2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 779
Prize Pool: $93,480
August 14-16, 2017

The 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open series closed down with one last, multi-day tournament that would finish the day after the Big 4. The $150 buy-in drew a mixed crowd of local regular and amateurs here to have a good time. After two starting flights and a long play down day, Cincinnati’s Joseph Ritzie locked up the last trophy of the series and took home $24,682 for the title.

The two starting flights combined to put 779 entries into the tournament to easily surpass its $50,000 guaranteed prize pool. The final tally created a prize pool worth $93,480 with the last 45 taking some money home.

Of those 779 entries, only 69 made it through to Day 2 with several local regulars looking to go deep including defending champion Cesar Fuentes, 2015 winner Yves Fequiere, and Francis Margaglione trying for his third SHRPO title in as many series.

The money bubble burst shortly after the first break and they quickly played down from 69 to the final table ten in a little more than four hours of play.

Fuentes and Margaglione made the final table but most of the chips belonged in the stacks of Gui Van and Adam Horowitz. Short stacked Errol Rosen hit the rail quickly in tenth place followed by Nachum Lumelski.

At that point, things began to slide for Horowitz as Van built a big lead. Michael Levy dropped in eighth place, Horowitz followed in seventh, and Michael Kopjanski and Hollander Preap were gone soon after.

Fuentes took a bad beat to Margaglione to exit in fourth place and we had seven players off the final table in less than two hours. During that time, Van’s stack held half of the chips in play with Margaglione his closest competitor. Ritzie was the short stack before he staged his comeback.

He found a huge double up through Van with threes beating jack-ten to get him back in the game and Ritzie drove the action from that point forward. Margaglione was in trouble when he put his stack in against Van’s dominating hand and dropped in third place.

The heads up match between Ritzie and Van was a quick affair and Ritzie was soon sitting for his winner’s photo.

It was a show of patience as he watched other players drop to the rail while others built up their stacks. Ritzie found his spot, picked up the chips, and came from behind to win the last trophy of the 2017 SHRPO series.

Final table results:

1st: Joseph Ritzie – $24,682
2nd: Gui Van – $14,489
3rd: Francis Margaglione – $9,395
4th: Cesar Fuentes – $6,544
5th: Hollander Preap – $4,721
6th: Michael Kopjanski – $3,786
7th: Adam Horowitz – $2,898
8th: Michael Levy – $2,057
9th: Nachum Lumelski – $1,496
10th: Errol Rosen – $1,122

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante

Joseph Ritzie and Gui Van were unable to come to terms on a chop deal and the heads up match did not last long. Van soon had his chips in the middle with against Ritzie’s and then two aces hit the flop.

Just like that, the 2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open came to end with Ritzie capturing the title.

Recap to follow shortly.

1st: Joseph Ritzie – $24,682
2nd: Gui Van – $14,489

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 779

There was a brief discussion about chopping up the remaining prize pool but they decided to play it out with Joseph Ritzie holding a better than 2-to-1 lead over Gui Van.

Seat 4: Gui Van – 2,535,000 (32 bb)
Seat 8: Joseph Ritzie – 5,255,000 (66 bb)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 779

Gui Van opened to 225,000 from the button, Joseph Ritzie called in the small blind, and Francis Margaglione moved all in from the big.

Van released and Ritzie asked for a count. Margaglione’s all in was for 1,250,000 and Ritzie called.

Ritzie:
Margaglione:

Ritzie was dominating then hit the flop. The turn caused Ritzie to exclaim a few words, but the river kept him in the lead to send Margaglione out in third place, unable to take home a trophy in a third straight SHRPO series.

Joseph Ritzie – 5,255,000 (66 bb)
Francis Margaglione – Eliminated in 3rd place ($9,935)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 29: 40,000/80,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 779

The three remaining players went on a quick break with Gui Van holding onto his lead. Event 14 went from ten players to three in only two hours.

Seat 1: Francis Margaglione – 1,935,000 (24 bb)
Seat 4: Gui Van – 3,415,000 (43 bb)
Seat 8: Joseph Ritzie – 2,440,000 (31 bb)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 779

Gui Van opened to 175,000 from the button and Joseph Ritzie shoved for 690,000 from the small blind. Margaglione released his big blind and Van called after confirming the count.

Ritzie:
Van:

Ritzie had to dodge two overs to stay in the game, Van missed the flop, but added a gutshot draw. The turn was safe for Ritzie and he doubled back into contention after the river.

Updated counts:
Seat 1: Francis Margaglione – 2,220,000 (37 bb)
Seat 4: Gui Van – 3,700,000 (62 bb)
Seat 8: Joseph Ritzie – 1,870,000 (31 bb)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 779

Cesar Fuentes opened to 155,000 from under the gun and Francis Margaglione called in the big blind to the flop. Margaglione checked, Fuentes bet 170,000 and Margaglion check-raised enough to put him all in. Fuentes quickly called and Margaglione was not happy to see the hands.

Margaglione:
Fuentes:

Margaglione had top pair plus a gutshot draw against Fuentes over pair and he found the turn to fill the gap. Fuentes was unable to repeat as champion in this event for a fourth place finish is a fine follow up.

“You got me again Francis,” Fuentes joked as he waited to cash out.

Francis Margaglione – 2,250,000 (38 bb)
Cesar Fuentes – Eliminated in 4th place ($6,544)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 779

Cesar Fuentes opened to 100,000 from the cutoff. Gui Van called on the button along with Hollander Preap in the big blind to the flop.

Preap moved all in for ~450,000 to get a fold from Fuentes and a shrug-call from Van.

Preap:
Van:

Van was ahead with top pair against Preap’s flush draw/gutshot draw. The turn and river were no help to Preap and he was sent out in fifth place. Van stacked up more than half of the chips in play with four remaining.

Gui Van – 4,325,000 (87 bb)
Hollander Preap – Eliminated in 5th place ($4,721)

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guaranteed | Payouts
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 779

Michael Kopjanski put his short stack in the middle and Hollander Preap called with a chance to knock another player out.

Kopjanski:
Preap:

Kopjanski needed to catch his ace or some special cards but the board sent him out in sixth place.

Hollander Preap – 625,000 (13 bb)
Michael Kopjanski – Eliminated in 6th place ($3,786)