2015 Coco Poker Open
$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
$1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool

October 1-5, 2015

Total Entries:  410
Total Prize Pool: $1,000,000

Recap:

The 2015 Coco Poker Open Championship was the big event on the two week schedule and attracted players from around the world. There were 410 entrants for the tournament this year and it was Hard Rock Poker ambassador Matt Affleck taking the title along with the $264,000 prize money.

The Championship event featured three starting flights and the surviving players after ten levels returned for Day 2 on Sunday. It was a long day and they didn’t hit the money with 45 players remaining until after the dinner break. From there it moved quickly and the field was ready to move on to the last day of the Championship.

Local pro Chance Kornuth finished strong on Day 2 and came to the final day with a big chip lead over the remaining 27 players. That’s where the good news ended for Kornuth, nothing went his way on Monday and he was eliminated in 12th place.

The final table ten were joined as one when 2014 Coco Poker Open Champion John Dolan went out in 11th, a  great result for the former WSOP November Niner. Seminole Hard Rock Poker ambassador Michael Laake went out in 10th and the final table was moved into the high limit room.

They quickly played down until just three players were around and each guaranteed at least $100,000 with Affleck holding a commanding lead. Each had top results in their past but only one would earn the title. Cord Garcia, 2015 WSOP Colossus Champion, went out in 3rd place and Gaspard lasted only a few hands before Affleck sent him out in 2nd.

The Championship trophy belonged to Affleck along with the $264,000 payday, the second largest of his career behind his 15th place result in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

2015 Coco Poker Open Championship Results:

1st: Matt Affleck – $264,000
2nd: Jean Gaspard – $155,000
3rd: Cord Garcia – $100,500
4th: Nathan Bjerno – $70,000
5th: Kevin Ho – $50,500
6th: James Brown – $40,500
7th: Danny Notice – $31,000
8th: Andre Pillow – $22,000
9th: Ioannis Patsourakis – $16,000
10th: Michael Laake – $12,000
11th: John Dolan – $12,000
12th: Chance Kornuth – $12,000
13th: Javier Zarco – $9,500
14th: Richard Leger – $9,500
15th: Hunter Cichy – $9,500
16th: Peter Walsworth – $8,000
17th: Jonathan Abla – $8,000
18th: Bienvenido Santiago – $8,000
19th: T.K. Miles – $7,000
20th: Alberto Rodriguez – $7,000
21st: Brandon Miller – $7,000
22nd: Shea Smith – $7,000
23rd: John Holley – $7,000
24th: Joshua Hillock – $7,000
25th: Tristan Wade – $7,000
26th: Scott Zakheim – $7,000
27th: John Depersio – $7,000
28th: Neil Blumenfield – $6,000
29th: Scott Efron – $6,000
30th: Evan Teitelbaum – $6,000
31st: Vu Tuan – $6,000
32nd: Zachary Goodman – $6,000
33rd: Jerry Wong – $6,000
34th: Steven McKoy – $6,000
35th: David Barbieri – $6,000
36th: Harvey Freedman – $6,000
37th: Mohammed Jaafar – $5,000
38th: Corey Burbick – $5,000
39th: Chris Bolek – $5,000
40th: James Carroll – $5,000
41st: Alfonso Perez – $5,000
42nd: Roberto Barreto – $5,000
43rd: Hans Winzeler – $5,000
44th: Stewart Newman – $5,000
45th: Eric Becks – $5,000

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

Jean Gaspard was going to have a lot of work to erase Matt Affleck’s huge lead from the beginning. It did not start off well and the heads up match was done quickly.

The penultimate hand saw Affleck take Gaspard to value town with 100K, 200K, and 550K bets to the river with trip Sevens and a huge pot.

The next hand saw the chips quickly in the middle with Affleck’s ahead for all the chips against . The flop gave Gaspard a little help Gaspard but the turn locked up the Championship for Affleck. Gaspard played a great tournament from start to close but had to settle for $155,000 runner-up money.

The $264,000 first place money for Affleck is the second biggest of his career behind his 15th place finish in the 2010 WSOP Main Event.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 27: 25,000/50,000/5,000 Ante

Jean Gaspard took a little piece off of Matt Affleck, doubling up with against but that didn’t slow Affleck down.

Just two hands later he had Cord Garcia all-in and they were racing. Affleck’s would need to hit against Garcia’s to knock him out, and did just that on the flop.

No love for Garcia on the turn or river and he was on his way to the payout desk before flying out to California.

Seat 1: Matt Affleck – 8,600,000 (172 bb)
Seat 4: Jean Gaspard – 1,655,000 (33 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
End of Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

The three remaining players on a 15-minute break and return to blinds at 25,000/50,000 and a 5,000 ante.

Seat 1: Matt Affleck – 8,045,000 (161 bb)
Seat 4: Cord Garcia – 1,255,000 (25 bb)
Seat 7: Jean Gaspard – 950,000 (19 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

There was ~1 million in the heads up pot between Matt Affleck and Nathan Bjerno when Affleck bet enough to put Bjerno all-in on the river.

Bjerno looked pained and several times looked like he was going to fold his hand with the board reading . With 1.4 million remaining, he called off his stack and Affleck showed the nut flush . Bjerno tabled his inferior and stood up.

The hand left Affleck with 6 million of the 10 million in play at the three-handed table.

Seat 1: Matt Affleck – 6,100,000 (153 bb)
Seat 4: Cord Garcia – 1,200,000 (30 bb)
Seat 7: Jean Gaspard – 2,900,000 (73 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

Just two hands after James Brown hit the rail, Kevin Ho took a shot with his 840,000 and shoved into Jean Gaspard with . Gaspard called with his dominating and the dry board sent Ho out in 5th place.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

Matt Affleck and James Brown battled one last time, and it didn’t end well for Brown. He opened to 90,000 from the button and Affleck three-bet to 270,000 in the small blind. Kevin Ho let his big blind go and Brown moved all-in, effectively for 1.3 million.

Affleck quickly called with to race against Brown’s . Brown fell behind on the flop. The left Brown looking for two river outs but missed when it came to send him out while Affleck moves way out front.

Brown: Eliminated in 6th Place
Affleck: 4,850,000

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 26: 20,000/40,000/5,000 Ante

Seat 1: Matt Affleck – 2,100,000 (53 bb)
Seat 2: Kevin Ho – 1,600,000 (40 bb)
Seat 3: Nathan Bjerno – 2,330,000 (58 bb)
Seat 4: Cord Garcia – 1,580,000 (40 bb)
Seat 7: Jean Gaspard – 980,000 (25 bb)
Seat 9: James Brown – 1,600,000 (40 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 25: 15,000/30,000/5,000 Ante

Everyone knows when “Prince” Gaspard is at the table, he takes up most of the conversation. He was talking to Nathan Bjerno all the way to the river in a big hand that could change the outcome of the final table.

Bjerno opened action to 70,000 and Gaspard three-bet to 190,000. The raise was called to see the flop and Gaspard fired another 260,000. Bjerno thought it over and called again. Gaspard kept shooting with 350,000 after the river and Bjerno called to get a comment from Gaspard.

“I give up,” he half-laughed. “Check in the dark.”

Bjerno checked behind after the river and his out kicked Gaspard’s . It was a 1.7 million chip pot without either getting all-in.

Gaspard: 950,000
Bjerno: 2,400,000