Omar Zazay Wins 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $5 Million Guaranteed Main EventTexan Poker Pro Wins $1 Million After Topping 907-Player Field |
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Omar Zazay emerged victorious from a field of 907 players to win the third annual Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $5,250 no-limit hold’em main event. The 2015 running of this huge tournament saw a short from a re-entry event with a $10 million guarantee to a freezeout format with a $5 million guarantee, but even without re-entries Zazay was still awarded a huge $1,000,000 payday for the win.
“It’s an amazing feeling. This is very huge for me," said Zazay after the win. "It’s been a lot of hard work. I played a lot of poker and come up short lots of times and felt like I can do better, so it’s good to accomplish a big title under my belt.”
Zazay not only had to overcome a huge field in this event but also a number of the game’s top players who joined him at the final table. 2014 champion of this event Daniel Colman put up an incredible run at a title defense, ultimately falling just short in third place for $310,000 and 1,216 Player of the Year points. The 24-year-old reigning Card Player Player of the Year award winner now has more than $24.5 million in live tournament earnings, with five seven-figure scores notched in the past two years.
Paul Volpe also made the final table, his ninth of 2015. The 2013 Player of the Year runner-up finished eighth for $100,000 and 304 POY points. As a result he moved into fifth in the POY race this year, with $1,003,036 in year-to-date earnings.
The final table began with Randy Pfeifer holding the chip lead, with Zazay and Colman sitting on the next largest stacks. Pfiefer ultimatel finished fifth, with Zazay and Colman surviving to play three-handed with Floridian poker floorperson Brian Phillis. Phillis eliminated Colman in third when he flopped a straight against Colman’s set of jacks and held, taking a sizable lead into heads-up play with Zazay.
The two battled for more than 100 hands, with Zazay overcoming a big chip deficit to capture the title and the $1 million first-place prize. Phillis earned $575,000 and 1,520 POY points for his runner-up finish.
Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:
| Place | Player | Earnings (USD) | POY Points |
| 1 | Omar Zazay | $1,000,000 | 1824 |
| 2 | Brian Phillis | $575,000 | 1520 |
| 3 | Daniel Colman | $310,000 | 1216 |
| 4 | Larry Moccia | $220,000 | 912 |
| 5 | Randy Pfeifer | $180,000 | 760 |
| 6 | Joseph Couden | $150,000 | 608 |
| 7 | Vladislav Mezheritsky | $125,000 | 456 |
| 8 | Paul Volpe | $100,000 | 304 |
| 9 | Rick Alvarado | $75,000 | 152 |
Photo and information courtesy of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open blog / Ralph Notaro.
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