$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 25:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 300

Thien Nguyen opened to 125,000 from under the gun and Cheri Ivan moved all in for 560,000 from the small blind. Fred Paradis folded his big and Nguyen called top put her at risk.

Ivan: []qh]
Nguyen:

Ivan was behind but had two live cards to double, then paired her queen on the flop. The turn and river were safe and she doubled up.

Cheri Ivan – 1,280,000 (21 bb)
Thien Nguyen – 4,100,000 (68 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 25:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  4 of 300

Hassan El Hakim opened to 125,00 and Wayne Leonard called on the button. The flop was , El Hakim checked, Leonard bet 130,000 and El Hakim called.

The turn was , El Hakim checked, Leonard bet 240,000 and El Hakim called.

The board finished with the river, El Hakim moved all in, and Leonard called for his last 650,000.

El Hakim:
Leonard:

Leonard flopped a set of fours but El Hakim made a club flush on the river to send him out in fifth place.

Hassan El Hakim – 5,200,000 (87 bb)
Wayne Leonard  –  Eliminated in 5th Place ($24,250)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 25:  30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 300

Seat 1: Wayne Leonard – 1,915,000 (32 bb)
Seat 2: Fred Paradis – 865,000 (14 bb)
Seat 3: Thien Nguyen – 4,530,000 (76 bb)
Seat 5: Hassan El Hakim – 3,725,000 (62 bb)
Seat 7: Cheri Ivan – 930,000 (16 bb)

1st: $100,900 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $62,360
3rd: $44,700
4th: $32,620
5th: $24,250

6th: Nathaniel Palombo – $18,360
7th: William Criego – $14,170
8th: Mike Ahmad – $11,150
9th: Daniel Zucker – $8,950

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 24:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  5 of 300

Nathaniel Palombo opened for his entire stack of 435,000 and Hassan El Hakim called to put him at risk.

Palombo:
El Hakim:

It was a race but it ended quickly when the showed up in the window of the flop. Neither the turn nor the river could save Palombo’s Championship run.

Hassan El Hakim – 3,800,000 (76 bb)
Nathaniel Palombo  –  Eliminated in 6th Place ($18,360)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 24:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  6 of 300

Thien Nguyen opened to 100,000 from the button and William Criego came along in the big blind.

The flop was , Criego checked, and Nguyen bet 75,000. Criego thought for a minute, moved all in for 980,000 and Nguyen quickly called.

Nguyen:
Criego:

Criego flopped a pair of eights but was far behind the aces of our chip leader. The turn and river finished the board to send Criego out in seventh place.

Thien Nguyen – 5,100,000 (102 bb)
William Criego  –  Eliminated in 7th Place ($14,170)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 24:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 300

Wayne Leonard open-shipped for 480,000 from under the gun, Fred Paradis called next to act, and the rest of the table folded.

Leonard:
Paradis:

Leonard was in rough shape to stay in the game and began saying goodbye to his tablemates. The flop was and he picked up a gutshot wheel draw. The turn changed nothing but he sat right back down when he got his wheel on the river.

Wayne Leonard – 1,085,000 (22 bb)
Fred Paradis – 885,000 (18 bb)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 24:  25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 ante
Players Remaining:  7 of 300

Action folded around to Thien Nguyen and he moved all in against the short-stacked Mike Ahmad.

“I haven’t looked yet,” Ahmad said. “Want to sweat it?”

Ahmad peeled the first card, the both nodded, and he called at risk for 870,000 when he saw the second.

Nguyen:
Ahmad:

It was a race and Ahmad needed to improve to double up. But the board ran out and he was eliminated in eighth place.

Thien Nguyen – 4,600,000 (92 bb)
Mike Ahmad  –  Eliminated in 8th Place ($11,150)

2026 Tampa Poker Classic
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Tampa, Florida
Event 9
$400 No-Limit Hold’em
$20,000 Guaranteed
Entries:  118
Prize Pool:  $38,940
March 15, 2026

Registration closed for the $400 No-Limit Hold’em tournament with 118 entries, nearly doubling the $20,000 guarantee and creating a prize pool worth $38,940. The last 15 spots will be paid with $750 for a min-cash and $11,450 up top for the Event 9 winner.

1st: $11,450 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $7,060
3rd: $4,760
4th: $3,320
5th: $2,400
6th: $1,790
7th: $1,390
8th: $1,120
9th: $940
10th-12th: $820
13th-15th: $750

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 300

William Criego opened to 60,000 from middle position, Daniel Zucker three-bet to 150,000 from the cutoff, and Criego called.

The flop was , Criego checked, Zucker continued for 185,000 and Criego called.

The turn was , Criego announced all in, and Zucker thought for a moment before he called with a similar stack.

Zucker:
Criego:

Zucker was in great shape for a double but Criego hit the gutshot on the river. Criego was all in for 545,000 and Zucker was left with only 10K after the hand. He found one small double but was gone soon after.

William Criego – 1,835,000 (61 bb)
Daniel Zucker  –  Eliminated in 9th Place ($8,950)

$1,700 TPC Championship
Prize Pool: $450,000  |  Structure  |  Payouts
Level 21:  15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 ante
Players Remaining:  9 of 300

Seat 1: Wayne Leonard – 950,000 (32 bb)
Seat 2: Fred Paradis – 1,400,000 (47 bb)
Seat 3: Thien Nguyen – 4,000,000 (133 bb)
Seat 4: Mike Ahmad – 900,000 (30 bb)
Seat 5: Hassan El Hakim – 2,100,000 (70 bb)
Seat 6: William Criego – 1,000,000 (33 bb)
Seat 7: Cheri Ivan – 600,000 (20 bb)
Seat 8: Daniel Zucker – 450,000 (15 bb)
Seat 9: Nathaniel Palombo – 500,000 (17 bb)

1st: $100,900 + TPC Trophy
2nd: $62,360
3rd: $44,700
4th: $32,620
5th: $24,250
6th: $18,360
7th: $14,170
8th: $11,150
9th: $8,950