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 2019 Winter Poker Open Main Event drew 479 entries over three starting flights to create a prize pool worth $718,500 and a clear surpass of the $500,000 guarantee.

The last 48 spots will be paid and a min-cash will earn $3,485. The top two players will earn at least a six-digit payout with the Main Event Chapionship earning $149,595 along with the Guitar Trophy.

1st: $149,595 + Guitar Trophy
2nd: $104,750
3rd: $67,345
4th: $44,367
5th: $34,165
6th: $28,295
7th: $23,711
8th: $19,320
9th: $14,959
10th-12th: $12,516
13th-15th: $10,598
16th-18th: $8,679
19th-21st: $7,221
22nd-24th: $5,964
25th-27th: $5,030
28th-36th: $4,167
37th-45th: $3,779
46th-48th: $3,485

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight C Entries:  239

The dinner break is over and registration is officially closed on the 2019 Winter Poker Open Main Event. Flight C drew 239 entries to put a combined 470 into the game creating a prize pool worth $718,500.

Tournament staff are calculating the payout information and we will post it as soon as it is ready.

Chip counts through Flight B

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10:  500/1,500 with a 1,500 ante
Flight C Entries:  232

The dinner break is about complete and we tracked down some of the big stacks coming back. Mok Bsaiso in the returning chip leader and only 1K off of 300K. Wasim Assaf is in second with Anthony Dianaty, Lunique Petiote and Li Zhou rounding out the top five.

Mok Bsaiso – 199,000 (133 bb)
Wasim Assaf – 171,500 (114 bb)
Anthony Dianaty – 166,500 (111 bb)
Lunique Petiote – 159,500 (106 bb)
Li Zhou – 149,000 (99 bb)
Demond Williams – 133,000 (89 bb)

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Flight C Entries:  231

Level 9 has come to an end and tournament staff sent Flight C players on their 60-minute dinner break. Time to relax, unwind, and throw some food on their system.

When they return, registration will close the 2019 Winter Poker Open Main Event.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9:  500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Flight C Entries:  227

Flight C is into Level 9 and the last level before the dinner break. The entry count hit 227 to put the Main Event prize pool over $700,000.

Once they return from dinner, registration will close and we will know how much they are playing for.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7:  300/600 with a 600 ante
Flight C Entries:  221

We found two new big stacks in the back part of the room and they are sharing a table. Li Zhou is chasing the leaders and sits with 122,500 while Barbara Cardin, third-place finisher in WPO Event 3, is up to 90,000.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Flight C Entries:  207

The second break is complete and we have a new front runner plus a few more big stacks. Pinktober Poker Open Main Event final table member Anthony Dianaty ran his stack up to 148,500 and returns from break as the leader.

Also running well so far, Demond Williams returns to a stack worth 128,000 and Fabian Foster is at 104,000.

Flight C will play three more levels before taking a 60-minute dinner break.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Flight C Entries:  201

Flight C is about to take its second break of the day after recently crossing the 200-entry mark. The next milestone will be hitting a $700,000 prize pool and we’ll get there with entry 227.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Flight C Entries:  186

The entry count is sliding up towards 200 for Flight C and the current prize pool sits at $639,000 for the Main Event. Not a bad weekend at all.

We found more Tampa favorites in the game including Marie Harrell, Alex Ivan, Tampa Poker Classic champ Nick Raio, and WPT Event 3 champ Tony March among others.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Flight C Entries:  161

David Nathaniel Jr is back in the Poker Room, playing a Main Event not long after he won one. The 2019 Pinktober Poker Open Main event drew 466 entries and he outlasted them all to win the title along with more than $93,000.

The win also boosted him to the top of the 2019/2020 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year race. In addition to his Pinktober Main Event win, Nathaniel Jr also booked a tenth place finish in the September WSOP Circuit Main Event at our sister property in Coconut Creek. Both were good enough to push him into the lead.

Each year, Seminole Hard Rock Poker runs the Player of the Year leaderboard and features tournaments around the different properties. Ten Main Events/Championship in total with the last points-eligible event at the 2020 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

The leader at that Championship will earn a package estimated at more than $25,000 and includes buy-ins to all major SHR Poker Main Event/Championships the following year along with hotel and dining credits at Seminole properties during the 2020/2021 season.

You can find the current standing on HardRockPoker.com.