2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 689
Prize Pool: $668,330
April 8-10, 2019

The day started with 107 of the 689 entrants returning in Event 9, a multi-flight $1,100 buy-in with $250,000 guaranteed.  Following about 12 hours of play, Richard Alati captured the win after a heads-up cop with Sam Panzica. The victory earned Alati $107,740 while Panzica scored $100,836.

The first order of business in the restart was bursting the money bubble. This happened in the second level of the day when Ryan McKnight’s pocket queens got cracked by Kyle Carson’s pocket jacks. Tournament staff Jordan Cutter was announcing for all the room to hear when the jack spiked the river.

Among those notable players who cashed include, Tony Dunst, Eli Levy, David Baker, Eric Baldwin,  Mike Azzaro,  Michael Dyer, Ory Hen, and Wally Maddah.

When the field reached the final three tables, it was the eventual runner-up Panzica in the lead. He carried that lead into the dinner break with nineteen players left while start-of-day chip leader Ofer Peleg bowwed out in 22nd place finish good for $4,672.

Darryll Fish was the first to go once the final two tables were combined. It was a cooler situation as Fish ran his pocket queens into Panzica’s pocket aces to extend his lead.

The champion, Alati, was next to score a knockout at the hands of Peter Eichhardt in another cooler situation. This time it was Eichhardts’s pocket kings against Alati’s pocket aces.

Panzica had almost double his next closest competitor when the 10-handed final table commenced and Rich Alati started his fury of knockouts with Haim Toorgeman in 10th place by winning a classic coin flip.

Roberto Bendeck took out Kurt Lichtman in ninth place, then it was Panzica’s turn. In a battle of the blinds he took out Marcus Gonsalves with ace-queen versus ace-jack.

After that Alati went on a knock out spree. His first casualty was Kyle Carson, followed by Roberto Bendeck, and Judy Miller. His fourth elimination in a row was Philip Pizzari Pinto in fourth place.

This set up the stacked three-handed play with Alati in the lead against Panzica and Ryan Olisar. Olisar shortly doubled through Alati to break his knock out streak. The stacks were near even at that point and Alati joked, “You guys take the money, I just want the trophy.”

On the last hand before break, Alati turned a straight against Olisar’s top pair to send the action to heads up. The final two players elected to chop it up with Alati’s lead garnering him the trophy.

In a moment of inspiring prose, Darren Rabinowitz tells the table, “Rich Alati, just emerging from his month of solitary confinement and still squinting under the bright lights, is victorious.”

He’s referring to the prop bet that Alati won a few months back when he successfully stayed in a blacked out and sound proof bathroom for 20 days straight.

“The prop bet definitely helped to get me centered. It gave me some time to reflect on a lot of things. It helped me be more patient at the table, more calm, and to think logically”

Alati called his shot in a group chat to his friends. He told them the day of the tournament to not play the tournament because he was going to win. They didn’t listen, though he did give them a shout out, as well as his family.

Final Table Results:

1st: Richard Alati – $107,740*
2nd: Sam Panzica –  $100,836*
3rd: Ryan Olisar – $55,425
4th: Philipe Pizzari Pinto – $40,695
5th: Judy Miller – $31,077
6th: Roberto Bendeck- $24,775
7th: Kyle Carson – $20,518
8th: Markus Gonsalves – $16,334
9th: Kurt Lichtman – $12,264
10th: Haim Toorgeman – $10,159

*denotes chop agreement

• Download: Final Results (PDF)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31: 75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 689

The final two players, Rich Alati and Sam Panzica have agreed to a deal heads up with Alati getting the trophy. A full recap will be posted shortly.

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31: 75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 689

Here’s how the final two stack up:

Richard Alati – 10,225,000 (82 bb)
Sam Panzica – 7,000,000 (56 bb)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 689

Ryan Olisar opened to 210,000 from the button and Richard Alati called from the small blind.

The flop came , Alati checked and Olisar bet 210,000. Alati called.

The turn brought the , Alati checked again and Olisar bet 650,000. Alati raised to 1,300,000 and Olisar shoved.

Alati snap called with for nuts and had Olisar’s top pair drawing dead.

Richard Alati – 10,225,000
Ryan Olisar – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($55,425)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 689

Ryan Olisar was all in for 2,400,000 with and racing against Richard Alati’s .

The flop came [and][Alati][took][a][commanding][lead.][It][was][short][lived][however][when][the][ spiked the turn.

The river was the ending Alati’s elimination streak. Alait said “F*ck, I thought that was so it” as he doubled Olisar up.

Ryan Olisar – 5,000,000 (67 bb)
Richard Alati – 6,500,000 (87 bb)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 689

Ryan Olisar opened to 150,000 from under the gun and Richard Alati three-bet to 525,000 from the button.

Philipe Pizzari Pinto in the big blind announced call thinking he was just calling Olisar’s open, unfortunately for him the verbal call was binding for the 525,000.

Olisar got out of the way and it was heads up to the flop. Pinto shoved for 880,000 and Alati called. Pinto tabled and needed to improve against Alati’s .

The turn brought the giving Alati top pair to score his fourth knock out in a row.

Richard Alati – 8,100,000 (108 bb)
Philipe Pizzari Pinto – Eliminated in 4th Place ($40,695

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 689

Judy Miller was all in for around 1,000,000 with and needed to get lucky against Richard Alati’s .

The flop came giving Miller some chop outs and Alati a straight draw. The turn was a brick, the .

The river was the and Alati made his straight to eliminate Miller and score yet another knock out.

Richard Alati – 8,200,000 (109 bb)
Judy Miller –  Eliminated in 5th place ($31,070)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 689

Roberto Bendeck was all in for 875,000 with and had kicker problems against Alati’s .

The board came and Alati ended up with two-pair to score another knockout.

Richard Alati – 7,200,000 (96 bb)
Roberto Bendeck – Eliminated in 6th Place ($24,775)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 689

Kyle Carson was all in for around 250,000 with against Richard Alati’s .

The board ran out and Alati’s sevens held to eliminate Carson.

Richard Alati – 5,650,000 (75 bb)
Kyle Carson – Eliminated in 7th Place ($20,518)

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$250,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 689

In a battle of the blinds Markus Gonsalves was all in for around 800,000 with versus Sam Panzica’s .

The board ran out and Panzica’s queen kicker held to eliminate Gonsalves.

Sam Panzica – 6,200,000 (83 bb)
Markus Gonsalves – Eliminated in 8th Place ($16,334)