2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 1
$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  3,687
Prize Pool:  $1,216,710
March 24-27, 2022

Event 1 of the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown was the $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) multi-flight opening event. There were six starting flights, drawing a total of 3,687 entries and creating a prize pool of $1,216,710, more than doubling the guarantee. There were 372 players who made the money, but all eyes were on making the final table.

Once it was reached, only one hand was played before the remaining eight players agreed to look at the numbers. After a little while of working out the details, an eight-handed deal was reached. James Collins was the chip leader at the time, making him the official champion of Event 1 for $130,682.

“I loved the tournament,” said Collins afterward. “It’s a tough tournament to win because it’s a lot of bingo playing in the beginning. It’s hard to survive.”

It took Collins a few flights to bag a stack initially, but when he did, he found himself with a solid stack of 60 big blinds and coming back in 40th of the remaining 372.

“(Day 2 was) Slow. A lot of folding, then a couple of good hands. That got me up to a good stack,” said Collins of his Day 2. “Then up and down, up and down. Then I won a really big hand that got me up over seven million. From there I won another big hand and doubled up (to the chip lead).”

On that hand, Collins won a crucial race with pocket queens against ace-king, vaulting him into the chip lead with 10 players left. He added more to his stack by the time the final table was reached, putting him in pole position to make a deal he approved.

Collins lives in Palm Harbor and plays mainly in the Tampa area. It’s his second cash here at the Seminole Hard Rock, with the first coming in the 2021 Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open in this same event.

Final Table Results

*denotes eight-handed deal

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 33:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 3,687

After the elimination of Alexander Perez in ninth place, the remaining eight players agreed to look at the numbers and eventually reached a deal.

Here were their chip counts at the time:

James Collins  –  18,150,000  (73 bb)
Mihalache Cean  –  16,025,000  (64 bb)
Kevin Payton  –  11,650,000  (47 bb)
Toan Pham  –  8,125,000  (33 bb)
Daniyal Gheba  –  6,250,000  (25 bb)
Jason Klass  –  5,000,000  (20 bb)
Al Norman  –  4,600,000  (18 bb)
Jose Vargas Mone  –  3,850,000  (15 bb)

Here were the resulting payouts:

James Collins  –  $130,682
Mihalache Cean  –  $98,607
Kevin Payton  –  $87,129
Toan Pham  –  $74,060
Daniyal Gheba  –  $67,345
Jason Klass  –  $61,528
Al Norman  –  $55,129
Jose Vargas Mone  –  $54,290

As the chip leader, James Collins was the official winner of Event 1 of the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

A recap of the event will be posted later tonight.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 33:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 3,687

Mihalache Cean raised UTG+1 to 500,000, Jason Klass reraised from the hijack to 1,500,000, and Alexander Perez moved all in from the cutoff for 3,825,000.

Cean moved all in over the top for about 10 million, and Klass folded, later claiming he had ace-king.

Perez turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive against Cean’s .

The board came — Perez paired his king on the flop and turned trips, but Cean spiked a jack on the river to win the pot with a full house, jacks full of kings. Perez was eliminated in ninth place.

Mihalache Cean  –  16,025,000  (64 bb)
Alexander Perez  –  Eliminated in 9th Place  ($15,230)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is about 9,225,000 (37 big blinds), and they are all guaranteed to earn at least $23,115 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 33:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 3,687

After the elimination of Michael Gulliford in 10th place, the final nine players redraw for random seats at the final table.

Here is the lineup, along with approximate chip counts:

Seat 1.  Al Norman  –  4,600,000  (18 bb)
Seat 2.  Toan Pham  –  8,100,000  (32 bb)
Seat 3.  James Collins  –  18,650,000  (75 bb)
Seat 4.  Jose Vargas Mone  –  3,825,000  (15 bb)
Seat 5.  Mihalache Cean  –  9,950,000  (40 bb)
Seat 6.  Kevin Payton  –  11,800,000  (47 bb)
Seat 7.  Daniyal Gheba  –  6,150,000  (25 bb)
Seat 8.  Jason Klass  –  6,475,000  (26 bb)
Seat 9.  Alexander Perez  –  3,825,000  (15 bb)

With nine players remaining, the average chip stack is about 8,200,000 (33 big blinds). Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $183,320 + Showdown trophy
2nd:  $120,270
3rd:  $90,425
4th:  $74,110
5th:  $59,225
6th:  $44,845
7th:  $33,460
8th:  $23,115
9th:  $15,230

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 33:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 3,687

James Collins raised under the gun to 1,000,000, Michael Gulliford moved all in from the big blind for about 2,800,000, and Collins called with .

Gulliford turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Collins won the pot with his ace to eliminate Gulliford in 10th place.

James Collins  –  18,650,000  (75 bb)
Michael Gulliford  –  Eliminated in 10th Place  ($15,230)

With nine players remaining, the average chip stack is about 8,200,000 (33 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,230 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  10 of 3,687

Jose Vargas Mone moved all in from the small blind for 1,925,000, and Alexander Perez called from the big blind with .

Vargas Mone turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came — Perez paired his eight on the river, but Vargas Mone paired his nine on the river to win the pot and double up in chips.

Jose Vargas Mone  –  4,050,000  (20 bb)
Alexander Perez  –  3,900,000  (20 bb)

With 10 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 7,375,000 (37 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,230 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  10 of 3,687

James Collins raised from the button to 500,000, Adam Darkazalli moved all in from the big blind for 6,525,000, and Collins called with .

Darkazalli turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came — Darkazalli flopped a gutshot straight draw, but improved no further. Collins won the pot with his pocket queens to eliminate Darkazalli in 11th place.

James Collins  –  13,700,000  (69 bb)
Adam Darkazalli  –  Eliminated in 11th Place  ($10,720)

With 10 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 7,375,000 (37 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $15,230 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  11 of 3,687

Toan Pham raised under the gun to 550,000, and Alexander Perez moved all in from the button for 2,350,000. Jason Klass four-bet it from the small blind to 5,000,000, and Pham folded.

Perez turned over , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against the of Klass.

The board came , and the pocket jacks held up for Perez to win the pot and double up in chips.

Alexander Perez  –  5,650,000  (28 bb)
Jason Klass  –  7,900,000  (40 bb)

With 11 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 6,700,000 (34 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $10,720 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  11 of 3,687

Luis Hernandez moved all in from the hijack for about 1,850,000, and Kevin Payton called from the big blind with .

Hernandez turned over , and needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came , and Payton flopped a set of queens and turned a full house to win the pot and eliminate Hernandez in 12th place.

Kevin Payton  –  9,700,000  (49 bb)
Luis Hernandez  –  Eliminated in 12th Place  ($10,720)

With 11 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 6,700,000 (34 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $10,720 each.

$400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 ante
Players Remaining:  12 of 3,687

Michael Dermer raised from the hijack, and Jason Klass called from the big blind.

The flop came , Klass checked, Dermer bet 500,000, and Klass called.

The turn card paired the board with the , Klass checked, Dermer bet 500,000, Klass check-raised to 1,500,000, and Dermer called.

The river card was the , Klass moved all in, and Dermer snap-called all in for about 1.3 million with for an ace-high diamond flush.

But Klass turned over to win the pot with a full house, kings full of queens, eliminating Dermer in 13th place.

Jason Klass  –  10,250,000  (51 bb)
Michael Dermer  –  Eliminated in 13th Place  ($8,225)

With 12 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 6,150,000 (31 big blinds). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $10,720 each.