2024 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 42
$5,300 SHRPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  865
Prize Pool:  $4,195,250
August 9-13, 2024

Paul Snead is no stranger to success at Seminole Hard Rock properties all over the state of Florida between here at Hollywood and Tampa. Snead has multiple major tournament titles on his Seminole Hard Rock resume thanks to wins in the 2019 Seminole Showdown $5,000 NLH event, the 2022 Seminole Tampa Poker Classic $2,500 Championship, and the 2024 Seminole Tampa Poker Classic $1,700 Championship. He added even more hardware to that trophy case tonight by taking down the victory in the SHRPO $5,300 buy-in Championship Event. We caught up with him after the win for an interview about his most recent achievement in the Sunshine State.

“It feels amazing, I just feel like the Hard Rock is my home turf now. I’m originally from New York and still live there and Florida now. Foxwoods used to be my home turf, but now I totally feel comfortable here and playing here. I love the way that they run tournament here, it’s just great,” said Snead right after winning the trophy.

Snead continued, “I just love playing, and this is what I do when I’m not trading. I take it very seriously, I spend a lot of time talking poker with my poker coach and you wouldn’t believe the amount of time we spend talking about things, and it’s great when it all comes together. And I ran really good this tournament I think, which you need to do.”

Speaking more on that rungood that sent him down the path to the top of this tournament field Snead also added, “I was all in for my tournament life twice yesterday. I won a huge race with Ace-King against Queens, and then I came from behind all-in against Clemen [Deng] post-flop with Queens against Jack-10 on a Jack-10 flop. Those were the two hands where I could have been out of the tournament but I won. That hasn’t happened to me, so I feel really good … I’m ready to go hit the PokerGo studio for sure.”

Snead’s profession as he mentioned is working as a trader back in New York, but poker has become a serious and profitable hobby to him over the years. His close to $2.3 million in tournament earnings tells that story with a run of great results. We asked him about how those two major pursuits in his life are mutually beneficial to each other, and below is his response.

“Absolutely, you have to be analytical on both fronts, you have to have patience, you have to have discipline, and that’s the most important one. And that’s something I’ve had to work on in my poker game over the years. I’ve been playing for over 20 years now on a higher level, and the discipline part … and when I say discipline I mean keeping my emotions in check. Because people that know me will tell you that I wear it on my sleeve a lot of the time. And you can’t do that when you’re playing poker against the best players in the world. So that’s something that I’ve worked on, and I think that I’m much better at now and it’s served me,” said Snead.

We finished the final table-side chat with an inquiry to see what celebration plans Snead and his friends along the rail had in store for later. Snead responded, “I’ve got a bunch of local friends here. We’re usually up in New York this time of year so unfortunately my wife isn’t here. But I will see her tomorrow and we will celebrate with friends and family. I’m pretty amped about that trophy, it’s a good one.”

*denotes heads-up deal

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 865

After the elimination of Brandon Kessous in third place, Paul Snead and Clemen Deng quickly agreed to a deal to end the tournament. These were their official chip counts:

Paul Snead  –  23,350,000  (117 bb)
Clemen Deng  –  19,900,000  (100 bb)

And these are the payouts they agreed to:

1st:  Paul Snead  –  $529,428*  +  SHRPO Guitar Tower Trophy
2nd:  Clemen Deng  –  $512,522*

As chipleader, Snead was declared the winner, receiving the title and the trophy. Congratulations to Paul Snead!

1st:  Paul Snead  –  $529,428*  +  SHRPO Guitar Tower Trophy
2nd:  Clemen Deng  –  $512,522*
3rd:  Brandon Kessous  –  $310,000
4th:  Jack Thu  –  $230,000
5th:  Billy Pilossoph  –  $175,000
6th:  Tyler Montoya  –  $133,000
7th:  Loni Hui  –  $103,000
8th:  Sterling Savill  –  $80,000

* Indicates the results of a heads-up deal.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 865

Paul Snead raised from the button to 500,000, Brandon Kessous moved all in from the small blind for 7,000,000, and Snead quickly called with .

Kessous turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Kessous turned a heart flush draw, but improved no further. The pocket jacks held up for Snead to win the pot and eliminate Kessous in third place.

Brandon Kessous  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($310,000)

Here are the official chip counts for heads-up play:

Paul Snead  –  23,350,000  (117 bb)
Clemen Deng  –  19,900,000  (100 bb)

And these are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $626,950  +  SHRPO Guitar Tower Trophy
2nd:  $415,000

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 865

Paul Snead raised from the small blind to 600,000, and Brandon Kessous called from the big blind.

The flop came , Snead bets 500,000, Kessous raised to 1,300,000, and Snead three-bet all in for 16,600,000.

Kessous folded (queen high), and Snead took the pot without showing his (king high).

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  15,650,000  (78 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  19,300,000  (97 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  8,300,000  (42 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 14,425,000 (72 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $310,000 each.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 865

Brandon Kessous raised under the gun to 500,000, Jack Thu moved all in from the cutoff for 2,525,000, and Kessous thought for a while before he called with .

Thu turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Kessous won the pot with an eight-high straight to eliminate Thu in fourth place.

Jack Thu  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($230,000)

The final three players take a break to discuss a possible deal, but ultimately they decide to keep playing. Here are their official chip counts:

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  14,500,000  (73 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  18,550,000  (93 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  10,200,000  (51 bb)

And here are the payouts they’re playing for:

1st:  $626,950  +  SHRPO Guitar Tower Trophy
2nd:  $415,000
3rd:  $310,000

With three players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 14,425,000 (72 big blinds).

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 865

Billy Pilossoph moved all in from the small blind for 2,500,000, and Clemen Deng called from the big blind with .

Pilossoph turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Deng won the pot with a pair of kings and his queen kicker to eliminate Pilossoph in fifth place.

Billy Pilossoph  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($175,000)

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  14,600,000  (73 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  18,950,000  (95 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  7,175,000  (36 bb)
Seat 4.  Jack Thu  –  2,525,000  (13 bb)

With four players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 10,825,000 (54 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $230,000 each.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 865

Clemen Deng raised from the button to 400,000, and Brandon Kessous called from the big blind.

The flop came , Kessous checked, Deng bet 300,000, and Kessous check-raised to 700,000. Deng reraised to 1,100,000, and Kessous four-bet all in for 4,675,000.

Deng quickly folded, and Kessous took the pot.

Brandon Kessous:    (top two pair)
Clemen Deng:    (eight high)

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  12,100,000  (61 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  17,950,000  (90 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  6,875,000  (34 bb)
Seat 4.  Jack Thu  –  3,225,000  (16 bb)
Seat 5.  Billy Pilossoph  –  3,100,000  (16 bb)

With five players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 8,650,000 (43 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $175,000 each.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 30:  100,000/200,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 865

Level 29 came to an end, and the players took a 15-minute break. Here are the updated chip counts:

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  13,750,000  (69 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  15,050,000  (75 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  5,125,000  (26 bb)
Seat 4.  Jack Thu  –  4,225,000  (21 bb)
Seat 5.  Billy Pilossoph  –  5,100,000  (26 bb)

And here are today’s payouts:

1st:  $626,950 + SHRPO Guitar Tower Trophy
2nd:  $415,000
3rd:  $310,000
4th:  $230,000
5th:  $175,000

6th:  Tyler Montoya  –  $133,000
7th:  Loni Hui  –  $103,000
8th:  Sterling Savill  –  $80,000

With five players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 8,650,000 (43 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $175,000 each.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 29:  75,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 865

Clemen Deng raised from the cutoff to 325,000, and Brandon Kessous called from the small blind.

The flop came , Kessous bet 450,000, and Deng called.

The turn card was the , Kessous bet 550,000, and Deng called.

The river card was the , Kessous checked, Deng bet 1,600,000, and Kessous check-raised to 3,500,000. Deng thought for a while before he called, and Kessous showed for trip eights.

But Deng turned over to win the pot with a queen-high straight.

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  14,800,000  (99 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  13,925,000  (93 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  5,125,000  (34 bb)
Seat 4.  Jack Thu  –  3,925,000  (26 bb)
Seat 5.  Billy Pilossoph  –  5,475,000  (37 bb)

With five players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 8,650,000 (58 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $175,000 each.

$5,300 SHRPO Championship
Prizepool:  $4,195,250  |  Payouts  |  Results |  Structure
Level 29:  75,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 865

Billy Pilossoph raised from the cutoff to 325,000, Brandon Kessous moved all in from the big blind, and Pilossoph called all in for 2,625,000 with .

Kessous turned over , and Pilossoph needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Pilossoph paired his king on the turn to win the pot and double up in chips.

Seat 1.  Clemen Deng  –  9,675,000  (65 bb)
Seat 2.  Paul Snead  –  13,925,000  (93 bb)
Seat 3.  Brandon Kessous  –  9,950,000  (66 bb)
Seat 4.  Jack Thu  –  4,225,000  (28 bb)
Seat 5.  Billy Pilossoph  –  5,475,000  (37 bb)

With five players remaining from a field of 865, the average chip stack is around 8,650,000 (58 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $175,000 each.