2016 Rock n’ Roll Poker Open 
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Hollywood, FL 
Event 12: $150 No Limit Hold’em Re-Entry 
Entries: 1,611
Prize Pool: $193,320
November 28-30, 2016

Dylan Drazen was having a horrible month of poker until Wednesday night. Drazen took home the final trophy of the 2016 Rock n’ Roll Poker open in a 10-way chop of the $150 no limit hold’em re-entry event.

Drazen got credit for the win and topped a field of 1,611 entries to take home $25,011 along with his second career tournament win. Even though it is just his second career tournament win, he understands the variance that comes with tournament poker.

“It’s really, really hard to win a tournament and beat all those players,” said Drazen. “You have to play so many tournaments to find a spot to have actual success. It takes incredible volume and patience. Inhuman patience.”

The win comes at the tail end of a terrible month. After grinding the whole tournament series and coming up empty, this event put him back in the black.

“I had a really rotten month this series,” said Drazen. “It was awful for me. So to do this in the last final event and actually show a profit for the month is something I didn’t expect. But pleasantly surprised.”

Drazen has been a professional poker player for several years now, but before he made his transition to poker, Drazen spent his time as a techno DJ in New York.

After spending more than a decade behind the turn tables, Drazen discovered poker in his late twenties during the Moneymaker boom. Drazen found himself wanting to spend less time spinning tracks and more time at the card table.

After slowly increasing his win rate and steadily beginning to earn more money from poker than as a DJ, he decided to take the plunge and go pro in 2011. He left New York and headed down to South Florida to play live.

Drazen cut his teeth as an online limit hold’em pro, but tried to play live no limit hold’em after deciding to move to Florida and play for a living. The first stage of his live professional career didn’t go very well for him.

“When I moved down here in 2012, I had a really hard time,” said Drazen. “I hit a losing streak the moment I moved here. I moved down here and immediately started losing.”

After enduring a downswing, he opted to go back to his bread and butter.

“I decided to go back online and do what I do best,” said Drazen. “Which is play limit hold’em online.”

Drazen left the live arena for several years before he had enough of the limit variant of the game. Earlier this year, he had enough of sitting in front of a computer screen and came back to sit at the live felt.

“It was only a couple months ago where I started to just hate limit hold’em,” said Drazen. “I decided to give live another shot. And here I am.”

Drazen feels that as he gets older, live poker is more suited for him. This transition back to the live arena has gone much smoother.

“As I get a bit older, my concentration wanes,” said Drazen. “To play online, it requires incredible sustained concentration. When you play short-handed and the games are getting more aggressive and tougher, it’s extremely intense. It’s hard to describe.

“So transitioning back to live is relaxing.”

The extra $25,011 in his pocket will also help him relax a little bit.

Here is a look at the final table results:

1st: Dylan Drazen – $25,011
2nd: Sebastian Andres – $20,000
3rd: Austin Rattet – $14,256
4th: Ben Robinson – $13,619
5th: Hagai Stein – $12,901
6th: Adam Morck – $11,823
7th: Elliott Zaydman – $11,062
8th: Dejan Petkovic – $10,111
9th: Spencer Champlin – $7,966
10th: Devond Marshall – $4,905

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

As soon as the players got to the final table, they immediately began talking about an ICM chop. After running the numbers, all of the players came to an agreement and Dylan Drazen will take home first place money and the trophy.

Here is a look at the final payout numbers:

1st: Dylan Drazen – $25,011
2nd: Sebastian Andres – $20,000
3rd: Austin Rattet – $14,256
4th: Ben Robinson – $13,619
5th: Hagai Stein – $12,901
6th: Adam Morck – $11,823
7th: Elliott Zaydman – $11,062
8th: Dejan Petkovic – $10,111
9th: Spencer Champlin – $7,966
10th: Devond Marshall – $4,905

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

With the elimination of Arif Amirali in 11th place, there is a slight break in the action while they redraw for seats at the unofficial final table of ten.

Here is a look at the seating arrangement and chip counts of the final 10 players:

Seat 1: Devond Marshall – 425,000
Seat 2: Dejan Petkovic – 985,000
Seat 3: Ben Robinson – 1,600,000
Seat 4: Elliott Zaydman – 1,100,000
Seat 5: Hagal Stain “Hercules” – 1,400,000
Seat 6: Sebastian Andres – 3,000,000
Seat 7: Austin Rattet – 1,675,000
Seat 8: Spencer Champlin – 685,000
Seat 9: Dylan Drazen – 3,950,000
Seat 10: Adam Morck – 1,255,000

Everybody is guaranteed at least $1,856, but the top spot takes home $46,265.

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 28: 30,000/60,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 10 of 1,611

Arif Amirali moves all in from under the gun for about 300,000 and Ben Robinson calls on the button.

Amirali shows and is in trouble against Robinson’s .

The board runs out and Robinson’s kings hold up to eliminate Amirali in 11th place.

Amirali takes home $1,856 and there is a slight pause in the action while they redraw for seats at the unofficial final table.

Ben Robinson – 1,600,000
Arif Amirali – Eliminated 

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 11 of 1,611

After unknown action, Peter Fellows is eliminated in 12th place. With one more elimination, the final 10 players will redraw for seats at the final table.

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 12 of 1,611

Ben Robinson limps in under the gun and Eliott Zaydman moves all in for 405,000 from the cutoff. “Hercules” calls from the big blind and Robinson folds.

“Hercules” shows and is in trouble against Zaydman’s .

The board runs out and Zaydman earns a double up with his rockets.

Elliott Zaydman – 935,000
“Hercules” – 1,525,000

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 12 of 1,611

Bryce McVay got all in from under the gun against Adam Morck on the button. Morck showed and was up against McVay’s .

There was a king on the flop, leaving McVay drawing to two outs. He couldn’t hit a two outer on the turn or the river and he hit the rail in 13th place.

McVay earned $1,450 for his efforts and Morck chipped up. Everybody remaining gets a pay jump and is guaranteed at least $1,856.

After two more eliminations, there will be a redraw for the unofficial final table.

Adam Morck – 1,000,000
Bryce McVay – Eliminated 

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 27: 25,000/50,000 with a 10,000 ante
Players Remaining 13 of 1,611

Spencer Champlin raises to 100,000 from middle position and Arif Amirali moves all in from the cutoff. Action folds back to Champlin, who calls and is all in for 565,000.

Champlin is on the right side of a cold deck with his against Amirali’s .

The board runs out and Champlin doubles up.

Spencer Champlin – 1,225,000
Arif Amirali – 640,000

$150 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 26: 20,000/40,000 with a 5,000 ante
Players Remaining 13 of 1,611

Peter Fellows moves all in from the hijack for 685,000 and Devond Marshall calls from the small blind.

It’s a flip for Fellows’ tournament life with his up against Marshall’s . The flop is , which gives Marshall top pair, but Fellows flops a set of nines.

The turn is the , giving Marshall four outs with a straight draw, but the river is the and Fellows doubles up.

Peter Fellows – 1,400,000
Devond Marshall – 525,000