Poker Open

Championship (Day 1A): Toughest Seat

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 3: 75/150/25 Ante

Michael Ortiz (top left), Ian O'Hara (top middle), Blair Hinkle (top right), and John Depersio (bottom left)
Michael Ortiz (top left), Ian O’Hara (top middle), Blair Hinkle (top right), and John Depersio (bottom left)

“Tell everyone I have the toughest seat in the house,” Michael Ortiz joked in the first level.

At this point, there are no soft tables in the Championship but he had a valid argument. Ortiz had WSOP bracelet winner Blair Hinkle to his left, recent WSOP Circuit winner John Depersio on his right, and then Ian O’Hara took the seat between Ortiz and Hinkle.

A tough lineup on both sides and it didn’t end well for Ortiz. He was walking out the door midway through Level 3 but he should be back. Oritz was playing on a freeroll after picking up the end-of-flight cheaper leader bonus in Event 1.

He’s had a nice run over the last few months. Ortiz finished second in Event 1 for $42,000 and won a big-field Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Deep Stack tournament for $184,000.