2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  2,010
Prize Pool:  $6,432,000
April 8 – 12, 2022

The 2022 Poker Showdown featured 50 trophy events during the series and the WPT Poker Showdown Championship was the headliner. The tournament drew 2,010 entries, created a talented final table, and Mark Davis took the title on the WPT stage in Las Vegas for $1,000,300.

The 2,010 entries created the second biggest WPT main tour field in their history, only topped by the same tournament in 2021. The $3,000,000 guarantee was easily doubled and they created a prize pool worth $6,432,000.

The Championship played down to the final table in April and the six remaining players were put on pause until May 25 when they played it out on the big stage in front of the WPT cameras with Darren Elias leading and looking for his fifth career WPT title to extend his record.

Local favorite Mike Laufer, winner of 2021 RRPO Event 1 (the biggest field in state history), went out in sixth place followed by Andrew Barfield in fifth. Viet Vo had a special accomplishment with his result, making the final table of the two biggest WPT tournaments. He finished third last year and collected a fourth-place payout this time.

South Florida’s Marcos Exterkotter was eliminated in third place creating a heads-up battle between Elias and Davis for the title.

Elias had a big chip lead at the time but a four and a half hour marathon saw Davis chip away while the two exchanged the lead several times. In the end, Davis took home the title along with the seven-digit prize while putting his name on the WPT Champions Cup.

Congrats to Mark and thanks again to all of our players for such a great Championship.

Results:

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 2,010

While we are playing down May Deep Stack Poker Series Event 3, there’s a big game going on in Las Vegas. The final table of the 2022 WPT Poker Showdown Championship is underway in Las Vegas with six players remaining, Darren Elias leading, and a cool $1,000,000 up for grabs.

The WPT live updates team is on-site and you can follow the action at the link below.

2022 WPT Poker Showdown final table live updates

Seat 1: Mark Davis – 26,550,000 (89 bb)
Seat 2: Viet Vo – 11,925,000 (40 bb)
Seat 3: Mike Laufer – 6,750,000 (23 bb)
Seat 4: Andrew Barfield – 5,500,000 (18 bb)
Seat 5: Marcos Exterkotter – 10,900,000 (36 bb)
Seat 6: Darren Elias – 38,825,000 (129 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $1,000,300
2nd: $660,000
3rd: $490,000
4th: $370,000
5th: $280,000
6th: $215,000

The 2022 WPT Poker Showdown Championship continued the trend of huge fields for our Championship events. The tournament drew 2,010 entries for the second biggest WPT field in the tour’s history, second only to our 2021 Poker Showdown turnout, and they more than doubled the $3,000,000 guarantee into a prize pool worth $6.4 million.

They played down to the final table and six players are in Las Vegas to determine our Poker Showdown Champion. They are playing for more than $3,000,000 with $1,000,300 awaiting the champion.

Four-time WPT champ Darren Elias is the headliner coming back and holds a big chip lead while Viet Vo is made this final table a year ago.

It will be a great final table and we will post some results this evening as they play along.

Seat 1: Mark Davis
Chips: 26,550,000

From Birmingham AL, Davis has more than $700,000 in career earnings and this is his first Hollywood cash. This is the second big score of the year for Davis after picking up $334,678 for winning the WSOP Circuit Main Event in North Carolina.

Seat 2: Viet Vo
Chips: 11,925,000

From Houston TX, Vo has more than $3.5 million in career earnings with $1 million of it coming in 2021. He made some history with this final table; he finished third at last year’s Showdown Championship final table and back again for this year’s. Vo also booked a second-place finish last summer at the WPT stop in Choctaw.

Seat 3: Mike Laufer
Chips: 6,750,000

From Boca Raton, Laufer is one of two locals to make the big WPT final table. His top score before the WPT Showdown Championship came last November when he won the RRPO opening event, the biggest tournament field in Florida state history.

Seat 4: Andrew Barfield
Chips: 5,500,000

From Ocean Springs MS and $300,000 in career earnings, Barfield is already guaranteed the biggest cash of his career. He earned another $110,000 in 2019 for winning the Gulf Coast Poker Main Event in Biloxi.

Seat 5: Marcos Exterkotter
Chips: 10,900,000

Miami, FL via Brazil, Exterkotter is also guaranteed the biggest cash of his career no matter where he finishes. The Brazilian went deep in the 2016 WSOP Main Event finishing 75th of 6,737 and he finished ninth in the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship.

Seat 6: Darren Elias
Chips: 38,825,000

Medford NJ, Elias is the most decorated player in WPT history with four titles and the chip leader looking for number five. He will top $10 million in career earnings at this final table and solidify himself as one of the top players in the world.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 2,010

The 2022 WPT Poker Showdown Championship final table is set and there’s a familiar face at the top of the counts.

Four-time WPT champ Darren Elias has a big lead looking for number five and heading to Las Vegas where the final table six will play for the Championship. Mark Davis sits in second followed by Marcos Exterkotter, Mike Laufer, Andrew Barfield, and Viet Vo making his second straight WPT Poker Showdown Championship final table.

The live-streamed final table will run on May 25 at the HyperX eSports Arena in Las Vegas.

Seat 1: Mark Davis – 26,550,000 (89 bb)
Seat 2: Viet Vo – 11,925,000 (40 bb)
Seat 3: Mike Laufer – 6,750,000 (23 bb)
Seat 4: Andrew Barfield – 5,500,000 (18 bb)
Seat 5: Marcos Exterkotter – 10,900,000 (36 bb)
Seat 6: Darren Elias – 38,825,000 (129 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $1,000,300
2nd: $660,000
3rd: $490,000
4th: $370,000
5th: $280,000
6th: $215,000

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 2,010

Andrew Davidson raised to 650,000 from the cutoff and Mark Davis called on the button.

The flop was , Davidson continued for 700,000, and Davis called.

The turn was the , Davidson checked, Davis bet 950,000, Davidson check-raised all in for about 2,900,000, and Davis called with for trip kings, leading Davidson’s for two pair, kings and queens.

The river was the , no help to Davidson, ending his tournament in seventh place for $165,000.

Mark Davis  –  26,550,000  (88 bb)
Andrew Davidson  –  Eliminated in 7th Place  ($165,000)

Official chip counts are being confirmed now.

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 2,010

Darren Elias raised to 600,000 from under the gun, Mark Davis called in middle position, and Marcos Exterkotter called in the small blind.

James Calderaro three-bet all in for 10,175,000 from the big blind, and Elias thought for a bit before he slid in a stack of plaques to call. Davis and Exterkotter folded.

Calderaro: 
Elias: 

The board ran out , no help to Calderaro, ending his championship event in eighth place for $125,000.

Darren Elias  –  38,100,000  (127 bb)
James Calderaro  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($125,000)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 32:  150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 2,010

The players returned from break to begin Level 32, with increased blinds of 150,000-300,000 with a 300,000 ante.

Here are the official chip counts from the break:

Seat 1:  Andrew Davidson – 4,150,000  (12 bb)
Seat 2:  Mark Davis – 28,525,000  (95 bb)
Seat 3:  Viet Vo – 7,625,000  (25 bb)
Seat 4:  Mike Laufer – 4,650,000  (16 bb)
Seat 5:  Andrew Barfield – 5,825,000  (19 bb)
Seat 6:  Marcos Exterkotter – 11,800,000  (39 bb)
Seat 7:  James Calderaro – 9,725,000  (32 bb)
Seat 8:  Darren Elias – 28,200,000  (94 bb)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is around 12,500,000 (42 big blinds).

Remaining payouts:

1st:  $1,000,300
2nd:  $660,000
3rd:  $490,000
4th:  $370,000
5th:  $280,000
6th:  $215,000
7th:  $165,000
8th:  $125,000

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 2,010

Andrew Davidson raised all in for 2,775,000 from the cutoff and Viet Vo isolated the pot from the small blind with , racing with Davidson’s .

The board ran out , giving Davidson a pair of kings to double through Vo once again.

Andrew Davidson  –  6,050,000  (24 bb)
Viet Vo  –  7,500,000  (30 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 2,010

Darren Elias opened to 500,000 from under the gun, Mark Davis three-bet to 1,400,000 from middle position, Elias four-bet to 4,500,000, and Davis called.

The flop was , Elias bet 3,500,000, and Davis thought for a bit before he folded.

Darren Elias  –  28,950,000  (116 bb)
Mark Davis  –  25,000,000  (100 bb)

$3,500 WPT Poker Showdown Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  125,000/250,000 with a 250,000 ante
Players Remaining:  8 of 2,010

Viet Vo opened to 500,000 from under the gun, Andrew Davidson three-bet all in for 2,050,000 from the small blind, and Vo called with , leading Davidson’s .

The board ran out , giving Davidson nines and sixes to double through Vo.

Andrew Davidson  –  4,600,000  (18 bb)
Viet Vo  –  9,500,000  (38 bb)