Florida’s largest independently-run poker tournament series begins Wednesday, July 27. More than $8 million is up for grabs at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.
Less than two weeks ago, Fort Lauderdale resident Michael Duek finished third at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Floridians made 41 final tables and collected six World Series of Poker bracelets at poker’s top event.
On Wednesday, a 95-event schedule awaits players over the next two weeks at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. The tournament features a $5,300 Main Event with a $3 million guarantee. In total, more than $8 million is guaranteed in prizes. Total prize money could exceed $10 million.
Opening week offers major prize pools
The first event of the series is a $400 Deep Stack with a $1 million guaranteed prize pool.
The event begins July 27 and has eight starting flights, two per day through July 30, with 10% of each field advancing and making it into the money. All advancing players will return Sunday, July 31, and play until a winner is crowned.
Two events with $100K guarantees run on July 31. Event No. 14, $1,100 Deep Stack Six-Max, is a two-day event that begins at 4 p.m. An hour later, Event No. 15, $600 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha Day 1A, commences. That event has two more starting flights on Aug. 1 before all advancing players duke it out for the title on the following day.
Event No. 18, a $200 Big Stack $200K GTD, wraps up the week. It runs Aug. 1-4, with six starting flights over the first three days.
Live-streamed $3M guaranteed main event is Aug 5-9
This year’s Championship Event has a $5,300 buy-in and a $3 million guarantee attached to its name.
In 2021, the tournament nearly doubled its $3M guarantee, attracting 1,180 players for a $5.7M prize pool. Haitian-born Dimitri Vorbe, a recreational player now living in South Florida, came out on top, earning the top prize of $929,365.
As for the 2022 version, players have two starting flights across Aug. 5-6, with one re-entry available per flight.
The field will ultimately play down to seven across Aug. 7-8, with the final seven returning on Aug. 9 for the live-streamed final table.
High rollers and other notable events
Several high-roller events are also on the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open schedule:
- Aug. 3: $25K PLO High Roller (Re-Entry)
- Aug. 4: $50K Super High Roller (Single Re-Entry)
- Aug. 8: $25K High Roller (Re-Entry) – $2 million guaranteed
Last year, Chris Brewer and Zhuang Ruan took down the two super high rollers, while Joe McKeehen and Darren Elias chopped the $25K high roller event. McKeehen was the official champion, earning $550K to Elias’s $539K.
Other events of note on this year’s schedule include:
- Aug. 2: $1,100 PLO 8 or better
- Aug. 4: $1,100 HORSE
- Aug. 4: $2,200 Deep Stack Re-Entry – $200K guaranteed
- Aug. 7: $2,700 Deep Stack – $1 million guaranteed
- Aug. 8: $1,100 Deep Stack – $500K guaranteed
- Aug. 9: $10,000 Deep Stack – $500K guaranteed
Of these, the $1 million guaranteed event is historically one of the largest each year. Last year’s version drew 490 entries for a nearly $1.2 million prize pool. A three-way chop between Shannon Shorr, Aditya Prasetyo and Mukul Pahuja ended the event, with Shorr earning the title and top prize of $186K.
