Ben Boston Victorious in Seminole Hard Rock RRPO Opener for $133,918
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The 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open will culminate with a $3,500 buy-in, $2 million guaranteed World Poker Tour Main Event from November 29-December 4. In the meantime, a series of side events are playing out in South Florida.
One of them was Event #1: $400 Deep Stack NLH, which cruised by its $1 million guarantee by drawing 4,699 entrants and creating a $1,579,640 prize pool.
“It’s a $400-coin flip into a field of almost 5,000 people. Of course, I thought I was torching the $400."
The tournament ended in an ICM deal that saw the final six players all lock up more than $114K in prize money. Coming out on top was Ben Boston, who claimed the trophy and $133,918 in prize money.
“It feels great,” Boston told tournament officials after the win. “I’ve toyed around with tournaments a little bit over the years, but I never really took them seriously. I’m a cash game player.”
Boston, who traveled to Florida from Los Angeles, added: “I wasn’t expecting to win anything,” said Boston. “It’s a $400-coin flip into a field of almost 5,000 people. Of course, I thought I was torching the $400. But why not?”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ben Boston | $133,918* |
| 2 | Pedro Catinchi | $133,776* |
| 3 | Song O. | $128,869* |
| 4 | Ronald Campillo | $119,432* |
| 5 | Brian Mancilla | $116,143* |
| 6 | John Two-Bears | $114,897* |
| 7 | Richard Leger | $39,605 |
| 8 | Stuart Hankin | $27,625 |
| 9 | Leif Force | $16,440 |
*Denotes six-way deal.
According to updates from the event, one of the biggest stories was the comeback of Pedro Catinchi, who on Day 2 was left with a quarter of a big blind just before the dinner break. Amazingly, he not only spun it up but ended Day 2 as the chip leader among the surviving players. At the final table, was nearly equal in chips to Boston when the deal was struck.
Speaking of Boston, he earned the last elimination at the final table. It happened when Richard Leger moved all in under the gun with nine-eight suited and Boston called from the cutoff. Boston wound up with kings and sevens to bust Leger, who missed a flopped open-ended straight draw.
Here’s a look at all those to capture side event titles at the 2019 RRPO:
Side Event Winners
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 4,699 | $1,579,650 | Ben Boston | $133,918 |
| Event #2: $400 Limit Omaha 8 | 86 | $29,240 | Gloria LoRusso | $7,566 |
| Event #3: $400 HORSE | 84 | $28,560 | Barry Levy | $8,425 |
| Event #5: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha | 137 | $46,580 | Tommy Tran | $11,705 |
| Event #6: $400 Big O | 78 | $26,520 | Gavin Smith | $8,125 |
| Event #7: $400 Deep Stack NLH | 263 | $89,420 | Sheldon Gross | $20,370 |
| Event #8: $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty | 111 | $113,775 | Schahin Ghiai | $34,105 |
| Event #10: $400 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 | 102 | $34,680 | Michael Daud | $9,015 |
| Event #11: $150 Big Stack NLH | 486 | $58,320 | John Gorsuch | $8,000 + $3,500 Championship seat |
Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.
