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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (Nov. 30, 2017) – At the conclusion of the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open (RRPO), it’s Michael Newman of Davie, Fla. who walks away with $374,240 after winning first place in the $3,500 buy-in Championship. Newman bested 585 total entries in the series finale, taking home the trophy in what marked his fourth career Seminole Hard Rock title.
"It’s probably the best thing that I’ve ever done in poker," Newman said after his victory. "Money’s great, money’s always great, but (it's great) to get through the toughest field I’ve ever played against in my life […] I always like a challenge and I always want to be playing against the best. That was the best of the best. It was absolutely amazing."
Newman hails from Nanuet, N.Y. but now resides in South Florida. He worked on Wall Street during the early stages of his professional life and now finds himself in private banking. Poker continues to be a serious hobby of his.
"I’m glad I’m able to play at this level, but it would take a lot of time to be a [professional]," Newman said. "As much as I love the game, I don’t know if I could handle the ups, the downs, and the swings. No matter how good you are, you also need the luck."
Championship Final Table Results:
1st: Michael Newman (Davie, Fla.) $374,240
2nd: Matas Cimbolas (Lithuania) $262,440
3rd: Darryll Fish (Cape Coral, Fla.) $168,920
4th: Sheddy Siddiqui (Miami, Fla.) $121,920
5th: Ari Engel (Toronto, Ontario) $93,560
6th: Thomas Marchese (Parsippany, N.J.) $75,380
The 17-tournament RRPO kicked off on Wednesday, Nov. 15 with a $360 buy-in Ultimate Re-Entry. The series opener drew 3,570 entries, more than doubling the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
In addition to Newman, other signature event winners include:
- Francois Zayas (Miami Springs, Fla.), winning the $360 Ultimate Re-Entry Series Opener for $107,973
- Ory Hen (Cooper City, Fla.), winning the $570 Deep Stack NLH for $44,255
- Ken Ray (Cumberland Foreside, Maine), winning the $1,650 Purple Chip Bounty for $20,859
- David Peters (Temperance, Mich.), winning the $5,000 NLH for $104,309
Poker action will return to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. in the new year with the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO) on Jan. 11 – Jan. 24, 2018, headlined by the WPTDeepStacks Series Opener with a $1 Million Guarantee and the WPT Championship boasting a $2 Million Guarantee.
Future tournament information and poker hotel rates are available at SHRPO.com.
