The 2018 SHRPO $1,100 Big 4 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry), which began with 640 runners, is down the final table of eight. Among them are a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, WPTDeepStacks Champion, an Irish superstar making back-to-back final tables in this event, and someone who has made a SHRPO Big 4 final table three years running!
They are set to return at 1p.m. local time to play out the final table in front of the Poker Night in America cameras. Action will resume in Level 27 (30,000/60,000/60,000) with 26:08 left on the clock.\
Seat 1: Joey Couden
Chip Count: 3,045,000
Joey Couden of Columbus, Ohio begins the final table as the chip leader. The 31-year-old poker pro and father of three (Kenzie, Austin and Sophie) is currently having the best year of his career with $614,216 in tournament earnings.
That includes a career-high $251,523 for finishing fourth in April’s $3,500 WPT Showdown Championship here at SHRPO, and $244,370 for taking down the 2018 World Series of Poker Event #53: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better, which also came with his first bracelet.
Seat 2: James Salmon
Chip Count: 1,260,000
James Salmon, a 32-year-old married poker pro, may have home field advantage at the final table. He hails from Miami and is a familiar face at the Hard Rock. He has just shy of $700K in tournament earnings including a career-high $91,097 for finishing runner-up in the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Event #1: $350 Deepstack. He also won two titles at the venue in 2014 and 2015 for $35,411 and $31,074 respectively.
In 2017, Salmon made a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event finishing in 142nd place for $53,247.
Seat 3: Marc MacDonnell
Chip Count: 1,145,000
Marc MacDonnell, 31, is no stranger to this event’s final table. Last year, he finished third out of a field of 633 entries for $53,349. MacDonnell, who currently ranks sixth on Ireland’s all-time money list with more than $1.8 million in earnings, has also made noise at the World Series of Poker in recent years.
At the 2015 WSOP, he finished runner-up to John Reading in Event #6: $1,000 NLH Hyper Turbo for $155,876, and at the 2017 WSOP placed fourth in the Millionaire Maker for $420,805. Earlier this year, he finished fourth in the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic for $319,310.
Seat 4: Paul Balzano
Chip Count: 1,970,000
Based out of Sunrise, Florida, 53-year-old Paul Balzano (married with one daughter) has more than $1.4 million in lifetime earnings including a career-best $180,583 for winning the 2014 Wynn Poker Classic.
This marks his third SHRPO Big 4 final table in a row. In 2016, he finished seventh in the $5,250 Championship event for $125,000 and last year took fourth in the $2,650 NLH for $61,500.
If he can close out this final table he’ll not only capture the coveted SHRPO trophy but also notch the biggest score of his career.
Seat 5: Adam Zeltser
Chip Count: 640,000
Adam Zeltser, 33, enters the final table as the extreme short stack. He lists making this final table as his best poker accomplishment, which it must be given he has no documented cashes on HendonMob. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, Zeltser will look to spin it up early.
Seat 6: Michael Graffeo
Chip Count: 1,585,000
Born in Brooklyn, New York but now residing in Boca Raton, Florida, 43-year-old Michael Graffeo has $627,764 in tournament earnings. His best score came at this very venue back in January 2017 when he topped a massive field of 1,509 entries to win the 2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open $1,100 WPTDeepStacks for $290,687.
Other highlights on his poker résumé include $88,481 for finishing third in a 2007 WSOP $2,000 NLH event and $58,200 for finishing runner-up in the 2009 Festa al Lago.
Seat 7: Maria Ho
Chip Count: 1,365,000
Maria Ho, 35, was slated to emcee and announce the Big 4 action, and while she might try to juggle some duties, she’s going to have to come on with her player cap on. That’s because the professional poker player, who this summer was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, is in contention for a SHRPO title.
A true ambassador of the game, Ho is an accomplished player with more than $2.8 million in earnings and has made a name for herself as a go-to commentator. She also appeared on a season of CBS’ The Amazing Race alongside Tiffany Michelle.
Seat 8: Dennis Rodriguez
Chip Count: 1,975,000
Dennis Rodriguez, 39, was born in Queens, New York but now resides in Sunrise, Florida. He has $158,859 in lifetime earnings a career-best $46,996 for finishing fourth in April’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Event #8: $1,100 WPTDeepStacks Immokalee.
He also took fifth in the 2011 DeepStack $350 NLH Event for $21,000 and fourth in the 2014 WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Coconut Creek $350 DeepStack for $12,750.
and was racing against MacDonnell’s 
.
and Couden turned a set of sevens to take a commanding lead. It was short lived however as MacDonnell spiked a 
on the river to make broadway and take the chip lead.
and was flipping against Counden’s 
and Rodgriuez flopped a set of queens but needed to dodge another diamond. The turn 
and river 
in the lead against Ho’s 
.
and Balzano’s pocket nines held to eliminate Ho in 7th place and take the chip lead.
and Couden spiked a ten to take the lead.
hit the turn. The river brought the 
and Salmon wound up with a straight to score a double.
, Balzano checked and Couden bet 130,000. Balzano called.
and needed to hold against Couden’s 
. The 
on the turn made it official as the meaningless 
hit the river.
