$3,500 Championship No Limit Hold’em
Level 2: Blinds 75/150
Entries: 51
Playing the Championship Event
As the Tampa poker market continues to grows, the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Summer Poker Open is helping it grab solid footing.
The crown jewel of the 21 day, 17 trophy event series is the Championship Event that players have put on their summer calendar.
“100% I’d be out there right now,” says Joe Gibbons (Tampa, FL) about the WSOP in Las Vegas. “There’s more people here than I expected. I know a lot of people that either delayed their trip or have come back.”
Gibbons sees the Summer Poker Open as the best of both worlds, quality poker and close to home.
It’s in my own backyard,” says Gibbons who won the Six Max trophy this week for $14,625. “I knew a lot of friends were going to be here. My kids are home from school (college), so I figured, get a couple of sessions under my belt then head out.”
Gibbons is back for Day 1B after a rough hand at the end of Day 1A. “I had half my chips in and he (the chip leader), put me all in.”
Top pair was no good for Gibbons as Ray Prieto (St. Petersburg, FL) flopped a set of 2s that propelled him to the end of night big stack with 302k.
While Gibbons hits the reset button, he’s not only an advocate for Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, but the entire Bay area.
“You’ve got the beaches and bridges,” says Gibbons who’s a retired business man that’s played poker full time for six years. “This is a hidden gem that’s comparable to Miami.
“Look at our sports teams the last couple of years, a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup, Rays in the World Series. This whole area is alive,” he says adding, “they’ve got a poker room with great stakes and it continues to grow.”