$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 6:  400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1A Entries:  90

The entry count clicked up to 90 entries in the sixth level of play and we picked up some top Florida poker talent in that group.

Justin Zaki is the most successful player in the field with more than $7.6 million in tournament cashes, three PokerGo High Roller titles, and a bunch of WSOP and WPT final tables. But no major Tampa title so maybe this one is it.

Dion Jagroo had a big win here last year when he won the opening event of the 2025 Tampa Poker Classic for $52,678 and won a quarter of a million by winning a $1,200 buy-in tournament in Texas.

Both are now among those battling for this title.

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 5:  300/600 with a 600 ante
Day 1A Entries:  80

Players returned from their second break and we have a new chip leader. Ricardo Rodriguez owns the biggest stack in the room with 161,300 and Robert LeBeau sits in second with 133,400. Shawn Cunix moved up to third and the only other player over 100K.

Here’s another round of counts during the break:

Ricardo Rodriguez – 161,300 (269 bb)
Robert LeBeau – 133,400 (222 bb)
Shawn Cunix – 109,000 (182 bb)
Stephen Brite – 99,000 (165 bb)
John Dolan – 87,900 (147 bb)
Aaron Mederos – 82,400 (137 bb)
Ricardo Eyzaguirre – 78,200 (130 bb)
Adel Kabbani – 77,700 (130 bb)
Mark Glazewski – 73,500 (123 bb)
Gabe Fuller – 72,200 (120 bb)
Shawn Barnett – 65,700 (110 bb)
John O’Neal – 64,700 (108 bb)
Manny Minaya – 60,800 (101 bb)
Filipp Khavin – 54,000 (90 bb)
RJ Sullivan – 52,700 (88 bb)
Mo Alhawani – 50,200 (84 bb)
Mitch Mitchell – 49,600 (83 bb)
Khanh Truong – 39,100 (65 bb)
John Kennedy – 37,200 (62 bb)
Oscar Lindo – 32,900 (55 bb)
Kevin Blewitt – 29,600 (49 bb)
Hassan El Hakim – 24,800 (41 bb)
Jeff Trudeau Jr – 17,900 (30 bb)

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 4:  300/500 with a 500 ante
Day 1A Entries:  65

More players continue to join the Championship with the count up to 65 with registration open until Sunday afternoon.

Some new additions include John O’Neal, Drew Dodge, Ricardo Eyzaguirre, and Mitch Mitchell.

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 3:  200/400 with a 400 ante
Day 1A Entries:  55

Cards are back in the air after the first break and we added a few new entries while they were away.

Adel Kabbani had the best first two levels of the Championship, leading the early going with 119,500. Stephen Brite and Robert LeBeau also moved their stack over 100K and in contention for the lead.

Here’s a look at some counts from break:

Adel Kabbani – 119,500 (299 bb)
Stehen Brite – 106,500 (266 bb)
Robert LeBeau – 101,000 (253 bb)
Manny Minaya – 64,600 (162 bb)
Mark Glazewski – 58,000 (145 bb)
John Dolan – 56,600 (142 bb)
Gabe Fuller – 51,100 (128 bb)
RJ Sullivan – 44,100 (110 bb)
Shawn Barnett – 44,100 (110 bb)
Mo Alhawani – 35,800 (90 bb)
Kevin Carnevale – 33,200 (83 bb)
Shawn Cunix – 24,000 (60 bb)
Hassan El Hakim – 22,500 (56 bb)
Richard Leyberman – 20,600 (52 bb)
Kevin Blewitt – 16,800 (42 bb)
Roberto Melo – 14,300 (36 bb)
Hristos Tsironis – 11,000 (28 bb)
Jerry Silva – 10,500 (26 bb)

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 2:  200/300 with a 300 ante
Day 1A Entries:  46

Players are just about ready to take their first break of the day with 46 entries and plenty more expected over the two starting flights.

We will take this opportunity to check the stacks and see who had a solid first two hours of the Championship.

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 2:  200/300 with a 300 ante
Day 1A Entries:  40

We have a very nice turnout this morning and as we head into the afternoon hours. We have 40 entries in the game and a nice buildup with a lot of time to get in the game.

Some early friends in the field include Jerry Silva, Stephen Brite, RJ Sullivan, Mo Alhawani, Hassan El Hakim, Gabe Fuller, Shawn Cunix, and SPS Leaderboard front-runner John Dolan.

$2,600 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 1:  100/200 with a 200 ante
Day 1A Entries:  24

Cards are in the air for Flight A of the SPS Championship with 24 players at the start. A lot of them satellited into the tournament, so they had to be here on time, while others have plenty of time to get here.

They will play two hour-long levels with a 15-minute break in between until they bag up after Level 9.

$2,500 SPS Championship
$500,000 Guaranteed  |  Structure
Level 1:  100/200 with a 200 ante

The wait is over, and all the preliminaries have wrapped up; today we kick off the 2025 Signature Poker Series Championship with Flight A at 11 am. The tournament has a $2,500 buy-in with a $500,000 guarantee and a long, deep structure for plenty of play.

Players start with 40K in their stacks and all levels last 60 minutes, until going to 30 when heads-up. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 12 on Day 2, Sunday at 2:15p.

They will play nine full levels today, nine levels on Day 2, and anyone left will return on Monday at noon to play for the Championship.

• $500,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 40,000 in chips
• Levels last 90 minutes
• Late registration available until start of Level 12 on Day 2
• Day 1 will end after Level 9
• Championship Structure Sheet

2026 Tampa Signature Poker Series
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$1,100 Eight-Max No-Limit Hold’em
Entries:  71
Prize Pool:  $68,160
July 23, 2026

The last preliminary before the SPS Championship was a $1,100 Eight-Max tournament that drew 71 entries for a prize pool worth $68,160. After a tough final table, James Casement took the top spot outright for $21,540 and his second major Tampa win.

The other trophy? It came in this tournament in 2025, so our defending one-day $1K champ kept the title for another year.

Congrats James!