2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, FL 
Event 17
$570 No-Limit Hold’em 
Entries: 219 
Prize Pool: $109,500 
April 16, 2018 

After a dismal showing for most of the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, Brian Altman finished the series strong with a win in the $570 no-limit hold’em.

The Boston native defeated 219 entries and Dean Baranowski heads-up to earn $26,108. With just a handful of events remaining, the score puts Altman in the black for the trip.

“It feels really nice to end on a high note,” said the 29-year-old poker pro. “I was bricking all the prelims and I fired a few bullets in the main. I ended up cashing the main, but was still down a good amount on the trip. It’s nice to cap it off with a win and save the trip and go home with a little money.”

Altman had been a successful professional poker player for several years before, but he made his mark on the poker world in 2015 with a win in the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open main event here at the Hard Rock.

He defeated 1,027 entries and earned $723,008, which was his largest career score and his first major title. Last August, he took down the $1,100 no-limit hold’em event at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open for $118,157.

With all of his success in South Florida, if he’s not at home grinding in the northeast, it’s clear that Hollywood would be his second choice.

“The Hollywood Hard Rock is a second home to me,” said Altman. “It’s great to play in such a well-run venue with great staff and great dealers.”

When they reached the final table, Altman was not only the most accomplished player remaining, but also held the chip lead. Inevitably, he went heads-up with Baranowski, another regular in higher stakes events.

The two battled back and forth for several levels before Altman emerged victorious over the Chiropractor from Texas.

“He played really well,” said Altman of Baranowski’s heads-up play. “I came in with like a 2-to-1 or maybe a 3-to-1 chip lead, but he was chipping up and he got a double at one or two points in the match. Ultimately, he kind of got whittled down and it was a cooler hand where he lost all the chips.”

Results:

1st: Brian Altman – $26,108
2nd: Dean Baranowski – $18,266
3rd: Lazaro Rodriguez – $11,224
4th: Charles Gomez – $6,827
5th: Jordan Joeckel – $5,272
6th: Angelo Ingham – $4,369
7th: Jabbour Afif – $3,723
8th: Antony Vidmer – $3,176
9th: Joseph Skarzynski – $2,612
10th: Jeff Rodriguez – $2,300
11th: Svi Soudai – $2,300
12th: Brian Powell – $2,300
13th: Ryan Van Sanford – $1,971
14th: Dan Heimiller – $1,971
15th: Scott Kateian – $1,971
16th: Arkadiy Tsinis – $1,643
17th: Carey Pickus – $1,643
18th: Joseph Brachfeld – $1,643
19th: Yuan Shen – $1,314
20th: Scott Zakheim – $1,314
21st: John Dollinger – $1,314
22nd: Lance Garcia – $1,013
23rd: Matthew Zarcadoolas – $1,013
24th: Ebrahim Figueroa Noboa – $1,013
25th: Eric Rivkin – $814
26th: Marc Sacheli – $814
27th: David Larson – $814
28th: John Richards – $379
29th: Stephen Graner – $379

$570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure Sheet
Level 19: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 219

With about 10 minutes left in level 19, the $570 no-limit hold’em reached 10 players and redrew for seats at the unofficial final table.

Here is a look at the seat map:

Seat 1: Lazaro Rodriguez – 282,000
Seat 2: Jordan Joeckel – 230,000
Seat 3: Charles Gomez – 190,000
Seat 4: Antony Vidmer – 298,000
Seat 5: Angelo Ingham – 422,000
Seat 6: Jeff Rodriguez – 65,000
Seat 7: Joseph Skatyzysnki – 464,000
Seat 8: Jabbour Afif – 295,000
Seat 9: Dean Baranowski – 201,000
Seat 10: Brian Altman – 841,000

$570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure Sheet
Level 10: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Players Remaining: 63 of 219

Registration is closed in Event 17, today’s 11am $570 buy-in Big Stack No Limit Hold’em event with a single re-entry. The field is final at 219 entries generating a prize pool worth $109,500. That figure more than doubles the $50,000 guarantee and sees the top 28 finishers pocket at least $758. Payouts grow from there and top out in the form of a $26,108 first prize.

Full payouts:

2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 7
$570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)
Entries: 219
Prize Pool: $109,500
April 16, 2018

1st – $26,108
2nd – $18,266
3rd – $11,224
4th – $6,827
5th – $5,272
6th – $4,369
7th – $3,723
8th – $3,176
9th – $2,612
10th-12th – $2,300
13th-15th – $1,971
16th-18th – $1,643
19th-21st – $1,314
22nd-24th – $1,013
25th-27th – $814
28th – $758

We will provide another update when the 10-handed final table is reached.

$570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$50,000 Guarantee | Structure Sheet
Level 1: 50/100

Event 17 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown goes at 11am. The $570 buy-in Big Stack No Limit Hold’em tournament permits a single re-entry and sees its players take their seats to 15,000 chips and 30-minute levels. Registration is available until the start of Level 9 with the tournament structured to conclude in a single day.

Here are the details:

11AM: Event 17 – $570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/single re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 17 Structure Sheet

It’s a packed day in the Hard Rock Event Center with seven trophy events going. For the Big Stack, we’ll provide the prize pool and payouts when finalized followed by the 10-handed final table seating chart and a final report with a winner photo.

Good luck, players!

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Event 16 – $5,000 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Single ante will be paid from the big blind for the entire table
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 11
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 16 Structure Sheet

11AM: Event 17 – $570 Big Stack NLH (Single Re-Entry)

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/single re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 17 Structure Sheet

12PM: Day 3 – $3,500 WPT Showdown Championship (Re-Entry)

• WPT Championship Day 3 Chip Counts
• WPT Championship Day 3 Table/Seat Assignments
• WPT Championship Payouts

2PM: Day 2 – $25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)

• High Roller Day 2 Counts and Seat Assignments
• High Roller Payouts

2PM: Day 2 – $2,200 Deep Stack Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)

• Event 15 Day 2 Counts and Seat Assignments
• Event 15 Payouts

5PM: Event 18 Day 1A – $150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 18 Structure Sheet

6PM: Event 19 – $2,200 Turbo No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Single ante will be paid from the big blind for the entire table
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 19 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

9AM: Event 69 – $550 Turbo Event 16 Satellite (1-in-10)

• 1 seat guaranteed into $5,000/$250K GTD Event 16
• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Satellite will be held in the Poker Room
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 69 Structure Sheet

3PM: Event 70 – $150 Double Green Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)

• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 7
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 70 Structure Sheet

8PM: Event 71 – $130 All-In or Fold Turbo (Re-Entry)

• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Players can only make two decisions: Move all-in or fold their hand
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 71 Structure Sheet