he Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO) will celebrate its seventh season of highly anticipated, top tournament play at South Florida’s iconic entertainment destination Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. SHRPO will kick off Thursday, Aug. 1 with the $600 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (NLH) series opener highlighting a $1 Million Guarantee.
Unique to South Florida, SHRPO is known for its one-of-a-kind finisher – The Big 4. The Big 4 is a collection of four-tournament finales that feature staggered structures, timed so the events play down simultaneously in front of a live audience. Filmed by Poker Night in America and televised on CBS Sports Network, The Big 4 will be played at the resort’s Hard Rock Event Center on Tuesday, Aug. 13. All of the synchronized poker action will be live streamed on SHRPO.com.
“SHRPO is our flagship series and has put South Florida front and center on the poker map since the first $10 million guarantee in August 2013,” said Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood Tournament Director Tony Burns. “The tournament attracts a global audience and we’ve amped up this year’s series with new pricepoints as well as the return of The Big 4, a finisher unlike any other in the industry.”
Carrying combined prize pools of $6.5 million, The Big 4 premium events include:
- $5,250 SHRPO Championship NLH (Single Re-Entry), $3 Million Guarantee, starts at 11 a.m.on Friday, Aug. 9
- $2,650 NLH (Single Re-Entry), $1 Million Guarantee, starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11
- $1,100 NLH (Re-Entry), $500,000 Guarantee, starts at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 12
- $25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry), $2 Million Guarantee, starts at noon on Monday, Aug. 12
Other events surrounding The Big 4 include the $50,000 Super High Roller NLH (Re-Entry) highlighting a $1 Million Guarantee, which starts on Thursday, Aug. 8 at 1 p.m. and a $10,000 One-Day NLH event starting on Tuesday, Aug. 13 highlighting a $500,000 guarantee.
The resort’s Hard Rock Event Center will serve as the primary tournament space during the 13-day series. SHRPO’s footprint boasts capacity for more than 90 tables providing plenty of space for poker tournament players from around the globe.
Last year’s SHRPO Championship saw Brandon Eisen best 914 entries for more than $770,000, while The Big 4 events saw 2,099 combined entries awarding more than $9.2 million in prize money – a figure that easily surpassed the $6.5 million guaranteed.
On Wednesday, Aug. 7, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino again hosts the Jeff Conine Celebrity Poker Classic benefitting the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation. The charity event will kick off with an exclusive VIP player party in the Terrace Ballroom at Hard Rock Event Center from 5:30 – 7 p.m. prior to the tournament’s start time at 7 p.m. Guests will enjoy live music, cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres and a chance to win a variety of prizes including a seat in the SHRPO Championship. Buy-in for the charity event is $300 and players can re-enter throughout the evening. Former major league baseball player Jeff Conine will be in attendance along with other celebrities.
Tournament promotions include Seminole Gaming’s signature “Win a Seat” program. Participants can visit HardRockPoker.com to enter for a chance to win entries into major poker tournaments at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek and Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, including three winners of a $5,250 entry into the SHRPO Championship.
Poker hotel rates during SHRPO will start at $139 on weekdays and $189 on weekends. For more information and to view the series schedule, future tournament details and make hotel reservations, please visit SHRPO.com. Follow us on Twitter at @SHRPO and @SHRThePokerRoom.
