Dylan Smith Wins World Poker Tour Seminole Rock’n’Roll Poker Open Main Event

Dylan Smith got here inside a number of spots of profitable a World Poker Tour fundamental occasion again in May of 2024, inserting fifth within the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown fundamental occasion. Incredibly, he didn’t have to attend all that lengthy for an additional shot at a WPT title. Just 188 days after that deep run, Smith managed to navigate his means by way of a subject of 1,435 entries within the $3,500 buy-in fundamental occasion of the WPT Rock’n’Roll Poker Open, incomes the title and a career-best rating of $662,200.

“It feels phenomenal. I didn’t know when I would get a chance at redemption, and I am really grateful that I was able to do it so quickly,” mentioned Smith after closing out the win.

Both of Smith’s WPT last desk finishes have now come on the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in South Florida. In truth, eight of Smith’s high 14 match paydays have come on the venue. He now has almost $3.5 million in profession earnings throughout 103 recorded cashes.

This large victory additionally awarded 1,440 Card Player Player of the Year factors. This was Smith’s first title and fourth final-table end of the 12 months. With 2,689 whole factors, Smith now sits inside attain of the highest 100 within the 2024 POY race standings introduced by Global Poker.

This $3,500 buy-in occasion featured a $3 million assure. The sizable turnout of 1,435 entries noticed that concentrate on simply surpassed. In the tip, $4,592,000 in whole prize cash was paid out among the many high 181 finishers. Big names that ran deep included two-time bracelet winner Jesse Lonis (twenty ninth), 2015 World Series of Poker fundamental occasion champion Joe McKeehen (twenty sixth), high POY contender Ren Lin (twenty second), current PGT Texas PLO Roundup excessive curler winner Adam Hendrix (18th), two-time bracelet winner Alexandre Reard (14th), and WPT champions Matthew Wantman (eighth) and Darryll Fish (seventh).

The last day started with Matthew Beinner within the lead and bracelet winner Francis Anderson on the quick stack. Paul Domb was the primary to fall, although, when his pocket jacks bumped into the pocket kings of Beinner. The bigger pair held and Domb was knocked out in sixth place ($140,000).

Anderson doubled up with pocket kings not lengthy after to provide himself some respiratory room. Not lengthy after that, Smith doubled by way of Landon Tice, who had completed runner-up within the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown fundamental occasion that Smith last tabled earlier this 12 months. Smith’s pocket aces held in opposition to ace-king to provide an early jolt to his stack.

A few orbits later, Anderson bought all-in once more with pocket queens racing in opposition to the A-Ok of Beinner. The flip introduced a king to depart Anderson in tough form with one card coming. There was no queen on the river and he was eradicated in fifth place ($184,000). He now has almost $3.6 million in lifetime earnings to his title.

fifth Place within the Seminole Hard Rock for $184,000. Very lucky to have one other deep run in a WPT Main Event https://t.co/8ZkIKaSvGW

— Francis Anderson (@FrancisPoker123) December 4, 2024

Tice quickly adopted Anderson to the rail. The Mid-States Poker Tour champion ran pocket nines into the pocket tens of Florian Ribouchon to bust in fourth place. He secured $245,000 for his deep run, the third-largest payday on his resume to date. As a end result, his profession earnings grew to over $2.3 million.

In maintaining with the theme of the ultimate desk up to now, the following large conflict additionally noticed two gamers sq. off in a preflop battle of pocket pairs. This time Florian Ribouchon three-bet shoved from the large blind with 66. Beinner had min-raised from the button with 99 and made the decision for round 26 large blinds. Beinner wound up with nines filled with jacks after a J410J runout, ending Ribouchon’s run in third place ($325,000). This was the second greatest payday but for the Frenchman, trailing solely the $1,003,554 he earned because the runner-up within the 2023 WSOP ‘Millionaire Maker’ occasion.

Heads-up play kicked off with Beinner holding simply shy of a 2:1 chip lead over Smith. That hole shrunk over the primary 30 or so fingers. Smith then edged into the lead with a rivered straight in opposition to the turned two pair of Beinner. Smith then gained one other large pot, bombing the river with a king-high flush and forcing a fold from Beinner’s turned eight-high straight. After dragging that pot, Smith’s lead had almost twice as many chips as Beinner.

Beinner had slid to 18 large blinds when the ultimate hand of the match arose. Smith jammed from the button with 76 and Beinner known as with QJ. The flop got here down Ok76 to provide Smith two pair. Beinner turned a gutshot straight draw with the 9, however the 3 on the river ended his run in second place. The $440,000 payout he left with is greater than twice as massive as his earlier high rating of $204,601 which he earned because the runner-up end in a $1,500 Big O occasion at this 12 months’s WSOP.

Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the last desk:

Photo credit: WPT / Drew Amato.