2024 Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun Day 3 Schedule (Saturday)

11 a.m. – Event #3  –  $600 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

  • Late Registration until start of Level 9 (3:30 p.m.)
  • $50,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • 25,000 in chips / 30-minute levels
  • Event #3 Structure Sheet

Tournament updates will begin at about 6:30 p.m.

6 p.m.  –  Event #4  –  $150 Triple Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

  • Late Registration until start of Level 11 (8:55 p.m.)
  • $10,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
  • 30,000 in chips and 15/20 minute levels
  • Event #4 Structure Sheet

Ron Basch Wins Event 2 of the 2024 Fun in the Sun Poker Open in Four-Way Chop for $6,235

2024 Seminole Hard Rock Fun in the Sun
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 2
$400 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH (Single Re-Entry)
$30,000 Guarantee
Entries:  180
Prize Pool:  $42,300
Bounty Prize Pool:  $18,000
December 27, 2024

2024 Fun in the Sun Poker Open Event 2 Champion Ron Basch

Event 2 of the 2024 Seminole Hard Rock Fun in the Sun Poker Open was a $400 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty No-Limit Hold’em (Single Re-Entry). A field of 180 entries produced a prize pool of $42,300, with an additional $18,000 set aside for bounties.

A four-way chop was made at the final table and Ron Basch was the chip leader at the time, making him the official Event 2 winner for $6,235.

PlaceFirst NameLast NamePayout
1RonBasch$6,235*
2JuanMontoya$6,235*
3KevinVail$6,235*
4KirbyConserve$6,235*
5DarioPistalo$2,040
6EmilieStallings$1,675
7PaulSmerdon$1,465
8DanielLevin$1,280
9FrancicChaviano$1,100
10MatthewSchiavo$930
11PaulFreedman$930
12ChristopherLiranzo$930
13LakishiaJefferson$785
14ValentinoLettieri$785
15RalphSpadafore Jr.$785
16PaulPrager$660
17AxelPortocarrero$660
18RichardCaplan$660
19AndresGomez$535
20BhakeerathanNaahanathan$535
21AbrahamAburman Labra$535
22KyleSullivan$535
23RobertPoolos$535

*denotes four-way chop

Theo Lawson Wins Event 1 of the 2024 Fun in the Sun Poker Open in Four-Handed Deal for $21,805

2024 Seminole Hard Rock Fun in the Sun
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guarantee
Entries:  594
Prize Pool:  $196,020
December 26-27, 2024

2024 Fun in the Sun Poker Open Event 1 Champion Theo Lawson

The opening event of the 2024 Fun in the Sun Poker Open was a $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry). A field of 594 entries generated a prize pool of $196,020, nearly doubling the guarantee.

A four-handed deal was reached at the final table and Theo Lawson was the chip leader at the time, making him the official winner for $21,805.

PlaceFirst NameLast NamePayout
1TheoLawson$21,805*
2MichaelTarafa$21,175*
3CoryRock Jr$20,900*
4FrankLuciano$19,000*
5BenjaminMoschel$9,200
6GaryLieberman$7,000
7AnthonyDunne$5,400
8AngelGamarra$4,200
9ChristopherHoward$3,300
10AbdullahAbusafieh$3,300
11RaminderSingh$2,880
12AdamUmstattd$2,880
13WalterBravo$2,480
14RoryMiller$2,480
15HenryEisenstein$2,480
16StevenRoss$2,120
17CangirElcin$2,120
18JuanMontoya Bernal$2,120
19MitchellSilver$2,120
20RichardGanesh$1,780
21CarlosBermudez$1,780
22ThomasGari$1,780
23PasqualeCaiazza$1,780
24JudyBielan$1,480
25DanKashvin$1,480
26JustinSwank$1,480
27PaulPrager$1,480
28MikhailChykiliov$1,480
29JackNathan$1,480
30ArthurAzen$1,480
31BrendaNelson$1,480
32AdiAmit$1,260
33MattGlantz$1,260
34JamesMorris$1,260
35NirSharon$1,260
36PiyushMittal$1,260
37NancyBirnbaum$1,260
38ChristopherCarbine$1,260
39KamilZeman$1,260
40BogdanToma$1,060
41JuanAmaya$1,060
42RobertHagan$1,060
43JosephMurphy$1,060
44RichardWhitebrook$1,060
45BryanLittlefield$1,060
46AdrianWinebarger$1,060
47PaulDomb$1,060
48JordanFlaschner$900
49LakishiaJefferson$900
50PaulLacourciere$900
51AndresGomez$900
52JamesIndiveri$900
53IonutPitaru$900
54VencentWelch$900
55JohnVidal$900
56MariaHernandez$760
57AlexanderOrlov$760
58EthanSchapira$760
59RobertMcAllister$760
60AlcidesGomez$760
61AlexanderPerez$760
62SamSternfield$760
63DenisSnyder$760
64ShneurCiment$660
65DarioPistalo$660
66VincentPicardi$660
67JayKlitzner$660
68MervickNunez$660
69AlizeeParadis$660
70GuillermoNajera-Sweeney$660
71CorelTheuma$660
72BarryWeprin$660
73MarcusLipiner$660
74BenjaminBakal$660

*denotes four-handed deal

Event 1: We Have a Deal!

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 31:  75,000/150,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 594

Frank Luciano (standing, left), Cory Rock Jr. (standing center), Michael Tarafa (standing, right) and Theo Lawson (sitting)

After playing four-handed for a little while, the remaining players agreed to a deal.

Here were their chip counts at the time:

Theo Lawson  –  3,475,000  (23 bb)
Michael Tarafa  –  3,150,000  (21 bb)
Cory Rock Jr.  –  2,950,000  (20 bb)
Frank Luciano  –  2,325,000  (16 bb)

As the chip leader, Theo Lawson was the official winner of the 2024 Fun in the Sun opening event for $21,805.

Event 1: Benjamin Moschel – 5th Place ($9,200)

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 594

Benjamin Moschel raised all in from the small blind for 875,000 and Michael Tarafa called in the big blind.

Moschel:  Ks3d
Tarafa:  Qs8s

The board came AcQh2sTdTs. giving Tarafa queens and tens to eliminate Moschel in fifth place.

Michael Tarafa  –  2,200,000  (18 bb)
Benjamin Moschel  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($9,200)

With four players remaining, the average stack is about 2,970,000 (24 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed $12,200.

Event 1: Updated Chip Counts

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 594

Seat 1: Theo Lawson  –  5,100,000  (41 bb)
Seat 2:  Benjamin Moschel  –  800,000  (6 bb)
Seat 3:  Michael Tarafa  –  1,175,000 (9 bb)
Seat 4:  Cory Rock Jr.  –  2,975,000  (24 bb)
Seat 9:  Frank Luciano –  1,825,000  (15 bb)

With five players remaining, the average stack is about 2,375,000 (19 big blinds).

1st:  $33,480 + Trophy
2nd:  $21,900
3rd:  $16,300
4th:  $12,200
5th:  $9,200

6th:  Gary Lieberman  –  $7,000
7th:  Anthony Dunne  –  $5,400
8th:  Angel Gamarra  –  $4,200
9th:  Christopher Howard  –  $3,300

Event 1: Gary Lieberman – 6th Place ($7,000)

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 594

Gary Lieberman raised all in for 610,000 in the hijack and Theo Lawson called on the button.

Lieberman:  Kc7d
Lawson:  AdJh

The board came 5h4h4dTh6h, no help to Lieberman, ending his tournament in sixth place.

Theo Lawson  –  2,300,000  (23 bb)
Gary Lieberman  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($7,000)

With six players remaining from the field of 594 entries, the average stack is about 2,375,000 (24 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed $9,200.

Event 1: Michael Tarafa Doubles Through Frank Luciano

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 594

With the board reading Ah8d4s2h and roughly 600,000 in the pot, Frank Luciano bet 225,000 from the big blind. Michael Tarafa raised to about 650,000, Luciano reraised all in, and Tarafa thought for a bit before he called all in for 1,365,000 with AcKh, leading Luciano’s AdJd.

The river was the 3c, safe for Tarafa to double up and retake the chip lead.

Michael Tarafa  –  3,330,000  (44 bb)
Frank Luciano  –  1,800,000  (24 bb)

With six players remaining from the field of 594 entries, the average stack is about 1,980,000 (26 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed $7,000.

Event 1: Anthony Dunne – 7th Place ($5,400)

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 28:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 594

Anthony Dunne raised all in for 435,000 from under the gun and Cory Rock Jr. called in the big blind with AdTh, leading Dunne’s Ah9c.

The board came 8s7s2hQsJh, no help to Dunne, ending his tournament in seventh place.

Cory Rock Jr.  –  2,300,000  (31 bb)
Anthony Dunne  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($5,400)

With six players remaining from the field of 594 entries, the average stack is about 1,980,000 (26 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed $7,000.

Event 1: Angel Gamarra – 8th Place ($4,200)

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Prize Pool:  $196,020  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 27:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 594

Jonathan Moschel raised to 150,000 in the hijack, Anthony Dunne called in the small blind, and Angel Gamarra called all in for 115,000 in the big blind.

The flop was AdJc5s, Dunne checked, Moschel bet about 600,000, and Dunne folded.

Moschel showed AcTd for a pair of aces, leading Gamarra’s 6h2c.

The 8d turn and 3d river completed the board, no help to Gamarra. ending his tournament in eighth place.

Benjamin Moschel  –  2,005,000  (33 bb)
Anthony Dunne  –  410,000  (7 bb)
Angel Gamarra  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($4,200)

With seven players remaining from the field of 594 entries, the average stack is about 1,695,000 (28 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed $5,400.