It is a two horse race in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Main Event as Day 4 has come to the close and the final table has been set. James Carroll is the chip leader with 18.525 million chips, followed closely by Maria Ho – fresh off of her “Broadcaster of the Year” honor at the Global Poker Awards – with 16.650 million chips.
There is a huge gap between Carroll and Ho and the other four players. Ami Alibay, sitting in third place, has fewer than half the chips of Ho. The third through sixth players combined have barely more than Carroll himself does. That’s not to say that nobody but the top two have a chance; just one or two hands can change fortunes (figurately and literally) very quickly. One might expect that Carroll and Ho will attack the other players, hoping those four will try to outlast each other to move up the payout ladder.
Aside from the two chip leaders, another player of note at the final table is Eric Afriat, who is gunning for his third World Poker Tour title. He won the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open last season, cashing for more than $650,000, and earned his first WPT crown five seasons ago when he won this very event, cashing in for more than a million bucks.
One player who did not reach the final table but is worthy of mention nonetheless is former NFL star Richard Seymour. Since retiring from football, Seymour has made poker a very serious hobby and has appeared in many major tournaments. He has never won any tournaments of note (his one victory was for less than $1,000), but he has cashed seven times on the World Poker Tour. His finish this week – 15th place – was his best on the Tour and considering the size of the field, it is easily his most impressive. Seymour’s largest cash came in last year’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure High Roller event, where he finished third for $376,360.
As mentioned yesterday, the tournament is now on pause until May 30th, as it is one the new delayed final table events that the World Poker Tour instituted this season. The six remaining players get a break for a month and a half and will be flown out to Las Vegas to finish things off at the Luxor’s HyperX Esports Arena. Assuming things work how they did with three other WPT events recently, there will be other tournaments that will have their final tables in the same week, each taking place on consecutive days at the glitzy venue.
Everyone left in the tourney is now guaranteed at least $148,380, though unlike the former WSOP November Nine, they are not paid sixth place money in advance. The winner will take home $715,175.
2019 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Main Event – Final Table Chip Counts
- James Carroll – 18,525,000
- Maria Ho – 16,650,000
- Ami Alibay – 8,175,000
- Eric Afriat – 4,425,000
- Chad Eveslage – 3,350,000
- Jerry Wong – 3,225,000
