Sergio Aido Wins Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship for $900,000

The latest Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open didn’t just award $900,100 to the winner, but a stunning guitar-shaped trophy as the great and good assembled in Hollywood, Florida to battle for millions of dollars and a major live poker title.

At the end of the seven-handed final table, it was Sergio Aido who held aloft the legendary guitar-shaped trophy as he triumphed against some of the most in-form players on the planet right now.

Early Stages Provide Eliminations

With seven players starting the final table action on the last day of the Florida-based event and a difference of over $745,000 between seventh and first in prize money, you might have expected the action to be tight and tense. Not a bit of it. On the second hand of the day, the field was reduced to six players, as Ryan Gianquitti lost his seat in dramatic circumstances.

Gianquitti moved all-in for around 13 big blinds with king-queen offsuit but was unlucky to lose a flip against Jim Collopy’s pocket jacks. On the flop, a jack and nine both landed, setting Gianquitti behind top set, but with a gutshot to a miracle. Unfortunately for him and his fans on the rail, Gianquitti saw a three on the turn and an ineffective king on the river doom his chances of making it into the top six as he left in seventh for $154,185.

Out in sixth was Ugis Steinman as the American who was cashing for over 90% of his lifetime winnings, went out for a result worth a stunning $186,200. Steinman was extraordinarily unlucky, too, losing out when all-in with pocket aces, busting to the pocket tens of Chris Brewer as the flop fell T-4-4 and a six and king on the turn and river confirmed Steinman’s heartbreaking exit.

The stunning venue for the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida was the setting for Sergio Aido’s latest poker triumph.

Liberto Leaves the Action

With five players left, Raul Hernandez was the next player to lose his seat, this time worth a prize of $231,060. Hernandez called off his eight big blind stack on a flop of Q-5-3 when Spanish star Sergio Aido check-shoved with queen-ten and a flop and river of a four each time meant the field was down to four, with Hernandez missing an open straight draw on 5^th street.

Justin Liberto left the party in fourth for $305,955 as he called off his own stack with ace-queen. He was flipping for his tournament life with Sergio Aido shoving with pocket nines and the board of K-K-5-5-4 meant that the Spanish player’s pocket pair reduced the field to three-handed action.

At that stage, Aido was not the chip leader. American pro Jim Collopy led the way of 17,650,000, the equivalent of 59 big blinds, with Aido on 16,500,000 (55 big blinds) and Chris Brewer lagging behind on 10,100,000 (34 big blinds).

Brewer Drops, Collopy Flops

“Collopy took the bait and moved all-in with ace-five.”

Three players remained, but only one could win the fabled guitar-shaped trophy. Chris Brewer shoved all-in for 5.1 million on his exit hand with ace-ten. Called by Jim Collopy with pocket nines, the board came K-7-3-Q-K as Brewer departed for a third-place prize of $412,375 and Collopy grabbed the chip lead.

The heads-up began with Collopy on 26,525,000 (88 big blinds) and Aido on 17,850,000 (60 big blinds), but it was soon turned around, as the Spaniard won with a full house against Collopy’s two-pair to more than reverse that lead, holding a near 3:1 advantage.

In the final hand, Aido had queen-ten of clubs on a board showing K-6-5-4-T with three clubs. By the river, Aido looked like he had given up on the hand, checking after having bet the turn fairly big. Collopy took the bait and moved all-in with ace-five only and Aido quickly called to take the title and the incredible trophy, as well as the $900,100 top prize. Collopy, miming a ‘throat cut’ gesture to his rail, busted for the runner-up score of $614,775.

This is how the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open broke the news of Aido’s phenomenal victory.

You can watch all the final table action in a re-run of the drama as Sergio Aido won the 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship here.