2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Fla.
Event 10
$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 160
Prize Pool: $40,800
March 23, 2017

Scott Apgar is the champion of the $300 Seniors’ Event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. The 56-year-old from Fort Lauderdale outlasted the field of 160 entries to claim his first live trophy and the top prize of $7,070 after a four-way deal.

By day, Apgar is a poker shift manager a local casino, so his opportunities to take a seat at the tables are few and far between. “It’s definitely a hobby,” he said of the game. “I pay big tournaments once a year, if I’m lucky. You think my wife’s gonna let me out for 12 hours?” he chuckled. “Come on.”

Apgar has been married to his wife, Loran, for 26 years, and the couple has two daughters, ages 17 and 21. This result represents just his second cash on record and by far the largest of his part-time career.

The 30-minute levels kept the action moving steadily from start to finish over the course of the 13-hour day. Winning a poker tournament is seldom an easy feat, and Apgar found himself in deep trouble with 36 players left, running ace-ten into ace-king for his tournament life. He managed to run down a straight, though, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“You gotta get lucky along the way,” he said. “No doubt about it.”

By the time the final 10 players combined around the final table, Apgar had worked his stack up into fourth place. He was responsible for the eliminations of Lisa Levy (10th place), Julio Silva (7th), and former chip leader Tom Robinson (6th) thereafter, moving into the top spot with five players remaining.

When Tom Dujmovich was eliminated in fifth place, the final four players took a break to have a look at the numbers. An agreement was quickly reached, and Apgar’s big stack secured him the title, the trophy, and the largest payout.

“I really love the game,” Apgar said as he posed for the winner’s photos. Despite the fact that it was nearly 1 a.m. at the end of a long day, his sense of humor remained well intact. “In most tournaments, you have massage girls,” he laughed. “In the Seniors tournaments, we need chiropractors.”

The champ doesn’t have much time to enjoy the victory; he’ll be back at work in a suit and tie tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

This morning, rather…

Final Table Results:

1st: Scott Apgar – $7,070*
2nd: Carlos Sobenes – $6,690*
3rd: Jerome Hyafil – $5,621*
4th: Fariborz Zojaji – $5,439*
5th: Tom Dujmovich – $1,969
6th: Tom Robinson – $1,632
7th: Julio Silva – $1,418
8th: Mark Manesh – $1,273
9th: Arlene Dujmovich – $1,097

*Denotes four-way deal

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 160

The final four players decided to stop and have a look at the numbers, and an agreement was quickly reached. Scott Apgar had the biggest stack of the four, so he’s the winner of Event 10, collecting the lion’s share of the prize pool, the trophy, and the freeroll seat.

Here are the official results at the top:

1st: Scott Apgar – $7,070
2nd: Carlos Sobenes – $6,690
3rd: Jerome Hyafil – $5,621
4th: Fariborz Zojaji – $5,439

A more in-depth story about Apgar’s win will be published shortly.

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 160

Tom Dujmovich moved all in for about 120,000 on the button, and Carlos Sobenes called in the small blind, putting Dujmovich at risk.

Dujmovich:
Sobenes:

“Come on, seven,” came a voice from the rail. It was Arlene Dujmovich, Tom’s wife, who was eliminated in ninth place just a short while ago.

She got her wish; the flop gave Mr. Dujmovich a big lead with two cards to come. The turn was the , a blank, but the river counterfeited Dujmovich’s two pair. He and Sobenes both ended with aces and eights, but the Sobenes’ queen kicker played to earn him the knockout pot.

Dujmovich was eliminated in fifth place.

Carlos Sobenes – 490,000 (31 bb)
Tom Dujmovich – Eliminated in 5th place ($1,969)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 8,000/16,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 160

Tom Robinson moved all in for just over 125,000 in middle position, and Scott Apgar called next to act, putting Robinson at risk.

Robinson:
Apgar:

The board ran out , and Robinson could not catch up.  Apgar’s kicker played, giving him the pot with a pair of aces and eliminating the former chip leader in sixth place.

Scott Apgar – 475,000 (30 bb)
Tom Robinson – Eliminated in 6th place ($1,632)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 21: 6,000/12,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 160

Julio Silva was all in for 9,000 in the big blind, and four players entered for the minimum to create action on the side.

The live players checked it all the way down as the board ran out .

Silva could only show , so he was playing the board. Carlos Sobenes’ and Scott Apgar’s ended up splitting the pot with a matching ace kicker, so the two of them teamed up to eliminate Silva in seventh place.

Scott Apgar – 365,000 (30 bb)
Carlos Sobenes – 310,000 (26 bb)
Julio Silva – Eliminated in 7th place ($1,418)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 21: 6,000/12,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 160

Jerome Hyafil limped in under the gun, and Mark Manesh checked his option in the big blind.

The flop was . Manesh bet 12,000, and Hyafil called. The turn was the , and Manesh moved all in for about 70,000. Hyafil instantly called to put his opponent at risk.

“I have two pairs,” Manesh said confidently, but it was quickly followed by an, “Oh, sh*t!” when he saw the showdown.

Manesh: (sixes up)
Hyafil: (set of deuces)

Manesh was drawing dead to a six, and the river ended his day in eighth place. “Hey, what can I say?” he smiled as he stood from the table. “Sh*t happens!”

Jerome Hyafil – 310,000 (26 bb)
Mark Manesh – Eliminated in 8th place ($1,273)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 9 of 160

Jerome Hyafil opened the cutoff to 35,000, and Arlene Dujmovich three-bet shoved for 40,000 on the button. Tom Robinson called in the big blind, and Hyafil called the small remainder to create action on the side.

The flop was . Robinson checked, Hyafil moved all in for about 75,000, and Robinson folded. With Dujmovich now heads-up and at risk, the cards were turned up:

Dujmovich: (pair of nines)
Hyafil: (pair of kings)

The turn and river were no help to Dujmovich, and she was eliminated in ninth place at the hands of Hyafil.

Jerome Hyafil – 209,000 (21 bb)
Tom Robinson – 415,000 (42 bb)
Arlene Dujmovich – Eliminated in 9th place ($1,097)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 160

Action folded around to the blinds where Lisa Levy moved all in for about 70,000 in the small. Scott Apgar woke up with an easy call in the big, and he quickly did so to put Levy at risk.

Levy:
Apgar:

The board ran out , and Apgar won the pot with treys full of kings. Levy, who finished fifth in the Ladies’ Event last night, was eliminated in 10th place.

Scott Apgar – 210,000 (26 bb)
Lisa Levy – Eliminated in 10th place ($959)

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 Ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 160

From a starting field of 160 entries, just 10 remain in contention for the trophy in Event 10. Here’s the lineup as they gather around the final table:

Seat 1: Carlos Sobenes – 260,000 (33 bb)
Seat 2: Mark Manesh – 110,000 (14 bb)
Seat 3: Jerome Hyafil – 97,000 (12 bb)
Seat 4: Arlene Dujmovich – 73,000 (9 bb)
Seat 5: Julio Silva – 52,000 (7 bb)
Seat 6: Tom Robinson – 480,000 (60 bb)
Seat 7: Lisa Levy – 58,000 (7 bb)
Seat 8: Scott Apgar – 147,000 (18 bb)
Seat 9: Fariborz Zojaji – 90,000 (11 bb)
Seat 10: Tom Dujmovich – 222,000 (28 bb)

And here’s what’s left to play for:

1st: $10,965 + Freeroll Seat
2nd: $7,113
3rd: $4,192
4th: $2,550
5th: $1,969
6th: $1,632
7th: $1,418
8th: $1,273
9th: $1,097
10th: $959

$300 Seniors 50+ No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 15: 1,500/3,000 with a 500 Ante
Players Remaining: 19 of 160

After a lengthy money bubble, the remaining 19 players are in the money following two separate eliminations.

At one table, Kiaran McLaughin was all in for about 15,000 with against Mark Manesh’s . The board ran out , no help to McLaughlin, locking up the pot for Manesh.

At one of the other tables, with the board reading , Jeff Kessler got his stack of roughly 47,000 into the middle with for two pair against an opponent (who refused to be identified for now) with for a set of nines. The river was the , no help to Kessler, securing the pot for his opponent.

McLaughlin and Kessler split the $571 for 20th and 21st place.