1 lead over eventual runner-up Matthew Wolfson. But Wolfson couldn’t pick up any momentum, and 10 minutes later, the tournament ended when Kupin spiked a king on the river to win the final hand with two pair.

“I’ve definitely wanted a trophy for a while,” said Kupin. “I was a runner-up once, so I came close. Every series I play the majority of tournaments, and I’ve been hunting for one for a while. Not to sound arrogant, but I knew it was coming. I’m just happy; I feel blessed.”

Poker isn’t the only thing going well for Kupin at the moment.

“I appreciate everything going on in my life right now,” said Kupin. “I feel comfortable with my friends, my relationship, my hobbies. Everything’s going great.”

Final Results:

2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 7
$150 Big Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  297
Prize Pool:  $35,046
July 28, 2022

Event 7 of the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open was a $150 Big Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry). A field of 297 entries generated a prize pool of $35,046, surpassing the $30,000 guarantee.

Emerging victorious was Darrell Carril, winning outright for $7,196 and an SHRPO trophy. In addition to the prize money and trophy, Carril also won a $5,300 seat into the SHRPO Championship on August 5th.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 17:  3,000/6,000 with a 6,000 ante
Flight D Players Remaining:  83 of 825

Jonathan Sanchez raised from early position to 16,000, the next player to act three-bet all in for 117,000 from middle position, and action folded back to Sanchez who called with , leading his opponent’s .

The board ran out , safe for Sanchez to score the elimination and send the remaining 83 players onward to Day 2 on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Full chip counts through Flight D will be posted later tonight.

Jonathan Sanchez  –  260,000  (43 bb)

2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 6
$400 Eight-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Entries:  144
Prize Pool:  $48,240
July 28, 2022

Event 6 of the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open was a $400 Eight-Handed Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry). A field of 144 entries generated a prize pool of $48,240, and Kahli Francis outlasted the rest to win the first-place prize of $13,220 and his first SHRP trophy.

This marked Francis’ second PLO final table at the Seminole Hard Rock, having previously finished seventh in a $400 PLO event at the 2022 Showdown series for $1,730.

$600 Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  1 of 109

Shortly after heads-up play began, Matthew Wolfson jokingly pitched a deal where Aaron Kupin would take the full first-place prize money, but Wolfson would get the title and the trophy.

“This is my home casino,” said Wolfson, “and I don’t have a trophy.”

Kupin replied, “This is my home casino too, and I don’t have a trophy either.

“But you’re a better poker player than me,” said Wolfson. “You’ll win one eventually.”

About 10 minutes into heads-up play, Wolfson got it all in preflop from the big blind for 80,000.

Aaron Kupin:  
Matthew Wolfson:  

The board came , and with no possible lows, Kupin won the pot — plus the title, $17,015, and his first Seminole Hard Rock trophy — with two pair, kings and sixes.

Matthew Wolfson finished as the runner-up, earning $10,585.

Congratulations to Aaron Kupin!

1st:  Aaron Kupin  –  $17,015 + SHRPO Trophy
2nd:  Matthew Wolfson  –  $10,585
3rd:  Donny Rubinstein  –  $6,300
4th:  Kevin M. Buck  –  $4,150
5th:  David Snitkin  –  $3,205
6th:  Jason Papastavrou  –  $2,635
7th:  Dominic Granteed  –  $2,230
8th:  Chris Labrie  –  $1,945
9th:  Gabe Ramos  –  $1,720
10th:  Steve Ekin  –  $1,720
11th:  Hoyt Verner  –  $1,515
12th:  Michael Deveronica  –  $1,515
13th:  Jeff Cookson  –  $1,345
14th:  Shane Daniels  –  $1,345

$400 Eight-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19 :  6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 144

Kahlil Francis potted to 36,000 on the button, Daniel Notice repotted to 108,000 from the big blind,  Francis repotted, and Notice called all in for about 135,000.

Francis: 
Notice: 

The board ran out , giving Francis trip sixes to win the pot and Event 6 outright for $13,220.

Notice finished runner-up for $8,390.

A recap of the event will be posted later tonight.

$600 Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 109

Donny Rubinstein (big blind) and Aaron Kupin (button) played a hand to the river on a board of , and built up a pot worth about 400,000.

At showdown, Kupin turned over for a full house, threes full of fours, along with a 5-4 low. Rubinstein mucked, and Kupin scooped the pot to build his stack up near a million in chips.

Aaron Kupin  –  950,000  (19 BB)
Donny Rubinstein  –  285,000  (6 BB)

About 15 minutes later, Rubinstein lost a three-way pot and was left with just 15,000 in chips.

Rubinstein was forced all in from the big blind for 15,000, Kupin raised from the button to 60,000, and Matthew Wolfson folded.

Aaron Kupin:  
Donny Rubinstein:  

The board came , and Rubinstein flopped a gutshot straight draw to potentially chop it, but only managed to pair his king on the river. There were no possible lows, and Kupin won the pot with his pocket aces to eliminate Rubinstein in third place.

Donny Rubinstein  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($6,300)

Here are the approximate chip counts for the start of heads-up play, followed by the remaining payouts:

Aaron Kupin  –  1,175,000  (20 BB)
Matthew Wolfson  –  450,000  (8 BB)

1st:  $17,015 + SHRPO Trophy
2nd:  $10,585

Reminder:  In heads-up play, the button has the small blind and acts first before the flop.

$400 Eight-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19 :  6,000/12,000 with a 12,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 144

On a flop of , a series of raises led to Yulien Alvarez Gutierrez all in for about 430,000 in the small blind against Kahlil Francis in the big blind.

Gutierrez: 
Francis: 

Both players had flush draws, but Francis had nut diamonds along with aces.

The turn have Gutierrez a few outs to two pair, but the river was the to lock up the pot for Francis, ending Gutierrez’s run in third place.

Kahlil Francis  –  1,800,000  (150 bb)
Daniel Notice  –  360,000  (30 bb)
Yulien Alvarez Gutierrez  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($5,040)

$400 Eight-Handed Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18 :  5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 144

Kahlil Francis limped from UTG/cutoff, Yulien Alvarez Gutierrez did the same from the small blind, and Eugene Mistretta raised all in for 41,000 from the big blind. Both Francis and Gutierrez called.

The flop came , Gutierrez bet the pot of 123,000, and Francis folded.

Gutierrez:  .
Mistretta: 

Gutierrez was ahead with kings and sevens, and held up through the turn and river to eliminate Mistretta in fourth place.

Yulien Alvarez Gutierrez  –  630,000  (63 bb)
Eugene Mistretta  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($3,040)

$600 Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  25,000/50,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  3 of 109

Kevin M. Buck got it all in from the button for 105,000 against Matthew Wolfson in the cutoff, and they turned over their cards.

Matthew Wolfson:  
Kevin M. Buck:  

The board came , and Wolfson rivered a wheel (five-high straight) to scoop the entire pot and eliminate Buck in fourth place.

Matthew Wolfson  –  575,000  (12 BB)
Kevin M. Buck  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($4,150)

With three players remaining from a field of 109, the average chip stack is around 0000000 (0000000 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $6,300 each.