“I just told my friend today, ‘I’m going to win this tournament,’ and I actually did it.”
On Friday night, David Shmuel won his seventh major series trophy here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in Event #5, $400 Limit Omaha 8.
“I like to compete,” said Shmuel, “and it’s always nice to get the trophy. But I don’t think about the [career] numbers, just the competition.”
Here are Shmuel’s other six victories here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood:
2017 RRPO: $360 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 ($7,152)
2017 RRPO: $150 No-Limit Hold’em ($16,573)
2018 SHRPO: $360 Pot-Limit Omaha ($12,589)
2020 LHPO: $400 Omaha 8 ($7,742)
2022 Showdown: $600 H.O.R.S.E. ($13,890)
2022 RRPO: $400 H.O.R.S.E. ($7,471)
This seventh victory moves Shmuel into a tie for third place on the career leaderboard, behind Raminder Singh (nine SHR trophies) and Michael Newman (eight SHR trophies).
This seventh trophy was a tough one for Shmuel, who was down to about two big blinds with 11 players remaining.
“Even at the final table, I was down to almost nothing,” said Shmuel. “But I had a couple of nice rushes in the end, and that’s what counts.”
When heads-up play began, Shmuel was slightly outchipped by defending champion Jay Kerbel. Kerbel won this Omaha-8 event at Lucky Hearts last year, and also the Omaha-8 event a few months before that during the 2021 Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open.
“I’ve played with Jay many times,” said Shmuel. “He’s a very good player.”
With seven victories here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, it’s no wonder that Shmuel keeps coming back. But for him, it’s more than that.
“This is a great organization,” said Shmuel. “They have an amazing staff and dealers. This is basically the only place I play, besides Vegas and sometimes Tampa. This is where I like to play.”
| Place | First Name | Last Name | Prize Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David | Shmuel | $12,025 |
| 2 | Jay | Kerbel | $7,725 |
| 3 | Paul | Willenbring | $4,580 |
| 4 | Marc | Saia | $2,800 |
| 5 | William | Hanawalt | $2,140 |
| 6 | A.J. | Kelsall | $1,815 |
| 7 | Ricardo | Quintero | $1,575 |
| 8 | Donny | Rubinstein | $1,385 |
| 9 | Jeffrey | Kenny | $1,225 |
| 10 | Robert | Mangino | $1,225 |
| 11 | Bobby | Leff | $1,080 |
| 12 | Pedro | Larred | $1,080 |
| 13 | Marvin | Bonstein | $950 |
| 14 | Ian | Feller | $950 |
| 15 | Michael | Morgan | $950 |
| 16 | Gary | Kosakowski | $855 |
| 17 | Mark | Kastory | $855 |