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