2019 Winter Poker Open
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed
Entries: 479
Prize Pool: $718,500
December 12-16, 2019

The Winter Poker Open spent 13 days awarding big money and Guitar Trophies with the Main Event headlining the schedule. The $1,650 buy-in tournament had a great turnout and it was Greenville, SC resident David Moses taking home nearly $150,000 as the WPO Main Event Champion.

The tournament featured a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool that reached $718,500 after 479 entrants joined over the three starting flights. There were 72 players advancing to Day 2 on Sunday with only 48 of them set to earn a piece of the prize pool.

Austin Buchanan bagged a huge chip lead in Flight A and no one caught him in the next two. He stayed hot on Day 2 with the chip lead for most of the day but found himself at the bottom of the counts when the final table reconvened on Monday afternoon.

SHR Tampa favorite Manny Minaya began the final table with the chip lead but dropped to the pack as Moses began to build. Buchanan was the first to be eliminated from the final table followed by Mark Scacewater. Terri-Anne Crawford, the lone woman still in the Main Event, battled over the last two days but had to settle for seventh place.

With five players remaining, Minaya and Duff Charette were the two shorter stacks and went out shortly after a break. The last three players, Moses, Justin Zaki, and TK Miles, were all talented and the stacks were virtually even when it went three-handed.

Miles took a cooler against Zaki, queens into kings, and made a valiant come back that ultimately came up short. Moses and Zaki exchanged the heads-up lead until they got the chips in with similar stacks. Moses had the best hand, it held up, and he took home the title along with $149,595 while Zaki had to settle for a $104K score.

This is the second major Seminole Hard Rock Poker title for Moses to go along with his February 2019 WSOP Circuit win in Coconut Creek.

Congratulations to David and a huge thanks to all of our players who made this a very successful series.

Main Event final table results:

1st: David Moses – $149,595
2nd: Justin Zaki – $104,750
3rd: TK Miles – $67,345
4th: Duff Charette – $44,367
5th: Manny Minaya – $34,165
6th: Nick Mann – $28,295
7th: Terri-Anne Crawford – $23,711
8th: Mark Scacewater – $19,320
9th: Austin Buchanan – $14,959

Download – Complete Main Event Results (PDF)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante

David Moses pulled into a slight lead when they played the biggest pot of the tournament. Justin Zaki opened his button to 350,000 and Moses moved all in.

“I’m leaning call,” Zaki told him after a few minutes thought.

Zaki thought some more and slapped in a calling stack.

Moses:
Zaki:

“I run pretty bad in these,” Moses told Zaki.

Not this time. The dealer ran out the board to send the pot to Moses. They counted down the stacks and Moses’s 7,425,000 was good enough for the title.

1st: David Moses – $149,595
2nd: Justin Zaki – $104,750

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

There was a brief discussion of a heads-up deal but nothing could be agreed upon. Justin Zaki leads but it’s a near dead heat for the title.

Seat 5: David Moses – 6,875,000 (46 bb)
Seat 8: Justin Zaki – 7,525,000 (50 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 31:  100,000/150,000 with a 150,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

With the flop , David Moses checked and Justin Zaki bet 225,000. David Moses check-raised to 600,000 and Zaki moved all in for 3,775,000 and Moses called.

Zaki:
Moses:

Zaki flopped top two against Moses single pair of jacks and his hand held after the turn and river to double into the lead.

Justin Zaki – 8,000,000 (53 bb)
David Moses – 6,400,000 (43 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

There were no major pots over the first 30 minutes after the break. Justin Zaki was able to pull back a few more chips but Moses continues with a comfortable lead.

Seat 5: David Moses – 10,575,000 (85 bb)
Seat 8: Justin Zaki – 3,825,000 (31 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 30:  75,000/125,000 with a 125,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

David Moses and Justin Zaki were sent on another break as the 5K chips were removed from play. David Moses continues to lead but Zaki has enough chips to make his moves.

Blind levels will now last 40 minutes each until we have a winner.

Seat 5: David Moses – 11,000,000 (88 bb)
Seat 8: Justin Zaki – 3,400,000 (27 bb)

Remaining payouts:

1st: $149,595
2nd: $104,750

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

Justin Zaki was down to nine big blinds and put them in on the first hand after losing the big pot. Moses called with a chance to win it.

Zaki:
Moses:

Zaki was dominated but found a save when he paired his queen on the board to double.

Two hands later, he moved all in again with Moses trying to end the tournament once more.

Zaki:
Moses:

Zaki had two live cards to survive and popped the flop. His trip kings were good after the turn and river to double back into the heads-up match.

Justin Zaki – 3,820,000 (38 bb)
David Moses – 10,580,000 (106 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

Justin Zaki continued to come back and took the heads-up lead when David Moses opened his button to 350,000. Zaki called, the flop came and Zaki checked. Moses bet 400,000 and Zaki announced all in. Moses double-checked his cards and called.

Moses:
Zaki:

Moses was ahead with top-top against Zaki’s pair of deuces/flush draw/gutshot wheel draw. The turn changed nothing and Moses won the pot after the river. He was the at risk player and was all in for 6,335,000.

David Moses – 13,470,000 (135 bb)
Justin Zaki – 930,000 (9 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts
Level 29:  50,000/100,000 with a 100,000 ante
Players Remaining:  2 of 479

There were no major pots over the first 30 minutes of heads up play but Justin Zaki was able to pull back some chips to decrease the gap with David Moses.

Once Level 29 comes to an end, they will take a 15-minute break as the 5K chips are colored off and blind levels will go to 30 minutes each.

Seat 5: David Moses – 8,300,000 (83 bb)
Seat 8: Justin Zaki – 6,100,000 (61 bb)