2017 Coco Poker Showdown
Seminole Casino Coconut Creek
Coconut Creek, FL
Event #6
$350 No Limit Hold’em
Entries: 100
Prize Pool: $35,000
January 26-27, 2017

Coconut Creek, FL — Sean Shah defeated fellow Floridian John Dollinger heads up in Event 6 of the Coco Poker Showdown Friday night winning $11,355. The $350 buy-in no limit hold’em tournament drew a total of 100 entries between 11am and 6pm flights and played out over the course of two days at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. All Day 2 players were in the money as 13 advanced and Dollinger lead the way.

The restart moved fast as Eric Kolodny, Ira Schwartz and Paul Shafran hit the rail within the first hour sending the tournament to the 10-handed final table. From there, action slowed and it took another hour for Nachman Berlin to bust 10th. Last week’s Lucky Hearts Poker Open Main Event finisher Marc Levy was next to go in ninth. Dollinger got down to work scoring a double knockout busting Elliott Zaydman eighth and Greg Spinder seventh. Shawn Barnett was eliminated sixth and 2015 World Series of Poker November Niner Neil Blumenfield followed in fifth again at the hands of Dollinger. Shah then got Steve Zukowski fourth and Tim Kegel third.

At that point, Shah and Dollinger took a quick break to discuss a potential deal. They came to the agreement they’d play for about 45 minutes, then reasses given the stacks. Heads-up play started even with Shah at just a slight disadvantage. He quickly doubled when his held versus Dollinger’s . The hand was crippling to Dollinger who was left with just a couple big blinds. Shah finished the job two hands later to claim the title. The 45-minute threshold never came and Shah victory went down as an outright win.

Shah is a 29-year-old professional poker player from Delray Beach. Event 6 marks his second major victory and moves him over $580,000 in reported earnings. His crowning poker achievement came in June of last year when he finished runner-up in a $565 pot limit Omaha bracelet event earning $117,531 in the process.

Event 6 final results:

1st: Sean Shah – $11,355
2nd: John Dollinger – $6,563
3rd: Tim Kegel – $4,288
4th: Steve Zukowski – $2,931
5th: Neil Blumenfield – $2,293
6th: Shawn Barnett – $1,785
7th: Greg Spinder – $1,426
8th: Elliott Zaydman – $1,076
9th: Marc Levy – $744
10th: Nachman Berlin – $700
11th: Eric Kolodny – $613
12th: Ira Schwartz – $613
13th: Paul Shafran – $613

Coco Poker Showdown Event 7 — $570 deep stack no limit hold’em — is underway now with the $1,100 buy-in Championship set to begin tomorrow at 1pm. The series finale boasts a $100,000 guarantee, is points eligible in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year race and features an added $5,250 seat in this summer’s $5,000,000 guaranteed Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship.

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 1 of 100

After Tim Kegel’s third-place elimination, heads-up chip leader John Dollinger and Sean Shah took an unscheduled break to talk chop. They came to the conclusion they’d play heads up until 5:30pm and if neither had won by then they’d negotiate a deal.

5:30pm never came.

Shah got all-in for 769,000 from the button and was at risk against Dollinger. Shah had the best of it with but needed to hold against the of Dollinger.

The board ran out no help to either player and Shah earned a huge double. Dollinger was left with less than 50,000 chips and busted a few hands later when his couldn’t catch up to Shah’s all-in preflop. Shah’s outright win eared him $11,355 while Dollinger was the tournament’s runner up pocketing $6,563.

A more detailed report on the event will be posted shortly. In the meantime, here’s a look at the tournament’s final results:

1st: Sean Shah – $11,355
2nd: John Dollinger – $6,563
3rd: Tim Kegel – $4,288
4th: Steve Zukowski – $2,931
5th: Neil Blumenfield – $2,293
6th: Shawn Barnett – $1,785
7th: Greg Spinder – $1,426
8th: Elliott Zaydman – $1,076
9th: Marc Levy – $744
10th: Nachman Berlin – $700
11th: Eric Kolodny – $613
12th: Ira Schwartz – $613
13th: Paul Shafran – $613

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 20: 8,000/16,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 100

John Dollinger – 839,000
Sean Shah – 761,000

1st – $11,355
2nd – $6,563

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 19: 6,000/12,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 2 of 100

Tim Kegel got his last roughly 165,000 in the pot from the button and Sean Shah called from the big blind. Kegel was at risk.

Shah:
Kegel:

Runout:

Kegel was eliminated in third place earning $4,288. Shah and John Dollinger were officially heads up for the tournament’s $11,355 prize.

Tim Kegel – Eliminated

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 18: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 3 of 100

Steve Zukowski was on the button and jammed for 83,000. It folded to Sean Shah in the big blind and he called.

Shah:
Zukowski:

Flop: — Zukowski flopped a straight and enjoyed no more than a second of excitement before he realized Shah flopped the better end of it.

Turn and river:

Both players had a straight, but Shah’s was the nuts. Zukowski was eliminated in fourth place earning $2,931 while Shah contended with John Dollinger for the chip lead.

Sean Shah – 645,000
Steve Zukowski – Eliminated

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 18: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 100

John Dollinger – 619,000 (61 bb)
Sean Shah – 438,000 (43 bb)
Tim Kegel – 406,000 (40 bb)
Steve Zukowski – 157,000 (15 bb)

1st – $11,355
2nd – $6,563
3rd – $4,288
4th – $2,931

5th: Neil Blumenfield – $2,293
6th: Shawn Barnett – $1,785
7th: Greg Spinder – $1,426
8th: Elliott Zaydman – $1,076
9th: Marc Levy – $744
10th: Nachman Berlin – $700
11th: Eric Kolodny – $613
12th: Ira Schwartz – $613
13th: Paul Shafran – $613

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 3,000/6,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 100

Chip leader John Dollinger raised to 17,000 from the button. Former November Niner Neil Blumenfield raised all-in from the big blind for about 50,000. Dollinger called casually turning over . Blumenfield claimed and was flipping for his tournament life.

“I haven’t won a race in a month…” Blumenfield said.

At the same, the dealer burned and turned an flop improving Dollinger to two pair.

“…why start now.” Blumenfield said as he stood from the table.

The turn and river came the and and Blumenfield was eliminated in fifth place earning $2,293. Dollinger’s chip lead, meanwhile, continued to grow.

Blumenfield is best known for his third-place finish in the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event for which he won better than $3,390,000.

Neil Blumenfield – Eliminated

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 3,000/6,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 100

Shawn Barnett has been eliminated from the Coco Poker Showdown $350 in sixth place earning $1,785.

Shawn Barnett – Eliminated

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 3,000/6,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 100

Greg Spinder opened to 15,000 from under the gun. Chip leader John Dollinger called from his direct left and it was on Elliott Zaydman on the button. He moved all-in for about 45,000 sending it back to Spinder. Spinder re-shoved for 135,000 and it was back on Dollinger. He called and had the opportunity to eliminated two players.

Spinder:
Zaydman:
Dollinger:

Runout:

Dollinger improved to two pair and earned the double elimination. He raked a huge pot and grew his chip lead while Spinder and Zaydman were eliminated in seventh and eighth place respectively.

Greg Spinder – Eliminated in 7th place ($1,426)
Elliott Zaydman – Eliminated in 8th place ($1,076)

$350 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 16: 3,000/6,000 with a 500 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 100

Marc Levy has been eliminated from the Coco Poker Showdown $350.

Board:

John Dollinger: for a flush
Levy: for top pair

Dollinger raked a healthy pot and now leads the way with 685,000 chips.

For Levy, the deep run marks yet another tournament success after finishing fourth in the Lucky Hearts Poker Open Main Event in Hollywood last week for $93,049.

John Dollinger – 685,000
Marc Levy – Eliminated