Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood continued its 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown series Tuesday with World Poker Tour®play. After five days of action in the $3,500 WPT Showdown Championship, the field of 1,360 players is down to its final six. The final table features a very talented group of players that have nearly $15 million in combined earnings and two WPT titles.

New to Season XVII, the WPT Poker Showdown Championship will culminate on Thursday, May 30 at HyperX Esports Arena at the Luxor in Las Vegas, where the final six players will play in front of a live audience and a slew of television cameras for future airing on FOX Sports Regional Networks. This final table structure places Seminole Hard Rock Poker front and center in the industry.

James Carroll of Las Vegas leads the group with the highest chip count (18,525,000), while Los Angeles-native Maria Ho is in close second (16,650,000). Carroll won his first WPT championship at the WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Main Event in 2014 for $1.3 of his $3.2 million in career earnings. Ho, a Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee, Global Poker Awards Broadcaster of the Year winner and two-time SHRPO Big 4 final table commentator, has accumulated nearly $3.3 million in career earnings.

The six-handed final table will also feature two players hailing from South Florida. Chad Eveslage of Fort Lauderdale has $1.3 million in live career earnings, in addition to a WSOP Circuit win and a $100,000 score as part of his deep run in the 2013 WSOP Main Event. As an online pro during the Moneymaker Boom, he banked $3.3 million in career earnings.

From nearby Davie, Fla., Jerry Wong has $3.7 million in careers earnings and is best known for his November Nine appearance during the 2016 WSOP Main Event. He has five six-digit scores to his credit including a $250,000 payout for winning the 2017 Lucky Hearts Poker Open Ultimate Re-Entry tournament.

Championship Final Table with Chip Counts:

Seat 1: Maria Ho (Los Angeles, Calif.)- 16,650,000

Seat 2: Chad Eveslage (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)- 3,350,000

Seat 3: Jerry Wong (Davie, Fla.)- 3,225,000

Seat 4: Eric Afriat (Canada)- 4,425,000

Seat 5: Ami Alibay (Canada)- 8,175,000

Seat 6: James Carroll (Las Vegas, Nev.)- 18,525,000

The 28-event Poker Showdown kicked off on Thursday, April 4 with the $570 buy-in Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em. With 2,958 entries, the event easily eclipsed the $1 million guarantee, with a prize pool of nearly $1.5 million. Narimaan Ahmadi of Alpharetta, Ga. won the opener turning his $570 entry into $209,977.

Other signature event winners include:

• Aaron Mermelstein (Philadelphia, Pa.), winning the $25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em for $618,955
• Elio Fox (New York, N.Y.), winning the $50,000 Super High Roller for $440,000
• Richard Alati (Phoenix, Ariz.), winning the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em for $107,740
• Paul Sneed (Kings Park, N.Y.), winning the $5,000 No Limit Hold’em One-Day for $116,245

Poker action will return to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. with the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) Aug. 1 – Aug. 13, 2019. Unique to South Florida, SHRPO is known for its one-of-a-kind finisher – The Big 4. The Big 4 is a collection of four-tournament finales that feature staggered structures, timed so the events play down simultaneously in front of a live audience. Tournament promotions include the property’s signature “Win a Seat” program where participants can visit SHRPO.com to enter for a chance at a $5,250 entry into the championship.

Remaining Payouts:

1st: $700,175 + $15,000 Baccarat Crystal WPT Tournament of Champions seat

2nd: $465,120

3rd:  $344,960
4th:  $257,815
5th:  $194,610
6th:  $148,380

Future tournament information and poker hotel rates are available at SHRPO.com.

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.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is the flagship casino resort of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.  It isa world-renowned entertainment, gaming and hospitality destination that features a AAA Four Diamond-rated luxury hotel; expansive gaming offerings including first-in-class slots, high-stakes table games and South Florida’s premier poker room; spa and fitness center; award-winning dining and nightlife; and the popular Hard Rock Event Center which hosts A-list entertainers, comedy and sporting events. A $1.5 billion expansion slated to open in fall 2019 will bring 638 luxury guestrooms to a first-ever, iconic, guitar-shaped hotel and 168 upscale guest accommodations in an adjacent hotel tower overlooking a lush, “Bora Bora” style, private cabana environment; a 42,000 square-foot Rock Spa®; a 13.5 acre recreational water-focused experience for sunbathing, swimming, kayaking, sailing and paddle boarding; 21 distinctive  restaurants, bars and lounges; an expanded gaming floor featuring 3,100 slots, 193 table games and a 45-table poker room; 120,000 square feet of premier meeting and convention space; and 26,000 square feet of new retail space.  The highly anticipated 6,500 seat Hard Rock Live theater-styleconcert venue will feature headline performances and live broadcast capabilities.  The resort is located on 87 acres of the Hollywood SeminoleReservation along State Road 7, (U.S. Highway 441). The resort is 10 minutes from Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport and 30 minutes from downtown Miami and Miami International Airport. For more information, visit us online at casino.hardrock.com/hollywood, call 800-937-0010 or follow us:

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