2018 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo   
Entries: 89
Prize Pool: $26,700  
November 19, 2018 

Shawn Nguyen came into the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood events center on Monday afternoon with one goal in mind. Win the $360 pot-limit Omaha hi-lo event.

He did exactly that. And did so in dominant fashion. He ran over the final table and put on the most dominating performance of the series thus far. He went wire-to-wire with the chip lead at the final table to defeat the 89-entry field and earn $8,471.

Before he took his seat, he did his best Joe Namath impression to the Hard Rock’s tournament director.

“It was pretty great,” said Nguyen about his dominant performance. “I told Tony [Burns] that I was going to win it and I won it.”

Nguyen came into the final table with a monster chip lead, and it was never anything less than gigantic. Of the nine eliminations from the unofficial final table down to one, Nguyen scored six of them.

With six players left, Nguyen already had accumulated about half the chips in play. By the time he reached heads-up play against Walter Buss, he had 730,000 of the 890,000 in play.

He disposed of Buss in just a few minutes after flopping a set, rivering a full house, and cracking aces with a low draw. Buss picked up $5,073 for his second-place finish.

Nguyen is a high-stakes regular at the Hard Rock and he takes the trophy in a game he plays a ton.

“I play a lot of PLO8,” said Nguyen. “I play mixed games also, but not too much. Mostly PLO8.”

Nguyen wouldn’t call himself a professional poker player, but he did admit that it’s his only source of income.

“I got no jobs,” said Nguyen with a hearty laguh. “I am looking for a job, but nobody wants to hire me. So I got o play poker, right? Until I get hired, maybe I’ll find a job. But until then, I got to keep playing. If I had a job as good as Tony’s [Burns], maybe I won’t have to play poker. Until then, I’ll just keep trying my luck.”

Just two days after finishing second in a heads-up chop with Michael Barry in the $360 Big O, Leif Force made another final table in a nearly identical game. He finished ninth and earned $847. The top 12 spots finished in the money and here are the results:

1st: Shawn Nguyen – $8,471
2nd: Walter Buss – $5,073
3rd: Barak Zaken – $3,204
4th: Alexander Lakhov – $2,069
5th: Mitchell Menes – $1,602
6th: Jason Reep – $1,268
7th: Matthew Bianchini – $1,068
8th: Mitchell Smith – $935
9th: Leif Force – $847
10th: Jeff Gershowitz – $774
11th: Donald Maloney Jr. – $721
12th: Robert Wachtel – $668

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 1 of 89

On a flop of , Walter Buss is on the button and Shawn Nguyen is in the big blind.

They each committed 45,000 on the flop and the came on the turn. Nguyen bet pot for 108,000 and Buss called.

The river was the and Nguyen moved all in. Buss called. Nguyen announced a full house and showed . It was good against Buss’ .

Nguyen won the pot and the tournament. He earned the trophy and $8,471, while Buss picked up $5,073 for his runner-up finish.

Shawn Nguyen – $360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Champion
Walter Buss – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 2 of 89

On a flop of , Barak Zaken got his last 60,000 into the middle on the button against Shawn Nguyen in the small blind.

Zaken tabled and was up against Nguyen’s .

The turn was the and the river was the . They were both on the same low draw, which never came and Nguyen turned a flush to eliminate Zaken in third.

Zaken earned $3,204 for his deep run and Nguyen takes a 7-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play with Walter Buss.

Shawn Nguyen – 725,000
Barak Zaken – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 89

On the river with a completed board of , Shawn Nguyen was in the small blind and heads-up with Alexander Lakhov, who was under the gun.

There were several bets and raises, which resulted in Lakhov moving all in for about 170,000. Nguyen called. Nguyen showed [2]d, good for the nut low and the second nut flush.

Lakhov sent his hand into the muck, but it was tabled since it was an all in pot his cards were exposed. The dealer tabled his and he was eliminated in fourth for $2,069. Nguyen, on the other hand, has nearly 75% of the chips in play as three-handed play starts.

Shawn Nguyen – 560,000
Alexander Lakhov – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 17: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 89

Mithcell Menes got all in from under the gun for about 40,000 against Barak Zaken in the small blind.

Zaken showed and was up against Menes’ .

The board ran out . There was no qualifying low hand and Zaken won the pot with queens up. Mitchell was out in fifth and earned $1,602 for his efforts.

Barak Zaken – 105,000
Mitchell Menes – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 5 of 89

Jason Reep got all in preflop against Barak Zaken. Zaken made a set of aces and eliminated Reep in sixth place for $1,268.

Barak Zaken – 65,000
Jason Reep – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 6 of 89

Matthew Bianchini got all in from the hijack against Shawn Nguyen in the small blind.

Bianchini tabled and was up against Nguyen’s . The board ran out and Nguyen took the entire thing with a wheel to eliminate Bianchini in seventh for the first four-figure payout of the tournament.

Nguyen opened up a monster chip lead over the rest of the field with about half the chips in play and six players left.

Shawn Nguyen – 430,000
Matt Bianchini – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 7 of 89

It folded around to Mitchell Smith in the small blind, who got all in against Shawn Nguyen in the big blind.

Smith showed and was up against Nguyen’s .

The board ran out . There was no qualifying low and Nguyen won the pot with tens and sixes. Smith was gone in eighth place for $935.

Shawn Nguyen – 370,000
Mitchell Smith – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 8 of 89

Leif Force moved all in from the cutoff and got called by Shawn Nguyen in the big blind.

Force tabled and Nguyen showed .

The board came and Nguyen made the nut straight to win the both halves and eliminate Force in ninth for $847.

Shawn Nguyen – 325,000
Leif Force – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Structure | Payouts
Level 16: 2,000/4,000
Players Remaining: 9 of 89

Jeff Gershowitz got all in from middle position for about 18,000 against Barak Zaken in the small blind.

Gershowitz showed and was up against Zaken’s .

The board ran out and Zaken scooped the whole thing with top two and the nut low, eliminating Gershowitz in 10th place for $774.

Barak Zaken – 42,000
Jeff Gershowitz – Eliminated