Scott Margereson has won the 2018 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $3,500 no-limit hold’em main event. The tournament featured a $3 million guarantee that was easily blown away when the 1,309 total entries grew the final prize pool to $4,188,800. In the end it was Margereson, a 25-year-old poker pro from Chesterfield in the United Kingdom who emerged victorious with the title and the $696,740 first-place prize.
Margereson came into the final day of this huge event in third chip position with six players remaining, and he had plenty of tough competition to deal with including Matt Stout, three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Brian Hastings and WPT season VIII player of the year Faraz Jaka.
Stout was eliminated in fifth place ($189,880) after running his pocket tens in the pocket queens of Jaka preflop. The preflop coolers continued as Joseph Couden got all-in preflop with the QQ only to get called by Jaka with the KK. The pocket kings held up and Jaka surged into the chip lead.
Margereson doubled through Jaka to keep pace with the pack before playing a huge hand against Hastings. With blinds of 125,000-250,000 Margereson raised to 500,000 from the button and Hastings three-bet from the small blind to 1,800,000. Margereson called and the flop brought the J93. Hastings checked to Margereson, who bet 1,200,000. Hastings then check-raised to 3,800,000 only to have Margereson move all-in. Hastings called for his 9,825,000 with the AJ for top pair and found himself up against the K8 for a flush draw and an overcard. The turn was the 3, keeping Hastings in the lead, but the 7 on the river completed Margereson’s flush draw. With that Hastings was sent to the rail in third place with $336,466.
Margereson took nearly a 3-to-1 chip lead into heads-up play against Jaka, but the two were both pretty deep with the shorter-stacked Jaka still sitting with more than 40 big blinds. The two ended up battling it out for more than 80 hands, but in the end Margereson shoved from the button for Jaka’s stack of around 20 big blinds holding the QJ and Jaka made the call with the A8. The board ran out QJ97A and Margereson’s flopped two pair were enough to secure the pot and the title. Jaka earned $454,496 for his runner-up showing.
Oct 14, 2019 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. WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open: $3,200 + $200 +$100 = $3,500: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood: Apr 30 2020: WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown: $3,200 + $200 + $100 = $3,500: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood: Jan 09 2020: WPTDeepStacks Hollywood LIVE EVENT: $970 + $100 + $30 = $1,100.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
| 1 | Scott Margereson | $696,740 | 1,440 |
| 2 | Faraz Jaka | $454,496 | 1,200 |
| 3 | Brian Hastings | $336,466 | 960 |
| 4 | Joseph Couden | $251,523 | 720 |
| 5 | Matt Stout | $189,880 | 600 |
| 6 | Jeffrey Fielder | $144,775 | 480 |
| 7 | Tanner Millen | $111,495 | 360 |
| 8 | Pedro Palacio | $86,740 | 240 |
| 9 | Brian England | $68,174 | 120 |
Winner photo credit: Joe Giron / WPT.
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