2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 9
$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  468
Prize Pool:  $154,440
April 16-18, 2023

“I’m basically speechless,” said Michael Newman after winning his ninth career trophy here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. “I can’t even believe it.”

From a field of 468 entries, Day 2 of Event #9 ($400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha) began on Tuesday with 60 players remaining, and when they reached the nine-handed final table, Newman was the short stack with just 13 big blinds.

“I’m really not a PLO specialist,” said Newman, who nonetheless was able to bounce back from that short stack to win the title, his ninth trophy, and $25,178.

The only other player to win nine major trophies here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is Raminder Singh, who accomplished the feat last November during the Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open.

When asked about Singh, Newman said, “It’s great to be tied with someone who’s a really good player.”

Here are the nine trophy events that Newman has won here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, in chronological order:

2016 SHRPO:  $570 No-Limit Hold’em  –  $17,589
2016 RRPO:  $360 Pot-Limit Omaha  –  $7,740
2017 LHPO:  $570 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha  –  $7,473
2017 RRPO:  $3,500 RRPO Championship  –  $374,240
2019 LHPO:  $360 Ultimate Re-Entry  –  $183,525
2021 SHRPO:  $400 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em  –  $7,573
2022 RRPO:  $400 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em  –  $7,136
2022 RRPO:  $300 Black Chip Bounty  –  $6,437
2023 Showdown:  $400 Pot-Limit Omaha  –  $25,178

As you can see, that list includes some spectacular victories, including outlasting a field of 4,508 entries to win $183,525 in 2019, and winning the 2017 Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open Championship for $374,240.

“My whole life I’ve just been so competitive at everything I’ve done,” said Newman.

That competitive spirit means Newman is now on the hunt for trophy #10 and sole possession of the career record.

Results:

* The final two players agreed to a heads-up deal.

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 468

After some heads-up play and some discussion, Michael Newman and Matthew Bretzfield agreed to end the tournament with a chop to split the remaining prizepool.

Michael Newman  –  5,825,000  (58 bb)
Matthew Bretzfield  –  3,550,000  (36 bb)

As chipleader, Newman was awarded the title and the trophy. Here are the final table payouts:

1st:  Michael Newman  –  $25,178* + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  Matthew Bretzfield  –  $25,177*
3rd:  Donald Maloney  –  $13,760
4th:  Spencer Broberg  –  $9,500
5th:  Eitan Elbaz-Dahan  –  $7,265
6th:  Arri Stone  –  $6,055
7th:  Christopher McNally  –  $5,045
8th:  Chris Csik  –  $4,050
9th:  Tyler Bentz  –  $3,055

* Indicates the results of a heads-up deal.

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 468

Donald Maloney (big blind) got his short stack all in preflop against Matthew Bretzfield (button) and Michael Newman (small blind).

Newman and Bretzfield checked all the way down on a board of , and all three players turned over their cards.

Matthew Bretzfield:    (set of jacks)
Michael Newman:    (seven-high straight)
Donald Maloney:    (ten high)

Newman won the pot with his seven-high straight to eliminate Maloney in third place.

Donald Maloney  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($13,760)

Here are the approximate chip counts for the start of heads-up play:

Matthew Bretzfield  –  5,000,000  (67 bb)
Michael Newman  –  4,300,000  (57 bb)

1st:  $30,055 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $20,300

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 468

With a dead button on the hand, Spencer Broberg limped in from the cutoff. Donald Maloney did the same from the small blind, and Matt Bretzfield raised to 300,000 from the big blind. Only Broberg called.

The flop was , Bretzfield bet effectively 200,000 and Broberg called all in.

Broberg: 
Bretzfield: 

Bretzfield was ahead and held through the turn and river to eliminate Broberg in fourth place.

Matt Bretzfield  –  4,265,000  (57 bb)
Spencer Broberg  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($9,500)

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 468

With a dead small blind on this hand, Matt Bretzfield raised to 225,000 from UTG/hijack. Spencer Broberg called on the button, and Donald Maloney called in the big blind.

The flop was , Maloney checked, Bretzfield bet the pot of 750,000, Broberg raised all in for about 2,000,000, Maloney folded, and Bretzfield called all in for 1,445,000.

Bretzfield: 
Broberg: 

Bretzfield had flopped trip queens with a Broadway draw, while Broberg had flopped tens full of queens (with a moot open-ender).

The turn was the , giving Bretzfield quad queens to lock up the hand and the double.

Matt Bretzfield  –  3,640,000  (49 bb)
Spencer Broberg  –  550,000  (7 bb)

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 468

Michael Newman raised to 150,000 from the button, Spencer Broberg called in the small blind, and Eitan Elbaz-Dahan three-bet to 600,000 from the big blind. Newman reraised, Broberg folded, and Elbaz-Dahan called all in for another 110,000.

Newman: 
Elbaz-Dahan: 

The flop came , giving both a pair of kings. Elbaz-Dahan, however, picked up a flush draw and a straight draw with it.

The turn was the , giving Newman kings and sixes to take the lead.

The river was the , keeping Newman’s kings and sixes best to eliminate Elbaz-Dahan in fifth place.

Michael Newman  –  3,400,000  (45 bb)
Eitan Elbaz-Dahan  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($7,265)

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 468

Michael Newman raised from the cutoff to 130,000, Eitan Elbaz-Dahan called from the small blind, and Arri Stone called from the big blind.

The flop came , Elbaz-Dahan bet 450,000, Stone called, and Newman moved all in for 700,000. Elbaz-Dahan and Stone both called, and any further betting would create a side pot.

The turn card was the , Elbaz-Dahan moved all in for a little more than 400,000, and Stone called all in for a little less than 400,000.

All three players turned over their cards, and here they are in descending order of chip counts:

Eitan Elbaz-Dahan:    (set of jacks)
Arri Stone:    (set of fives)
Michael Newman:    (ace-high flush w/ Royal Flush draw)

The river card was the , and Newman won the main pot with his ace-high flush to triple up in chips. Elbaz-Dahan won the side pot to eliminate Stone in sixth place.

Michael Newman  –  2,565,000  (34 bb)
Eitan Elbaz-Dahan  –  800,000  (11 bb)
Arri Stone  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($6,055)

With five players remaining from a field of 468, the average chip stack is around 1,875,000 (25 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $7,265 each.

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 468

Christopher McNally raised from the hijack to 210,000, Arri Stone reraised from the cutoff to about 700,000, and McNally called all in for about 360,000.

Arri Stone:  
Christopher McNally:  

The board came , and McNally flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned an open-ender, but improved no further. Stone won the pot with his pocket kings to eliminate McNally in seventh place.

Arri Stone  –  1,200,000  (20 bb)
Christopher McNally  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($5,045)

With six players remaining from a field of 468, the average chip stack is around 1,565,000 (26 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $6,055 each.

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 27:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 468

Seat 1.  Eitan Elbaz-Dahan  –  1,470,000  (25 bb)
Seat 2.  Christopher McNally  –  840,000  (14 bb)
Seat 3.  Arri Stone  –  1,265,000  (21 bb)
Seat 4.  Donald Maloney  –  1,335,000  (22 bb)
Seat 5.  Matt Bretzfield  –  1,225,000  (20 bb)
Seat 7.  Michael Newman  –  685,000  (11 bb)
Seat 8.  Spencer Broberg  –  2,545,000  (42 bb)

1st:  $30,055 + Showdown Trophy
2nd:  $20,300
3rd:  $13,760
4th:  $9,500
5th:  $7,265
6th:  $6,055
7th:  $5,045

$400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 26:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 468