2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 19
$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Entries:  86
Prize Pool:  $45,150
August 1-2, 2022

Phil Hui is one of the winningest players in Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood history, but when he was down 10-to-1 in chips in Event 19 ($600 H.O.R.S.E.), it looked like he wouldn’t be winning another trophy today.

“Heads-up I got down to about two bets at one point,” said Hui. “So I felt like it was over then, but I ran hot in limit hold’em right after that last hand of Stud-8.”

The Stud-8 hand that knocked Hui down (click here for details) had both of them turning over two pair at showdown, but Lazaro Rodriguez’s nines up beat Hui’s sixes up. (Neither player made a low.)

That left Hui with two big bets as the game switched to limit Hold’em. Hui flopped two pair on the first hand of Hold’em to double up to four big bets. He then won the next two pots to reach seven big bets, and suddenly he was back in contention with some chips to work with.

A few hands later, Hui was dealt pocket aces (click here for details), and they held up with betting on every street to give Hui the lead.

They went thru all five games before returning to Stud-8.

Hui had more than a 2-to-1 chip lead when they played a pot to showdown, and Hui turned over a rivered flush to win the entire pot. (Hui didn’t have a low, and Rodriguez mucked.) That hand knocked Rodriguez all the way down to 1/10th of a big bet. (Click here for details.)

Rodriguez won the next hand to double up to 2/10ths of a big bet, but the hand after that would be the final showdown.

Rodriguez got it all in on third street, and both players picked up straight draws on fourth street. Rodriguez took the lead with a pair on fifth and two pair on sixth, but on seventh street, Hui caught a ten to complete his ace-high straight to knock out Rodriguez and win the title.

This is the fifth Seminole Hard Rock trophy for Hui, and the seventh for him and his wife Loni, who has two trophies of her own. They live nearby, and are regulars here for all the big tournament series.

“I love playing here,” said Hui. “It’s the best.”

Final Results:

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 25:  40,000/80,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 86

Phil Hui and Lazaro Rodriguez continued to battle, going back-and-forth a while, but with neither player catching much momentum.

Then Hui opened up a more than 2-to-1 chip lead during Stud Hi-Lo.

Phil Hui:  ()    ()
Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()

3rd Street:  Both players put in 10,000 each.

4th Street:  Both players checked.

5th Street:  Hui checked, Rodriguez bet 80,000, and Hui check-raised to 160,000. Rodriguez called.

6th Street:  Hui bet 80,000, and Rodriguez tanked for a while before he called.

7th Street:  Hui bet 80,000, and Rodriguez tanked for a long time before he called, leaving himself just 9,000 behind.

Phil Hui:  ()  

Hui turned over three spades in the hole for a queen-high flush with no qualifying low. Rodriguez mucked, and Hui won the pot.

Phil Hui  –  1,277,000  (16 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  9,000  (0.1 BB)

Rodriguez was all in for the ante on the next hand, and won the pot to double up to 19,000. (Even though Rodriguez couldn’t complete the ante, Hui had to put in the full 10K.)

The next hand after that, Rodriguez was all in on 3rd street for what would be the final hand.

Phil Hui:  ()    ()
Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()

Both players had straight draws on 4th street, and Rodriguez picked up a pair on 5th street and two pair on 6th street.

But Hui rivered a ten to win the pot for an ace-high straight, and Rodriguez finished with two pair, jacks and nines. Hui won the pot, the title, and the trophy.

Congratulations to Phil Hui!

1st:  Phil Hui  –  $14,460 + SHRPO trophy
2nd:  Lazaro Rodriguez  –  $8,805
3rd:  Christina Hill  –  $5,475
4th:  Aaron Kupin  –  $3,700
5th:  Harrison Luba  –  $2,825
6th:  Scott Baumstein  –  $2,255
7th:  Michael Dreese  –  $1,875

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 86

After Phil Hui was knocked down to 116,000, the game switched to Hold’em, and in that first hand, Lazaro Rodriguez limped for 30,000, and Phil Hui checked his option.

The flop came , Hui checked, Rodriguez bet 30,000, Hui check-raised to 60,000, and Rodriguez called.

The turn card was the , Hui moved all in for 26,000, and Rodriguez called with for a pair of threes with a double-gutshot straight draw.

Hui turned over for two pair, nines and threes, and needed his handt o hold to stay alive.

The river card was the , and Hui won the pot to double up in chips.

Phil Hui  –  232,000  (4 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  1,054,000  (18 BB)

Hui took the next pot on the flop, and then bet every street on the next hand on a board of . Rodriguez folded, and Hui took his third pot in a row to reach 412,000.

Phil Hui  –  412,000  (7 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  874,000  (15 BB)

A few hands later, Rodriguez limped for 30,000, Hui raised to 60,000, and Rodriguez called.

The flop came , Hui bet 30,000, Rodriguez raised to 60,000, and Hui called.

The turn card paired the board with the , Hui checked, Rodriguez bet 60,000, and Hui check-raised to 120,000. Rodriguez called.

The river card was the , Hui bet 60,000, and Rodriguez thought for a while before he called. Hui showed to win the pot with two pair, aces and sevens, and Rodriguez mucked.

That pot pushed Hui into the chip lead.

Phil Hui  –  725,000  (12 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  560,000  (9 BB)

Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $14,460 + SHRPO trophy
2nd:  $8,805

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 24:  30,000/60,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 86

The heads-up H.O.R.S.E. battle between Phil Hui and Lazaro Rodriguez started with a swing in Rodriguez’s favor. The action started at the beginning of Level 23, with blinds at 25,000-50,000.

During a round of Omaha-8, Rodriguez took a more than 2-to-1 chip lead.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  935,000  (19 BB)
Phil Hui  –  350,000  (7 BB)

Hui battled back to narrow the gap after that, but was still behind Rodriguez.

After the blinds increased to 30,000-60,000, they battled to showdown in a hand of Stud Hi-Lo.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()
Phil Hui:  ()    ()

3rd Street:  Both players put in 30,000 each.

4th Street:  Rodriguez bet 30,000, and Hui called.

5th Street:  Rodriguez bet 60,000, and Hui called.

6th Street:  Rodriguez bet 60,000, and Hui called.

7th Street:  Both players checked.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()  
Phil Hui:  ()  

Neither player had a qualifying low. Hui showed two pair, sixes and deuces, with no qualifying low, but Rodriguez turned over a higher two pair, nines and fives, to win the pot and knock Hui down to just two big bets.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  1,170,000  (20 BB)
Phil Hui  –  116,000  (2 BB)

Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $14,460 + SHRPO trophy
2nd:  $8,805

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  25,000/50,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 86

After the elimination of Christina Hill in third players, it was time for a 10-minute break, giving us a chance to get official chip counts for the start of heads-up play:

Phil Hui  –  696,000  (14 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  590,000  (12 BB)

And here are the final table payouts:

1st:  $14,460 + SHRPO trophy
2nd:  $8,805

3rd:  Christina Hill  –  $5,475
4th:  Aaron Kupin  –  $3,700
5th:  Harrison Luba  –  $2,825
6th:  Scott Baumstein  –  $2,255
7th:  Michael Dreese  –  $1,875

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  2 of 86

During a round of Hold’em, Phil Hui raised from the button to 40,000, and Christina Hill called from the big blind.

The flop came , Hill checked, Hui bet 20,000, and Hill check-raised to 40,000. Hui called.

The turn card was the , Hill bet 40,000, and Hui called.

The river card was the , Hill bet 40,000, Hui raised to 80,000, and Hill folded. Hui took the pot, and Hill was knocked down to less than two big bets.

Phil Hui  –  740,000  (19 BB)
Christina Hill  –  59,000  (<2 BB)

The next hand, Hill folded her small blind, dropping down to 49,000 in chips.

Christina Hill  –  49,000  (~1 BB)

The next hand, Hill raised from the button to 40,000, Phil Hui called form the small blind, and Lazaro Rodriguez called from the big blind.

The flop came , and it checked to Hill, who moved all in for 9,000. Hui called, and Rodriguez raised to 20,000. Hui folded.

Hill showed for jack high, and she needed to catch something runner-runner to stay alive against Rodriguez’s (two pair, aces and sevens).

The turn card was the , giving Hill outs to a gutshot straight, but the river card was the . Rodriguez won the pot with his two pair to eliminate Hill in third place.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  590,000  (15 BB)
Christina Hill  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($5,475)

With two players remaining from a field of 86 entries, the average chip stack is about 645,000 (16 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $8,805 each.

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  3 of 86

Event #15 ($600 Deep Stack PLO) restarted at 2:00 pm, which is being mentioned here because Aaron Kupin had a Day 2 chip stack in that event too, starting the day 37th out of 64 with 111,500 (37 big blinds). Kupin also caught a very fortunate seat draw, with his PLO seat almost directly behind his seat at this H.O.R.S.E. final table.

So Kupin was two-tabling two live tournaments that were both in the money, which is always fun to watch.

During a round of Stud Hi-Lo, Lazaro Rodriguez and Aaron Kupin played a hand to showdown.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()
Aaron Kupin:  ()    ()

4th Street:  Rodriguez checked, Kupin bet 20,000, and Rodriguez called.

5th Street:  Both players checked.

6th Street:  Both players checked.

7th Street:  Kupin checked, Rodriguez bet 40,000, and Kupin called.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()  

Rodriguez showed a pair of jacks with no low, and Kupin mucked. Rodriguez won the pot to knock Kupin down to less than one big bet.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  500,000  (13 BB)
Aaron Kupin  –  35,000  (<1 BB)

The next hand, Kupin got it all in on 4th Street, once again against Rodriguez.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()
Aaron Kupin:  ()    ()

Kupin never improved beyond king high, and didn’t make a qualifying low. Rodriguez won the pot with ace high and an 8-6 low to eliminate Kupin fourth place.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  565,000  (14 bb)
Aaron Kupin  –  Eliminated in 4th Place  ($3,700)

With three players remaining from a field of 86 entries, the average chip stack is about 430,000 (11 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $5,475 each.

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  20,000/40,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  4 of 86

During a round of Razz with the limits at 15,000-30,000, Lazaro Rodriguez and Phil Hui played a hand against each other.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()
Phil Hui:  ()    ()

3rd Street:  Both players limped for 15,000.

4th Street:  Rodriguez bet 15,000, and Hui called.

5th Street: Both players checked.

6th Street: Hui bet 30,000, and Rodriguez called.

7th Street: Hui bet 30,000, and Rodriguez called.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()  
Phil Hui:  ()  

Hui finished with a 9-7-5-4-2, but Rodriguez beat him with a slightly better 9-7-5-3-A to win the pot.

Lazaro Rodriguez  –  640,000  (21 BB)
Phil Hui  –  240,000  (8 BB)

A while later, after the blinds increased to 20,000-40,000, the same two players battled in a hand of Stud Hi-Lo.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()    ()
Phil Hui:  ()    ()

3rd Street:  Rodriguez bet 20,000, and Hui called.

4th Street:  Hui bet 20,000, and Rodriguez called.

5th Street:  Hui bet 40,000, and Rodriguez called.

6th Street:  Hui checked, Rodriguez bet 40,000, and Hui called.

7th Street:  Hui bet 40,000, and Rodriguez called.

Lazaro Rodriguez:  ()  
Phil Hui:  ()  

Neither player made a qualifying low. Rodriguez showed a ten-high straight, but Hui turned over an ace-high straight to win the pot.

Phil Hui  –  485,000  (12 BB)
Lazaro Rodriguez  –  440,000  (11 BB)

With four players remaining from a field of 86 entries, the average chip stack is about 323,000 (8 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $3,700 each.

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 20:  12,000/24,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  4 of 86

During a round of Stud, Harrison Luba got it all in on 3rd street for 22,000 against Phil Hui.

These were their cards on 6th street, in no particular order:

Phil Hui:    (pair of threes, gutshot straight draw)
Harrison Luba:    (pair of jacks)

On sixth street, Luba had a pair of jacks, and needed it to hold to stay alive.

Seventh street was dealt, and Hui flipped over first, showing the to take the lead with two pair, fives and threes.

Luba needed to improve to stay alive, but his final card was the , leaving him with just the pair of jacks. Hui won the pot to eliminate Luba in fifth place.

Phil Hui  –  320,000  (13 BB)
Harrison Luba  –  Eliminated in 5th Place  ($2,825)

With four players remaining from a field of 86 entries, the average chip stack is about 258,000 (13 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $3,700 each.

$600 H.O.R.S.E. (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 19:  10,000/20,000 Limits
Players Remaining:  5 of 86

During a round of Omaha-8, Scott Baumstein (button) and Aaron Kupin (small blind) saw a flop of , and they put in 10,000 each.

The turn card was the , Kupin checked, Baumstein bet 20,000, and Kupin called.

The river card paired the board with the , Kupin bet 20,000, and Baumstein called.

Aaron Kupin:    (fives full of threes, 8-6 low)
Scott Baumstein:    (two pair, kings and fives)

Kupin scooped the pot with his full house and his 8-6 low, knocking Baumstein to just three big bets.

Aaron Kupin  –  355,000  (18 BB)
Scott Baumstein  –  65,000  (3 BB)

The next hand, three players put in 30,000 each to see a flop of . Phil Hui checked from UTG, and Scott Baumstein bet 10,000 from the cutoff. Aaron Kupin called, Hui raised to 20,000, and Baumstein reraised to 30,000 (leaving himself just 4K behind).

Kupin went into thee tank for a long time before he eventually folded. Hui reraised, and Baumstein called all in for 34,000.

Phil Hui:    (wrap straight draw, 7-5 low)
Scott Baumstein:    (set of fives)

Hui had a made low, and Baumstein needed his set to hold up to split the pot and stay alive.

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Hui rivered an eight-high straight to scoop the entire pot, eliminating Baumstein in sixth place.

Phil Hui  –  300,000  (15 bb)
Scott Baumstein  –  Eliminated in 6th Place  ($2,255)

With five players remaining from a field of 86 entries, the average chip stack is about 258,000 (13 Big Bets). The remaining players are guaranteed at least $2,825 each.