Brandon Eisen Wins the Series Championship for $771,444

For the fourth consecutive year, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) concluded with the crowning of The Big 4 champions at the new Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Unique to Seminole Hard Rock, The Big 4 is a collection of four tournament finales that feature staggered structures, timed so the events play out alongside one another. This year’s events boasted combined prize pool guarantees of $6.5 million. With 2,099 overall entries in Big 4 events, total cash payouts exceeded the guarantees, topping out at more than $9.2 million.

The quartet of winners earned more than $1.9 million, with Brandon Eisen winning the SHRPO Championship and claiming $771,444. This year’s SHRPO Championship drew in 914 total entries, boasting a total prize pool of more than $4.4 million and marking a slight increase in year-over-year attendance.

Eisen is a 29-year-old professional poker player born in Oahu, Ha. and now resides in Las Vegas, Nev. Tuesday night’s win marked his largest tournament cash to date and nearly doubled his career earnings to more than $1.5 million.

“I always heard about the SHRPO tournament, but I just never made it out,” Eisen told video host Maria Ho following the win. “This summer I started playing tournaments instead of mixing cash [games] and tournaments. It’s been nice to just focus on tournaments and that’s why I ended up coming out here.”

Away from poker, Eisen likes to practice martial arts and plans to go back to school to study Computer Science.

SHRPO Championship Final Table Results:

1st: Brandon Eisen (Las Vegas, Nev.) $771,444

2nd: Jeremy Ausmus (Las Vegas, Nev.) $540,459

3rd: Stoyan Obreshkov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) $349,889

4th: Ryan D’Angelo (Asheville, N.C.) $258,615

5th: Adam Adler (Miami, Fla.) $195,491

6th: Ido Ashkenazi (Davie, Fla.) $156,215

7th: Jared Griener (Huntington Beach, Calif.) $129,308

8th: Joseph Cheong (Las Vegas, Nev.) $102,843

9th: Marcos Exterkotter (Porto Alegre, Brazil) $77,132

In addition to Eisen, Alex Foxen (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) defended his title in the $2,650 NLH Single Re-Entry and took home $208,452.

The other Big 4 winners include:

• Marc MacDonnell (Dublin, Ireland), winning the $1,100 NLH Re-Entry for $119,465
• Jake Schindler (Philadelphia, Penn.), winning the $25,500 High Roller for $800,758

 
The play down of all four events was streamed online by Poker Night in America, as well as filmed for later airing on CBS Sports Network.

SHRPO preliminary events featured a Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) tournament, The Jeff Conine Celebrity Poker Classic. The event drew 382 entries, well exceeding last year’s entries, making this the largest turnout in its seven-year history. More than $146,000 was raised for the charity benefitting the Conine Clubhouse, a home-away-from-home where families of children under care at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital can stay for free as long as necessary.

Other signature event winners from the 2018 SHRPO include:

• Matt Edge, winning the $570 NLH Re-Entry Series Opener for $196,150
• Elio Fox, winning the $50,000 Super High Roller for $500,000

 
Poker actions returns to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. with Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO) on Nov. 14 – Nov. 28, 2018. Future tournament information and poker hotel rates are available at SHRPO.com.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, South Florida’s most iconic entertainment, gaming and hospitality destination, is a AAA Four Diamond-rated resort with 461 luxury guest rooms and suites, award-winning restaurants, exciting nightlife, a lagoon-style pool and Beach Club Bar & Grill, a Rock Spa and premium meeting and convention space. Top entertainers grace the stage at the Hard Rock Event Center and casino patrons enjoy more than 100 table games, 2,000 of the most popular slots and a 37-table poker room. Fine dining options include Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, the resort’s signature steakhouse and Kuro, a luxe and socially vibrant restaurant offering new-style Japanese cuisine.   In the heart of the hotel is L Bar, a sophisticated, contemporary lounge showcasing handcrafted classic cocktails with a twist. Contemporary and casual eateries, include Blue Plate, the hotel’s 24-hour diner-inspired restaurant; Constant Grind, a gourmet coffee and pastry shop; and the ever-famous Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood, part of Hard Rock’s 185 globally recognized rock ‘n’ roll restaurants.  A $1.5 billion expansion, slated to open in Fall 2019, will bring 638 new guestrooms and suites to a landmark, guitar-shaped hotel; 168 rooms and suites to a new pool tower overlooking a lush, private cabana area; three extensive water features for relaxing, sunbathing, swimming and paddleboarding; 30 new restaurants and nightlife venues; a new 41,000 square-foot Rock Spa; 3,267 new slot machines, 193 table games and a 46-table poker room;  a state-of-the-art, 6,500-seat Hard Rock Live concert arena; 21,000 square-feet of retail space; and 120,000 square-feet of premium meeting and convention space.

For more information, call 800-937-0010, visit us online at casino.hardrock.com/hollywood, or follow us on: Facebook: @SeminoleHardRockHollywood, Twitter: @HardRockHolly, Instagram: @HardRockHolly.

About Seminole Hard Rock Poker

Seminole Hard Rock Poker encompasses four major poker series held annually at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In August 2013, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) was introduced to poker players around the world and featured a $10 million guarantee championship, the largest guarantee in history. In addition to the SHRPO, Seminole Hard Rock Poker series’ includes the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open (January), Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (April) and Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll” Poker Open (November). All four series fall under the SHRPO umbrella with tournament news, live updates and championship live streaming. Visit www.SHRPO.com. Join the conversation at #SHRPO, and tag us @SHRPO.