2023 Seminole Hard Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 28 $200 Holiday Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) $20,000 Guaranteed Entries: 334 Prize Pool: $53,440 November 23, 2023
Event 28 of the 2023 Seminole Hard Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open was a $200 Holiday Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) A field of 334 entries generated a prize pool of $53,440, nearly tripling the guarantee. The final 42 players will make the money, with a min-cash paying $275.
Up top for the winner is $11,476, along with a $3,500 seat into the WPT RRPO Championship.
We hope everyone had a great day with their families and we are here if you need some poker action. RRPO Event 28 is a $200 Holiday Deep Stack with a $20,000 guaranteed prize pool and we are adding a WPT RRPO Championship seat to first place.
Players start with 20K stacks and all levels last 20 minutes. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 10 at 9:30 pm.
It will be a fun night in the Poker Room with football on the TVs and games on the tables.
$20,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
$3,500 WPT RRPO Championship seat added to 1st place
Players begin with 20,000 in chips
Levels last 20 minutes
Late registration until start of Level 10 (9:30pm)
This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
2023 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida Event 28 $1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 251 Prizepool: $243,470 August 2-3, 2023
Thursday afternoon saw the conclusion of Event 28, the two-day $1,100 Deep Stack NLH. Action resumed with the final nine players, and it took less than two-and-a-half hours before Mike Graffeo defeated Daniel Swartz heads-up for the title, the trophy, and $55,285.
“I’m thankful to get the win,” said Graffeo. “I’ve had a lot of seconds and thirds lately, so the win feels good.”
This is the fourth trophy for Graffeo in major events here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, and he keeps them at a friend’s house.
“Mike Chiappetta has a trophy case,” said Graffeo. “He’s got all my trophies there.”
Graffeo started the final table with a below-average chip stack, but it didn’t take him long to climb the leaderboard.
“I got off to a good start,” said Graffeo. “I flopped a set of eights against Cherish [Andrews] on an ace-high flop, and she put some money in. That got me to like 900,000.” (Click here for details.)
The key moment for Graffeo came with six players left, when he got it all in on the turn against Swartz in the biggest pot of the tournament to that point. (Click here for details.)
“I flopped set over set against [Swartz] in a monster pot,” said Graffeo. “Then I kind of cruised after that. I just picked some spots, and then the last hand was another monster pot — ace-queen vs. kings heads-up. It’s kind of crazy.” (Click here for details.)
As mentioned before, this is the fourth major trophy for Graffeo here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. What keeps him coming back?
“This is an amazing place to play,” said Graffeo. “I feel like it’s my home court, and I love to play here. We just got back from Vegas, and now I’m like, ‘Alright, it’s my home field now.’ I’m going to chase some more trophies.”
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 26: 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante Players Remaining: 1 of 251
Less than 10 minutes after heads-up play started, Mike Graffeo raised from the button to 100,000, Daniel Swartz reraised from the big blind to 350,000, and Graffeo moved all in.
Swartz snap-called all in for about 1,750,000 with , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against Graffeo’s .
The board came , and Graffeo flopped a full house that held up for him to win the pot — along with the title, the trophy, and $55,285. Congratulations to Mike Graffeo!
Daniel Swartz finished as the runner-up, earning $39,100.
Stay tuned for a recap from this event to be posted later today.
1st: Mike Graffeo – $55,285 + SHRPO Trophy 2nd: Daniel Swartz – $39,100 3rd: Cherish Andrews – $25,000 4th: Jeff Farnes – $15,180 5th: Min Zhang – $11,700 6th: Yunkyu Song – $9,715 7th: Aaron Massey – $8,150 8th: Mike Jozoff – $6,815 9th: Daniyal Gheba – $5,595
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 25: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 251
In the first hand of heads-up play, Daniel Swartz min-raised from the small blind to 80,000, Mike Graffeo reraised from the big blind to 225,000, and Swartz four-bet it to 650,000.
Graffeo folded, and Swartz took the pot.
Daniel Swartz – 2,260,000 (57 bb) Mike Graffeo – 2,760,000 (69 bb)
A couple minutes later, after a flop of , both players checked. The turn card paired the board with the , Swartz bet 150,000, and Graffeo called.
The river card was the , Swartz checked, Graffeo bet 300,000, and Swartz thought for a while before he called. Graffeo showed for a rivered two pair (kings and fives), and Swartz showed one card — the — for a lower two pair. Graffeo won the pot.
Mike Graffeo – 3,320,000 (83 bb) Daniel Swartz – 1,700,000 (43 bb)
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 25: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante Players Remaining: 3 of 251
Jeff Farnes moved all in from the button for 650,000, and Daniel Swartz called from the big blind with .
Farnes turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.
The board came , and the pocket kings held up for Swartz to win the pot and eliminate Farnes in fourth place.
Daniel Swartz – 2,160,000 (54 bb) Jeff Farnes – Eliminated in 4th Place ($15,180)
With three players remaining from a field of 251, the average chip stack is around 1,675,000 (42 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $25,000 each.
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 25: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante Players Remaining: 4 of 251
Daniel Swartz raised under the gun to 80,000, Min Zhang moved all in from the small blind for 130,000, and Swartz called with .
Zhang turned over — . The hand that has come from behind twice in a row to win all-in situations. Zhang needs it to happen again here to stay alive.
Buthe board came , and the best hand held up as Swartz won the pot with his queen to eliminate Zhang in fifth place.
Daniel Swartz – 1,490,000 (37 bb) Min Zhang – Eliminated in 5th Place ($11,700)
With four players remaining from a field of 251, the average chip stack is around 1,255,000 (31 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,180 each.
$1,100 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 25: 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 ante Players Remaining: 5 of 251
Cherish Andrews raised under the gun to 80,000, Jeff Farnes called from the small blind, and Min Zhang moved all in from the big blind for 395,000.
Andrews waited for an exact count and thought for a bit before she folded, and then Farnes tanked for a while before he called all in for 265,000 with . Zhang turned over , and Farnes needed to improve to stay alive.
“I just saw this work,” said Farnes, who just saw Cherish Andrews double thru him with king-nine suited against ace-queen.
The board came , and Zhang paired her queen on the flop, but Farnes paired his king on the turn to win the pot and double up in chips.
After the hand, Farnes said, “Thanks for the inspiration, Cherish.”
Jeff Farnes – 650,000 (16 bb) Min Zhang – 130,000 (3 bb)
With five players remaining from a field of 251, the average chip stack is around 1,005,000 (25 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $11,700 each.