2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 8
$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Entries: 102
Prize Pool: $30,600
April 8, 2019

Event 8 of the 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown was a $360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry). A field of 102 entries generated a prize pool of $30,600 and a first-place prize of $9,331. In the end, a familiar face was left standing as champion. David Prociak emerged victorious, earning the outright win and his sixth SHRP trophy.

Not only is this Prociak’s sixth time winning an SHRP trophy, but it’s his fourth in Pot Limit Omaha. The first came at the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, while the next two he won at the 2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open. He also won a WSOP Circuit ring here in 2017 in Pot Limit Omaha.

Add in his H.O.R.S.E. win at the 2016 Rock N’ Roll series, and a No-Limit Hold’em win at the 2019 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, and you have perhaps the most well-rounded tournament player at the Seminole Hard Rock. The results speak for themselves.

As to why Prociak has found so much success in the Pot Limit Omaha tournaments specifically, he thinks there’s a reason for it.

“I think I do a good job at just managing my luck,” Prociak told us after his win. “I get good stacks, and then I can afford to gamble in some hands, and a lot of people are afraid to play back at you when they know you’re going to play the pot all the way to the river a lot of times. I think I built up a little bit of a reputation for not being easy to bluff or let go of hands.”

When the final table of 10 players was reached, Prociak was second in chips. However, there were five straight double ups as chips were being passed around. Prociak was doubled though twice before he doubled up to reestablish himself.

“I fluctuated a bit at this final table. It was actually a weird dynamic because they were talking about an even chop ten ways, so I actually knew I could gamble a lot of my chips and still rely on the even chop so I could take some chances. And I did, and got short a couple of times.”

It took more than three full levels at the final table before the first player was eliminated.

“It was tough to knock people out. People were waiting around until they got kind of in that middling stack area where it became a little like where they were gonna put it all in with one hand, not where people are playing post flop.”

Once there were nine players left, though, Prociak found his groove and eliminated the rest of his competitors, en route to his claiming the trophy.

“It feels good,” Prociak said. “I always love to win these. It’s why I play them.”

Results:
1st: David Prociak $9,331 + Showdown trophy
2nd: Chris Kostoulas – $5,738
3rd: German Gomez – $3,519
4th: Luis Torres – $2,295
5th: Joe Bob Locke – $1,790
6th: Harry Thomas Jr. – $1,431
7th: Patrick Heneghan – $1,216
8th: Karim Merali – $1,056
9th: Gabriel Ramos – $933
10th: Charles Gomez – $842
11th: Facundo Lambre – $842
12th: Samuel Charnis – $842
13th: Donovan Walker – $765

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 12,000/24,000
Players Remaining: 1 of 102

David Prociak limped from the button, Chris Kostoulas raised the pot to 72,000 from the big blind, Prociak reraised the pot and Kostoulas sighed before calling all in for about 80,000 more.

“Aces,” said Prociak, as he showed .

Kostoulas needed help with .

The board ran out , giving Prociak a set of aces to win the pot and eliminate Kostoulas in second place.

Chris Kostoulas – Eliminated in 2nd Place ($5,738)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 2 of 102

German Gomez raised the pot from the button, David Prociak reraised from the small blind and Gomez called all in for about 90,000.

Gomez:
Prociak:

The board came down , no help to Gomez, ending his tournament in third place.

David Prociak – 990,000
Chris Kostoulas – 254,000
German Gomez – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($3,519)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Return to Level 22: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 102

David Prociak – 824,000
Chris Kostoulas – 244,000
German Gomez – 156,000

Payouts:
1st: $9,331 + Showdown trophy
2nd: $5,738
3rd: $3,519
4th: Luis Torres – $2,295
5th: Joe Bob Locke – $1,790
6th: Harry Thomas Jr. – $1,431
7th: Patrick Heneghan – $1,216
8th: Karim Merali – $1,056
9th: Gabriel Ramos – $933
10th: Charles Gomez – $842
11th: Facundo Lambre – $842
12th: Samuel Charnis – $842
13th: Donovan Walker – $765

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 102

Luis Torres limped in first to act, Chris Kostoulas limped from the button and David Prociak raised the pot from the small blind. Torres was the lone caller.

The flop was , Prociak bet the pot and Torres called all in for 123,000.

Prociak:
Torres:

Torres had a lot of outs, but found no help from the turn and river, ending his tournament in fourth place.

David Prociak – 824,000
Luis Torres – Eliminated in 4th Place ($2,295)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 102

Joe Bob Locke (pictured,  right) was all in from the big blind for about 87,000 with against David Prociak on the button with .

The board ran out , not enough help to Locke, ending his tournament in fifth place.

David Prociak – 675,000
Joe Bob Locke – Eliminated in 5th Place ($1,790)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 5 of 102

Harry Thomas Jr. raised to 35,000 from the cutoff, David Prociak called from the button and Joe Bob Locke three-bet all in from the big blind for 58,000. Both Thomas Jr. and Prociak called.

The flop came down , Thomas Jr. shoved for 97,000 and Prociak thought for a bit before he called.

Thomas Jr.:
Prociak:
Locke:

Thomas Jr. led with queens, but there was a long way to go.

The turn gave Locke a ten-high straight, and the river gave Prociak the same straight.

Locke and Prociak chopped the main pot, while Prociak eliminated Thomas Jr. in the side pot.

David Prociak – 545,000
Joe Bob Locke – 87,000
Harry Thomas Jr. – Eliminated in 6th Place ($1,431)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20: 6,000/12,000
Players Remaining: 6 of 102

Patrick Heneghan raised the pot to 42,000 from the button, David Prociak reraised the pot from the big blind and Heneghan called all in for about 75,000.

Heneghan:
Prociak:

The flop fell , giving Prociak the lead with a pair of jacks.

The turn was the , giving Heneghan a queen-high straight to pull ahead.

The river was the , giving Prociak a flush to eliminate Heneghan.

David Prociak – 415,000
Patrick Heneghan – Eliminated in 7th Place ($1,216)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19: 5,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 7 of 102

Following a flop of with 120,000 in the pot, Karim Merali checked from the big blind and David Prociak bet effectively, 43,000 from under the gun. Merali called all in.

Merali:
Prociak:

Prociak led with a pair of sevens and further improved with the turn and river to sevens and threes to eliminate Merali.

David Prociak – 285,000
Karim Merali – Eliminated in 8th Place (1,056)

$360 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18: 4,000/8,000
Players Remaining: 8 of 102

In a four-way limped pot the flop comes down .

David Prociak checked from the small blind, German Gomez checked from the big blind, Joe Bob Locke checked from under the gun and Chris Kostoula bet 22,000 from middle position.

Prociak folded, Gomes check-raised all in for 26,000, Locke folded and Kostoula called.

Gomez:
Kostoula:

Kostoula was in the lead and held up through the turn, but the river was the to give Gomez a seven-high straight to double up.

German Gomez – 84,000
Chris Kostoula – 124,000