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HOLLYWOOD, Fla – 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
