2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event #12
$360 Big O 
Entries: 93
Prize Pool: $27,900 
August 7, 2018 

On Monday night, Gabriel Ramos was driving back home after busting the $360 pot-limit Omaha in ninth place. He was disappointed with his finish and was determined to do better on Tuesday.

He did just that.

Ramos won his second Hard Rock trophy in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The North Carolina native defeated a 93-entry field in the $360 Big O, winning his second Hard Rock title and $8,371.

“I drove 40 minutes home and the whole way I was saying to myself ‘I’m going to come back and win this Big O no matter what it takes,'” said Ramos after his victory.

Ramos came to South Florida after a strong showing at the World Series of Poker. He cashed four times, including a runner-up finish for $130,850 in the $1,500 mixed omaha hi-lo event, which featured limit Omaha hi-lo, pot-limit Omaha hi-lo and Big O.

After competing with and beating some of the best in the world, Ramos came to South Florida with his confidence at an all-time high.

“I felt pretty confident about my game here,” said Ramos. “[I][was] just laser-focused the whole time.”

As they trimmed the final table from eight down to just Ramos, the cream rose to the top, with Ramos having to get past local pro Zachary Milchman, who also finished second in a WSOP bracelet event, and John Holley, a seasoned pro that was fresh off a victory in the Seniors event 24 hours earlier.

The talent that Ramos got through only made the victory sweeter.

“Four-handed we had some pretty good players,” said Ramos. “So, it was nice to beat them out. I actually got to knock somebody out with my favorite holdings, queen-six. On a queen-queen-six flop, I had queen-six for a boat.”

Ramos knocked out Stephanie Chung in fourth place with that boat. It was the icing on the cake of a run of cards that saw Ramos run away with the chip lead four-handed. A chip lead that he attributes to his deep run at the WSOP in the mixed Omaha hi-lo event.

“We played a final table for almost a day and a half, so there was a lot of great experience there,” said Ramos. “I opened up my range a lot more four-handed. Before that, they probably looked at me as a tighter player and wasn’t capable of having certain holdings.”

Ramos’ first Hard Rock victory came in the $300 OE event at last April’s Hard Rock Poker Showdown. It’s clear that the hi-lo split pot games are his specialty.

“I put in a lot of work throughout the year,” said Ramos about his hi-lo game. “Definitely a lot of discipline and making really good folds. Good folds at the right time that put yourself in a position to chip up big when you have a big hand.”

The 93-entry field paid out the top 12 spots. Here are a look at the results:

1st: Gabriel Ramos – $8,371
2nd: Zachary Milchman – $4,952
3rd: John Holley – $3,501
4th: Stephanie Chung – $2,581
5th: Michael Lee – $1,911
6th: Sylvain Bouchard – $1,465
7th: William Marsh – $1,144
8th: Stephen Esposito – $907
9th: Pete Walsworth – $767
10th: Claudangelo Beaudouin – $767
11th: Nathan Woodside – $767
12th: Christopher Gallaher – $767

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 1 of 93

Zack Milchman raised to 55,000 on the button and Gabriel Ramos three-bet to 125,000 out of the big blind. Milchman called and the flop was .

Ramos bet 80,000 and Milchman moved all in for about 250,000. Ramos snap-called.

Ramos showed and Milchman tabled .

The turn was the and the river was the . Ramos scooped the entire pot and Milchman was eliminated in second.

Milchman earned $4,952 for his runner-up finish and Ramos earned $8,371 for the win.

Gabriel Ramos – $360 Big O Champion
Zack Milchman – Eliminated 

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 2 of 93

John Holley raised to 70,000 on the button and Zack Milchman re-potted to 230,000 out of the small blind. Holley called and was all in for 90,000.

Holley showed and was up against Milchman’s .

The board ran out and Milchman scooped the pot to eliminate Holley in third place for $3,501.

Milchman goes into heads-up play at a slight chip disadvantage against Gabriel Ramos.

Zack Milchman – 395,000
John Holley – Eliminated 

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 93

John Holley raised on the button to 40,000 and Zack Milchman moved all in out of the small blind for 120,000. Holley called.

“I don’t even have a good hand, but I’m calling because I’m tired,” said Holley, before showing .

Milchman tabled and was in the lead.

The board ran out and Milchman doubled up with aces full.

Zack Milchman – 260,000
John Holley – 90,000

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 93

Zack Milchman limped in on the button, Gabriel Ramos completed the small blind and Stephanie Chung checked her option in the big blind.

All three players checked a flop of and the came on the turn. Ramos bet 17,000, Chung called and was all in for that exact amount and Milchman called as well.

The river was the and Ramos bet 50,000. Milchman snap-called. Milchman showed , giving him the nut low, Ramos won the other half of the pot with , good for queens full of sixes, and Chung was scooped with her .

Chung was eliminated in fourth place for $2,581 while Milchman and Ramos chopped up the pot.

Gabriel Ramos – 525,000
Zack Milchman – 130,000
Stephanie Chung – Eliminated 

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 93

Stephanie Chung limped in from under the gun and Zack Milchman completed the small blind. Gabriel Ramos checked his option and the flop was .

All three players checked and the came on the turn. Milchman checked, Ramos bet 20,000 and Chung potted it to 123,000. Milchman folded and Ramos called.

Ramos thought Chung was all in and nearly exposed his hand. Chung had 15,000 left, however, and they headed to the river.

Ramos checked and Chung checked behind. Ramos tabled and Chung mucked her hand.

Gabriel Ramos – 470,000

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 6,000/12,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 93

One hand after Stephanie Chung dropped to six big blinds, Gabriel Ramos limped from the button for 12,000, Chung raised from the small blind to 48,000, and Ramos called.

The flop came , and Chung moved all in for 21,000. Ramos thought for a few moments before he called, and they turned over their cards.

Gabriel Ramos:  
Stephanie Chung:  

The final board came , and Chung won the pot with her jack-eight for a queen-high straight to double up in chips.

Stephanie Chung  –  150,000  (13 bb)
Gabriel Ramos  –  355,000  (30 bb)

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 6,000/12,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 93

Gabriel Ramos raised from the small blind to 26,000, and Stephanie Chung called from the big blind.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Ramos bet 18,000, and Chung called.

The river card was the , Ramos bet 45,000, and Chung tanked for a long time before she called.

Ramos turned over - for a full house, nines full of aces. Chung held her cards for a little while, clearly unable to beat it, but unable to let go. She finally mucked, saying, “I wish that queen hadn’t hit,” and Ramos won the pot.

Here are their updated chip counts after the hand:

Seat 1.  Zach Milchman  –  148,000  (12 bb)
Seat 2.  Gabriel Ramos  –  425,000  (35 bb)
Seat 3.  Stephanie Chung  –  69,000  (6 bb)
Seat 4.  John Holley  –  290,000  (24 bb)

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 5,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 93

Gabriel Ramos completed the small blind and Stephanie Chung checked her option in the big blind.

They both checked a flop of and the came on the turn. Ramos bet 25,000 and Chung called.

The river was the and both players checked. Ramos showed , good for trip kings and the nut low. Chung mucked her hand and Ramos won the pot.

Gabriel Ramos – 275,000
Stephanie Chung – 190,000

$360 Big O
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 5,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 93

John Holley raised to 25,000 from under the gun and Stephanie Chung called out of the big blind.

They checked to the river on a board of . On the river, Chung checked and Holley potted it for 55,000.

Chung thought for a couple minutes before calling. Holley showed , good for queens full of deuces, and Chung mucked her hand.

John Holley – 260,000
Stephanie Chung – 270,000