Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open
Event 5:  $560 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
December 11-14, 2014

Entries: 511
Total Prize Pool: $255,500

 
RECAP

After playing for about 13 hours on Day 2, the final four decided to call it quits, carving up the remaining prize pool.  Professional poker player Jose Galvez was the chip leader and he takes the lion’s share, bagging $42,000, the $1,650 seat in the Championship event, and the signature Hard Rock guitar.

This is Galvez’ first win in a major event and largest career cash, so it’s quite a milestone for him.  He came here from Miami to play because “The girls are gorgeous and really nice.  The staff is really great, the food is awesome.”  He got to have his picture taken with some of the Hard Rock Calendar girls, who have been visiting the poker room each afternoon.

This event carried a $200,000 guarantee on the total prize pool and had six starting flights.  Altogether it drew a total of 511 entries for a prize pool of $255,500.  The final 54 players earned a share.

Also making this final table was Stephen Diamantas, winner of last year’s Tampa Winter Open Championship, which was a WPT Regional event, for $121,900.  Diamantas finished 8th when his AQ lost a race to pocket 8s.

Galvez was the chip leader at the end of his starting fight B, bagging 247,500.  Since he had a couple of days off, he drove back home to Miami.  His 14-year-old sister Jennifer plays guitar and he told her he was going to win this one for her.  “I love that you give guitars as trophies,” he said.  Now he can keep his promise to Jennifer.

“It’s awesome,” Galvez said, “hopefully this is the first of many”.  He’s been playing professionally for about a year and booked a $34,000 cash back in January.   When he’s not playing tournaments, he can be found in the $2/$5 No Limit cash games.

He promised his friend Nick, “if we bink this one, we’re going to go to the World Series and play the Main Event next year”.  Now he can keep that promise as well.

FINAL RESULTS