2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 4
$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Entries:  130
Prize Pool:  $44,200
August 3, 2019

The only reason Georgii Belianin is in South Florida is to visit a friend who lives in Miami. He had never been to the Seminole Hard Rock before, but he “decided to play one tournament today.”

And he won.

There were 130 entries in Event 4 ($400 Pot Limit Omaha 8), and when they got to the final table, Belianin was second in chips behind Michelle Shah. Belianin would knock out four of his eight final-table opponents on his way to victory.

“I ran very good. There were a few good players, but I was lucky,” said Belianin. Born in Moscow, Belianin apologizes for his English, but he speaks it pretty well.

It was actually Shah who dominated most of the final table with a big chip lead, but Belianin won a few key pots late, particularly a three-way all-in situation between the final three players. Belianin won the pot with his pocket aces (there were no lows possible) to eliminate Vahid Hosseini in third place and double up thru Shah.

Shah still had the lead at that point with 837,000, but Belianin wasn’t too far behind with 723,000. A short while later, Belianin got it all in after he flopped trip nines against Shah’s pocket aces, and that gave him a huge lead of more than 13-to-1.

A short while later, Belianin flopped a full house against Shah’s overpair with a low draw, and he dodged all of her outs on the turn and river to win the SHRPO title and trophy.

Belianin summed up his day by saying, “This is my first tournament here at the Hard Rock, and I won it. I’m very happy.”

Final Results:

1st:  Georgii Belianin  –  $11,315 + SHRPO Trophy
2nd:  Michelle Shah  –  $7,535
3rd:  Vahid Hosseini  –  $5,265
4th:  Joseph Patalano  –  $3,780
5th:  Bryce Fox  –  $2,795
6th:  Mark Dube  –  $2,130
7th:  Sean Remz  –  $1,670
8th:  Chris Arcidiacono  –  $1,350
9th:  Steve Allen  –  $1,130
10th:  Phil Hui  –  $1,130
11th:  Donny Rubinstein  –  $975
12th:  Mike Beasley  –  $975
13th:  David Prociak  –  $875
14th:  Michael Soroka  –  $875
15th:  Sedarrien Coley  –  $810
16th:  Stephen Hung  –  $810
17th:  Jeffrey Sanders  –  $780

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  10,000/20,000
Players Remaining:  1 of 130

After a flop of , Michelle Shah got it all in for a total of about 420,000 (including preflop betting) against Georgii Belianin, and they turned over their cards:

Georgii Belianin:    (full house, fives full of sevens)
Michelle Shah:    (two pair, 7-6 low draw)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Shah missed her outs as Belianin won the pot — and the tournament — with quad fives.

Michelle Shah finished second to earn $7,535.

Georgii Belianin won Event 4, $400 Pot Limit Omaha 8, to earn $11,315 and the SHRPO trophy. Belianin will also receive a custom framed photograph provided by IMPDI.

Stay tuned for a recap from this event.

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  10,000/20,000
Players Remaining:  2 of 130

When the break ended, Georgii Belianin was nowhere to be found, and play resumed. A member of the staff went to go look for him in usual places — bathroom, smoking area — but no luck.

Approximately ten hands were dealt before Belianin showed up, running down the hall and completely out of breath. Belianin said he had gone outside for a smoke break, and then couldn’t get back inside, and had to run around the casino building to find an entrance, and then he had to run to the tournament area. The staff checked the doors to the smoking area, and none of them were locked, but however it happened, Belianin missed about 10 hands.

In that time, Shah’s stack increased from 110,000 to about 260,000, and Belianin’s dropped from about 1,450,000 to about 1,300,000.

It wasn’t long before they saw a flop of , and Shah got it all in for a total of 240,000 (including preflop betting). They turned over their cards:

Georgii Belianin:    (two pair)
Michelle Shah:    (one pair, open-ended straight-flush draw)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Shah rivered an ace-high straight to win the pot and double up in chips.

Seat 1.  Michelle Shah  –  480,000  (24 bb)
Seat 2.  Georgii Belianin  –  1,080,000  (54 bb)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  8,000/16,000
Players Remaining:  2 of 130

In the last hand of Level 22, Michelle Shah and Georgii Belianin put in 100K each to see a flop of . Shah checked, Belianin bet 100,000, Shah pot-raised, and Belianin moved all in for about 625,000. Shah called, and they turned over their cards:

Michelle Shah:    (pair of aces)
Georgii Belianin:    (set of nines)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and there were no possible low hands. Belianin rivered a full house as he won the pot to double up in chips.

Seat 1.  Michelle Shah  –  110,000  (7 bb)
Seat 2.  Georgii Belianin  –  1,450,000  (91 bb)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  8,000/16,000
Players Remaining:  2 of 130

With three players left, Michelle Shah raised from the button to 56,000, Vahid Hosseini called all in from the small blind for 43,000, and Georgii Belianin pot-raised from the big blind to 211,000. Shah called.

The flop came , Belianin moved all in for 129,000, and Shah called. All three players turned over their cards:

Michelle Shah:    (pair of jacks)
Georgii Belianin:    (pair of aces)
Vahid Hosseini:    (pair of jacks)

The turn card paired the board with the , the river card was the , and Belianin won the entire pot with two pair, aces and sixes, to eliminate Hosseini in third place.

Georgii Belianin  –  723,000  (45 bb)
Michelle Shah  –  837,000  (52 bb)
Vahid Hosseini  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($5,265)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  8,000/16,000
Players Remaining:  3 of 130

Joseph Patalano pot-raised from the button to 56,000, leaving himself just a few chips behind, Michelle Shah reraised from the small blind, and Patalano called all in.

Michelle Shah:  
Joseph Patalano:  

The board came , and neither player made a qualifying low. Shah won the pot with a set of eights to eliminate Patalano in fourth place.

Joseph Patalano  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($3,780)

And here are the approximate chip counts for the final three players:

Seat 1.  Michelle Shah  –  1,115,000  (70 bb)
Seat 2.  Vahid Hosseini  –  85,000  (5 bb)
Seat 3.  Georgii Belianin  –  360,000  (23 bb)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  6,000/12,000
Players Remaining:  4 of 130

Bryce Fox and Michelle Shah put in 35,000 each to see a flop of . Fox checked, Shah bet 60,000, and Fox check-raised to 200,000. Shah moved all in, and Fox called.

Michelle Shah:    (two pair, 7-4 low draw)
Bryce Fox:    (8-7 low draw)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Shah scooped the pot with her two pair (jacks and sevens) for the high and a 7-4 low to eliminate Fox in fifth place.

Bryce Fox  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($2,795)

Fox actually won a PLO 8 trophy here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood back in 2015, and he was really hoping to win another won here today.

Here are the approximate chip counts for the final four players:

Seat 1.  Michelle Shah  –  970,000  (81 bb)
Seat 2.  Vahid Hosseini  –  220,000  (18 bb)
Seat 3.  Georgii Belianin  –  325,000  (27 bb)
Seat 4.  Joseph Patalano  –  42,000  (4 bb)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  6,000/12,000
Players Remaining:  5 of 130

It’s been more than an hour since the last elimination at this final table, and the final five players continue to battle. Here are updated chip counts, with Michelle Shah still holding onto the lead.

Seat 1.  Michelle Shah  –  500,000  (42 bb)
Seat 2.  Vahid Hosseini  –  220,000  (18 bb)
Seat 3.  Georgii Belianin  –  320,000  (27 bb)
Seat 4.  Bryce Fox  –  470,000  (39 bb)
Seat 5.  Joseph Patalano  –  50,000  (4 bb)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  3,000/6,000
Players Remaining:  5 of 130

In the last hand of Level 18, Mark Dube got it all in preflop against Georgii Belianin, and they turned over their cards:

Georgii Belianin:  
Mark Dube:  

The board came , so there were no qualifying lows, and Belianin won the pot with a rivered heart flush to eliminate Dube in sixth place.

Georgii Belianin  –  459,000  (77 bb)
Mark Dube  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($2,130)

$400 Pot Limit Omaha 8 (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 18:  3,000/6,000
Players Remaining:  6 of 130

Sean Remz was all in from UTG+1 for about 30,000 with pocket aces against the pocket queens of Vahid Hosseini, and Remz needed to improve to stay alive.

Vahid Hosseini:  
Sean Remz:  

The board came , and Hosseini turned a six-high straight (and a 6-5 low) to scoop the entire pot and eliminate Remz in seventh place.

Vahid Hosseini  –  150,000  (25 bb)
Sean Remz  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($1,670)