2018 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 11
$360 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max
Entries: 108
Prize Pool: $32,400
November 21, 2018
Matt Silva closed out the $360 no-limit hold’em six-max final table just in the nick of time. Silva won his second Hard Rock trophy in the early hours of Wednesday morning, just three hours before his flight was scheduled to depart.
In a heads-up deal with Hamid Kashvari, Silva took down the only six-max event on the 2018 RRPO schedule and earned $7,790 for his efforts. Kashvari earned $6,715.
When the final table was down to four-handed play, it was Kashvari with the chip lead, but over time, Silva went on a heater, overtook him, and opened up a sizable chip lead of his own before starting heads-up play with about even stacks.
Silva picked up pocket aces against Kashvari’s ace-five and all the money got in preflop. Silva’s aces held up, he took a nearly 10-to-1 chip lead and he never looked back.
“It was just a very long final table. He had me slightly outchipped and we played hands and I ended up winning,” said Silva after his victory. “It sounds crazy, but it was a long final table and I just grinded it out I guess.”
After a double up from Kashvari, Silva offered a deal to end the tournament a little earlier. Kashvari accepted the offer, which meant Silva would be in no trouble of missing his flight home to Charlotte.
The poker pro recently moved back to Charlotte from Tampa in order to be closer to friends and family. With his travel plans taking him away from Hard Rock, the tournament grinder won’t be returning for the WPT Main Event after Thanksgiving.
The final table also featured Raminder Singh, who was looking to win his second trophy in three days. Singh took down the $1,100 no-limit hold’em event on Sunday in a heads-up deal with Travis Jackson.
Singh ended up finishing fourth for $2,640. Mitchell Lekarczyk, who finished fifth, won a WSOP Circuit ring in the $400 no-limit hold’em monster stack event at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek last September.
The 108-entry field paid out the top 18 spots. Here are the results:
1st: Matt Silva – $7,790*
2nd: Hamid Kashvari – $6,715*
3rd: Lukas Pribyl – $3,825
4th: Raminder Singh – $2,640
5th: Mitchell Leksarczyk – $1,880
6th: Raymond D’Argenio – $1,380
7th: Jose Costanzo – $1,050
8th: Nir Peleg – $1,050
9th: Steven Cohen – $825
10th: Unclaimed
11th: Oliver Kong – $675
12th: Richard Whitebrook – $675
13th: Andrew Stevenson – $570
14th: Randal Fernandez – $570
15th: Dolphus Powers – $505
16th: Ira Schwartz – $505
17th: Troy Bercot – $460
18th: Gavin O’Rourke – $460
*Reflects adjusted payouts agreed upon in a heads-up deal