19-Year-Old Schools Older Pros in First Poker Tournament for $146k Title
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Via a six-way chop, Karl Creazzo took down the first event of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open — $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em for $146,829 — and he isn't even old enough to play in most US card rooms.
The 19-year-old primarily cash game player not only won all that money, but he did so playing in his first ever live poker tournament. And he beat out a field that included many grizzled poker veterans. We won't go so far as to compare it to Annette Obrestad winning the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) Main Event at age 18. But this accomplishment isn't far off.
Youngster Takes it Down
The $1 million guaranteed tournament, the first of the series, began July 31 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. There were eight Day 1 starting flights, and the final table took place Aug. 5. In total, after counting up all the rebuys, the field hit a whopping 5,870 entrants, creating a prize pool of $1,937,100, easily smashing the guarantee.
Day 2 began with 588 players returning, all in the money. A lengthy session would ensue, and just 29 players would return for Day 3, the final session of the $400 buy-in tournament. According to live reporting updates from SHR's BJ Nemeth, Creazzo was fortunate to have made it to Day 3. He'd lost a monster pot with flopped top two pair against a turned straight and was down to just six big blinds. But he'd spin it up and advance with 28 others to the last day of play.
“That crippled me,” Creazzo told Nemeth, “but I got a couple of double-ups to survive.”
At the final table on Monday, after George Varga busted in seventh place, a $40,600 payday, the pay jumps spiked as the remaining players agreed to an ICM chop.
SHR Poker Open Event #1 Final Table Results
When the final table began, Creazzo was in a solid position, third in chips. He busted Roy Singer in eighth place ($31,500) to move into the chip lead. He never relinquished that lead, although he didn't have to hold onto it much longer as a chop was agreed to shortly after when Varga was eliminated.
The chop arrangement also included giving the chip leader the trophy and the biggest share of the prize pool. But he didn't have a big lead over three other players at the table. Hence, why the top few payouts are close. Chris Miles took second place for $140,492, while Kevin Gomez earned the $140,000 third place money. David Shmuel wasn't too far off with his $124,476 payday for fourth place. Alex Ziskin (fifth place for $105,803) and Ian Siegel (sixth place for $85,720) rounded out the chop payouts.
“I was the one who mentioned an ICM chop when we got back from break,” said Creazzo. “Getting the trophy in my first tournament was big. If I was second in chips, I probably would have agreed to a chop, but I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
If you're wondering how a 19-year-old can win a live poker tournament in the US when the gambling age in most jurisdictions is 21, in the state of Florida, 18 is the legal age for poker, bingo, and lottery games. But for casino games such as slot machines and table games, it is illegal for anyone under 21 to play.
Creazzo is a poker champion, but he won't be eligible to chase World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets for two years. For now, he'll stick to crushing it in South Florida.
*Images courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock.
