2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 27 $360 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) Entries: 88 Prize Pool: $30,000 April 16, 2019
Aaron Klausman
Event 27 of the 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown was a $360 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) with a prize pool of $30,000.
A field of 88 entries took part and a deal was agreed upon by the final four players. As the chip leader Aaron Klausman was officially declared the winner, earning $6,804 for his efforts.
Results: *1st: Aaron Klausman – $6,804 *2nd: Mark Manesh – $4,757 *3rd: Carey Pickus – $4,547 *4th: Mario De La Puente – $4,366 5th: Elias Nassif – $1,755 6th: Ryan Galpern – $1,403 7th: Giovanni Lucente – $1,193 8th: Francois Gagne – $1,035 9th: Errol Rosen – $915 10th: Ari Engel – $825 11th: Peter Bostrom – $825 12th: Antony Vidmer – $825 13th: Marcus Stein – $750
2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 27 $360 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) Entries: 88 Prize Pool: $30,000 April 16, 2019
We’re giving everyone a little something on our last day in the Event Center, buy-in levels across the board. Event 27 is in the middle and the $360 buy-in Big Stack NLH tournament has a $30,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Entrants will start with 15,000 stacks and all levels will last 30 minutes. Late registration is available until the start of Level 9 at 4:30pm with unlimited re-entries and there is a 40-minute dinner break scheduled at 6:30pm.
Once dinner is complete, they will return to play down to a winner.
$30,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Players begin with 15,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
2017 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood, FL Event #27 $360 No Limit Hold’em Total Entries: 265 Prize Pool:$79,500
Nipun Java Wins $360 No Limit Hold’em
Nipun Java can generally be found in tournaments with six-figure or seven-figure first place prizes. Thanks to some flaky friends bailing on golf plans, Java took home a title in a smaller event than what he is used to playing.
On Tuesday, Java defeated a field of 265 entries and defeated Jorge Gomez heads-up to win $17,949 in the $360 no limit hold’em. A few days earlier, he made a deep run in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Championship, finishing in 22nd place for $20,968.
“I told myself that I was happier to come in anything better than 22nd,” said Java with a laugh.
The pro from Southern California had originally planned to golf during the day and play the $2,200 pot limit Omaha in the evening. When his friends decided they wanted to change plans and not golf, Java found himself in the tournament area earlier than normal and playing the one-day $360 no limit hold’em.
“I was just like ‘Okay, let’s just play this and see what happens,'” said Java. “I was most likely going to bust and then I would just play the PLO. But as I got deeper, I kept looking at the late registration of the PLO and seeing when it was going to close and then I was like ‘Okay, I got to concentrate on this.’ But I won it and it feels good. Winning anything feels good.”
Java is usually on the west coast playing in the California casinos, but even with his roots out in the Golden State, he doesn’t like to miss stops at the Hard Rock.
“I just love this venue,” said Java about the Seminole Hard Rock. “I actually pick Florida as the best venue to play poker. It’s like the most well-run tournaments, the dealers are fantastic, and everything is around.
“The pool is so close by on breaks. You can go rest in your room on your break. That’s huge for me. If I can go get a nap or just 10 minutes of getting straight on my back. Cause I’m not longer young anymore, so I need the rest. I love it here.”
While he is arguably one of the best players traveling the tournament Circuit, Java is constantly strive to get better and credits the help of SHRP team member Chance Kornuth with a lot of his improvements in his game.
“I’ve been working with Chance,” said Java. “Chance has a coaching website called Chip Leader Coaching and that has helped me immensely. We have weekly sessions and we have a bunch of smart people in the group.
“So, just like brainstorming with them on how to play different hands helps. Also, I know a lot of people like Upeshka [De][Silva] and Daniel Strelitz and Dylan Wilkerson and on breaks, we discuss hands. It helps, you know, just hearing from other people who have been successful is generally a good idea.”
When Java was unable to take a shot at the pot limit Omaha event, he decided to buckle down and prove to himself that he could play his best regardless of buy-in.
After, by his own admission, a disappointing 2016, he wanted to rededicate himself to the game and not take anything for granted.
“Part of me was not taking poker seriously in the sense, like as a game,” said Java. “And maybe getting a little bit of entitlement creeping in and that can happen as you move up the stakes. You feel like you deserve more, but you’re playing better players. I just wanted to get back to the trenches and it’s still money in the end.”
In the end, he did get the money and can leave the Seminole Hard Rock on a high note.
“I thought I played really well this tournament,” he said. “And I never really got super lucky. I just played well.”
Final Table Results:
1st: Nipun Java – $17,949 2nd: Jorge Gomez – $12,636 3rd: Jonathan Hilton – $8,126 4th: Carlos Rodriguez Rojas – $4,957 5th: Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. – $3,828 6th: Ray St. Jacques Carrion – $3,172 7th: Matthew Zarcadoolas – $2,663 8th: Homero Molina – $2,226 9th: Bryce McVay – $1,795 10th: Ghassan Toubia – $1,511
$360 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) Level 20: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante Players Remaining: 10 of 265
The $360 no limit hold’em re-entry event is down to its final 10 players and they have redrawn for seats at the unofficial final table.
With one more elimination, the final nine players will be credited with making a final table. There is about 15 minutes left in the current level and everybody is guaranteed a cash of at least $1,511.
Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts for the final 10 players:
Seat 1: Ghasspan Toubia – 42,000 Seat 2: Matthew Zarcadoolas – 163,000 Seat 3: Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. – 406,000 Seat 4: Jorge Gomez – 510,000 Seat 5: Jonathan Hilton – 103,000 Seat 6: Ray St. Jacques Carrion – 51,000 Seat 7: Nipun Java – 574,000 Seat 8: Homero Molina – 90,000 Seat 9: Carlos Rodriguez – 480,000 Seat 10: Bryce McVay – 228,000
$360 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 Ante Players Remaining: 51 of 265
Registration is closed in today’s $360 buy-in $50,000 guarantee and the prize pool has been finalized. The top 34 players finish in the money with a min-cash worth $545. Payouts escalate from there and top out in the form of a $17,949 top prize.
At present, the clock shows 51 players remaining with 27 minutes left in Level 12. Among those still in are Carlos Loving, Jonathan Hilton, Jean LeBlond and Eric Rivkin.
We will provide another update when play reaches the final table.
The next big one-day tournament on the schedule kicks off soon with a $360 buy-in and $50,000 guaranteed prize pool tournament. Event 27 will bring out players of all bankroll levels for the shot at some nice money before the end of the day.
Entrants will start with 10,000 starting stacks and levels last 30-minute levels from start to finish. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 4:30pm followed by a dinner break at 6:30pm. They’ll return and play down to the Event 27 champion later this evening.
Action gets rolling at noon and we’ll keep track of their progress during the major parts of their day.
$50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
