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

It’s always nice to run hot at exactly the right time. Using run good and good play propelled Stephen Diamantes to what he termed his “biggest tournament score by a long shot”. “We’re going to have a good Christmas,” Stephen, a professional poker player from right here in Tampa, said when asked what he was going to do with the money. His jubilant father was on the rail rooting him on and was in shock at the end result. The biggest pot at the final table was when Diamantes picked up pocket Aces when Steven Korfonta was dealt Queens. “Honestly, the biggest pot for me in the tournament was earlier in the day when I got Jack-Nine against pocket Kings on a Q-J-9 flop. That was by far my biggest sweat.”

Congratulations on the win Stephen!

Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open
Event 10: $1650 WPT Hard Rock Tampa Championship No Limit Hold’em
December 13-15, 2013

Entries: 301
Prize Pool: $451,500

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

And we have a winner. Ryan Sponaugle called after Stephen Diamantes re-raised all in with . Diamantes held . The board ran out and Diamantes wins the WPT Regional Tampa Winter Poker Open Championship Event. Ryan stuck around with a short stack for the majority of the tournament. “2nd place is good. I’m not complaining,” said Ryan after congratulating Stephen.

$1,500 + $100 + $50 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event (Re-Entry)
Blinds: 20k/40k/5k ante
3 players remaining, 2 million avg (50 bb)

Stephen Diamantes grinded down Steve Korfonta to less than 300K and was using his stack to pressure the other two players by moving all in several times. Stephen did it again and with not much left, Korfonta made the call out of the big blind with . Diamantes had and when Korfonta did not improve we were now heads up with Diamantes holding a 5.15 million to 850K chip advantage.

$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 opened the action to 60K and Steven Diamantas re-raised to 160K. Korfonta made a huge re-raise to 560K. “That’s 400 more?” Diamantas asked. After the amount was confirmed, Diamantas announced that he was all in and he was snap called by Korfonta. The third player at the table, Ryan, clapped his hands, knowing an elimination would move him up significantly in pay. Diamantas turned over Aces and Korfonta sighed as he turned over Queens. A cooler of a hand three handed. The board ran out and Diamantas pumped his fist as he doubled up to take the chip lead with approximately 3.35 million. Steve Korfonta is still alive with 1.55 million and Ryan Sponaugle is sitting with about 1.1 million.

$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)

Chip Counts:

Steve Korfonta 3.25 million
Stephen Diamantas 1.7 million
Ryan Sponaugle 1.075 million

Remaining Prize Pool

1st $121,900
2nd $72,240
3rd $47,408

$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.