WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Total Entries: 777
We found two big stacks in the room with Eric Afriat and Justin Young more than tripling up their 30,000 starting stack.
They are separated by a handful of green chips but both are rocking more than 600 big blinds in early action.
Justin Young – 91,450 (610 bb)
Eric Afriat – 91,300 (609 bb)
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
End of Level 2: 75/150
Total Entries: 736
Championship players are taking their first break of the day and the lobby is going to be a crowded place for the next 15 minutes. The field beat the $2 million guaranteed prize pool by more than 100 players in the first two hours with late registration open until 10:15pm.
We’ll try to find some big stacks in the room while they are away from the tables.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 2: 75/150
Total Entries: 700
The meeting room tables continue to build themselves an impressive lineup as more players join in. Natasha Barbour and two-time WSOP Circuit champion Ryan Tepen already made Table 80 a tough one, now they are joined by 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold.
Gold isn’t the only World Champ we have in the house today. He’s joined by 2013 winner Ryan Riess and 2007 champ Jerry Yang. We expect a few more to make an appearance including reigning champ Joe McKeehen.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 2: 75/150
Total Entries: 650
With five minutes remaining in the first level, we saw our 625th entrant get in the game to officially hit the $2 million guaranteed prize pool.
There’s still plenty of time to get in the action with late registration and re-entries open until 10:15.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100
Total Entries: 600
The Championship entrant count continues to climb at a steady pace and there’s a good chance we’re going to hit the guarantee before the end of the first level.
Speaking of “chance”, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker team has a new member in Chance Kornuth. He’s a regular here in the cash games and big tournaments with more than $3.6 million in career tournament earnings (plus another $1.7 million during the glory days of online poker). Kornuth most recently added a cool million dollars to his total with a win in the 2016 Aussie Millions $25,000 Challenge and second place in the EPT Dublin High Roller.
Welcome sir.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100
Total Entries: 550
The ballroom is already hopping and the Championship is 75 entrants away from hitting the $2 million guarantee nice and early. We are packed solid with top players mixing with our local regulars.
Seminole Hard Rock Poker team members Matt Stout and Stewart Newman drew seats right next to each other (with former WSOP National Champion Ryan Eriquezzo also in the table mix) and they are battling early.
Not necessarily with their chips, it’s more a needle fight with both more than skilled enough to dish it out.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100
Total Entries: 480
Cards are in the air for the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship. Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton kicked things off along with Matt Savage, Vince Van Patten, and Tournament Director Tony Burns.
The entrant count is flying and we’ve already reached $1.5 million of the $2 million guaranteed prize pool.
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100
Total Entries: 430
After two weeks of preliminary tournaments and secondary events, it’s time to get Championship week underway starting with the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship. There are bigger buy-in tournaments yet to come, but this is the highlight event of the series.
The winner will earn their title on the WPT television table and have their name put on the Champion’s Cup.
The Championship features a single starting day with a $3,500 buy-in and $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. Players will sit down to 30,000 deep starting stacks and levels will run 60 minutes a piece. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 10:15pm with a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6.
There were more than 300 players registered hours before the doors were even opened to the ballroom. Expect a really big crowd today.
Those doors are now open and players are taking their seats. After a few introductions and rule announcements, cards will be in the air.