The South Florida poker scene has been one of the hottest markets over the last few years. However, Central Florida closed out Florida’s major poker events with a successful tournament of its own.
The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa wrapped up its 2022 Winter Poker Open Monday. The series ran from Nov. 30 – Dec. 12 and boasted more than $1 million in guarantees.
Total prize pool was over $1.5M
There is no regulated online poker in Florida. Despite that, or because of that, Florida poker is booming. Several live tournaments have set records for attendance.
Ten events at the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open spanned the better part of two weeks. Despite one event failing to reach its guarantee, the overall series produced a total of $1,557,790 in total prize pools, well over 50% of what the venue promised.
The $1,700 Main Event closed out the series, running from Dec. 8-12, with Naples’ Ken McAdams topping a field of 471 entries for a six-figure payday of $108,000.
Local cash game player navigates Main Event field to victory
According to SHRT tournament updates, McAdams spends much of his time at the felt playing cash games. His WPO win was just the fourth cash of his career, all coming in South Florida.
Nonetheless, McAdams successfully navigated the 471-entry field over the course of three days. After a successful Day 1 performance, he was one of 83 players to make Day 2, returning Sunday to play to a final table of nine.
The field reached its target Sunday night, and McAdams finished the day second in chips, barely behind David Kozma, going into Monday’s final table.
McAdams secured the first two eliminations of the final table, vaulting into the chip lead with seven remaining. Kozma got one of the next two, and the pair of players retained commanding chip leads with just five players in contention.
Within the next 30 minutes, Kozma knocked out Jeff Yanchek in fifth, and McAdams kept pace by sending Jerry Silva to the payouts desk in fourth.
Three players then remained, with the following chip stacks: McAdams (8.625 million; 144 big blind), Kozma (7.48 million; 125 bb) and Jamie Smith (2.73 million; 46 bb). The trio agreed to a three-way deal.
Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ken McAdams | $108,000* |
| 2 | David Kozma | $105,000* |
| 3 | Jamie Smith | $82,000* |
| 4 | Jerry Silva | $50,000 |
| 5 | Jeff Yanchek | $37,000 |
| 6 | Jordan Lowery | $28,000 |
| 7 | Philip Jackson | $22,000 |
| 8 | Tom Nguyen | $17,000 |
| 9 | Mark Koeln | $13,500 |
*Denotes payouts after three-way deal altered the original payout structure
Each of the 10 events had a different winner
Each of the series’ 10 events produced a different champion. A few of those include Jack Sumner, Julio Delgado and Jordan Joeckel, all of whom experienced success in Florida poker tournaments in recent years.
However, Raminder “Raminator” Singh was the biggest name on the list of winners. The Floridian won his fourth major title at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa after he claimed the top prize in a three-way chop of Event #6: $1,100 Deep Stack.
Full series results
| Event | Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400 Deep Stack $250K GTD | 1,334 | $446,890 | Julio Delgado | $62,750* |
| 2 | $400 Deep Stack $25K GTD | 192 | $64,320 | Jack Sumner | $10,749* |
| 3 | Omaha 8 Or Better $10K GTD | 52 | $17,420 | Jordan Joeckel | $5,165* |
| 4 | $600 Deep Stack $50K GTD | 111 | $58,275 | Fabian Caicedo | $15,925 |
| 5 | $400 Mixed PLO $10K GTD | 59 | $19,765 | Joseph Kessman | $6,475 |
| 6 | $1,100 Deep Stack $75K GTD | 94 | $91,180 | Raminder Singh | $21,486* |
| 7 | $2,200 Deep Stack $100K GTD | 46 | $100,000 | Adam Jaffe | $32,000* |
| 8 | $1,700 No-Limit Hold'em Championship $500K GTD | 471 | $706,500 | Ken McAdams | $108,000* |
| 9 | $2,500 Deep Stack | 13 | $29,250 | Justin Jones | $14,625* |
| 10 | $250 Early Bird $10K GTD | 118 | $24,190 | Michael Quinn | $5,000 |
*Denotes winner’s prize after a final table deal altered original payout structures
‘Raminator’ continues to crush at Seminole venues
Singh’s WPO trophy was more than just his fourth in Tampa, as far as Seminole properties are concerned. He also holds the record with nine SHRP trophies at Tampa’s sister property, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. He also won a RunGood Poker Series Main Event at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek in August 2021.
After this recent series, Singh has now surpassed $2 million in lifetime earnings. His complete poker resume includes more than 50 wins, with the vast majority coming in South Florida.
More big tournaments coming in 2023
Florida continues to offer some of the best poker action worldwide, and its venues have a fully packed schedule for the beginning of 2023.
The following events are ones you’ll want to put on your calendars for the first half of next year:
- Jan. 12-24: WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open (Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood)
- Jan. 26-Feb. 3: 2023 Winter Open (bestbet Jacksonville)
- Jan. 28-Feb. 4: Cardplayer Cruises (leaves from Miami)
- Feb. 2-13: WSOP Circuit – Florida (Isle Casino Pompano Park)
- Feb. 8-March 12: 2023 Escalator Series (SHR Hollywood)
- April 12-May 3: WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (SHR Hollywood)
