2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
Event 10
$1,650 Purple Chip Bounty (Single Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 145
Prize Pool: $145,000
Bounty Prize Pool: $72,500
Total Prize Pool: $217,500
April 11-12, 2018

Florida fisherman Steve Rash is the newest winner at the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. Rash outlasted 144 entries to take home the Event 10 $1,650 Purple Chip Bounty title and the $40,026 first place prize.

Rash, hailing from St. George Island, Florida, held up a picture of Dog the Bounty Hunter in his winners photo to represent the 17 bounties he captured throughout the tournament worth $8,500.

“The opportunities just came up and the cards fell my way. I got three in one hand, midday yesterday around the 7th level I had pocket jacks against three other guys, I got it in and they held up.”

Rash didn’t run so hot at the final table.

“At the final table I had a really bad hand, the guy caught a two-outer and I lost most of my stack, but luckily I hung in there and made it back.”

He was referring to this hand, where he was all in and ahead when they both flopped top pair of queens with Rash’s jack kicker out in front. Wilhelm spiked a deuce on the turn to make two pair and stay alive.

Heads up was a different story, Rash came into it with a 3-1 chip deficit but according to Rash “The cards just dropped in my lap”. The final hand was a coin flip with Rash’s ace nine flipping against Bob Bounahra’s pocket eights. Rash flopped the ace and scored the trophy.

Rash doesn’t play poker too often, he traveled 500 miles to get here and says he likes to visit Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at least once a year. He’s had a few previous cashes in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdowns, but this was his first victory. This score brought his live earnings over $100,0000. He had his wife and sister in law cheering him on from the rail.

Final Results:

1st: Steve Rash – $40,026
2nd: Bob Bounahra – $25,375
3rd: Straton Wilhelm – $14,935
4th: John Richards – $9,067
5th: Chris Damick – $7,033
6th: Nick Palma – $5,807
7th: Joe Orsino  – $5,075
8th: Dylan Wilkerson– $4,531
9th: Darren Rabinowitz – $4,003
10th: Zach Smiley – $3,480
11th: Will Galloway – $3,480
12th: Josh Beckley – $3,480
13th: Harold Evans – $2,973
14th: Ankush Mandavia – $2,973
15th: Joe Keuther – $2,358
16th: Haim Toorgeman – $2,358
17th: Matt Lambrecht – $2,358
18th: Mark Dube – $2,358
19th: Peter Eichhardt – $2,175