Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Announces Millionaire Winner of 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship

HOLLYWOOD, Fla., Aug. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Omar Zazay of Richardson, TX walked away with $1 million after winning first place in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) $5 Million Guaranteed Championship held August 15 - 18, 2015 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The signature series featured The Big 4, a first ever four final table finale.

The Big 4 was comprised of four tournaments with combined guaranteed prize pools of $7.5 million. Players played their respective final tables simultaneously on a single television set produced for a new CBS Sports series, "Poker Night: The Tour." Professional poker player and industry celebrity Phil Hellmuth provided commentary for all of The Big 4 final tables in front of a live audience at Hard Rock Live on Tuesday, Aug. 18. The Big 4 was also live streamed on www.Pokernight.com and Twitch.

The SHRPO Championship drew players including past champions, poker professionals, actors and athletes. The big field included former WSOP Main Event champs Joe Cada and Jonathan Duhamel, Poker Hall of Famer Erik Seidel, along with local poker legends Jason Mercier and Michael Mizrachi. Former NBA star Earl Barron and three-time Super Bowl Champion Richard Seymour also played in the tournament, as well as actors Mekhi Phifer, Omar Benson Miller, Jennifer Tilly and Sasha Barrese. Former SHRPO champions Blair Hinkle (2013) and Dan Colman (2014) also returned to take another shot at the SHRPO title.

When The Big 4 began, all eyes were on Colman as he was one table away from defending his title in front of a live audience and online viewers from around the world. He would need to outlast a tough lineup that included Omar Zazay, Brian Phillis, Dan Colman, Larry Moccia, Randy Pfeifer, Joseph Couden, Vladislav Mezheritsky, Paul Volpe and Rick Alvarado.

After Colman was eliminated in third place, heads-up play began between Zazay and Phillis. After 119 hands which took more than three hours, Zazay came out on top to win the SHRPO title and first prize of $1 million. Runner-up Phillis received $575,000.

When referencing the four-day experience and championship victory, Zazay comments "This is an amazing feeling. It's been a lot of hard work. I've played a lot of poker and come up short many times, knowing I can do better, so having the [Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship] title under my belt is extremely rewarding."

SHRPO Championship Final Table Results:
1st: Omar Zazay (Richardson, TX) $1,000,000
2nd: Brian Phillis (Boynton Beach, FL) $575,000
3rd: Dan Colman (Holden, TX) $310,000
4th: Larry Moccia (Pembroke Pines, FL) $220,000
5th: Randy Pfeifer (Lancaster, NY) $180,000
6th: Joseph Couden (Blacklick, OH) $150,000
7th: Vladislav Mezheritsky (Aventura, FL) $125,000
8th: Paul Volpe (West Chester, PA) $100,000
9th: Rick Alvarado (Las Vegas, NV) $75,000

The Big 4 included: the freeze-out $5,250 SHRPO Championship ($5 million guarantee); the $2,650 no-limit hold'em freeze-out ($1 million guarantee); the $1,100 no-limit hold'em re-entry ($500,000 guarantee) and the High Roller $25,400 no-limit hold'em re-entry ($1 million guarantee).

Winners of the other three events:

• David Eldridge (Gibosnia, PA) earned $146,100 for winning the $1,100 re-entry
• Fabrizio Gonzales (Uruguay) earned $236,400 for winning the $2,650 freeze-out
• Jason Mercier (Davie, Fla.) earned $652,800 for winning the $25,000 High Roller

On Friday, Aug. 14, the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) returned to SHRPO for the second year in a row, benefiting Habitat for Humanity International and Habitat for Humanity of Broward. Half of each $300 buy-in was donated to both charities, while the other half of the buy-in was placed in the tournament prize pool. Over $30,000 was raised for the charity. The CSOP tournament kicked off with an exclusive player party at L Bar located inside the hotel where players enjoyed live music and Japanese cuisine provided by KURO, the resort's latest culinary innovation.

About Seminole Hard Rock Poker
Seminole Hard Rock Poker encompasses four major poker series held annually at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, South Florida's premier destination for fun and entertainment. In August 2013, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) was introduced to poker players around the world and featured a $10 million guarantee championship, the largest guarantee in history. In addition to the SHRPO, Seminole Hard Rock Poker series' includes the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open (January), Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (April) and Seminole Hard Rock "Rock 'N' Roll" Poker Open (November). All four series fall under the SHRPO umbrella with tournament news, live updates and championship live streaming.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, is a Green Lodging-Certified, AAA Four Diamond-rated resort showcasing 469 luxurious guest rooms, award-winning restaurants, high-energy nightlife, boutique retail shops, Rock Spa, 40,000 square feet of meeting room space and the 5,500–seat Hard Rock Live concert arena. As South Florida's premier destination for fun and entertainment, Seminole Hard Rock offers over 100 table games of Blackjack, Baccarat and more on a nearly three-acre casino floor. In addition, 2,000 slots include linked Multi-Area Progressive Jackpots and Mega Jackpots. Fine dining options include Council Oak Steaks & Seafood, the resort's signature steakhouse, and Kuro, offering new-style Japanese cuisine. The poker room, located in Seminole Paradise, hosts various games and tournaments of Limit and No Limit Texas Hold 'em, 7-Card Stud and two-dollar and four-dollar-limit Omaha Hi Lo games. Located inside the casino is Hard Rock Cafe - Hollywood, part of Hard Rock's 155 globally recognized rock 'n' roll restaurants.

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SOURCE Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

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