The 2016 RRPO in Review

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The 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open kicked off November 16th and concluded Wednesday night with the crowning of the Championship victor, Patrick Mahoney. While Mahoney went down as the series headliner, the Championship was preceded by numerous other events including the $360 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed opener. The event blew the doors off the Seminole Hard Rock drawing a record-setting field of 5,018 entries marking the largest poker tournament in Florida history. The eventual champion, Rafael Reis of Kent, Washington, turned his modest investment into a $155,642 score.

Joining Reis as six-figure winners at the RRPO were $50,000 High Roller champion Ben Tollerene, who pocketed $459,228, and of course, Mahoney, who earned $564,227 and a $5,250 seat in next August’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship.

Complete RRPO results:

Next up at the Seminole Hard Rock is the Fun in the Sun Poker Open December 26th-30th. From there, it’s on to the Lucky Hearts Poker Open slated to run January 12th-25th.

Thanks for following along and congratulations to all the newest champions!

Dylan Drazen Earns Final RRPO Trophy In 10-Way Chop

2016 Rock n’ Roll Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL 
Event 12: $150 No Limit Hold’em Re-Entry 
Entries: 1,611
Prize Pool: $193,320
November 28-30, 2016

Dylan Drazen takes home the final event of the 2016 RRPO in a 10-way chop
Dylan Drazen takes home the final event of the 2016 RRPO in a 10-way chop

Dylan Drazen was having a horrible month of poker until Wednesday night. Drazen took home the final trophy of the 2016 Rock n’ Roll Poker open in a 10-way chop of the $150 no limit hold’em re-entry event.

Drazen got credit for the win and topped a field of 1,611 entries to take home $25,011 along with his second career tournament win. Even though it is just his second career tournament win, he understands the variance that comes with tournament poker.

“It’s really, really hard to win a tournament and beat all those players,” said Drazen. “You have to play so many tournaments to find a spot to have actual success. It takes incredible volume and patience. Inhuman patience.”

The win comes at the tail end of a terrible month. After grinding the whole tournament series and coming up empty, this event put him back in the black.

“I had a really rotten month this series,” said Drazen. “It was awful for me. So to do this in the last final event and actually show a profit for the month is something I didn’t expect. But pleasantly surprised.”

Drazen has been a professional poker player for several years now, but before he made his transition to poker, Drazen spent his time as a techno DJ in New York.

After spending more than a decade behind the turn tables, Drazen discovered poker in his late twenties during the Moneymaker boom. Drazen found himself wanting to spend less time spinning tracks and more time at the card table.

After slowly increasing his win rate and steadily beginning to earn more money from poker than as a DJ, he decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2011. He left New York and headed down to South Florida to play live.

Drazen cut his teeth as an online limit hold’em pro, but tried to play live no limit hold’em after deciding to move to Florida and play for a living. The first stage of his live professional career didn’t go very well for him.

“When I moved down here in 2012, I had a really hard time,” said Drazen. “I hit a losing streak the moment I moved here. I moved down here and immediately started losing.”

After enduring a downswing, he opted to go back to his bread and butter.

“I decided to go back online and do what I do best,” said Drazen. “Which is play limit hold’em online.”

Drazen left the live arena for several years before he had enough of the limit variant of the game. Earlier this year, he had enough of sitting in front of a computer screen and came back to sit at the live felt.

“It was only a couple months ago where I started to just hate limit hold’em,” said Drazen. “I decided to give live another shot. And here I am.”

Drazen feels that as he gets older, live poker is more suited for him. This transition back to the live arena has gone much smoother.

“As I get a bit older, my concentration wanes,” said Drazen. “To play online, it requires incredible sustained concentration. When you play short-handed and the games are getting more aggressive and tougher, it’s extremely intense. It’s hard to describe.

“So transitioning back to live is relaxing.”

The extra $25,011 in his pocket will also help him relax a little bit.

Here is a look at the final table results:

1st: Dylan Drazen – $25,011
2nd: Sebastian Andres – $20,000
3rd: Austin Rattet – $14,256
4th: Ben Robinson – $13,619
5th: Hagai Stein – $12,901
6th: Adam Morck – $11,823
7th: Elliott Zaydman – $11,062
8th: Dejan Petkovic – $10,111
9th: Spencer Champlin – $7,966
10th: Devond Marshall – $4,905

Event 12: Dylan Drazen Wins In 10-Way Chop

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

As soon as the players got to the final table, they immediately began talking about an ICM chop. After running the numbers, all of the players came to an agreement and Dylan Drazen will take home first place money and the trophy.

Here is a look at the final payout numbers:

1st: Dylan Drazen – $25,011
2nd: Sebastian Andres – $20,000
3rd: Austin Rattet – $14,256
4th: Ben Robinson – $13,619
5th: Hagai Stein – $12,901
6th: Adam Morck – $11,823
7th: Elliott Zaydman – $11,062
8th: Dejan Petkovic – $10,111
9th: Spencer Champlin – $7,966
10th: Devond Marshall – $4,905

Event 12: Dylan Drazen Leads Unofficial Final Table

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

With the elimination of Arif Amirali in 11th place, there is a slight break in the action while they redraw for seats at the unofficial final table of ten.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts of the final 10 players:

Seat 1: Devond Marshall – 425,000
Seat 2: Dejan Petkovic – 985,000
Seat 3: Ben Robinson – 1,600,000
Seat 4: Elliott Zaydman – 1,100,000
Seat 5: Hagal Stain “Hercules” – 1,400,000
Seat 6: Sebastian Andres – 3,000,000
Seat 7: Austin Rattet – 1,675,000
Seat 8: Spencer Champlin – 685,000
Seat 9: Dylan Drazen – 3,950,000
Seat 10: Adam Morck – 1,255,000

Everybody is guaranteed at least $1,856, but the top spot takes home $46,265.

 

Event 12: Arif Amirali Eliminated in 11th Place ($1,856)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

Arif Amirali moves all in from under the gun for about 300,000 and Ben Robinson calls on the button.

Amirali shows As6s and is in trouble against Robinson’s KdKc.

The board runs out Ts7h2cTd4d and Robinson’s kings hold up to eliminate Amirali in 11th place.

Amirali takes home $1,856 and there is a slight pause in the action while they redraw for seats at the unofficial final table.

Ben Robinson – 1,600,000
Arif Amirali – Eliminated 

Event 12: Elliott Zaydman Doubles Through “Hercules”

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 12 of 1,611

Ben Robinson limps in under the gun and Eliott Zaydman moves all in for 405,000 from the cutoff. “Hercules” calls from the big blind and Robinson folds.

“Hercules” shows 6s6h and is in trouble against Zaydman’s AhAc.

The board runs out Kh7c3h4c9s and Zaydman earns a double up with his rockets.

Elliott Zaydman – 935,000
“Hercules” – 1,525,000

Event 12: Bryce McVay Eliminated in 13th Place ($1,450)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 12 of 1,611

Bryce McVay
Bryce McVay

Bryce McVay got all in from under the gun against Adam Morck on the button. Morck showed AsKd and was up against McVay’s TdTc.

There was a king on the flop, leaving McVay drawing to two outs. He couldn’t hit a two outer on the turn or the river and he hit the rail in 13th place.

McVay earned $1,450 for his efforts and Morck chipped up. Everybody remaining gets a pay jump and is guaranteed at least $1,856.

After two more eliminations, there will be a redraw for the unofficial final table.

Adam Morck – 1,000,000
Bryce McVay – Eliminated 

Event 12: Spencer Champlin Doubles Through Arif Amirali

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 13 of 1,611

Spencer Champlin raises to 100,000 from middle position and Arif Amirali moves all in from the cutoff. Action folds back to Champlin, who calls and is all in for 565,000.

Champlin is on the right side of a cold deck with his KdKh against Amirali’s QsQh.

The board runs out Th9s3cKcAh and Champlin doubles up.

Spencer Champlin – 1,225,000
Arif Amirali – 640,000

Event 12: Peter Fellows Doubles Through Devond Marshall

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining 13 of 1,611

Peter Fellows moves all in from the hijack for 685,000 and Devond Marshall calls from the small blind.

It’s a flip for Fellows’ tournament life with his 9h9s up against Marshall’s AhKs. The flop is KsQd9c, which gives Marshall top pair, but Fellows flops a set of nines.

The turn is the Js, giving Marshall four outs with a straight draw, but the river is the 4d and Fellows doubles up.

Peter Fellows – 1,400,000
Devond Marshall – 525,000