5 Stories You May've Missed from 2023 WPT Poker Showdown at Seminole Hard Rock



This weekend, the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $3,500 Main Event gets underway (it runs April 28-May 2). However, the festival itself began back on April 13, and there have been nearly four dozen side event winners thus far.

The series kicked off with a bang as Event #1: $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em attracted 4,184 entries and awarded a $1,380,720 prize pool. Carlos Loving took down that tournament for $153,690. Others to claim titles included Ken Po (Event #13: $400 HORSE for $12,185), Rodney Turvin (Event #27: $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty Six-Max for $50,455), Shannon Shorr (Event #37: $10,000 Eight-Handed NLH for $260,600), Cherish Andrews (Event #39: $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo NLH for $31,105), and Carlos Chadha (Event #40: $1,100 Deep Stack for $71,150).

Here are five other stories to know headed into the WPT $3,500 Poker Showdown.

Michael Newman Wins Record-Tying 9th SHRP Title

Michael Newman
Michael Newman

From April 16-18, Event #9: $400 Deep Stack Pot-Limit Omaha played out. The tournament drew 468 entrants and awarded a $154,440 prize pool. After three long days of play, Seminole Hard Rock crusher Michael Newman emerged victorious to capture $25,178 in prize money and a ninth SHRP title, which tied him for most all-time alongside Raminder Singh.

“It’s great to be tied with someone who’s a really good player,” Newman said after the victory, though they wouldn’t be tied for long (more on that below).

Newman’s SHRP Titles

Series Event Prize
2016 SHRPO $570 No-Limit Hold’em $17,589
2016 RRPO $360 Pot-Limit Omaha $7,740
2017 LHPO $570 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha $7,473
2017 RRPO $3,500 RRPO Championship $374,240
2019 LHPO $360 Ultimate Re-Entry $183,525
2021 SHRPO $400 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em $7,573
2022 RRPO $400 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em $7,136
2022 RRPO $300 Black Chip Bounty $6,437
2023 Showdown $400 Pot-Limit Omaha $25,178

Learn more about Michael Newman here!

Singh Breaks Record a Week Later

Raminder Singh
Raminder Singh

As stated above, the tie between Newman and Singh didn’t last long as a week later the latter topped a field of 157 entries to win Event #38: $400 Deep Stack NLH for $12,320 and his record-breaking 10th SHRP title.

The tournament ended when Singh struck a heads-up deal with Kevin McLeskey, who settled for second place and $10,800 in prize money.

Singh’s SHRP Titles

Series Event Prize
2015 SHRPO $250 No-Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Turbo $6,716
2015 RRPO $350 No-Limit Hold’em Black Chip Bounty $11,400
2015 RRPO $350 No-Limit Hold’em Big Stack $15,298
2018 RRPO $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em $37,706
2019 SHRPO $600 No-Limit Hold’em Deep Stack $200,000
2020 LHPO $600 No-Limit Hold’em Six Max $22,520
2021 SHRPO $200 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH $6,256
2022 Showdown $150 Big Stack No-Limit Hold’em $5,008
2022 RRPO $600 Deep Stack Turbo No-Limit Hold’em $7,897
2023 Showdown $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold’em $12,230

Newcomer Wins Event #21 for $300K!

Vladyslav Shovkovyi
Vladyslav Shovkovyi

One of the bigger tournaments of the series was Event #21: $600 Deep Stack NLH, which took place April 20-24. The event attracted 3,989 entries and more than doubled the $1 million guarantee by offering up a $2,074,280 prize pool.

Some heavy hitters made the final table in Ari Engel and Darryll Fish, but ultimately it came down to Vladyslav Shovkovyi and David Trager. The former held a 5:1 chip lead when heads-up play began, but the latter managed to claw back to close to even. At that point, the final two struck a deal that saw Trager take $288,485 in prize money, while Shovkovyi took the title and $299,715.

“I think ace-queen was my hand of the tournament,” Shovkovyi told reporters after the win, “because I made a few good moves with that hand and I won a lot of chips.”

He added: “Getting first and the trophy in such a big field is awesome. I had a few good runs this year, but I took second, third, and a few more final tables, but not first … The level of some players here is very good. The guys on the final table had millions in winnings, and I’m only just starting. So, it was awesome to play with good players, and to put pressure on them.”

Event #21 Final Table Results

Place Player Prize
1 Vladyslav Shovkovyi $299,715*
2 David Trager $288,485*
3 Alexandre Henry $161,700
4 Darryll Fish $124,600
5 Ari Engel $94,300
6 Ryan Brown $69,580
7 Greg Anda $50,015
8 Joseph Dipascale $39,800
9 Charlemagne Benjamin $30,765

*Denotes heads-up deal.

Check out the WPT Hub on PokerNews here!

Ari Engel Wins a Title of His Own

Ari Engel
Ari Engel

After busting the above tournament in fifth place for $94,300, Engel promptly jumped into Event #32: $600 Six-Max Pot-Limit Omaha, a tournament that drew 196 runners and paid out a $102,900 prize pool.

By the end of the night, Engel was one of the final three players standing alongside Shanmukha Meruga and Pawel Andrzejewski. The trio wound up working a deal that saw Andrzejewski take third for $15,213, Meruga second for $18,212, and Engel first place for $20,505 and the trophy.

Event #32 Final Table Results

Place Player Prize
1 Ari Engel $20,505*
2 Shanmukha Meruga $18,212*
3 Pawel Andrzejewski $15,213*
4 Jay Scoratow $8,075
5 Brian McKain $5,785
6 Aaron Flores $4,245

*Denotes three-way deal.

A Pair of High Roller Tournaments

David Peters
David Peters

On April 26, Event #42: $50,000 Super High Roller attracted 18 entries, which meant an $873,000 prize pool awaited the top four finishers. Sam Soverel and Kevin Rabichow finished in fourth and third place for $104,760 and $157,140 respectively, which left high roller regulars David Peters and Alex Foxen as the last two players standing.

They opted to work a deal that saw Foxen settle for second place and $282,573, while Peters was deemed the champion and claimed $328,527 in prize money. The victory marked the fourth SHRP major series trophy for Peters, who also won the 2022 SHRPO $50K Super High Roller for $407,545.

The following day, Event #45: $25,500 PLO High Roller drew 27 runners and offered up a $666,900 prize pool to the top five finishers. Foxen was once again at the final table, this time settling for fifth place and $53,300, while Michael Wang (4th – $73,400) and Firas Kashat (3rd – $106,700) followed him out the door.

That left Ren Lin and Dylan Smith to do battle in what turned out to be a back-and-forth heads-up affair. Eventually, Lin closed it out to win his first SHRP title and $266,700, while Smith had to settle for second place and $166,800 in prize money.

Ren Lin
Ren Lin

Eric Diaz Wins CSOP Larry Frank Memorial Event at Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown

Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Winners Thus Far…

5 Stories You May've Missed from 2023 WPT Poker Showdown at Seminole Hard Rock 101

Date Tournament Entries Prize Pool Winner Prize
April 13-17 Event #1: $400 Deep Stack NLH 4,184 $1,380,720 Carlos Loving $153,690
13-Apr Event #2: $600 Seniors 50+ 147 $77,175 Emerson Ward $19,000
13-Apr Event #3: $600 Deep Stack Big O 105 $55,125 Long Nguyen $9,128
14-Apr Event #4: $600 Limit Omaha 8 82 $43,050 Donald Maloney $8,505
14-Apr Event #5: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH 168 $26,040 Jatinder Singh $6,300
15-Apr Event #6: $1,100 Deep Stack 5-Card PLO 95 $92,150 Pawel Andrzejewski $28,525
16-Apr Event #7: $400 Deep Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH 411 $96,585 Herbert Nairn $18,660
April 16-17 Event #8: $1,100 Deep Stack Eight-Handed NLH 197 $191,090 Christopher Backhouse $47,830
April 16-18 Event #9: $400 Deep Stack PLO 468 $154,440 Michael Newman $25,178
16-Apr Event #10: $200 Quad Stack Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 240 $26,400 Alan Leon $3,390
16-Apr Event #11: $400 Deep Stack Turbo NLH 83 $28,220 Carlos Bermudez $8,990
April 17-19 Event #12: $200 Big Stack NLH 1,775 $284,000 Rick Kalgstein $26,117
17-Apr Event #13: $400 HORSE 133 $44,555 Ken Po $12,185
18-Apr Event #14: $400 Mixed PLO 144 $48,240 Tal Avivi $13,345
18-Apr Event #15: $600 Deep Stack Six-Max NLH 191 $100,275 Dean Hutchinson $25,100
19-Apr Event #16: $400 Seniors 50+ 159 $53,265 Paul Balzano $9,826
19-Apr Event #17: $400 Triple Stud 90 $30,150 Zachary Milchman $7,968
19-Apr Event #18: $600 Deep Stack Eight-Handed NLH 165 $86,625 Alvin Davis $22,920
19-Apr Event #19: $1,100 Deep Stack Six-Max PLO8 94 $91,180 Eugene Kotlyarevskiy $25,580
19-Apr Event #20: $300 Quad Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH 314 $48,670 Brandon Choran $9,980
April 20-24 Event #21: $600 Deep Stack NLH 3,989 $2,074,280 Vladyslav Shovkovyi $299,715
20-Apr Event #22: $400 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw 97 $38,800 Danny Chang $9,615
20-Apr Event #23: $200 Big Stack NLH 104 $16,640 William White $3,742
21-Apr Event #24: $400 Limit Omaha 8 125 $41,875 Jonathan Breneman $12,000
22-Apr Event #25: $400 Deep Stack Big O 141 $47,235 Scotter Clark $13,015
23-Apr Event #26: $400 Deep Stack NLH 468 $156,780 Joseph Altomonte $27,675
April 23-24 Event #27: $1,700 Purple Chip Bounty Six-Max NLH 209 $209,000 Rodney Turvin $50,455
23-Apr Event #28: $600 Deep Stack Turbo PLO 119 $63,070 Marshall Morris $14,296
24-Apr Event #29: $400 Seniors 50+ Black Chip Bounty NLH 188 $44,180 Amir Baron $8,716
24-Apr Event #30: $600 Double Black Chip Bounty NLH 251 $50,200 Chaim Appel $9,166
April 24-25 Event #31: $1,100 Eight-Game Mix 90 $87,300 Jon Breneman $26,620
24-Apr Event #32: $600 Six-Max PLO 196 $102,900 Ari Engel $20,505
24-Apr Event #33: $200 Big Stack NLH 170 $27,200 Jonathan Marcu $4,147
24-Apr Event #34: $400 Deep Stack Turbo NLH 123 $41,820 Leonardo Emperador $8,781
25-Apr Event #35: $600 Deep Stack Six-Max NLH 276 $144,900 Tyler Bentz $32,510
April 25-26 Event #36: $1,100 Limit Omaha 71 $68,870 Jake Ferro $24,100
April 25-26 Event #37: $10,000 Eight-Handed NLH 89 $845,500 Shannon Shorr $260,600
25-Apr Event #38: $400 Deep Stack NLH 157 $52,595 Raminder Singh $12,320
25-Apr Event #39: $1,100 Deep Stack Turbo NLH 103 $103,000 Cherish Andrews $31,105
April 26-27 Event #40: $1,100 Deep Stack NLH 345 $334,650 Carlos Chadha $71,150
April 26-27 Event #41: $1,100 HORSE 67 $64,990 Andres Korn $22,740
April 26-27 Event #42: $50,000 Super High Roller 18 $873,000 David Peters $328,527
April 26-27 Event #43: $200 Quad Stack Double Green Chip Bounty 300 $33,050 Brandon Duvdivani $6,885
27-Apr Event #45: $25,500 PLO High Roller 27 $666,900 Ren Lin $266,700
27-Apr Event #46: $300 CSOP Larry Frank Memorial Charity Event 94 $13,700 Eric Diaz $5,000

*Images courtesy of WPT and Seminole Hard Rock.

Name Surname
Chad Holloway

Executive Editor U.S.

Executive Editor US, PokerNews Podcast co-host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.





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