Jacob Bazeley came to the Seminole Hard Rock last year having had some poker success. He had taken second place in a World Series of Poker event in 2012, a finish that was good for $322,294. The grinding continued and while some good finishes came to the young man from Ohio, there was never that huge, life-changing score. All of that would change at last years Championship Event when Bazeley would end up finishing in fourth place for a staggering $371,931.

The next year would “all be a dream” according to Bazeley. “I’ve been doing this so long, I knew I would go on a run eventually.” And that was precisely what he would do as he would amass tournament winnings in excess of $1.25 million dollars in slightly more than a 12-month time frame. He added to his fourth place finish here winning a WSOP Circuit ring and $239,096 in December and finished off his hot run with a third place finish at the WPT Bay 101. That finish gave Bazeley his biggest ever tournament score as he took home $461,470.

Bazeley attributes much of his recent success to his performance here. “The experience here made me more calm,” he said. “I wasn’t as nervous when cameras were around and knew how to handle the pressure.” It also helped him to deal with the realities of tournament poker. “I was disappointed after finishing fourth but it was such a big score that it helped ease some of that pain. I wasn’t satisfied but at the same time I was.”

Now Bazeley is back for more and he told us “the Hard Rock is far and away my favorite casino. The property has a lot to offer, the tournament room is great — it’s private and separate from the gaming area which I like — and the turnouts are always huge. The floor is the best, the dealers are great, you can’t help but get excited to come play here.”