Florida Millions III Attracts over 1,500 Players

Jacksonville, FL – On April 9th and 10th, The Poker Room at the Orange Park Kennel Club proudly hosted the final two days of the Florida Million III. The unique tournament featured over 20 $550 day 1 events held in seven different rooms across the state of Florida for a total player count of 1,532 and a prize pool of over $760,000.

The final table saw some great play and big pots, with no chops or deals. The table was stacked with great players, including recent World Series of Poker Circuit main event Champion, John Riordan who snagged a sixth-place finish. Two others from the same WSOP Circuit main event final table, David MacDonald, and Austin Buchanan, also went very deep in the event finishing 8th and 12th respectively.

The final table eventually culminated in a great heads-up match between local player Dann Turner and Richard Sessions from Palm Beach. After several dramatic chip lead changes, Turner finally finished off the tournament with his AsJc beating Richards KcQh to become the Florida Million III champion. Turner took home all of the first-place prize money, $150,000 for his play, while Sessions took second place and the $90,000 payout. Seven poker rooms throughout the state of Florida combined their efforts to offer players in the area the largest overall prize pools in the state, and the opportunity for players to compete from across the state. The inaugural Florida Million was a huge success that featured the largest overall player pool and the largest prize pool that Florida poker players have experienced, providing the incentive for the Florida Million to continue in the future. Together, the seven poker rooms offered an unprecedented prize pool guarantee of $500,000.

The unique format of the venue allowed players throughout the state to compete in “their” poker rooms. By using a multiple-location format, players are able to play in the Florida Million tournament in one of seven locations. Players were able register and play in “Day One” events, capped at a maximum field of 150 players which played down to 10 percent of the field. The remaining 10 percent from each “Day One” event resumed play at the host location on April 9. This event’s host location this year was the Jacksonville poker rooms at Orange Park and St. Johns. Participating poker rooms included the following: Palm Beach Kennel Club, Orange Park and St. John’s, Derby Lane, Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track, Pensacola Greyhound Track, The Big Easy Poker Room at Mardi Gras Casino, and Daytona Beach Kennel Club and Poker Room.

Final table and earnings as follows;

1: Dann Turner — $150,000
2: Richard Sessions — $90,000
3: Robert Georato — $55,000
4: Joseph Parrish — $40,000
5: Alan Phillips — $30,000
6: John Riordan — $22,000
7: Joseph Azato — $16,500
8: David MacDonald — $13,500
9: John Ott — $10,500
10: Charles Swansfeger — $8,400

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