$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Entries: 747

Seminole Hard Rock Poker team members are coming out in force for the big WPT event. So far we’ve found Matt Stout, Sheddy Siddiqui, Stewart Newman, Michael Laake, Mukul Pahuja, Darryll Fish, and Matt Affleck.

The latter two sitting at a tough table that also includes Mike Leah and Anthony Zinno.

We expect we’ll see the rest of the team before too long including Jessica Dawley who already has two deep, big-field runs this series.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Entries: 747

The World Poker Tour has run countless events over its 15 seasons in action but no player has won more than three titles since the inception of the tour. But the list of players with three titles is pretty impressive and Darren Elias joined them earlier this year with a little Canadian WPT title.

Elias is the fifth person to notch a third WPT win along with Gus Hansen, Carlos Mortensen, Anthony Zinno, and Chino Rheem.

Rheem’s third title came right here a year ago when he won the $10,000 WPT Finale over a very tough field.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 75/150 with a 25 Ante
Entries: 735

Championship players are returning from their first break of the day as the prize pool climbs towards the next big milestone. It will hit $2.5 million with entry number 781 and they’ll push on to $3 million.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 75/150
Entries: 696

We mentioned Kevin Ballard earlier in the day, our player who entered via his “Win a Seat” drawing and he’s enjoying his time at the table so far.

But things are about to get a little more interesting. Now sitting to his left is 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Joe Cada with tough pro Tony Ruberto one seat over.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 75/150
Entries: 668

Jean LeBlond his having himself a very nice series as we roll into the bigger events. The Canadian grinder defeated poker pro David Jackson to take home the $1,100 Six-Max title for more than $32,000 earlier in the series and went deep in the big-field $570 Event 9.

The Six-Max win also qualified LeBlond for a freeoll between the first 14 trophy winner with a $10,000 WPT Finale to first place and a $3,500 Championship seat to second. LeBlond outlasted all but David DiBernardi and won his seat in today’s event.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 75/150
Entries: 625

It didn’t take long to hit the magic number. We were on the cusp of hitting the $2 million guaranteed prize pool when they moved into the second level of the day and got there soon after.

With 625 entries, the prize pool hit dead on $2,000,000 and they’ll continue push it higher until registration closes at 10:15pm.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 50/100
Entries: 600

Players continue to make their way into the ballroom including past champions, local regulars, and top pros.

Among them is our reigning Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year David Prociak. This event is part of the package he won for topping all other SHRP players last year and he’s looking to win a tournament for the fourth major SHRP series in a row.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 50/100
Entries: 530

Today marks the start of the Championship but it is not the biggest buy-in on the schedule. The $50,000 Super High Roller took place Wednesday and Thursday with WSOP bracelet winner Dietrich Fast running over the final table take bank $483,000 less than 24 hours ago.

He’s here early along with second place finisher Adrian Mateos.

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 50/100
Entries: 450

Before cards went in the air, we stopped by Table 23 to say hi to Kevin Ballard. The Washington state resident didn’t expect to be here until a few days ago when he received notice that he won the Seminole Hard Rock Poker “Win a Seat” drawing.

So Ballard hopped on a plane, flew across the entire country, and now grinding away in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship.

@shrpo @WPT Thank you for this amazing opportunity! See you on Friday.

— Kevin Ballard (@Kfish63) March 28, 2017

$3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 50/100
Entries: 403

After a brief introduction from Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, the 2017 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship is underway.