2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 15
$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 211
Prize Pool: $422,000
August 7, 2019

Registration is closed in Event 15, the $2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry) tournament, and it drew 211 entries to more than double the guarantee. The top 27 places will be paid.

Up top for the champion is $97,160, a SHRPO trophy and a custom-framed winner’s photo courtesy of IMPDI.

1st: $97,160 + SHRPO trophy
2nd: $64,775
3rd: $47,290
4th: $35,020
5th: $26,310
6th: $20,055
7th: $15,515
8th: $12,185
9th-10th: $9,715
11th-12th: $7,870
13th-14th: $6,475
15th-16th: $5,410
17th-20th: $4,600
21st-24th: $3,970
25th-27th: $3,490

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Returning to Level 12: 1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Entries: 207

(Preflop and flop details told to us by Byron Kaverman)

Joe McKeehen raised from the cutoff, Bryon Kaverman called from the button and John Richards three-bet from the big blind. McKeehen four-bet, Kaverman folded and Richards called.

The flop was and Richards check-called a bet from McKeehen. The turn was the , Richards checked, McKeehen shoved for effectively 72,000 and Richards tanked for several minutes before he folded.

McKeehen showed as he collected the pot.

“Ahhhhhh,” yelled Richards. “He’s so f****** good!”

McKeehen takes the chip lead into the dinner break and leads the remaining 51 players.

Joe McKeehen – 285,000 (143 bb)
John Richards – 73,000 (37 bb)

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 11: 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Entries: 207

Event 15 reached the end of Level 11 and the players were sent on their 40-minute break. Registration will close when they return at 6:30 pm.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Entries: 200

Event 15 hit the guarantee double-up point in Level 10 and the prize pool hit $400,000 with plenty of time to pile on.

Five-time SHRP champion (and WPT Champions Club member) Brian Altman, Joe McKeehen, Jake Schwartz, Melisa Singh, Chad Eveslage, and James Carroll are a few others helping to spin it up.

Along with Maria Ho and Jerry Wong, Carroll and Eveslage make it four of the six WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship final table members present today. Eveslage finished in sixth place at that final table in Las Vegas, moving him up to second place in the SHRP Player of the Year race, and Carroll won it all for $715,175.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Entries: 190

Event 15 is closing in on 200 entries which would double the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and they show no signs of slowing as more top players join.

Recent additions include Olivier Busquet, Shannon Shorr, Ray Qartomy, Ronit Chamani, Victor Figueroa, Chris Hunichen, Ricky Guan, and Adam Owen.

This is Owen’s first trip to South Florida for one of our series and he started off with a bang. He hit town on Monday and promptly final tabled the $400 Pot Limit Omaha tournament later that night.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6: 300/500 with a 500 ante
Entries: 153

Event 15 is shaping nicely as a Big 4 warmup and it should easily double its guarantee later this evening. This tournament drew 209 last year and beating that is easily within reach.

Anthony Zinno and Kitty Kuo are another two more players making their 2019 SHRPO debut. WPT Champions Club member Zinno put another notch on his belt this summer when he won his second WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8 tournament.

Kuo is still looking for that first major title but she crossed over $2,000,000 in career earnings earlier this summer and also has a WPT runner-up finish in 2018.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries: 139

Event 15 hit the first break fo the day and Salon East emptied. The turnout continues to be consistent and players continue to push the prize pool higher.

A walk among the tables found Jeremiah Williams leading with a lot of big guns trying to chase him down. He holds 85,000 and Andrew Hawkins looks like his closest competitor with 56,000.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries: 128

SHRP favorite Maria Ho arrived in town last night and sat down this afternoon for her first SHRPO tournament of the series. She’s warming up for the Big 4 events this weekend where she’ll be more than just playing poker.

On top of her time at the tables, Maria will be hosting our daily videos around the property and mc’ing our Big 4 final table action on August 13. Last summer she had to do a little more work to do; she was mc’ing at the same time that she was playing at a Big 4 final table of her own. Maria finished seventh in the $1,100 event then picked up the microphone and continued to work.

In more recent news, Maria is having a great 2019. She won the LAPC $25K High Roller in March, finished fourth in the partypoker MILLIONS North America High Roller, and final tabled the $5,000 WSOP tournament. In between all of that, she made our WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship final table.

Those WPT final six played it out in Las Vegas and she finished in third place for $334,960. All told, Maria has cashed for $911,563 so far in 2019 and we still have five months remaining in the year.

In addition to her success at the tables, Maria was inducted into the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame earlier this summer to cement her status in the poker world.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries: 109

We had a quick run to the registration desk over the last level and Event 15 cruised right past its $200,000 guaranteed prize pool before Level 4. With registration open until 6:40 pm after the dinner break, we should see a great number later this evening.

We are only 100 entries short of last year’s turnout with five hours remaining to register.

$2,200 Eight-Handed NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 100/200 with a 200 ante
Entries: 87

Event 15 is sliding up towards its $200,000 guaranteed prize pool in Salon East and more talent continues to join the fun.

Joseph Cheong made his SHRPO return after a very successful summer. He cashed nine times during World Series of Poker and one of those cashes came with his first WSOP bracelet. Cheong also owns three WSOP Circuit rings and two SHRP titles.