Blair Hinkle Wins 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open $10 Million Guaranteed Main Event

The Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida drew an incredible turnout of 2, 384 entries in it’s $10 million guaranteed, $5,300 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event, blowing away the guarantee to build a prizepool of $11,920,000.

Just under a week after this massive event got underway, the huge field has been narrowed down to one player: Blair Hinkle. The 27-year-old poker professional from Kansas City, Missouri emerged victorious, taking home the title, the $1,745,245 first-place prize and 2,160 Card Player Player of the Year points. This was Hinkle’s second title of the year and his fifth final table finish, and as a result of his consistent success in 2013 he has climbed to third place in the overall POY standings with 3,448 points and year-to-date earnings of $1,967,527.

This huge win, the largest of his career, will perhaps help ease the pain the young pro has felt in recent years as a result of more than $1 million of his money being trapped on Full Tilt Poker since Black Friday.

Hinkle topped a tough final table en route to the title, defeating fellow young pro Justin Bonomo in a back-and-forth heads-up battle which lasted 165 hands and saw several lead changes.

Eventually Hinkle was able to build up a 6-to-1 lead by the time the final hand arose. He min-raised the button to 1.2 million and Bonomo called. The flop brought the Q95 and Bonomo check-called a bet of 800,000 from Hinkle. The turn brought the J and Bonomo again checked. Hinkle fired out a bet of 2.1 million and Bonomo moved all-in for just under 8 million total. Hinkle wasted no time in calling, flipping up the K10 for the king-high straight. Bonomo held the Q8 for top pair and a straight draw, but he was drawing dead heading into the river, which brought the 2 as a formality. With that, Hinkle won the pot and the title, while Bonomo was sent to the rail with $1,163,500 and 1,800 POY points.

This was Bonomo’s fifth final table appearance and his second runner-up finish of the year. All told he has garnered $1,567,896 in year-to-date earnings and 3,395 POY points, enough to move him into fourth place in the overall standings just behind Hinkle.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:

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