Seminole Hard Rock Wraps 2019 Escalator Series With $1.4M in Prizes
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The Seminole Hard Rock 2019 Escalator III Series was comprised of four tournaments over four weekends offering more than $1 million in guaranteed prize money. The events ranged in buy-ins from $150 to $560 and ended up catering to 5,375 entrants and offering a combined $1,437,150 in prize money.
Here’s a brief recap of each tournament.
Odenz Takes Down First Event.
The series kicked off February 20-24 with the $150 buy-in, $100K GTD event. The tournament drew 1,472 entries over six flights and created a $176,640 prize pool. Some players to cash were Ory Hen (68th - $453), Neil Blumenfield (50th - $592), Nancy Birnbaum (20th - $940), Devin Weinberg (7th - $8,714), and James Hamburger (4th - $14,104).
The tournament ended in a deal with Charles Odenz emerging as champ for $25,946 and an added $3,500 seat to April’s World Poker Tour Showdown Championship.
$150 Escalator Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Odenz | $25,946 + $3,500 seat |
| 2 | Pierrot Massenat | $17,583 |
| 3 | Joseph McNeely | $17,241 |
| 4 | James Hamburger | $14,104 |
| 5 | Andrea Mastrogiovanni | $11,558 |
| 6 | Eric Snyder | $10,520 |
| 7 | Devin Weinberg | $8,714 |
| 8 | Sagi Zommer | $8,414 |
| 9 | Dean Phelps | $7,145 |
| 10 | David Moreno | $1,940 |
Kevin Ho and Henry Billete Chop Up $250 Escalator
From February 27-March 3, the $250 buy-in, $200K GTD Escalator played out. The tournament drew 1,431 entries over seven flights and created a $300,510 prize pool. Among the top 140 players to finish in the money were Abbey Daniels (138th - $440), Tri Nguyen (54th - $817), Nick Yunis (28th - $1,105), John Holley (16th - $1,574), Tim Myers (7th - $10,370), and Loni Harwood (3rd - $23,280).
The tournament came to an end when the final two players agreed to a chop in which Henry Billete finished as runner-up for $49,000 and Kevin Ho took the title, $50,450 in prize money, and a $3,500 seat.
$320 Escalator Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Ho | $50,450 + $3,500 seat* |
| 2 | Henry Billete | $49,000* |
| 3 | Loni Harwood | $23,280 |
| 4 | Eric Hubbs | $19,655 |
| 5 | Israr Khan | $16,390 |
| 6 | David Hass | $13,360 |
| 7 | Tim Myers | $10,370 |
| 8 | Devond Marshall | $7,655 |
| 9 | Pierrot Massenat | $5,605 |
| 10 | Edina Pantinchin | $3,825 |
*Denotes heads-up deal.
Chris Pool Wins $350 Escalator
In the third week of the series from March 7-10, the $350 buy-in, $300K GTD Escalator took place and attracted 1,380 runners over six starting flights. That created a $414,000 prize pool that was paid out to the top 130 players including Scott Baumstein (102nd - $674), Chris Tryba (72nd - $858), Jose Reyes (47th - $1,160), Lance Funston (21st - $1,809), and Loni Harwood (11th - $4,840).
In the end, the final five players struck a deal that saw Chris Poole deemed the winner for $50,219 and a $3,500 seat.
$350 Escalator Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Pool | $50,219 + $3,500 seat* |
| 2 | Steven Karp | $46,267* |
| 3 | Syed Shah | $44,765* |
| 4 | George Hortelano | $41,474* |
| 5 | Lee Harrison | $38,765* |
| 6 | Michael Holcroft | $18,530 |
| 7 | Alan Rosenbaum | $14,440 |
| 8 | Chrystian Oliveira | $10,770 |
| 9 | Efthimios Piperakis | $7,910 |
| 10 | Peyton Palma | $5,400 |
*Denotes five-way deal.
Ofer Peleg Wins $560 Escalator
The final tournament in the series, the $560 buy-in, $400K GTD event that ran from March 14-17, drew 1,092 entrants and created a $546,000 prize pool.
The top 100 players got paid including Chris Tryba (100th - $1,092), Evan Teitelbaum (60th - $1,529), David Bradshaw (58th - $1,529), Steven Karp (33rd - $2,129), Jorge Rivera (21st - $2,457), and Tristan Wade (13th - $4,641).
Four-time bracelet winner Robert Mizrachi made the final table and was part of a deal that saw him lock up $38,880. Meanwhile, it was Ofer Peleg crowned champ for $60,218 and a $3,500 WPT seat.
$560 Escalator Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ofer Peleg | $60,218* + $3,500 seat |
| 2 | Johann Tiemann | $55,375* |
| 3 | David Moon | $51,623* |
| 4 | Nashaat Antonious | $4,109* |
| 5 | Elilton Gouveia | $39,833* |
| 6 | Robert Mizrachi | $38,880* |
| 7 | Jean Brigagao Do Nascimen | $38,880* |
| 8 | Michael Harley | $32,091* |
| 9 | Charles Campos | $10,100 |
| 10 | Anthony Astarita | $6,552 |
The Seminole Hard Rock will host its next major event next month as the $3 million guaranteed WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship runs from April 12-16.
Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
