2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  4,184
Prize Pool:  $1,380,720
April 13-17, 2023

Event #1 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown had a massive field of 4,184 entries, generating a total prizepool worth $1,380,720. After a long Day 3 on Monday, Carlos Loving outlasted them all to win the title, his fourth Seminole Hard Rock trophy, and $153,690.

“It feels great,” said Loving. “It’s so hard to beat this many people.”

When the nine-handed final table began, Loving was sixth in chips, and the three players below him were all eliminated within the first hour.

“The beginning was a slow start for me,” said Loving, “but then I won a couple of big hands and it all turned around.”

With six players remaining, Loving was down to 11 big blinds when he got it all in with against Fabian Foster’s . Foster flopped a set of kings, but Loving turned an ace-high straight to double up.

Fifteen minutes later, Loving got it in with against the of chipleader Johnathan Norris, and Loving won the race to double up to a comfortable 53 big blinds.

“Then I was able to really open up my game,” said Loving.

Action slowed after the elimination of Johnathan Norris in fifth place, and four-handed play lasted more than two hours. But then Loving played a hand against Fabian Foster on a board of , and Foster shoved the river.

Loving tank-called with for two pair, and Foster showed for a jack-high bluff. Foster was eliminated in fourth place, and Loving took the chip lead for the first time.

A short while later, it was Loving’s turn to shove the river, this time on a board of , and it put Amin Akhlaghi to the test.

Akhlaghi tank-called with for trip aces, but Loving wasn’t bluffing — he turned over for trip aces with a higher kicker to eliminate Akhlaghi in third place.

That propelled Loving to a 2-to-1 chip lead over Steve Karp as heads-up play began.

Heads-up play lasted about an hour, and while Karp briefly narrowed the gap, Loving had a substantial lead for most of it.

Eventually, after a flop of , Karp check-raised all in with for a flush draw, and Loving called with for top two pair. The flush never came, and Loving rivered a jack to win the pot — and the tournament — with a full house.

“I’ve always loved playing here,” said Loving after winning his fourth Seminole Hard Rock trophy. “I consider this to be one of my home casinos.”

What keeps Loving coming back to Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood?

“The large fields, the big prizepools, and the beautiful weather,” said Loving. “And the dealers are amazing.”

Final Table Results:

* The final three players agreed to adjust the final three payouts.

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 4,184

Carlos Living limped in and Steve Karp checked his option.

The flop was , Karp checked, Loving bet 800,000, Karp raised all in for 8,100,000, and Loving called with for jacks and fives, leading Karp’s for a flush draw.

The turn and river completed the board, further improving Loving to a full house to win Event 1 for $153,690.

Karp finished runner-up for $144,274.

A recap of the event will be published later tonight.

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving raised all in with his chip-leading stack and Steve Karp called all in for 3,900,000.

Loving: 
Karp: 

The board ran out , giving Karp queens and fours to double up.

Steve Karp  –  8,400,000  (14 bb)
Carlos Loving  –  75,300,000  (126 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving raised to 1,300,000, and Steve Karp called.

The flop was , and Karp check-called 800,000 from Loving.

The turn was the , and both checked.

The river was , Karp checked, Loving bet 4,000,000, and Karp tanked for about two minutes before he called.

Loving shoved for a pair of jacks, Karp mucked, and Loving collected the pot to take a 16-to-1 chip lead.

Carlos Loving  –  78,900,000  (132 bb)
Steve Karp  –  4,800,000  (8 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving raised to 1,300,000, and Steve Karp called.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Karp bet 1,300,000, and Loving called.

The river card paired the board with the , Karp bet 4,000,000, Loving raised to 16,000,000, and Karp called. Loving showed for trip fives, and Karp mucked. Loving won the pot to increase his lead to more than 6-to-1.

Carlos Loving  –  72,400,000  (121 bb)
Steve Karp  –  11,300,000  (19 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving limped for 600,000, Steve Karp raised to 2,400,000, and Loving called.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Karp bet 2,000,000, and Loving called.

The river card paired the board with the , Karp bet 8,000,000, and Loving quickly folded.

Carlos Loving  –  57,300,000  (96 bb)
Steve Karp  –  26,400,000  (44 bb)

A couple hands later, Loving raised from the button to 1,300,000, and Karp called.

The flop came , Karp checked, Loving bet 800,000, and Karp check-raised to 2,200,000. Loving reraised to 5,000,000, and Karp four-bet all in.

Loving quickly folded, and Karp took the pot.

Carlos Loving  –  49,900,000  (83 bb)
Steve Karp  –  33,800,000  (56 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Steve Karp limped in and Carlos Loving checked his option.

The flop was , Loving checked, Karp bet 600,000, and Loving called.

The turn was the , Loving checked, Karp bet 2,000,000, and Loving called.

The river was the , Loving checked, Karp bet 5,400,000 (leaving 2,000,000 behind), Loving raised all in, and Karp called all in for 7,400,000.

Loving showed for jacks and treys, but Karp had it beat with for a set of sevens to double up.

Steve Karp  –  21,800,000  (36 bb)
Carlos Loving  –  61,900,000  (103 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving raised to 1,300,000 and Steve Karp called.

The flop was , and Karp check-called 600,000 from Loving.

The turn was the , and Karp check-called 1,200,000 from Loving.

The river was the , Karp checked, Loving bet 3,200,000, and Karp called.

Loving showed kings and sevens, Karp mucked, and Loving won the pot.

Carlos Loving  –  72,700,000  (122 bb)
Steve Karp  –  11,000,000  (18 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 37:  300,000/600,000 with a 600,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Steve Karp limped in and Carlos Loving checked his option.

The flop was , and Loving check-called 700,000 from Karp.

The turn was the , and Loving check-called 2,200,000 from Karp.

The river was the , Loving checked, Karp bet 5,000,000, and Loving called.

Karp showed for a pair of aces, but Loving tabled for kings and fours to win the pot.

Carlos Loving  –  68,200,000  (114 bb)
Steve Karp  –  15,500,000  (26 bb)

$400 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 36:  300,000/500,000 with a 500,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 4,184

Carlos Loving raised from the button to 1,100,000, Amin Akhlaghi reraised from the big blind to 3,700,000, and Loving called.

The flop came , Akhlaghi bet 1,500,000, and Loving called.

The turn card was the , Akhlaghi bet 4,000,000, and Loving called.

The river card was the , Akhlaghi checked, Loving moved all in, and Akhlaghi tanked for about a minute before he called all in for about 1,400,000 with for trip aces.

But Loving turned over to win the pot with trip aces and a higher kicker, eliminating Akhlaghi in third place.

Amin Akhlaghi  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($144,271)

Here are the updated chip counts for the final two players:

Carlos Loving  –  55,500,000  (111 bb)
Steve Karp  –  28,200,000  (56 bb)