Millionaire Maker Champion John Gorsuch Wins Event 11 on His Birthday

2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 11
$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guarantee
Entries: 486
Prize Pool: $58,320
November 25, 2019

Event 11 Champion John Gorsuch
Event 11 Champion John Gorsuch

Tuesday is John Gorsuch’s birthday, and he was planning to take the day off from poker to visit his parents. He could enter Event 9 on Monday, hopefully bag up chips, visit his parents on Tuesday, and return on Wednesday for Day 2.

The first part went according to plan, though it took four bullets for Gorsuch to bag up chips in the morning starting flight. But Gorsuch’s buddy was playing the evening starting flight.

“I had literally nothing else to do,” said Gorsich. He figured he could enter this $150 buy-in one-day event, order some food, watch the football game on the big TVs, and then when he and his buddy busted, they could return to his RV.

But Gorsuch never busted, and he wound up winning the tournament in a 6-player deal when he held a massive chip lead with three times as many chips as anybody else. The tournament ended shortly before 4:00 am on Tuesday — Gorsuch’s birthday.

In addition to the prize money, Gorsuch won a $3,500 seat into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship, which begins on Friday.

Gorsuch has become pretty recognizable in the poker world since he won the WSOP Millionaire Maker this past summer in Las Vegas. But even with a WSOP bracelet and a seven-figure victory on his poker resume, Gorsuch was pleased to win this relatively small $150 tournament.

“I’ve been playing here [at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood] since 2013,” said Gorsuch. “So it’s good to get it, to finally capture a Hard Rock trophy.”

After his victory, Gorsuch praised the casino and the staff. “Special thanks to the staff here, from Tony [Burns] all the way down to the dealers and the masseuses. Everything here is top notch.”

Gorsuch also had praise for the players at the final table, which felt more like a friendly home game filled with inside jokes than a cutthroat competition. “Everyone was having fun,” said Gorsuch, “and there were no bad attitude players. For me, it’s been a good year, so I’m trying to bring that fun and that attitude to every tournament I play.”


Final Table Results:

1st:  John Gorsuch  –  $8,000 + $3,500 Championship Seat + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  Steven Westerholt  –  $6,000
3rd:  Eric Kolodny  –  $6,000
4th:  Tuan Phan  –  $4,646
5th:  Louis Leo IV  –  $4,546
6th:  Theophilus Lawson  –  $4,134
7th:  Francky Dumornay  –  $1,904
8th:  Alfredo Fernandez  –  $1,527
9th:  Jeff Rodriguez  –  $1,151

Event 11: John Gorsuch Wins in a Six-Way Chop

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 486

John Gorsuch
John Gorsuch

The final six players battled for a little while before they came to an agreement for a six-way deal, slightly modifying the numbers from an ICM chop.

At that point, John Gorsuch had a massive chip lead, with more than 3x as many chips as anyone else, and as chipleader, he wins the title, the trophy, and the $3,500 seat into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship that begins on Friday.

These were the chip counts at the time of the deal:

1.  John Gorsuch  –  3,335,000  (56 bb)
2.  Steven Westerholt  –  1,095,000  (18 bb)
3.  Eric Kolodny  –  960,000  (16 bb)
4.  Tuan Phan  –  760,000  (13 bb)
5.  Louis Leo IV  –  640,000  (11 bb)
6.  Theo Lawson  –  505,000  (8 bb)

And these are their modified payouts:

1st:  John Gorsuch  –  $8,000 + $3,500 Championship Seat + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  Steven Westerholt  –  $6,000
3rd:  Eric Kolodny  –  $6,000
4th:  Tuan Phan  –  $4,646
5th:  Louis Leo IV  –  $4,546
6th:  Theophilus Lawson  –  $4,134

Stay tuned for a recap from this event, which will be posted later tonight.

Event 11: Francky Dumornay – 7th Place ($1,904)

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 486

Francky Dumornay
Francky Dumornay

Francky Dumornay moved all in from the cutoff for 135,000, and Tuan Phan called from the small blind with Ac10s.

Dumornay turned over 10c8c, and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came Ks5h3hQc4d, and Phan won the pot with his ace to eliminate Dumornay in seventh place.

Tuan Phan  –  925,000  (19 bb)
Francky Dumornay  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($1,904)

With six players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,215,000 (24 big blinds), and the next player to bust will receive $2,281.

Event 11: Alfredo Fernandez – 8th Place ($1,527)

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 486

Alfredo Fernandez
Alfredo Fernandez

Alfredo Fernandez was all in from the cutoff for about 1,000,000 with 9s9c, and he needed to improve to stay alive against the KsKc of John Gorsuch, who was under the gun.

The board came Kd7d3s2cKh, and Gorsuch flopped a set of kings and rivered quads to win the pot and eliminate Fernandez in eighth place.

John Gorsuch  –  3,585,000  (72 bb)
Alfredo Fernandez  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($1,527)

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 1,040,000 (21 big blinds), and the next player to bust will receive $1,904.

Event 11: Jeff Rodriguez – 9th Place ($1,151)

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 486

Jeff Rodriguez
Jeff Rodriguez

John Gorsuch raised from middle position, Jeff Rodriguez moved all in from the small blind for a little more than 200K, and Gorsuch called with KdQh.

Rodriguez turned over AdKs, and he needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The board came QdJs8s5c7d, and Gorsuch paired his queen on the flop to win the pot and eliminate Rodriguez in ninth place.

John Gorsuch  –  1,900,000  (48 bb)
Jeff Rodriguez  –  Eliminated in 9th Place  ($1,151)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is about 910,000 (23 big blinds), and the next player to bust will receive $1,527.

Event 11: Final Table Begins with Theo Lawson in the Lead

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 486

Event 11 - Final Table
Event 11 Final Table

After the elimination of Mark Hurst in 10th place, the final nine players have redrawn for random seats at the final table.

Here are their approximate chip counts, followed by the remaining prizepool:

Seat 1.  Alfredo Fernandez  –  1,475,000  (49 bb)
Seat 2.  Louis Leo IV  –  175,000  (6 bb)
Seat 3.  Jeff Rodriguez  –  300,000  (10 bb)
Seat 4.  Eric Kolodny  –  1,405,000  (47 bb)
Seat 5.  Steven Westerholt  –  155,000  (5 bb)
Seat 6.  Francky Dumornay  –  220,000  (7 bb)
Seat 7.  John Gorsuch  –  1,560,000  (52 bb)
Seat 8.  Tuan Phan  –  310,000  (10 bb)
Seat 9.  Theo Lawson  –  1,595,000  (53 bb)

1st:  $11,500 + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $8,060
3rd:  $5,182
4th:  $3,566
5th:  $2,737
6th:  $2,281
7th:  $1,904
8th:  $1,527
9th:  $1,151

Event 11: Money Finishers, 10th-61st

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 486

Here is a list of the players who have finished in the money before the final table begins.

10th:  Mark Hurst  –  $951
11th:  Jacobo Milhem Mugrabi  –  $951
12th:  Carlos Loving  –  $951

13th:  Gregory Ackley  –  $752
14th:  Charles Mitchell III  –  $752
15th:  Hector Mariani Garcia  –  $752

16th:  Kareem Bernardo  –  $635
17th:  Timothy Gualandri  –  $635
18th:  Jonathan Grasso  –  $635

19th:  Nicholas Gualandri  –  $535
20th:  Allen Tenhoeve  –  $535
21st:  Wilmer Diaz Leal  –  $535

22nd:  Anthony Askey  –  $448
23rd:  Hien Tieu  –  $448
24th:  Lawrence Klur  –  $448

25th:  Yesniel Pulido  –  $386
26th:  Derrick Simon  –  $386
27th:  Otis James  –  $386

28th:  Richard Alati  –  $335
29th:  Tomer Akerman  –  $335
30th:  Jeffrey Musiello  –  $335
31st:  Juan Arongo  –  $335
32nd:  Steven Marcozzi  –  $335
33rd:  Marla Crumpler  –  $335
34th:  Kevin Buldo  –  $335
35th:  David Meagher  –  $335
36th:  Christopher Zollo  –  $335

37th:  Joseph Pernia  –  $289
38th:  Albert Eskenazi  –  $289
39th:  Irwin Block  –  $289
40th:  James Joyner IV  –  $289
41st:  Charles Campos  –  $289
42nd:  Kayeen Ellis-Kemp  –  $289
43rd:  Pasquale Caiazza  –  $289
44th:  Jose Reyes  –  $289
45th:  Sagi Zommer  –  $289

46th:  Ion Godoroja  –  $245
47th:  Stephane Foster  –  $245
48th:  Federico Herrera  –  $245
49th:  Mikhail Prokopchuk  –  $245
50th:  Gabriel Ramos  –  $245
51st:  Tomislav Krizanic  –  $245
52nd:  Ran Dolev  –  $245
53rd:  Richard Schmitt  –  $245
54th:  Perla Ojeda  –  $245

55th:  John Shemelynce  –  $210
56th:  Fernando Robles  –  $210
57th:  Michael Dreese  –  $210
58th:  Kathleen Pautler  –  $210
59th:  Alan Slakman  –  $210
60th:  Aldring Gomez Torres  –  $210
61st:  Gerson Santana  –  $210

Event 11: Prize Pool and Payouts with $11,500 Up Top

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 15:  2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 ante
Players Remaining:  72 of 486

Registration has closed, and with 486 entries, the $150 Big Stack NLH has built up a prizepool worth $58,320, easily exceeding the $30,000 guarantee.

The final 61 players will finish in the money, guaranteed at least $210 each, and the winner will earn $11,500, an RRPO trophy, and a $3,500 seat into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship.

2019 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 11
$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guarantee
Entries: 486
Prize Pool: $58,320
November 25, 2019

1st:  $11,500 + $3,500 Championship Seat + RRPO Trophy
2nd:  $8,060
3rd:  $5,182
4th:  $3,566
5th:  $2,737
6th:  $2,281
7th:  $1,904
8th:  $1,527
9th:  $1,151
10th-12th:  $951
13th-15th:  $752
16th-18th:  $635
19th-21st:  $535
22nd-24th:  $448
25th-27th:  $386
28th-36th:  $335
37th-45th:  $289
46th-54th:  $245
55th-61st:  $210

Event 11: Low Buy-in; Big Value

$150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1:  100/100

The popular evening $150 tournament is back this series and the first goes at 6 pm in the Seminole Ballroom. Event 11 has that small buy-in but a lot of big prizes at the end. The tournament features a $30,000 guaranteed prize pool and we have added a WPT RRPO Championship seat to the winner.

Great value aimed at our loyal players.

Entrants will start with 15,000 starting and the tournament runs 20-minute levels all night long. Late registration is available until the start of Level 9 at 9:10 pm with unlimited re-entries available.

This is another one-day tournament that will have some great play deep into the night but a lot of prizes out there to earn.

  • $30,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Winner receives ADDED $3,500 RRPO Championship seat
  • Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 11 Structure Sheet

RRPO Day 6 Schedule

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Event 9 Day 1A – $600 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

  • $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 20,000 in chips
  • Day 1 levels last 30 minutes; Day 2 levels last 40 minutes
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
  • Event 9 Structure Sheet

12PM: Event 10 – $400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)

  • Players begin with 12,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 10 Structure Sheet

2PM: Event 1 Day 3 – $400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

2PM: Event 8 Day 2 – $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty (Single Re-Entry)

5PM: Event 9 Day 1B – $600 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

  • $250,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Players begin with 20,000 in chips
  • Day 1 levels last 30 minutes; Day 2 levels last 40 minutes
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
  • Event 9 Structure Sheet

6PM: Event 11 – $150 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

  • $30,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • Winner receives ADDED $3,500 RRPO Championship seat
  • Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Event 11 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

9AM: Event 43 – $80 Event 9 Turbo Satellite (1-in-10)

  • 2 seats guaranteed into $250,000 GTD RRPO Event 9
  • Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Winners will be entered into the earliest flight available
  • Event 43 Sheet

3PM: Event 44 – $150 Double Green Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)

  • Winner receives $400 RRPO Championship satellite seat ADDED to 1st place
  • 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 44 Structure Sheet

8PM: Event 45 – $80 Event 9 Turbo Satellite (1-in-10)

  • 2 seats guaranteed into $250,000 GTD RRPO Event 9
  • Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 15-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
  • Winners will be entered into the earliest flight available
  • Event 45 Sheet

Complete 2019 Seminole Hard Rock “Rock N Roll” Poker Open Schedule