2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Hollywood, Florida
Event 24
$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Entries:  52
Prize Pool:  $1,284,400
August 3-4, 2022

Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood has run some very successful high roller events over the years, but this was the first time they ran one that wasn’t no-limit hold’em.

Event 24 was a $25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller, and the two-day event attracted 52 entries to create a total prizepool worth more than $1.2 million, proving the popularity of PLO among high-roller players.

After a seven-hour final table, Melad Marji defeated Michael Duek heads-up to win the title, the trophy, and $443,118.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Marji. “Absolutely nothing less than a dream come true. I worked hard for this.”

Day 1 ended when the Money Bubble burst, but it took two-and-a-half hours to knock out that last player of the day. So when the final eight returned on Thursday to play down to a winner, the blinds were relatively high, and the stacks relatively short.

That contributed to the first four players busting in the first 75 minutes or so, but then the final four battled for more than two hours before the next elimination. The pay jumps were substantial at this stage, with $122,018 for fourth place and $443,118 for first.

And there were plenty of ups and downs between the final four players.

“At one point, all of us in the final four had a turn to be the short stack,” said Marji. “So it was a wild ride for everybody. I just hung on, I did what I had to do, and I stayed focused.”

This is also part of the appeal of the seemingly chaotic game of PLO, which is Marji’s favorite version of poker.

“No-limit hold’em gets boring,” said Marji. “PLO has more action. Everybody likes it, because it’s a fun game to play. It’s more social. No-limit’s a little dry.”

Eventually, Marji knocked out fourth-place finisher Isaac Kempton when he flopped a straight to Kempton’s pocket kings, and it held up.

Then it was another two hours before Dom Mosley got it all in preflop against Michael Duek. Mosley flopped top pair, but Duek turned a set of jacks and rivered a full house to knock out Mosley in third place.

The lead continued to switch hands during heads-up play, with Marji starting with a good lead, but Duek catching some momentum early to move out in front. Marji won the next two all-in-situations to reclaim the lead, and he never lost the lead after that.

In the final hand, Marji was dealt three aces (which isn’t ideal, since you can only use two holecards at a time in Omaha), but they held up in the final hand for him to win the title outright.

This is the second Seminole Hard Rock trophy for Marji, who won a $600 Pot Limit Omaha back in January during the WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open.

“I just moved to Miami about a year and a half ago,” said Marji, “and it’s the best move I’ve ever made. I love everything about South Florida. I love the Seminole Hard Rock, and I love the people who play here. We’ve got superstars like Colby Covington that come in, and a lot of my friends that I’ve met here. I love this place.”

Marji plans to play in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship, which starts tomorrow, though he said he will probably take a day off and enter Day 1B on Saturday.

At the end of his post-game interview from the biggest tournament score of his poker career, Marji highlighted friends and family.

“I had really good people in my corner that wanted to see me win,” said Marji, “and that meant a lot to me.”

Asked if there was anything else he’d like to add, Marji said, “I love my Mom. That’s what I’d like to add.”

Final Results:

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 23:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  1 of 52

Michael Duek raised from the button to 300,000, Melad Marji pot-raised from the big blind. In rapid succession, Duek moved all in for about 1.1 million, and Marji called.

Melad Marji:  
Michael Duek:  

The board came , and Duek pairs his king on the flop and turns a spade flush draw, but improves no further. Melad Marji wins the pot — and the Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller — with pocket aces.

Stay tuned for a recap from this event, coming later tonight.

Congratulations to Melad Marji!

1st:  Melad Marji  –  $443,118
2nd:  Michael Duek  –  $295,412
3rd:  Dom Mosley  –  $179,816
4th:  Isaac Kempton  –  $122,018
5th:  Lev Zerkal  –  $83,486
6th:  Matthew Wantman  –  $64,220
7th:  Jordan Semel  –  $51,376
8th:  David Coleman  –  $44,954

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 52

Michael Duek limped from the button for 75,000, Melad Marji raised from the big blind to 225,000, and Duek called.

The flop came , Duek got it all in for 525,000, and they turned over their cards.

Melad Marji:    (pair of jacks, gutshot straight draw)
Michael Duek:    (pair of jacks)

Duek needed to improve to stay alive.

The turn card was the , giving Marji a spade flush draw to negate some of Duek’s outs.

The river card was — the . Duek rivered two pair, jacks and eights, to win the pot and double up in chips.

Michael Duek  –  1,575,000  (21 bb)
Melad Marji  –  3,625,000  (48 bb)

Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $443,118
2nd:  $295,412

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 52

Melad Marji (button) and Michael Duek (small blind) put in 225,000 each to see a flop of . Duek checked, Marji bet 125,000, and Duek check-raised to 400,000. Marji thought for a while before he called.

The turn card paired the board with the , Duek bet 350,000, and Marji thought for a while before he called.

The river card was the , Duek bets, and Marji quickly moves or calls all in for 800,000. Once they are poth all in, Marji proudly turns over his cards.

Melad Marji:    (full house)

Marji showed a full house, aces full of sixes, to win the pot and double up in chips. Duek mucked.

Melad Marji  –  3,625,000  (48 bb)
Michael Duek  –  1,575,000  (21 bb)

Marji then won six of the next seven hands to increase his lead even further.

Melad Marji  –  4,425,000  (59 bb)
Michael Duek  –  775,000  (10 bb)

Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $443,118
2nd:  $295,412

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 52

Melad Marji (button) and Michael Duek (big blind) put in 225,000 each to see a flop of . Duek checked, Marji bet 175,000, and Duek check-raised to 500,000. Marji tanked for a while before he called.

The turn card was the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , and Duek bets 1,100,000, nearly enough to put Marji all in. Marji tanks for a long time before he folds, and Duek takes the pot.

Michael Duek  –  3,950,000  (53 bb)
Melad Marji  –  1,250,000  (17 bb)

About half a dozen hands later, Melad Marji raised to 225,000, and Michael Duek called from the big blind.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Duek bet 200,000, and Marji thought for a while before he called.

The river card was the , and Duek moved all in. Marji tanked for a long time before he called all in for 425,000.

Marji showed for trip threes, and Duek mucked. Marji won the pot to double up in chips.

Melad Marji  –  1,775,000  (24 bb)
Michael Duek  –  3,425,000  (46 bb)

Here are the remaining payouts at stake:

1st:  $443,118
2nd:  $295,412

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 22:  50,000/75,000 with a 75,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 52

The players returned from break to begin Level 22, with increased blinds of 50,000-75,000 with a 75,000 ante.

Here are the official chip counts from the break, followed by the payouts:

Michael Duek  –  2,700,000  (36 bb)
Melad Marji  –  2,500,000  (33 bb)

1st:  $443,118
2nd:  $295,412

3rd:  Dom Mosley  –  $179,816
4th:  Isaac Kempton  –  $122,018
5th:  Lev Zerkal  –  $83,486
6th:  Matthew Wantman  –  $64,220
7th:  Jordan Semel  –  $51,376
8th:  David Coleman  –  $44,954

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 52

Michael Duek raised from the button to 210,000, Dom Mosley tanks for a while before he moves all in from the big blind for 470,000, and Duek quickly calls.

Michael Duek:  
Dom Mosley:  

The board came , and Mosley paired his king on the flop, but Duek turned a set of jacks and rivered a full house to win the pot and eliminate Mosley in third place.

Dom Mosley  –  Eliminated in 3rd Place  ($179,816)

Here are the approximate chip counts for the start of heads-up play, followed by the remaining payouts:

Melad Marji  –  3,175,000  (53 bb)
Michael Duek  –  2,010,000  (34 bb)

1st:  $443,118
2nd:  $295,412

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 52

Melad Marji raised from the button to 210,000, and Michael Duek called from the big blind.

The flop came , Duek moved all in for 185,000, and Marji tanked for a while before he called.

Melad Marji:    (queen high)
Michael Duek:    (open-ended straight draw)

The turn card was the , the river card was the , and Duek turned a six-high straight to win the pot and double up in chips.

Michael Duek  –  880,000  (15 bb)
Melad Marji  –  3,190,000  (53 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 52 entries, the average chip stack is around 1,735,000 (29 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $179,816 each.

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 52

Michael Duek raised from the button to 210,000, and Dom Mosley called from the big blind.

Both players checked to the turn on a board of , Mosley checked, Duek moved all in, and Mosley thought for a while before he called all in for 445,000.

Michael Duek:    (diamond flush draw, gutshot straight draw)
Dom Mosley:    (trip nines, gutshot straight draw)

The river card double-paired the board with the , and Mosley won the pot with his trip nines to double up in chips.

Dom Mosley  –  1,400,000  (23 bb)
Michael Duek  –  605,000  (10 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 52 entries, the average chip stack is around 1,735,000 (29 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $179,816 each.

$25,500 Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure | Payouts
Level 21:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  3 of 52

Dom Mosley raised from the button to 210,000, Melad Marji reraised from the big blind to 660,000, and Mosley tanked for a while before he folded. Marji took the pot.

Melad Marji  –  2,575,000  (43 bb)
Dom Mosley  –  1,525,000  (25 bb)

Two hands later, Dom Mosley completes the small blind to 60,000, and Michael Duek checks his option in the big blind.

The flop came , Mosley checked, Duek bet 60,000, and Mosley check-raised to 225,000. Duek thought for a while before he called.

The turn card double-paired the board with the , and both players checked.

The river card was the , Mosley checked, Duek bet 350,000, and Mosley called.

Duek showed to win the pot with quad sevens, and Mosley mucked.

Michael Duek  –  1,710,000  (29 bb)
Dom Mosley  –  735,000  (12 bb)

With three players remaining from a field of 52 entries, the average chip stack is around 1,735,000 (29 big blinds), and the remaining players are guaranteed at least $179,816 each.