Hal Rotholz takes winner’s prize of $180,986; prize pool nearly hits $900k
Florida’s run atop the live poker economy on the U.S. east coast added another chapter this month. The bestbet Jacksonville Spring Series 2021 became the latest Florida live tournament festival to draw big attendance, as the Sunshine State continues to host one of poker’s brightest tournament scenes.
The bestbet Jacksonville festival wrapped up Sunday with the $2,500 Main Event playing to its conclusion. New York resident Hal Rotholz ended up with a highly profitable trip south, taking down the Main Event for a $180,986 payday.
Rotholz topped a field of 401 entries, as the bestbet Jacksonville Spring Series Main Event saw the prize pool reach $898,242. Runner up Jake Ferro (2nd - $120,658), also from New York, took home a six-figure payday as another successful live series concluded in Florida.
Bestbet Jacksonville Spring Series $2,500 Main Event final table results
| Place | Player Name | Home State | Prize |
| 1 | Hal Rotholz | New York | $180,986 |
| 2 | Jake Ferro | New York | $120,658 |
| 3 | Kyle Cartwright | Tennessee | $88,761 |
| 4 | Johnny Landreth | Alabama | $66,069 |
| 5 | David Jackson | Florida | $49,767 |
| 6 | Brian Arbaugh | Ohio | $37,941 |
| 7 | Stephen Strout | Florida | $29,280 |
| 8 | Dustin Holladay | South Carolina | $22,876 |
Spring Series Main Event draws nationwide player pool to Jacksonville
A pair of New Yorkers topped the payout ladder in the $2,500 Main Event, and the eight-handed final table only seated two Florida residents. The Main Event came at the end of an 11-event series that ran from March 18-28 at the Jacksonville, FL poker venue.
The Main Event marked the latest in a series of Florida poker tournaments that produced big prize pools. Earlier in March, the Seminole Hard Rock’s Tampa Poker Classic ran a $1,700 buy-in Main Event that went over $1.48 million in prize money.
The bestbet Jacksonville $2,500 Main Event didn’t reach those lofty numbers, but the Jacksonville poker room still came away with another success in a series of large-scale live tournament festivals.
Other final table finishers included Kyle Cartwright (3rd - $88,761), Johnny Landreth (4th - $66,069), and David Jackson (5th - $49,767).
Rounding out the final eight were Brian Arbaugh (6th - $37,941), Stephen Strout (7th - $29,280), and Dustin Holladay (8th - $22,876).
The 401-entry field yielded 52 payout spots, and the list of players making it through to the money included some familiar names. Among those notable finishers were high-stakes fixture Bryon Kaverman (23rd - $6,803), along with former WSOP bracelet winners James Calderaro (24th - $6,803) and John Gorsuch (31st - $5,821).
Next up at bestbet Jacksonville is the Trifecta Series, which runs at the poker room from April 30 through May 2.
Featured image source: Twitter
