Pedro Catinchi Falls Two Chips Shy of a Chip-and-a-Chair Victory as Ben Boston Wins Event 1 in a Six-Way Deal

2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guarantee
Entries: 4,699
Prize Pool: $1,579,640
November 20-24, 2018

Event 1 Champion - Ben Boston
Event 1 Champion Ben Boston

The 2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open got off to a fantastic start with 4,699 entries in Event 1, and on Monday afternoon, the final six players agreed to split the remaining prizepool based on the ICM values of their chip stacks.

Ben Boston had the most chips and was declared the winner, earning the title and the trophy, along with $133,918.

“It feels great,” said Boston. “I’ve toyed around with tournaments a little bit over the years, but I never really took them seriously. I’m a cash game player.”

Boston hasn’t been to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in quite a few years, and the property has changed a lot since then, culminating in the grand opening of the new Guitar Hotel, which just opened last month.

But something about this event got Boston’s attention, and he flew in from Los Angeles to play it.

“I wasn’t expecting to win anything,” said Boston. “It’s a $400 coin flip into a field of almost 5,000 people. Of course I thought I was torching the $400. But why not?”

Final Six Players Chopped Event 1
The final six players who chopped the remaining prizepool, clockwise from top left: Song O., John Two-Bears, Brian Mancilla, Pedro Catinchi, champion Ben Boston, and Ronald Campillo.

Thanks to their deal, the final six players all earned at least $114,000 each, which is 285x their $400 buy-in.

The biggest story from this event was the amazing comeback of Pedro Catinchi, who was knocked down to a single chip — just 1/4 of the big blind — before the dinner break on Day 2. But Catinchi managed to climb out of that hole, and when Day 2 came to an end with 13 players remaining, Catinchi bagged up the chip lead.

It took another three hours of play on Monday afternoon to get from 13 players down to six, and after playing six-handed for a while, that’s when they agreed to a deal.

At that point, Catinchi was just two chips behind Boston for the lead — 1/6 of a big blind. While Catinchi doesn’t get the full worst-to-first credit that would have come with a victory, it’s still an epic comeback, and an incredible ending to the first event of the 2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open.

Pedro Catinchi
When this photo was taken shortly after the dinner break on Day 2, Pedro Catinchi had no idea that his chip-and-a-chair comeback would take him all the way to second place.

Final Table Results:

1st:  Ben Boston  –  $133,918 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  Pedro Catinchi  –  $133,776
3rd:  Song O.  –  $128,869
4th:  Ronald Campillo  –  $119,432
5th:  Brian Mancilla  –  $116,143
6th:  John Two-Bears  –  $114,897
7th:  Richard Leger  –  $39,605
8th:  Stuart Hankin  –  $27,625
9th:  Leif Force  –  $16,440

Event 1: Ben Boston Wins in a Six-Way Chop

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 4,699

Ben Boston
Ben Boston

The final six players have agreed to an ICM deal based on their current chip counts:

Seat 1.  John Two-Bears  –  12,700,000  (21 bb)
Seat 2.  Song O.  –  16,950,000  (28 bb)
Seat 3.  Ben Boston  –  18,675,000  (31 bb)
Seat 4.  Ronald Campillo  –  14,000,000  (23 bb)
Seat 5.  Brian Mancilla  –  13,050,000  (22 bb)
Seat 6.  Pedro Catinchi  –  18,625,000  (31 bb)

As chipleader, Ben Boston won the trophy and the title, and will receive the most money. Stay tuned for the official results and a tournament recap.

Event 1: John Two-Bears Doubles Thru Brian Mancilla; Brian Mancilla Lays Down Queens Preflop; Ronald Campillo Doubles Thru Ben Boston

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 4,699

John Two-Bears
John Two-Bears

Brian Mancilla raised from the button to 1,400,000, John Two-Bears moved all in from the big blind for 5,175,000, and Mancilla called with AdQh.

Two-Bears turned over Jc10c and said, “Good luck me.”

The board came 7h6h3c10d6s, and Two-Bears paired his ten on the turn to win the pot and double up in chips.

John Two-Bears  –  11,100,000  (22 bb)
Brian Mancilla  –  17,500,000  (35 bb)

Brian Mancilla
Brian Mancilla

A few minutes later, Level 36 came to an end, and Level 37 began with increased blinds of 300,000-600,000 and a 600,000 ante.

Pedro Catinchi limped under the gun for 600,000, Mancilla raised from the big blind to 2,600,000, and Catinchi limp-raised all in for more than 17 million.

Mancilla thought for a short while before he folded QsQd face up. Catinchi turned over AxKx as he took the pot.

Pedro Catinchi  –  20,750,000  (35 bb)
Brian Mancilla  –  16,100,000  (27 bb)

Ronald Campillo
Ronald Campillo

A little while later, Ben Boston raised from the cutoff to 1,300,000, Ronald Campillo moved all in from the button for 4,800,000, and Boston called with 9s7s. Campillo turned over KhQd, and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came As10s8d4c8h — Boston flopped a spade flush draw with an open-ended straight draw, but missed all of his outs. Campillo won the pot with his king to double up in chips.

Ronald Campillo  –  11,100,000  (19 bb)
Ben Boston  –  20,475,000  (34 bb)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 15,675,000 (26 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $55,585.

Event 1: Richard Leger – 7th Place ($39,605)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 36:  250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 4,699

Richard Leger
Richard Leger

Richard Leger moved all in under the gun for 3,300,000, and Ben Boston called from the cutoff with AdKc.

Leger turned over 9s8s, and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came 7s7c5hKs5d — Leger flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned a spade flush draw, but he improved no further. Boston won the pot with two pair, kings and sevens, to eliminate Leger in seventh place.

Ben Boston  –  22,200,000  (44 bb)
Richard Leger  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($39,605)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 15,675,000 (31 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $55,585.

Event 1: Stuart Hankin – 8th Place ($27,625)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 36:  250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 4,699

Stuart Hankin
Stuart Hankin

Stuart Hankin moved all in from the button for 4,450,000, and Ben Boston called from the small blind with 7s7c.

Hankin turned over KhJs, and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came 9c7h5h3s5d, and Boston flopped a set of sevens and rivered a full house to win the pot and eliminate Hankin in eighth place.

Ben Boston  –  19,400,000  (39 bb)
Stuart Hankin  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($27,625)

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 13,425,000 (27 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $39,605.

Event 1: Leif Force – 9th Place ($16,440)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 36:  250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 4,699

Leif Force
Leif Force

Leif Force moved all in from the hijack for 6,350,000, and Ben Boston called from the cutoff with a slightly larger stack and showed 9h9d.

Force turned over AhQd, and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came Jh10c5c4c3d — Force flopped a gutshot straight draw, but improved no further. Boston won the pot with his pocket nines to eliminate Force in ninth place.

Ben Boston  –  14,900,000  (30 bb)
Leif Force  –  Eliminated in 9th Place  ($16,440)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is about 11,750,000 (24 big blinds), and the next player to bust will earn $27,625.

Event 1: Official Chip Counts from the Break; Song O. Leads with 19.5 Million

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 36:  250,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 4,699

Event 1 - Final Table
Final Nine Players

The final nine players return from break to begin Level 36, with increased blinds of 250,000-500,000 and a 500,000 ante. With nine players remaining, the average chip stack is about 10.45 million (21 big blinds).

Here are the official chip counts from the break:

Seat 1.  John Two-Bears  –  10,000,000  (20 bb)
Seat 2.  Song O.  –  19,500,000  (39 bb)
Seat 3.  Stuart Hankin  –  5,700,000  (11 bb)
Seat 4.  Leif Force  –  6,350,000  (13 bb)
Seat 5.  Ben Boston  –  7,300,000  (15 bb)
Seat 6.  Ronald Campillo  –  11,900,000  (24 bb)
Seat 7.  Brian Mancilla  –  16,725,000  (33 bb)
Seat 8.  Pedro Catinchi  –  8,425,000  (17 bb)
Seat 9.  Richard Leger  –  8,100,000  (16 bb)

Event 1: Song O. Doubles Thru Pedro Catinchi in the Biggest Pot So Far

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35:  200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 4,699

John Two-Bears raised under the gun to 1,200,000, Ben Boston moved all in from the hijack for 3,900,000, and Two-Bears called with As10h. Boston turned over 4h4d, and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came 7c5h3s5dQd, and the pocket fours held up for Boston to win the pot and double up in chips.

Ben Boston  –  8,800,000  (22 bb)
John Two-Bears  –  10,000,000  (25 bb)

Song O
Song O.

A short while later, Pedro Catinchi and Song O. have built up a huge pot (~9 million) with the flop showing Jh8d4d. Catinchi checked, and Song O. moved all in for 4,700,000.

Catinchi asked for an exact count and thought for a bit before he said, “I think you missed,” and he called with 7s7c.

But Song O. didn’t miss — he turned over AsAh.

The turn card was the 5d, the river card was the 8h, and the aces held up for Song O. to win the biggest pot of the tournament so far and double up into the chip lead.

Song O.  –  18,400,000  (46 bb)
Pedro Catinchi  –  8,450,000  (21 bb)

Event 1: Final Table Begins with Pedro “Chip and a Chair” Catinchi in the Lead

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35:  200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 4,699

After the elimination of Gilles Dalco in 10th place, the final nine players redraw for random seats at the final table. Here are their approximate chip counts:

Seat 1.  John Two-Bears  –  11,900,000  (30 bb)
Seat 2.  Song O.  –  6,500,000  (16 bb)
Seat 3.  Stuart Hankin  –  7,600,000  (19 bb)
Seat 4.  Leif Force  –  7,350,000  (18 bb)
Seat 5.  Ben Boston  –  4,100,000  (10 bb)
Seat 6.  Ronald Campillo  –  15,500,000  (39 bb)
Seat 7.  Brian Mancilla  –  16,600,000  (42 bb)
Seat 8.  Pedro Catinchi  –  16,725,000  (42 bb)
Seat 9.  Richard Leger  –  5,800,000  (15 bb)

As a reminder, chipleader Pedro Catinchi was down to just 1/4 of a big blind yesterday before the dinner break, and he has made an epic comeback to make it to the final table as chipleader. (Click here for more on Catinchi’s comeback.)

And here is the remaining prizepool at stake:

1st:  $253,410 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $164,230
3rd:  $110,720
4th:  $90,730
5th:  $72,360
6th:  $55,585
7th:  $39,605
8th:  $27,625
9th:  $16,440

Now that they are at the final table, levels will increase to one hour.

Event 1: Leif Force Loses Two All-Ins, Then Knocks Out Gilles Dalco in 10th Place

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 35:  200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 4,699

Leif Force
Leif Force

Richard Leger was all in from the big blind for 3,950,000 with AhQc, and he needed to improve to stay alive against the 9h9c of Leif Force, who was under the gun.

The board came 7s4h2d4sQh, and Leger spikes a queen on the river to win the pot and double up in chips.

Richard Leger  –  8,500,000  (21 bb)
Leif Force  –  3,200,000  (8 bb)

Force build his way back up to 8.6 million (there was possibly a double-up in there), and then Stuart Hankin got it all in from the small blind for 3,400,000 with AhQd against the AcJh of Force on the button.

The board came Kc10c4d8s6d, and Hankin won the pot with his queen kicker to double up in chips.

Stuart Hankin  –  7,400,000  (19 bb)
Leif Force  –  5,200,000  (13 bb)

Gilles Dalco
Gilles Dalco

A few minutes later, Gilles Dalco got it all in from the button for 1,175,000 with AcKd against Force’s 8h8c under the gun.

The board came Kc8d7dJh4s, and Force flopped a set of eights to win the pot and eliminate Dalco in 10th place.

Leif Force  –  7,350,000  (18 bb)
Gilles Dalco  –  Eliminated in 10th Place  ($16,440)

The final nine players are now redrawing for random seats at the final table. Stay tuned for chip counts and an updated seat map.