Istvan Briski Wins His First Major Title for $647,300

After this month’s “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” (RRPO) at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., it’s Istvan Briski of Hungary who walks away with $647,300 after winning first place in the $3,500 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship.

Briski bested 1,447 entries in the series finale, winning his first major live tournament title. This year, he broke through with a major victory in a live tournament, defeating Rayan Chamas in a heads-up battle on Wednesday night to win the RRPO Championship. The tournament generated a prize pool worth nearly $4.6 million easily eclipsing the $3 million guarantee.

Championship Final Table Results:

1st: Istvan Briski (Hungary) $636,900 + $10,400 WPT World Championship Seat
2nd: Rayan Chamas (Byblos, Quebec, Canada) $600,000
3rd: Sandy Sanchez (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) $366,500
4th: Fred Goldberg (Hollywood, Fla.) $274,000
5th: Matt Bond (Irving, Texas) $206,900
6th: Darryll Fish (Cape Coral, Fla.) $157,800

The 49 primary events RRPO kicked off on Wednesday, Nov. 15 with a $400 Deep Stack NLH. The series opener drew 7,532 entries, the second most ever in Florida history. The event concluded with Richard Saunders of Hampstead, N.H. winning $192,398.

In addition to Briski, other signature event winners include:

·       Nathan Thrush (Post Falls, Idaho), won the $600 Deep Stack NLH for $48,961

·       Adam Hendrix (Anchorage, Ark.), won the $5,000 Deep Stack NLH for $192,150

·       Richard Saunders (Hampstead, N.H.), won the $400 Deep Stack Opening event for $192,398

·       Aleksejs Ponakovs (Riga, Latvia), won the $25,500 High Roller NLH for $682,238

Poker action will return to Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. in the New Year with the Lucky Hearts Poker Open (LHPO) Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, through Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, headlined by the Deep Stack NLH series opener with a $1 million guarantee and the WPT NLH Championship boasting a $2 million guarantee.

Future tournament information and poker hotel rates are available at SHRPO.com.

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About Seminole Hard Rock Poker
Seminole Hard Rock Poker encompasses four major poker series held annually at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. In August 2013, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) was introduced to poker players around the world and featured a $10 million guarantee championship, the largest guarantee in history. In addition to the SHRPO, the Seminole Hard Rock Poker series includes the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open (January), Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (April), and Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll” Poker Open (November). All four series fall under the SHRPO umbrella with tournament news, live updates and championship live streaming. Visit www.SHRPO.com. Join the conversation at #SHRPO and tag us @SHRPO.

About Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood is the flagship-integrated resort of Hard Rock International, owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The renowned entertainment, gaming and hospitality destination unveiled a $1.5 billion expansion in 2019, highlighting the debut of the world’s first and only Guitar Hotel. Between three hotel towers, the resort boasts 1,271 luxury guestrooms. Amenities include a 42,000 square-foot Rock Spa® & Salon; an 18-acre recreational water experience; private “Bora Bora” style cabanas; more than 20 food and beverage outlets; an expansive gaming floor with more than 2,700 slots, more than 200 table games and a 45-table poker room; 120,000 square feet of premier meeting and convention space; and a 26,000 square-foot retail promenade. Hard Rock Live, ranked No. 5 worldwide in 2022 gross revenue for both Pollstar Magazine and Billboard in its respective categories, highlights A-list entertainers and performers, sporting events and live broadcast productions in an intimate 7,000-person capacity setting. Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is located on 87 acres of the Hollywood Seminole Reservation along State Road 7 (U.S. Highway 441). For more information, visit us online at casino.hardrock.com/hollywood call (800) 937-0010 or follow us: Facebook: SeminoleHardRockHollywood, X: @HardRockHolly, Instagram: @HardRockHolly.

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