The World Poker Tour took its action to Florida again, this time for the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. This casino in Hollywood is a regular stop for the World Poker Tour, as players have always come out in droves for the festivals and the WPT Main Event.
The WPT even kicked off its Season XX at the Seminole Hard Rock with its Lucky Hearts Poker Open. The turnout was so impressive that its WPT Main Event became the second largest live field in the World Poker Tour’s history with 1,982 entries. It remained second only to…the same property. The WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown of 2021 held the record for most entries with 2,482.
Breaking Its Own Record Again
Action in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown of 2022 began on April 8.
The first of two starting days brought 970 entries into the mix. That already put the prize pool over the $3M guarantee, so organizers were happy enough. The field was filled with big names, many of whom were among the 300 survivors, with Christian Harder leading the group.
The second and final starting day delivered an even bigger number of entrants, putting the grand total at 2,010. That didn’t beat the previous year’s record-setting field but did surpass the Lucky Hearts Main Event earlier in the year as the second-largest WPT field event ever.
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That night ended with 360 players bagging their chips and David Moore with the largest stack.
Playing for Six Seats
Day 2 started with well over 600 players and quickly thinned the field toward the money. Only 252 of those players would hit the payout window, and David Coleman was the bubble player who would not visit that window. Everyone else was guaranteed at least $5,650 for their work.
Some of the players who cashed that day included Chance Kornuth, Ryan Riess, Andrew Lichtenberger, Landon Tice, Harrison Gimbel, Joe McKeehen, Nick Schulman, Nadya Magnus, and Brian Altman. Only 99 players finished that day with chips, and Mark Davis had the most.
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Day 3 sent the majority of the field to the rail, starting with Ema Zajmovic and including Lexy Gavin, Martins Adeniya, Kitty Kuo, Jonathan Jaffe, Shannon Shorr, and Jeff Berkey. There were 16 players surviving that tough day, and Matt Davis led the pack and Darren Elias not far behind.
Day 4 started with numerous double-ups before James Kousouros busted in 16th place for $51K. Christian Harder followed. Vinny Pahuja busted in 14th for $63K, and Robert Georato did the same in 13th place. Benjamin Miner and Carlos Dorca both cashed for $79K, and Robert Lofaso took home $100K for tenth place.
The final nine gathered at one table to play on. Mark Davis started that table with the chip lead and quickly eclipsed the 30M mark, leaving his competitors in the dust. Play slowed dramatically until Andrew Davidson busted David Moore in ninth place for $100K.
As the eight finalists continued, Elias took over the chip lead from Davis. Andrew Davidson doubled through Viet Vo twice. Elias soon solidified his lead by knocking out James Calderaro in eighth place for $125K. And then Davis eliminated Andrew Davidson in seventh place for $165K.
The chip counts for the final six are:
Season XX
$3,500
WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Total entries:
2010
Total prize pool:
$6,432,000
($3M GTD)
Players paid:
252
Minimum payout:
$5,650
Final table standings:
1st place:
Darren Elias = 38,825,000 chips
2nd place:
Mark Davis = 26,550,000 chips
3rd place:
Viet Vo = 11,925,000 chips
4th place:
Marcos Exterkotter = 10,900,000 chips
5th place:
Michael Laufer = 6,750,000 chips
6th place:
Andrew Barfield = 5,500,000 chips
Darren Elias already holds the record for the most World Poker Tour cashes of all time, this being his 45th. And he already has four WPT titles and is seeking his fifth. A win in this event would also be the largest of his career.
All six of the players will meet again in Las Vegas. They will play on the stage at the HyperX Esports Arena on May 25. And they will be playing for:
