Nagui Yassa Wins Coco Poker Showdown $560 for $13K on the Eve of the Championship

Below is the Coco Poker Showdown Event 7 final report — The tournament concluded during the early morning hours of Saturday, January 28

2017 Coco Poker Showdown
Seminole Casino Coconut Creek
Coconut Creek, FL
Event #7
$560 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack
Entries: 95
Prize Pool: $50,000
January 27, 2017

Coconut Creek, FL — Nagui Yassa claimed his first major tournament title Friday night at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. Yassa made his way through a field of 95 entries in Coco Poker Showdown Event 7, a $560 buy-in no limit hold’em tournament. He lead the way from three tables on and never looked back, claiming the chip lead late and going down as the victor following a five-way chop. The impressive performance earned Yassa $13,165.

Event 7 began alongside Day 2 of the Event 6 restart. As players busted Event 6, many moved right to the $560 to try their luck yet again. While Event 6 champion Sean Shah was a non-factor in the $560, other Event 6 final tablists made their presence known.

Both John Dollinger (Event 6 runner up) and Nachman Berlin (Event 6 10th-place finisher) graced the Event 7 final table. Dollinger min-cashed, busting ninth, while Berlin was a part of the chop officially going down as the third-place finisher earning $7,058.

It was Yassa who busted Dollinger ninth and Jason Leet in eighth. Berlin then took the reins, eliminating Stephen Greenstein in seventh and Rob Kessler did the sixth-place deed busting Paul Steiner. After that, tournament staff was called to run the numbers on an ICM chop. There was some brief debate, but ultimately the remaining five players agreed to a deal without any modifications.

Here’s a look at the final results:

1st: Nagui Yassa – $13,165
2nd: Daniel Pearlman – $8,400
3rd: Nachman Berlin – $7,058
4th: Luminita Petric – $6,951
5th: Rob Kessler – $6,426
6th: Paul Steiner – $2,750
7th: Stephen Greenstein – $2,250
8th: Jason Leet – $1,750
9th: John Dollinger – $1,250

Nagui Yassa is 67 years old and resides in Deerfield Beach, FL. A regular of Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, Yassa owns 18 reported tournament cashes and over $80,000 in earnings following the Event 7 win. The dominating performance came on the eve of the series’ $1,100 buy-in Championship and sends Yassa into the finale with a head of steam.