2016 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, FL
Event 5
$250 Pot Limit Omaha
Entries: 107
Prize Pool: $20,820
December 7, 2016

The Seminole Hard Rock Tampa poker room is known for some of the best Pot Limit Omaha games in the state and the 2016 Winter Poker Open schedule gave the PLO players a chance at a tournament title. After outlasting more than 100 entrants, Jordan Holt stacked all the chips for a WPO winner’s photo and nearly $7,000.

Event 5 drew 107 entries into the $250 PLO tournament, an increase from last year’s run, and they created a prize pool worth $20,820 to surpass the $15,000 Guarantee. The last 11 players earned a piece of the money and they quickly played down towards the money.

Two tables remained when they went on their dinner break and they were on the money bubble soon after. John Alegria made the final two tables of the opening event of the series but he was the unfortunate bubble in Event 5. He was followed by former SHRP champ Peter Walsworth to set up the final table.

Len Nhoung began the final table with a huge lead but it slipped away thanks to the fickle nature of PLO. She had to settle for a fifth place result and short stacked John Shuler was sent to the rail on her heels.

Alex Ivan, Chun Wang, and Holt all took turns holding the three-handed lead until Ivan took out Wang in two big hands. Ivan had the lead going into heads up lay but Holt kept the pressure on to take his chips.

In the end, it was as close to as a PLO cooler as you can find to end it. Holt’s aces held against Ivan’s kings and a turned straight draw to earn every chip in play. It was a hard-fought battle when the Clermont resident was up against some tough opponents.

Now Holt is the new owner of a Winter Poker Open guitar trophy, a WPO Championship seat, and a nice $6,975 payout for one day’s work.

This win gives Holt the biggest cash of his career, only $6 over his payout for a deep run in a WSOP Circuit Main Event last February. During the entire final table, Holt had his eye on the trophy and expressed his desire to take it home. He did just that and now will return in a week to play in the Winter Poker Open $300,000 Guarantee Championship.

Event 5 results:

1st: Jordan Holt – $6,975 + $1,650 Seat
2nd: Alex Ivan – $3,893
3rd: Chun Wang – $2,623
4th: John Shuler – $1,874
5th: Len Nhoung – $1,395
6th: Oliver Agostini – $1,083
7th: Coré Diniz – $833
8th: John Holley – $666
9th: Frank Gomez – $562
10th: Peter Walsworth – $479
11th: Jeanette Robinson – $437

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 23: 12,000/24,000

Alex Ivan began heads up play with the lead but the chips migrated to Jordan Holt’s side of the table after one level of play. Ivan still had plenty of chips to wield and it took a cooler to end it early.

After two pot-sized bets, Ivan’s chips were in the middle with but he was in trouble against Holt’s .

It got worse for Ivan on the flop but he picked up an open-ended straight draw on the turn. Seven outs to keep the game going but he blanked the river to end the match and the tournament.

Ivan earned $3,893 for his efforts while Holt cashed out for $6,975 and the coveted guitar trophy along with his seat in the $1,650 WPO Championship.

1st: Jordan Holt – $6,975 + $1,650 Seat
2nd: Alex Ivan – $3,893

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 22: 10,000/20,000
Players Remaining: 2 of 107

Alex Ivan dropped down as the short stack before he doubled through Chun Wang, then finished him off two hands later.

Wang called all-in after the flop and he was ahead with against . The turn improved Ivan to tens up and Wang missed the river to exit in third place.

Alex Ivan – 965,000 (48 bb)
Jordan Holt – 640,000 (32 bb)
Chun Wang – Eliminated in 3rd place ($2,623)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 21: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 3 of 107

On the first hand after the break, John Shuler put his last five big blinds in the middle with kings and Jordan Holt called with and caught a straight per Shuler’s recollection.

He was the short stack for most of the final table but laddered up nicely to fourth place money.

Jordan Holt – 610,000 (38 bb)
John Shuler – Eliminated in 4th place ($1,874)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 21: 8,000/16,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 107

The four remaining players are on a 15-minute break with three nearly equal stacks and John Shuler needing to make a move.

Seat 3: Alex Ivan – 495,000 (31 bb)
Seat 5: John Shuler – 73,000 (5 bb)
Seat 8: Jordan Holt – 537,000 (34 bb)
Seat 9: Chun Wang – 630,000 (39 bb)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 6,000/12,000
Players Remaining: 4 of 107

Len Nhoung came to the final table with a huge lead but those chips were soon disbursed among her tablemates. She was down to 250,000 and put the middle after a series of raises with Alex Ivan.

Ivan:
Nhoung:

The board ran and Ivan’s nut flush sent Nhoung out in fifth place.

Alex Ivan – 310,000 (31 bb)
Len Nhoung – Eliminated in 5th place ($1,395)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 18: 4,000/8,000
Players Remaining: 5 of 107

Nothing went well for Oliver Agostini after the last break, his raises not getting through and running into better, rivered hands. The last big hand saw him raise to 28,000 and get two callers to the flop.

Agostini bet pot again, this time for 96,000 and only Jordan Holt came along to the turn. Agostini tossed in his last 14,000 and Holt called to put him at risk.

Holt:
Agostini:

Agostini was drawing thin with only four outs left in the deck, two tens and two non-spade aces. The river was not one of them and Holt’s flush sent him out in sixth place.

Jordan Holt – 630,000 (79 bb)
Oliver Agostini – Eliminated in 6th place ($1,083)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 6 of 107

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 17: 3,000/6,000
Players Remaining: 7 of 107

Alex Ivan limped under the gun and John Holley followed along with him. Oliver Agostini raised it up to 20,000 to get a call from Ivan and Holley was all-in for 17,000 total.

Agostini and Ivan checked it down until the board read and Agostini bet 15,000 on the river. Ivan called and mucked when Agostini showed the nut flush . Holley’s kings up was no good and he was eliminated in eight place.

Even with the knockout, Holley is not having a bad day. This was his second cash of the day after making the money in Event 4 and he’s going for number three after he jumped into Event 6.

Oliver Agostini – 285,000 (48 bb)
John Holley – Eliminated in 8th place ($666)

$250 Pot Limit Omaha (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 2,500/5,000
Players Remaining: 8 of 107

It was four-handed to the flop, Len Nhoung checked, Frank Gomez bet 9,500 and Alex Ivan announced “pot”. The raise was for 58,500 and Gomez checked stacks after it folded to him.

Gomez put the rest of his chips in the middle and the cards were tabled.

Ivan:
Gomez:

Gomez was ahead but needed to dodge the wrap draw of Ivan. The turn was a blank but the straight got there on the river to leave Gomez with crumbs.

His 1.5 big blinds went in on the next hand and he was eliminated in ninth place.

Alex Ivan – 210,000 (42 bb)
Frank Gomez – Eliminated in 9th place ($562)