$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 15k/30k/5k ante
3 players remaining, 2 million avg (67 bb)

Steve Korfonta raises to 65k and Cord Garcia calls.

Flop:

Korfonta bets 65k, Garcia makes it 135k, Korfonta moves all in, Garca snap-calls.

Korfonta: (flush draw)
Garcia: (trip Jacks)

Turn: (no change)

River:

Korfonta hits his flush on the river to knock Garcia out in 4th place for $32,734. It’s his second final table of the series after finishing runner-up in the 6-Max (Event 6).

Korfonta is up to 3 million and has half the chips in play three-handed.

https://twitter.com/CordGarcia/status/412502270300147712

https://twitter.com/CordGarcia/status/412502767471964160

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 15k/30k/5k ante
4 players remaining, 1.5 million avg (50 bb)

It was folded to Stephen Diamantas in the small blind and he moved all in hoping to apply pressure to the shortest stack, Cord Garcia. Cord woke up with A-9 though and made the call. Diamantas had Q-J and Cord would pair his 9 which would be more than enough to win the pot.

The players colored up the 1K chips and a quick run down of the stacks gives us the following chip counts:

Seat 1: Cord Garcia 765K
Seat 2: Ryan Sponaugle 1.46 million
Seat 3: Steven Korfonta 2.245 million
Seat 4: Stephen Diamantas 1.55 million

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 12k/24k/4k ante
4 players remaining, 1.5 million avg (63 bb)

Josh Miller (Albany, NY) finishes in 5th place after Steve Korfonta hits an open ended straight draw for the knockout.

Cord Garcia opens the action to 50k and gets callers from Ryan Sponaugle (button), and both blinds, Korfonta (SB) and Miller (BB).

Flop:

Korfonta leads for 150k
Miller moves all in for 375k total
Garcia folds, Sponaugle tank-folds
Korfonta asks for a count and quickly calls .

Korfonta: (OE straight draw)
Miller: (top pair)

Turn: (Korfonta straight, higher gutshot straight draw)

River:

Miller doesn’t hit his Queen and is out in 5th place for $24,155, his highest career cash.

Korfonta is up to 1.8 million.

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)

Blinds: 12k/24k/4k ante: 5 players remaining, 1.2 million avg (50 bb)

Cord Garcia opened from the small blind to 50K and Ryan Sponaugle moved all in from the big blind. Garcia made the call with a small pair – 5’s, probably hoping he was racing… but he was dominated by the 6’s that Ryan held. The flop gave Sponaugle a set but it did give Garcia an inside straight draw as it came . The turn was the and the river gave Garcia a meaningless set… the . Ryan is up to almost 900K after the hand and Cord is down to 725K.

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 12k/24k/4k ante
5 players remaining, 1.2 million avg (50 bb)

Which of the final five players will take the top spot on the pay grid? We’ll find out as play resumes.

Name-Chip Count

Stephen Diamantas 2.486 million (104 bb)
Cord Garcia 1.265 million (53 bb)
Steven Korfonta 1.212 million (51 bb)
Ryan Sponaugle 596k (25 bb)
Josh Miller 462k (19 bb)

Continue reading Championship Event: Five for Fighting at Hard Rock Tampa →

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 12k/24k/4k ante
5 players remaining, 1.2 million avg (50 bb)

The players are taking a 30 minute break (was a scheduled one hour break but they voted to cut it in half). The final five players and their updated chip counts are as follows:

Seat 1: Cord Garcia 1.265 million
Seat 2: Ryan Sponaugle 596K
Seat 3: Steven Korfonta 1.212 million
Seat 4: Josh Miller 462K
Seat 5: Stephen Diamantas 2.486 million
https://twitter.com/RyanSponaugle/status/412475972949385216

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 10k/20k/3k ante
5 players remaining, 1.2 million avg (60 bb)

Allen Kessler opened the action for 40K from early position and it was folded to Cord Garcia in the big blind. Cord thought for twenty seconds before announcing he was all in. Kessler didn’t hesitate and made the call but not before proclaiming “here comes the bad beat” while turning over pocket Jacks. Garcia had and would hit on the flop. The turn would give Kessler an inside straight draw with the but the river was not of any help as it was the . Kessler adds almost 20K to his over 2.75 million in lifetime tournament earnings.

Ugh lost a million chip flip 6 handed v @CordGarcia jj < ak out in 6th @SHRTPoker @WPTRegional main event.

— Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler) December 16, 2013

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante
6 players remaining, 1 million avg (63 bb)

David deBoer (Winter Haven, FL) is all in for 400k with against the of Stephen Diamantas.

Diamantas gets the knockout when an Ace flops and the board runs out .

deBoer finishes in 7th place for $14,674 and is his second deep run at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa. He won the 2012 WPT Regional here for $128,000.

Diamantas now has 1.425 million chips.

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante

A short stacked Brandon Vasapolle moved all in under the gun and it was folded to Allen Kessler in the big blind. Kessler stated that “I only looked at one” and called and turned over an Ace. Cord Garcia laughed and said “no way you looked at just one” and revealed Kessler’s other card… an 8 for . Brandon had pocket 5’s and would fall way behind when an Ace flopped for Allen. The board would run out and Vasapolle is our 8th place finisher.

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open
Event 11: $220 No Limit Hold’em
December 15, 2013

Entries: 132
Prize Pool: $23,100

1st Place