The 2024 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) concluded its run this week, closing the books on a 61-event slate that saw several notable players take home SHRPO silverware.
After the 2024 World Series of Poker wrapped up in mid-July, players still needing an outlet for the tournament itch descended on Hollywood, Florida to dive into the action-packed schedule of events.
Some players — like Landon Tice and Jeremy Becker — went in search of a summer-saving deep run, while others may have looked to capitalize on an ongoing heater. Whatever the reason, thousands of poker players tried their luck and skill at the SHRPO this year, to varying degrees of success.
Tice wins $10K Deep Stack; Becker runs deep in Championship
After a summer full of disappointing results during their WSOP crossbook, both Tice and Becker found the winning formula again with big scores down in Florida. Sadly, the run good came a little too late to make things interesting for the bet, but there's always next year.
Tice claimed the SHRPO trophy in Event 58: $10,000 Deep Stack NLH, along with $246,300 for his efforts, after a three-way chop at the final table. The event garnered 115 entries to more than double the $500,000 guarantee with a total prize pool of $1,104,000.
The win marks Tice's second-largest career live tournament score, with his largest coming in the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown back in May of this year.
Becker, meanwhile, failed to collect any silverware during the series but made a deep run in the $5,300 SHRPO Championship. A 10th-place finish in the event saw him miss out on the final table, but a $63,000 payday surely eased his pain to some degree.
Creazzo's first tournament, first win
The series kicked off with a $400 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em event, which boasted a massive $1,000,000 guarantee. 5,870 hopefuls entered the event's eight starting flights to generate a $1,937,100 prize pool, nearly doubling the guarantee.
In the end, it was 19-year-old Karl Creazzo, primarily a cash game player, who took home the SHRPO trophy and $146,829 following a six-way ICM chop at the final table. "It feels amazing," Creazzo told SHRPO reporters. "This was my first live tournament, anytime, ever."
After finding instant success in the tournament streets, Creazzo stated his desire to return to Seminole Hard Rock for future series. “I love it here,” said Creazzo about Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. “I’m going to be back for the next tournament series, and I’ll definitely play this event next year. I have to defend the trophy.”
Snead snags more SHRPO silverware with Championship win
The crown jewel of the schedule came in the form of the $5,300 SHRPO Championship, which saw 865 entrants take a shot at winning their piece of the $3,000,000 guarantee. Thanks to the high number of entries, however, the prize pool ballooned up to $4,195,250.
Paul Snead, a New York-based trader, took home the SHRPO trophy and $529,428 after agreeing to a deal with runner-up Clemen Deng. Snead's win bolsters an already-impressive Seminole Hard Rock tournament track record, adding another title to his resume after victories in the 2019 Seminole Showdown $5,000, the 2022 Seminole Tampa Poker Classic $2,500 Championship, and the 2024 Seminole Tampa Poker Classic $1,700 Championship.
Following his victory, Snead told SHRPO reporters, "I just love playing, and this is what I do when I’m not trading. I take it very seriously, I spend a lot of time talking poker with my poker coach and you wouldn’t believe the amount of time we spend talking about things, and it’s great when it all comes together. And I ran really good this tournament I think, which you need to do.”
Bryn Kenney tops $25,000 High Roller field; Sepiol second
The second-largest buy-in of the series, Event 54: $25,000 High Roller, saw 67 players pony up the entry fee to generate a prize pool of $1,654,900.
Bryn Kenney claimed the SHRPO trophy and top prize of $487,990 after making a deal with runner-up Daniel Sepiol following the elimination of Alex Foxen in third place.
Sepiol has been on a serious heater since winning the WPT World Championship back in December of 2023 for a score worth over $5,000,000. Over the summer, Sepiol picked up his first WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Shootout and then followed up with a win in a $25,000 WPT Alpha 8 Trifecta event.
Other winners around the series
There were a number of notable winners in the SHRPO side events, including Ari Engel (Event 8: $600 Eight-Game Mix, $12,875), Erik Seidel (Event 26: $10,000 Deep Stack, $179,953), and Brandon Wilson (Event 38: $50,000 High Roller, $346,775).
Nicholas Seward put on a masterful performance to win two SHRPO trophies during the series. The first came in Event 31: $1,100 Deep Stack, good for a $39,000 score after Seward agreed to a heads-up deal with runner-up David Jackson. Both players wanted to enter Event 37: $2,200 Deep Stack and, thus, agreed to chop up the remaining prize pool. As it turns out, the decision to make a deal ended up working to Seward's advantage as he proceeded to claim his second SHRPO trophy in Event 37, taking home an additional $91,500 for his efforts.
Images Courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open
