2015 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tampa
Event #13
$1,650 Championship
Total Entries: 453
Prize Pool: $679,500
December 17-20, 2015

Tampa, FL (December 21, 2015) — John Templeton was victorious in the 2015 Winter Poker Open Championship at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino early Monday morning in Tampa. Templeton, who hails from Sarasota, maneuvered his way through a massive, 453-entry field in the $1,650 finale before chopping three ways with David Lappano and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Ambassador Sheddy Siddiqui. The chop saw Templeton earn $134,731 and the token guitar trophy while Lappano pocketed $107,798 and Siddiqui $92,459. A seven-year pro, Templeton, 24, acknowledged the value his first career trophy had, but he wasn’t going to say no to the six-figure score, either.

“It means everything,” Templeton said of the top prize. “It’s the biggest score I’ve had by, I believe, $125,000. My biggest cash before that is just under $10,000. This is life changing as far as my poker playing goes.”

The 2015 WPO Championship drew a supersized field that marked a year-over-year attendance increase of more than 50 percent. Templeton’s victory came following three starting flights and a 14-hour Day 2. The unique event attracted some of the game’s best pros including 2010 WSOP Main Event runner up John Racener, gold bracelet winners Tristan Wade and Chris Tryba, Mike Laake, Steve Karp, John Holley and Timothy Miles.

“It was ran really, really well,” Templeton said of the event. “I loved the Day 1 structure. I loved it so much I entered four times. It took me four bullets to make Day 2. I believed in the structure and that I was better than the skill level of the field on average, so I just kept buying in.”

The money was life-changing and the trophy was the first in a career that’s sure to be filled with many, but those two things weren’t what meant most to Templeton as he basked in his victory tableside. Templeton remembered his father, who he lost unexpectedly to kidney failure in October. His father backed him and helped him get on his feet as a young, inexperienced pro.

“He was my backer while I lost,” Templeton admitted. “He paid for me to get my education in poker the first few years. He’s always backed me and he never really got to see me have a big score. This means a lot. He would have been my first phone call if he was still here. This is kind of for him.”

Templeton’s father smiled down on his son as he battled his way through a tough tournament that saw Wally Maddah finish 40th, Sean Shah 31st, Holley 16th, and Miles 5th.

“It was more difficult than I expected,” Templeton said of the field. “Everyone was playing fairly well except for maybe one or two spots that everyone was kind of gunning for. Besides that, everyone played really, really well and made it pretty difficult.”

Difficult as it was, Templeton made it look easy, and in the end, scored his first trophy, six figures and paid homage the most influential figure in his poker life — his father.

Final results:

1st: John Templeton – $134,731
2nd: David Lappano – $107,798
3rd: Sheddy Siddiqui – $92,459
4th: Robert Georato – $49,264
5th: Timothy Miles – $38,732
6th: Jonathan Lagace-Bastien – $32,276
7th: Carl Carodenuto – $25,821
8th: Alex Ivan – $19,706
9th: John Duhig – $13,590
10th: Ron West – $8,834
11th Steve Cohen – $8,834
12th: Michael Raimon – $8,834
13th: Roberto Melo – $6,795
14th: Shawn Barnett – $6,795
15th: Paul Stanechewski – $6,795
16th: John Holley – $5,368
17th: Eric Wilkinson – $5,368
18th: Thomas Jackon – $5,368
19th: Corey Thompson – $4,213
20th: Michael Ferrer – $4,213
21st: Jon Graham – $4,213
22nd: Antuan Bunkley – $4,213
23rd: Cory Waaland – $4,213
24th: Steve Karp – $4,213
25th: Craig Eshleman – $4,213
26th: Tony March – $4,213
27th: Todd Michael – $4,213
28th: Andre Crooks – $3,737
29th: Vitor Coelho – $3,737
30th: Richard Robinson – $3,737
31st: Sean Shah – $3,737
32nd: James Smith – $3,737
33rd: Richard Hope – $3,737
34th: Harrison Goforth – $3,737
35th: David Hunt – $3,737
36th: Mohammad Hassan – $3,737
37th: Konstantinos Pantaridis – $3,398
38th: Aric Pluskat – $3,398
39th: Herbert Woodbery – $3,398
40th: Wally Maddah – $3,398
41st: William Burdick – $3,398
42nd: Saum Sharifi – $3,398
43rd: Chris Mitchell – $3,398
44th: David Dibernardi – $3,398
45th: Jimmy Dowda – $3,398

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

John Templeton won the 2015 Winter Poker Open Championship following a three-way deal with David Lappano and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Ambassador Sheddy Siddiqui. The deal saw Templeton earn $134,731 and the guitar while Davida Lappano and Sheddy Siddiqui scored $107,798 and $92,459 respectively.

A full report on the win will be made available shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at the tournament’s final results:

1st: John Templeton – $134,731
2nd: David Lappano – $107,798
3rd: Sheddy Siddiqui – $92,459
4th: Robert Georato – $49,264
5th: Timothy Miles – $38,732
6th: Jonathan Lagace-Bastien – $32,276
7th: Carl Carodenuto – $25,821
8th: Alex Ivan – $19,706
9th: John Duhig – $13,590
10th: Ron West – $8,834
11th Steve Cohen – $8,834
12th: Michael Raimon – $8,834
13th: Roberto Melo – $6,795
14th: Shawn Barnett – $6,795
15th: Paul Stanechewski – $6,795
16th: John Holley – $5,368
17th: Eric Wilkinson – $5,368
18th: Thomas Jackon – $5,368
19th: Corey Thompson – $4,213
20th: Michael Ferrer – $4,213
21st: Jon Graham – $4,213
22nd: Antuan Bunkley – $4,213
23rd: Cory Waaland – $4,213
24th: Steve Karp – $4,213
25th: Craig Eshleman – $4,213
26th: Tony March – $4,213
27th: Todd Michael – $4,213
28th: Andre Crooks – $3,737
29th: Vitor Coelho – $3,737
30th: Richard Robinson – $3,737
31st: Sean Shah – $3,737
32nd: James Smith – $3,737
33rd: Richard Hope – $3,737
34th: Harrison Goforth – $3,737
35th: David Hunt – $3,737
36th: Mohammad Hassan – $3,737
37th: Konstantinos Pantaridis – $3,398
38th: Aric Pluskat – $3,398
39th: Herbert Woodbery – $3,398
40th: Wally Maddah – $3,398
41st: William Burdick – $3,398
42nd: Saum Sharifi – $3,398
43rd: Chris Mitchell – $3,398
44th: David Dibernardi – $3,398
45th: Jimmy Dowda – $3,398

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

In a heads up pot between Robert Georato and John Templeton, the board was . Georato checked. Templeton bet 540,000. After a couple minutes in the tank, Georato announce, “all in”. It didn’t take Templeton long to call as he flipped over for a set. Georato was behind, but live with for a flush draw.

The river completed the action and earned Templeton the pot. Tournament staff broke down his stack and it was revealed he had Georato covered. Georate busted 4th earning $49,264.

Georato is 47 years old and resides in Naples, FL. He owns three tournament cashes and more than $800,000 in career earnings.

With his elimination, the remaining three players are talking chop.

Robert Georato – Eliminated 4th ($49,264)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

Robert Georato raised to 120,000 from the cutoff. John Templeton called from the small blind and David Lappano defended his big blind.

The flop came . Templeton and Lappano checked. Georato bet 135,000. Templeton folded while Lappano called. They were heads up and saw the turn. Lappano checked a second time. Georato bet 280,000. Lappano folded and Georato took the pot.

Robert Georato – 2,600,000
David Lappano – 3,900,000

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

Florida pro Timothy Miles opened the button for 125,000 and John Templeton three-bet to 325,000 from the small blind. David Lappano folded his big blind and it was back on Miles. With about 900,000 behind, Miles shoved. Templeton called and Miles was racing for his tournament life.

Miles:
Templeton:

The flop nailed Templeton, falling . Miles shook his head a bit and began to slide his chips forward. The turn was the . Templeton improved further when the river fell the . Miles busted 5th earning $38,732.

The deep run marks Miles’ second in as many years at the Winter Poker Open Championship. He finished 11th last year earning $5,792.

John Templeton – 3,650,000
Timothy Miles – Eliminated 5th ($38,732)

1st – $173,607
2nd – $100,226
3rd – $61,155
4th – $49,264
5th – $38,732
6th: Jonathan Lagace-Bastien – $32,276
7th: Carl Carodenuto – $25,821
8th: Alex Ivan – $19,706
9th: John Duhig – $13,590
10th: Ron West – $8,834

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000 Ante

David Lappano opened to 125,000 from the cutoff and Robert Georato moved all in from the button for 1,130,000. Sheddy Siddiqui and Timothy Miles surrendered their blinds. After a minute or two in the tank, Lappano called.

Georato:
Lappano:

The board ran out and Georato doubled through the chip leader.

Robert Georato – 2,390,000
David Lappano – 4,200,000

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

After jumping a few steps on the pay ladder, Jonathan Lagace-Bastien got the last of his short stack in with versus Sheddy Siddiqui’s . The board ran out and Lagace-Bastien was eliminated 6th for $32,276.

Lagace-Bastien is a 28-year-old marketing professional from Montreal, Canada.

Sheddy Siddiqui – 2,100,000
Jonathan Lagace-Bastien – Eliminated 6th ($32,276)