Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Summer Poker Open
Event 14: $300 Pot Limit Omaha High
June 11, 2014
Entries: 114
Total Buy-In: $28,500
RECAP
After a five and a half hour marathon final table, 23-year-old Nick Nardello held all the chips and claimed the top prize of $8,547, the $3,500 seat in the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Summer Poker Open Championship, and the signature Hard Rock guitar.
Nardello (Tampa, FL) is a semi-professional poker player who has been living here for 2-3 years since relocating from New York. He’s usually playing in private games or the $2/$5 or $5/10 PLO cash games, but decided to check out the new venue for the Summer Poker Open. “It’s great. I’m really happy with the changes that were made. This is how poker should be played — you have some light coming through the windows, I mean come on. It’s much nicer and it’s run a lot more smoothly.”
Nardello held about a 1.5:1 chip lead when he got heads-up with eye surgeon Brian Haas. Their match lasted only about 20 minutes, but that’s after a grueling 15+ hours of tournament play. Haas finished 8th in Event 9, the $1,100 No Limit Hold’em event, and proved himself a worthy adversary in Pot Limit Omaha — in his first-ever PLO tournament. Haas collected $4,703 for second place.
This one-day Pot Limit Omaha event drew 114 entrants for total buy-ins of $28,500. That was distributed among the final 18 players.
“It feels amazing,” said Nardello. “I don’t have any tournament wins on record so to finally get one is awesome. I wasn’t going to play the main, but now I’ll be able to.” He’s taking the rest of Thursday off to rest up, then will be back on the felt Friday in Championship Flight B.
FINAL RESULTS
1. NICHOLAS NARDELLO (SPRING HILL, FL): $8,547
2. BRIAN HAAS (CELEBRATION, FL): $4,703
3. JAMEEL HARRIS (SOUTH HOLLAND, IL): $2,708
4. ANTHONY FERRARI (NORTH PORT, FL): $2,280
5. BRUCE DAVIS (HAINES CITY, FL): $1,710
6. BARTLEY OCONNELL (TAMPA, FL): $1,425
7. WAYNE BROWN (BABSON PARK, FL): $1,140
8. MICHAEL MANTICOFF (DAVISON, MI): $855
9. ALEX IVAN (PALM HARBOR, FL): $641
10. DEREK BOWERS (ALLIANCE, OH): $570
11. KIRAN AINAZA (TAMPA, FL): $570
12. JACK SHEA (WINSTON SALEM, NC): $570
13. THOMAS NIX (LAKELAND, FL): $499
14. CORY BLUM (CHARLOTTE, NC): $499
15. TIM STEORTS (LAKE WALES, FL): $499
16. MARK SOSSU (BRADENTON, FL): $428
17. JAREK DONIATOWSKI (VENICE, FL): $428
18. CHRIS NICKERSON (ZOLFO SPRINGS, FL): $428