2016 Fun in the Sun
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL
$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 517
Prize Pool: $108,570
December 26-27, 2016

Brent Philbin won the opening event of the Fun in the Sun at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood on Tuesday evening. Philbin emerged victorious from a field of 517 entries in the series’ $250 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed prize pool kickoff event. The prize pool was more than doubled in the end, and Philbin won the lion’s share of it after a three-handed deal earned him $20,817.

Philbin is 32 years old and resides in Fort Myers, Florida. The victory marks his first at the Seminole Hard Rock and moves him just below $200,000 in career tournament earnings.

*denotes three-handed deal

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 517
Average Stack: 2,585,000 (51 bb)

After a chip count, the remaining three players quickly agreed to an ICM deal. Here were their chip counts and the resulting payouts:

Brent Philbin – 4,115,000 (82 bb) – $20,817
Roberto Bendeck – 2,635,000 (52 bb) – $17,970
Charlamagne Benjamin – 1,025,000 (20 bb) – $13,218

A full recap of the event will be posted later tonight.

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 517
Average Stack: 2,585,000 (51 bb)

Raffaello Lactotelli raised to 125,000 from under the gun and Brent Philbin called from the button.

The flop fell and Lacotelli continued for 175,000. Philbin called to see the turn and Lacotelli bet about 500,000. Philbin raised all in with a covering stack and Lacotelli called all in for about 1,050,000.

Lacotelli:
Philbin:

Philbin led with with trip tens and held up through the river to eliminate Lacotelli in fourth place.

Brent Philbin – 4,115,000 (82 bb)
Raffaello Lacotelli – Eliminated in 4th Place ($7,763)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 517
Average Stack: 1,940,000 (48 bb)

Peter Petakus raised all in for his remaining 70,000 from the cutoff and Roberto Bendeck isolated the action with a raise from the button.

Petakus:
Bendeck:

The board ran out , giving Bendeck aces and kings to score the elimination.

Roberto Bendeck – 3,080,000 (61 bb)
Peter Petakus – Eliminated in 5th Place ($6,080)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 517
Average Stack: 1,550,000 (38 bb)

Charlemagne Benjamin limped in from the cutoff, Peter Petakus followed suit from the button, Roberto Bendeck completed his small blind, and Nashaat Antonious checked his option.

The flop came down and Bendeck checked to Antonious who bet 100,000. Only Bendeck called to see the turn, which he checked. Antonious bet 150,000, Bendeck check-raised to 425,000, and Antonious called. The river was the and Bendeck shoved for effectively 750,000. Antonious called after about 5 seconds.

Bendeck tabled for trip kings, besting Antonious’ to win the pot and eliminate Antonious in sixth place.

Roberto Bendeck – 2,900,000 (72 bb)
Nashaat Antonious – Eliminated in 6th Place ($4,994)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 517
Average Stack: 1,290,000 (32 bb)

Charlamagne Benjamin raised all in for 430,000 from the button and Peter Petakus called from the small blind with , leading Benjamin’s .

The board ran out , giving Benjamin a pair of fives to double up.

Charlamagne Benjamin – 930,000 (23 bb)
Peter Petakus – 420,000 (10 bb)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 517
Average Stack: 1,290,000 (32 bb)

Roberto Bendeck – 1,925,000 (58 bb)
Brent Philbin – 1,680,000 (42 bb)
Raffaello Locatelli – 1,425,000 (35 bb)
Nashaat Antonious – 1,225,000 (30 bb)
Peter Petakus – 900,000 (22 bb)
Charlamagne Benjamin – 625,000 (15 bb)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 517
Average Stack: 1,290,000 (43 bb)

Following the river of a board with roughly 500,000 in the pot, Michel Gariepy was all in for about 260,000 from the big blind. Roberto Bendeck tanked for a bit from early position before called.

Gariepy showed , while Bendeck tabled for jacks and threes to score the elimination.

Roberto Bendeck – 1,900,000 (63 bb)
Michel Gariepy – Eliminated in 7th Place ($3,963)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 517
Average Stack: 1,110,000 (37 bb)

Marie Fisher raised all in for about 110,000 from the cutoff and found action from Brent Philbin in the small blind. Fisher held , slightly ahead of Philbin’s .

The board ran out , giving Philbin trip kings to eliminate Fisher.

Brent Philbin – 1,700,000 (57 bb)
Marie Fisher – Eliminated in 8th Place ($3,094)

$250 Big Stack No Limit Hold’em (re-entry)
Level 25: 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 517
Average Stack: 970,000 (32 bb)

George Boyadjian limped in from middle position, Brent Philbin raised from the next seat over, Boyadjian reraised all in for about 540,000, and Philbin called.

Boyadjian:
Philbin:

The board came down , giving Philbin jacks full of deuces to eliminate Boyadjian in ninth place.

Brent Philbin – 1,570,000 (52 bb)
George Boyadjian – Eliminated in 9th Place ($2,171)