The 2017/ 2018 WSOP Circuit Seminole Hard Rock Main Event kicked off on 29th September and wrapped up yesterday. The event attracted a total of 904 entries, who paid a buy-in of $1,675 to participate in the long-awaited event, which offered a guaranteed prize worth $1,356,000. Only 14 players returned to the final day of the contention. All of them were fiercely striving to snag the gold ring and first prize of $257,638, but it was Joseph Gotlieb who waved the flag of victory after finishing off his heads-up opponent Asher Conniff.
All the 14 remaining players were guaranteed a payout of at least $16,299, but all of them were eyeing the lion’s share of the prize and the trophy. Day 2 of the Seminole Hard Rock Main Event kicked off with 162 players, but the field was narrowed faster than expected, leaving only 130 poker heavyweights. The overall atmosphere was heating with every passing minute, as the top 99 players were guaranteed a cash prize. The money bubble was burst by John Idarraga, who was eliminated by Barry Hutter in 100th place and missed a cash prize by a whisker. Here it is interesting to note that many former WSOP bracelet winners, including Loni Harwood, Barry Hutter and others, participated in the event, aiming to add yet another piece of jewelry to their collections, but they missed this opportunity.
Joseph Gotlieb Claims First-Career Piece of Gold
The tournament’s final day started on 2nd October at noon. The poker survivors played down to a champion. Asher Conniff entered the final day of the poker battle as the chip lead, followed by Brian Hastings, who has not only 1, but 3 WSOP-branded gold bracelets. Before the break, the poker field was whittled to only 9 players. Poker is among the most thrilling games, because the things change with every passing minute. Down to three-handed battle, Gotlieb won a big pot after busting Mauricio Ameller in 3rd place.
The heads-up battle started with Asher Conniff prevailing over the eventual winner Gotlieb. Despite entering the two-handed duel as the big stack, Conniff’s run was cut short after Gotlieb took the momentum of the match and won several pots. It was Conniff, who shoved all in and Gotlieb called without wasting any time. Conniff tabled [Ad][Ks] to clash against Gotlieb’s [7d][7s]. The board ran [Qd][7h][6s] on the flop, followed by [Jd] on the turn and [Qc] on the river. The key hand ended with the former winner of WPT World Champion Conniff hitting the rail in 2nd place for $159,35. Joseph Gotlieb, on the other hand, found the first prize of $257,638, gold ring and a free entry into the season-ending Global Casino Championship worth $10,000 at the end of his road to success.
