Big Stack Special Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,706 Prize Pool: $170,600 August 21-25, 2019
2019 August Big Stack Special champion, Ben Sriqui
Big Stack Special Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,924 Prize Pool: $192,400 July 10-14, 2019
Seminole Turnpike Series Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Hollywood/Coconut Creek, Florida $250 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $250,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,605 Prize Pool: $337,050 June 19-23, 2019
2019 June Seminole Turnpike Series champion, Robert Pollmeier
Big Stack Special Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,360 Prize Pool: $136,000 June 5-9, 2019
June 2019 Big Stack Special champion, Engjell Rroshi
May Big Stack Special Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,422 Prize Pool: $142,200 May 8-11, 2019
2019 May Big Stack Special champion, Richard Whitebrook
April Big Stack Special Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $130 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 1,652 Prize Pool: $165,200 April 24-28, 2019
The Seminole Hard Rock and PokerStars teamed up to award five South Florida poker players a $30,000 Platinum Pass and send them to the Bahamas to compete in this week’s $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship (PSPC). The passes were distributed during a summer freeroll, the August Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, November’s Moneymaker Tour event and Feeding South Florida Charity event as well as during the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open. In all, it was $150,000 in added value to the South Florida poker community. They were won by:
Vasile-Ionut Merisescu (summer freeroll)Carlo Rodriguez (SHRPO Play to Win)Andres Risquez (Moneymaker Tour)Esteban Garcia (Feeding South Florida Charity)Jorge Aristizabal (RRPO Play to Win)
The PSPC began Sunday with a strong field of 1,039 entries. The total prize pool surpassed $26,000,000 with a first prize worth more than $5,000,000 and it was Esteban Garcia that shone brightest of the five Seminole Hard Rock Platinum Pass winners.
Esteban won his pass after finishing runner-up to Chris Moneymaker in the $300 Feeding South Florida Charity event. Moneymaker was ineligible to win the pass, so it was presented to Esteban. Esteban went on to parlay that package into a 146th-place finish and a $35,000 score.
Of the other pass winners, Carlo was eliminated late on Day 1 while Vasile, Andre and Jorge were all eliminated on Day 2.
We caught up with Esteban for an interview following his cash on Day 3:
Seminole Staff: Let’s go back to November and the Feeding South Florida Charity Event. Talk to us about playing heads-up against Chris Moneymaker and the moment you won the Platinum Pass.
Esteban: The truth is, I went to the Seminole Hard Rock not knowing what I was going to play. It was a regular day for me. I got out of work, I was thinking, “I’m just going to go play.” When I got there, it was a charity event, $300 … I didn’t really know the first place prize, but once we got to about 15 players, [Tournament][Director][Tony][Burns] was talking about the [Platinum][Pass] and I was like, “Hmm. Sounds good.” There were no high hopes or anything. Once we got to about five players I was like, “Ok. We have a chance at this.”
Esteban Garcia
Heads-up with Moneymaker wasn’t a big deal, because once it was down to just him and I, I didn’t really care about making that extra $1,000. I was so happy to be able to get this [Platinum][Pass] package. I put it in on the next hand and he just happened to have a better hand. I was just like, “Wow. This is crazy. I never thought I would play in a $25,000 buy-in.” I would never spend that money out of my pocket to do that. That was really, really good. I woke [my][wife] up when I got home — “You won’t believe this! We’re going to the Bahamas! We have a ticket. We have everything paid for.” She was like, “Whatever.” The next day in sunk in a little bit more. It was good.
SS: Talk about the last two months leading up to this and your time working with PokerStars to get to the Bahamas.
E: They communicated so well. They reached out to me multiple times to see if I needed anything. Garry [Gates] was incredible and PokerStars was unbelievable. They have an A+ thing going on. Everything they do is first class.
SS: Talk about your experience in the Bahamas and playing the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship.
E: We love everything about the accommodations. The game; I’m not going to say I was intimidated, but I didn’t feel like I could play with these [$25,000][buy-in][players] at first. Once I won a couple hands I felt a lot better. I studied a lot of the stuff they were doing and tried to make adjustments. The game here and the [small][buy-ins] back home are totally different. This was great. It was a great experience for me. I think I’ll be able to play the higher buy-in tournaments a lot better now that I was able to experience this. It’s a big learning experience. I feel proud to have made the money and advanced and make it to where a lot of these [$25,000][buy-in][players] didn’t make it.
SS: 10 years from now what do you think you’ll remember most about the last three days in the Bahamas?
E: I came here with $1,000 and I’m going home with $36,000. I’ll remember that! For sure. I spent some time with the wife. She kind of played solo tourist a little bit, but at the same time, we needed this. It was good. The first couple of days I left the tournament floor with a headache — sitting down for eight hours concentrating. I was a little worn out. [Me][and][my][wife] have been going around eating. Tomorrow, since we have the day off, we’re probably going to go downtown and spend some time there all day. Go to the beach. Spend the extra day one-on-one. She had a job to do every day. She was figuring out where we were going to have breakfast the next day and where we were going to have dinner. She had to go scout. That was her job during the day while I was playing. That was a good thing.
Esteban Garcia
SS: Talk about what you normally play at the Seminole Hard Rock and what you thinking playing your normal daily tournaments might be like now that you have $25,000 buy-in experience.
E: I’m not going back to those little tournaments! I’m just kidding. I usually go play Mondays and Tuesdays which is low buy-in tournament — $150. The style is so different. I feel like this high buy-in play is a low risk game. It’s just different. At the small buy-ins, there’s a lot of all-ins all the time. I think I just became so much better just because of these last three days. I’m still going to play my games and I’m going to try a lot more to try to get those satellites for the bigger buy-ins. I feel confident that I can compete in those tournaments a lot more now that I did this.
SS: Talk to us about your life away from the felt and what you do for a living.
E: I work for Florida Power & Light Company. My title is Line Specialist. I work on the power lines — high voltage — making sure that your switch can be turned on and the power is on. Maintenance and construction, that’s basically my job. During storms, restoration, making sure we get everything back on. I’ve been doing it for 22 years now.
SS: So poker is just Monday and Tuesday or do you get to play more than that?
E: Usually Monday and Tuesday are my main days. Saturday I stay home. Monday and Tuesday you will definitely find me at the Seminole Hard Rock. Any other day it has to be a good buy-in and I have to have the time off.
SS: You’re a working man and you just won $35,000 off a free entry you earned at the Seminole Hard Rock. Talk about what that means.
E: It’s beautiful, man. Shoot! We have some plans for this year. We have some traveling we’re planning to do. One of our kids is in Japan, he’s in the military. We’ll pay for the next couple of trips. We’re empty-nesters.
SS: What are your plans for the Lucky Hearts Poker Open this week?
E: I don’t know yet. I will figure it out when I get back, but I will definitely play some.
SS: Anything else you would like to add?
E: I just want to say thanks to the Seminole Hard Rock and PokerStars. The truth is, they made it happen. They did a great, great job. I’m looking forward to the next Platinum Pass and where it’s going to be because I’m going to be chasing that Pass again!
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Thank you to everyone who played our Platinum Pass events and huge congratulations to all five of the pass winners! It was a pleasure following along with your play and having you represent the Seminole Hard Rock in the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship.
Feeding South Florida Charity Event Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Florida $300 Buy-In No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) $50,000+ in Cash and Prizes Entries: 89 November 13, 2018
Chris Moneymaker (right) and Esteban Garcia
The Feeding South Florida Charity Event ended late Tuesday night with 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker taking the top spot. The event generated charitable donations of more than $14,000 and Moneymaker earned $3,000 along with a prize package for the win.
Chris Moneymaker and Esteban Garcia
As a PokerStars ambassador, Moneymaker was not eligible to win the $30,000 PokerStars Platinum Pass that was added to first place. That huge prize went to runner-up Esteban Garcia. With that, Garcia punched his ticket to the $25,000 buy-in PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship slated to run this January in the Bahamas.
Jorge Aristizabal (Seat 1) busts third officially earning Esteban Garcia a Platinum PassPlatinum Pass winner Estaban Garcia
Final results:
1st: Chris Moneymaker – $3,000 + $5,250 SHRPO entry, 4-night stay, dinner for 2 2nd: Estaban Garcia – $2,000 + $30,000 Platinum Pass 3rd: Jorge Aristizabal – $1,400 + $3,500 entry, dinner for 2 4th: Harold O’Brien – $1,100 + Hard Rock AC 4-night stay 5th: Nagui Yass – $800 + Ferragamo wallet, $200 gift card 6th: Jack Sumner – $700 + Ferragamo wallet, $200 gift card 7th: Antonio Arencibia – $600 + Michael Kors wallet, $200 gift card 8th: Rick Levy – $500 9th: Kimberley Kusser – $400 10th: Aaron Allen – $300
That wraps the Feeding South Florida charity event. Next up is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open kicking off tomorrow at 11am with the opening flight in the $360 buy-in, $1,000,000 guarantee!
Feeding South Florida Charity Event Over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes Level 15: 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 ante Players Remaining: 10 of 89
Chris Moneymaker
For the second time in his short stay at the Seminole Hard Rock, Chris Moneymaker leads the final 10 in a PokerStars Platinum Pass event. Over the weekend, he finished runner-up in his namesake Moneymaker Tour event making his way through an impressive 957 entries.
Now, just two days later, he’s maneuvered through 89 entries in the Feeding South Florida Charity Event and finds himself in the money and leading the final table.
Seat 1: Jorge Aristizabal – 129,000 Seat 2: Aaron Allen – 41,000 Seat 3: Kim Kusser – 65,000 Seat 4: Chris Moneymaker – 220,000 Seat 5: Rick Levy – 2,500 Seat 6: Esteban Garcia – 56,000 Seat 7: Jack Sumner – 70,000 Seat 8: Antonio Arencibia – 16,000 Seat 9: Harold O’Brien – 153,000 Seat 10: Nagui Yassa – 130,500
As a PokerStars representative, Moneymake is not eligible to earn the $30,000 Platinum Pass that’s added to first. In the event were he to win, it would go to second place.
Feeding South Florida Charity Event Over $50,000 in Cash and Prizes Level 12: 2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 ante Players Remaining: 18 of 89
Table 1, including Chris Moneymaker
Barely three hours since kickoff, the Feeding South Florida Charity Event is down to 18 players and consolidated to the final two tables. Chris Moneymaker is in the midst of yet another deep run already having finished runner-up in his namesake Moneymaker Tour event on Sunday (from 957 starting entries) and again finishing second in a small media invite sit n go earlier today.
In addition to Moneymaker, others still in include PokerStars’ Garry Gates, Steven Bennett, Matt Yorra and Nagui Yassa.
