Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Spring Poker Open
Event 1: $560  No Limit Hold’em
March 7-9, 2014

Entries: 249
Prize Pool: $124,500

1st Place

RECAP
Semi-retired businessman Jim Rumptz (Clearwater, FL & Memphis, TN) proved that experience can still triumph over youth today.  He took down the opening event of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Spring Poker Open, winning $34,911 and a $1,650 seat in the WPT  Regional Main Event Championship, which begins Friday.

Second place and $20,443 went to Ron Puleo (Sarasota, FL), another veteran of the game.  Ralph Dyer rounded out the top three, earning $13,247 for 3rd place.

All three of these players held the chip lead at some point during three-handed play, so it was anyone’s game.  However it was Ralph Dyer who held the earliest chip lead in the whole event.  On the first hand of Flight 3 on Saturday, he cracked pocket Aces by flopping a set of 9s and busted a player, doubling his starting stack to 30,000.

Three starting flights over two days drew a grand total of 249 entries, building a total prize pool of $124,500, covering the $100,000 Guarantee with ease.  The final 24 players earned a share of the prize money.

After playing 14 levels on Day 1, 41 players made the cut and returned Sunday at 10am for Day 2, after losing an hour of sleep thanks to the start of Daylight Savings Time.  After a couple of hours of play, the money bubble burst and it was time to get paid.

Local attorney John Pappas was 3rd in chips at the start of the day and narrowly avoided busting out on the bubble.  He held on to finish 21st for $1,033.  Nate Kaplan, 2nd in chips at the start of the day, was out right behind him in 20th place ($1,444).

Day 2 chip leader William Alexander busted out in 17th place ($1,805) when he ran QJ into Ralph Dyer’s pocket Kings.

Ryan Sponaugle (Las Vegas, NV) finished second in the Main Event here last December, earning $72,240 and he came into Day 2 dead last in chips.  When they reached the money, he predicted a 4th place finish for himself in this event and then a win in next week’s main event.  He came close, busting out in 6th place ($5,179) just two spots shy of his prediction.  He says he still intends to win the main event.

Jim started playing poker in 2004 and travels to Tunica, MS, and Las Vegas for the WSOP and has recorded several previous cashes, but this is his first tournament win on record.  His largest cash prior to today was when he finished 449th in the 2009 WSOP Main Event for $25,027.

Jim said he made a “steady climb” throughout his starting flight yesterday.  At each break, he had more chips than the previous one, with no major setbacks.  His two sons Scott and Gary followed his progress on the SHRTPoker.com blog as his virtual railbirds.  He’s got to head back to Memphis for business, so won’t be playing any more events during this series.

FINAL RESULTS

Main Event Schedule