2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event #4
$360 Buy-In Pot Limit Omaha 8 or Better (Re-Entry)
Entries: 110
Prize Pool: $33,000 
August 4, 2018 

The Harwood name is synonymous with poker success. Loni Harwood is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and five-time World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, her father, Joel Harwood, continued the family’s success on the poker table with a victory in the $360 pot-limit Omaha hi-lo event.

Harwood defeated the 110-entry field and took home $8,633 in a heads-up deal with JT Gold. Gold took home $7,639 for his runner-up finish.

Harwood’s victory came just 24 hours after a seventh-place finish in the $360 HORSE event. With two final tables in as many days, he snapped a string of cold cards over the last 30 days.

“I was in a very cold streak for the last month and I finally got out of it,” said Harwood after his victory. “That’s all I can say. You go up, you go down and you go up, just like everything else.”

Harwood’s daughter, Loni, is primarily a no-limit hold’em player, while Joel enjoys mixed games more. Her boyfriend, Phil Hui, however, is one of the better mixed games players around, earning a WSOP bracelet in the $3,000 Omaha hi-lo.

Even with all of the talent that surrounds Harwood, he claims that the family doesn’t share much strategy with one another.

“I didn’t teach Phil anything,” said Harwood. “And my daughter, you know, when she was young, yes she learned from me. I gave her a Masters degree and she took a PhD on her own.”

Harwood came into the final table in the middle of the chip counts, but scooped a couple key pots during six-handed play and opened up a sizable chip lead over the field.

He hit a few bumps in the road short-handed, but he eliminated Matt Edge in third place to take the chip lead into what would have been heads-up play when him and Gold almost immediately agreed to a deal.

Harwood echoed the sentiments of a few other mixed games players – that the Hard Rock is one of the best places to come play a mixed tournament.

“I’ve been playing tournaments since the late ’80s and this place is by far the best,” said Harwood. “They have the best dealers and the best everything.”

‘Miami John’ Cernuto finished fourth in this event just a day after finishing runner-up to James Gunter in yesterday’s HORSE event. Claudangelo Beaudouin also made his second final table of the series, finishing sixth for $1,518.

1st: Joel Harwood – $8,633
2nd: JT Gold – $7,369
3rd: Matt Edge – $3,663
4th: John Cernuto – $2,393
5th: Lee Jordan – $1,848
6th: Claudangelo Beaudouin – $1,518
7th: Eric von Guttenberg – $1,287
8th: Vitaliy Neyman – $1,122
9th: Matt Bianchini – $990
10th: Errol Massey – $875
11th: Andrew Blum – $875
12th: Alayne Zeto – $875
13th: Stephanie Chung – $776
14th: John Brennan – $776

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 2 of 110

Immediately after the elimination of Matt Edge in third place, Joel Harwood and JT Gold agreed to a heads-up deal. Harwood held the chip lead and took credit for the win, while earning $8,633, and Gold took $7,369 for his runner-up finish.

A complete recap will be posted later tonight.

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 2 of 110

On a flop of , Matt Edge got his last 200,000 into the middle out of the small blind against Joel Harwood in the big blind.

Harwood showed and was in the lead against Edge’s .

“I guess I need a low card,” said Edge.

The turn was the , giving Edge a straight draw to go with his low draw and second pair.

The river was the and Harwood filled up, while Edge bricked off. Edge took home $3,663 for his third place finish and Harwood takes the chip lead into heads-up play against JT Gold.

Joel Harwood – 650,000
Matt Edge – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 23: 10,000/20,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 3 of 110

Matt Edge raised to 60,000 from the small blind and Joel Harwood called out of the big blind.

The flop was and Edge got the rest of his money in the middle, getting all in for 125,000.

Edge showed and was up against Harwood’s .

The turn was the and the river was the . Edge doubled up with a pair of nines.

Matt Edge – 370,000
Joel Harwood – 360,000

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 22: 8,000/16,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 3 of 110

John Cernuto raised to 56,000 from under the gun and JT Gold called out of the small blind.

The flop was and Gold put Cernuto all in for his last 40,000. Cernuto called.

Cernuto showed and needed help against Gold’s .

The turn was the and the river was the . Gold scooped the pot with aces and a low. Cernuto was out in fourth and earned $2,393.

JT Gold – 400,000
John Cernuto – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 22: 8,000/16,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 4 of 110

John Cernuto raised to 56,000 from under the gun and JT Gold potted it from the small blind. Cernuto thought for some time and committed the chips to put Gold all in.

Gold was all in for 185,000 and tabled , while Cernuto showed .

The board ran out and Gold scooped the pot with queens and fours, which left Cernuto as the short stack.

JT Gold – 386,000
John Cernuto – 40,000

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 21: 6,000/12,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 4 of 110

On a flop of , Lee Jordan checked from the small blind and JT Gold checked from the big blind. Matt Edge bet 12,000 from under the gun and Jordan moved all in for 22,000.

Gold folded and Edge called. Edge showed , giving him the nut low, while Jordan tabled , giving him a set and a worse low.

The turn was the and the river was the . The river gave Edge a wheel and he scooped the whole pot.

Matt Edge – 195,000
Lee Jordan – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 21: 6,000/12,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 5 of 110

It was a battle of the blinds between Claudangelo Beaudouin in the small blind and Matt Edge in the big blind. They got all in preflop for Beaudouin’s approximately 50,000 stack.

Edge showed and was up against Beaudouin’s .

The flop was , giving Edge aces up, the best hand and a low draw. The turn was the and the river was the .

Edge scooped the pot and Beaudouin was out in sixth for $1,518 at his second final table of the young series.

Matt Edge – 131,000
Claudangelo Beaudouin – Eliminated 

$360 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
Level 20: 5,000/10,000
Structure | Payouts
Players Remaining: 6 of 110

Matt Edge raised to 25,000 from under the gun and JT Gold potted it to 85,000 out of the small blind, leaving himself with about 30,000 behind.

Edge thought for a few moments, announced ‘pot’ and the last of the chips got into the middle preflop.

Edge showed and was up against Gold’s .

The board ran out . Edge turned the best hand, but Gold rivered a full house to double up and take the pot.

JT Gold – 240,000
Matt Edge – 95,000