Aaron Mermelstein Earns High Roller Title

2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
Hollywood, Florida
$25,500 High Roller
$2,000,000 Guaranteed

Entries: 99
Prize Pool:  $2,445,300
April 15-16, 2019

The 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown rolled into the final weekend and the $25K High Roller kept players in town after their Championship run came to an end. As the headliner played down in the Event Center, the High Roller packed Salon East with some of the best players in the world and Aaron Mermelstein outlasted them all to claim the title.

“This ranks right up there,” Mermelstein commented about this win compared to his other titles. “I live here part-time now so for me it’s nice to get a big win here especially against a lot of the tougher competition.”

“Feels sort of like home. It feels good. This is my first cash in a $25K so it’s nice to win the first one.”

The tournament drew 99 entries to push the prize pool past the $2,000,000 Guarantee and 16 of them survived to make Day 2.

They still had some work to do on Wednesday with only 14 of them taking home part of the $2,445,300 prize pool. Short-stacked Ray Qartomy was an early Day 2 exit and Jonathan Jaffe ran into Alex Foxen’s pocket kings to burst the bubble.

Joe McKeehen was the chip leader at the start of the final table with Mermelstein in the middle of the pack. The WPT Champions Club member found a big double, then took the lead when he eliminated Niall Farrell in sixth place.

Joe McKeehen

McKeehen would never regain the lead and Mermelstein would never let it go as McKeehen went out in third place. He was heads-up with Foxen for the title and the battle lasted less than an hour. Foxen ran his flopped top pair into Mermelstein’s flopped top set and it was over.

Alex Foxen

“I doubled on Elio (Fox) pretty early,” Mermelstein said of his Day 1 run. “I kind of never looked back from there and it was sort of a smooth ride as far as tournaments go.”

“I busted the Main Event in pretty brutal fashion,” he continued. ‘I wasn’t even sure I was going to play so I’m glad that I did. It worked out well.”

“I’m happy to be in this position and close it out.”

Congratulations to Aaron and thanks to everyone for another great High Roller.

High Roller results:

1st: Aaron Mermelstein – $618,955
2nd: Alex Foxen – $545,000
3rd: Joe McKeehen – $305,665
4th: James Calderaro – $210,295
5th: Shannon Shorr – $136,935
6th: Niall Farrell – $100,255
7th: Alan Schein – $83,140
8th: Brandon Adams – $70,915
9th: Ben Yu – $68,470
10th: Sean Winter – $66,025
11th: Andjelko Andrejevic – $63,580
12th: Sam Sorevel – $61,135
13th: Ali Imsirovic – $58,690
14th: Rainer Kemp – $56,240

High Roller: Aaron Mermelstein Defeats Alex Foxen for High Roller Title

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 24: 75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante

Alex Foxen made it 350,000 from the button and Aaron Mermelstein called to the Tc9h4c flop. Mermelstein checked, Foxen bet 450,000 and Mermelstein check-raised all in. Foxen double checked his cards and called for 2,125,000 total.

Foxen: JsTd
Mermelstein: ThTs

Foxen was drawing thin to Mermelstein’s top set and drawing dead after the Ac turn. Mermelstein officially locked up the title after the 3s river finished the last board of the tournament. Foxen took $545,000 for second place while Mermelstein banked $618,955 for the win.

1st: Aaron Mermelstein – $618,955
2nd: Alex Foxen – $545,000

High Roller: Aaron Mermelstein Extends Lead

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 99

Aaron Mermelstein opened his button and Alex Foxen defended to the 6s4h3h flop. Foxen checked, Mermelstein bet 200,000 and Foxen check-raised to 525,000. Mermelstein called, the turn was Kh and Foxen bet 475,000.

Mermelstein called, the river was Ad, and both players checked.

Foxen tabled Th9s for the busted draw and Mermelstein picked up the big pot with kings up Kd6d.

Seat 1: Aaron Mermelstein – 7,850,000 (79 bb)
Seat 3: Alex Foxen – 2,050,000 (21 bb)

High Roller: Heads-Up Counts

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 23: 50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 99

Aaron Mermelstein and Alex Foxen are back from their break and heads-up play is underway with Mermelstein holding the lead.

Seat 1: Aaron Mermelstein – 5,425,000 (54 bb)
Seat 3: Alex Foxen – 4,475,000 (45 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $674,895
2nd: $489,060

High Roller: Joe McKeehen – 3rd Place ($305,665)

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 99

Joe McKeehen

Joe McKeehen took a hit in a raising battle when he sent 725,000 to Alex Foxen with getting to the flop. Soon after, Aaron Mermelstein opened his button to 175,000 and McKeehen moved all in for 1,550,000.

After confirming the count, Foxen moved all in and Mermelstein folded while flashing Ax7x.

Foxen: AhAc
McKeehen: KsQc

A cooler for McKeehen, the board ran KhTh3sJc5h to give him a river sweat but he went out in third place.

Alex Foxen – 4,475,000 (60 bb)
Joe McKeehen – Eliminated in 3rd Place ($305,665)

High Roller: Aaron Mermelstein Versus Alex Foxen

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 99

Aaron Mermelstein

Aaron Mermelstein opened to 175,000 from the button and Alex Foxen called from the big blind to see the QsQh7c flop. Foxen checked, Mermelstein bet 125,000 and Foxen called. The turn was 5s and Foxen checked again. Mermelstein bet 325,000 and Foxen called before the 9s river.

One more check from Foxen and Mermelstein put out 950,000. Foxen took several minutes to think it through, called the bet, and mucked when Mermelstein tabled Ks2s for the second nut flush.

Aaron Mermelstein – 5,650,000 (75 bb)
Alex Foxen – 2,075,000 (28 bb)

High Roller: James Calderaro – 4th Place ($210,295)

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 99

James Calderaro

James Calderaro was down to 425,000 with 50,000 of it in the small blind when Joe McKeehen opened to 150,000 from under the gun. Calderaro moved all in, Aaron Mermelstein folded and McKeehen quickly called

McKeehen: AhKs
Calderaro: Ad5c

Calderaro was dominated, had a small sweat on the Qc7d6d3d2s run out, but was eliminated in fourth place for $210,295.

Joe McKeehen – 3,300,000 (44 bb)
James Calderaro – Eliminated in 4th Place ($210,295)

High Roller: Color Up Counts

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
$2,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 22: 50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 99

The four remaining players took a quick five-minute break as tournament staff pulled the 5K chips out of play.

Seat 1: Aaron Mermelstein – 4,525,000 (60 bb)
Seat 2: Joe McKeehen – 2,075,000 (28 bb)
Seat 3: Alex Foxen – 2,250,000 (30 bb)
Seat 6: James Calderaro – 850,000 (11 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $674,895
2nd: $489,060
3rd: $305,665
4th: $210,295