The Hard Rock Cincinnati recently hosted its first major post-pandemic poker tournament, a $1,500 buy-in, $500,000 GTD Main Event, which attracted 632 entries over three starting flights and offered up an $834,240 prize pool.
After a full weekend of play, it was four-time bracelet winner and three-time consecutive World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10K Dealer’s Choice champ Adam Friedman emerging victorious for
It wasn’t the first time Friedman has won a poker tournament in his home state. Back in 2019, hetopped a 596-entry field to win the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) $1,100 Main Event at JACK Cleveland Casino for $121,405.
“It always feels good to win a tournament, even if is a two-card poker tournament,” Friedman told PokerNews. “I've really enjoyed playing some of the local tournaments in Ohio lately, including the Shark Tank Poker Club in Columbus and now the Hard Rock in Cincinnati.”
Hard Rock Cincinnati $1,500 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Friedman | $171,020 |
| 2 | JB Whitehouse | $105,782 |
| 3 | Brian Hall | $77,584 |
| 4 | Brent Ballentine | $57,729 |
| 5 | Angela Shade | $43,464 |
| 6 | Tim Bishop | $33,203 |
| 7 | Michael McCauley | $25,695 |
| 8 | Peyton Smith | $20,189 |
| 9 | Ray Attiyah | $16,017 |
Day 2 saw 77 players return to action, of which the top 72 were slated to get paid. Among those to cash the tournament were Jay Kelley (12th - $12,847), Keven Stammen (17th - $8,593), Allen Kessler (21st - $7,174), Nicholas “Dirty Diaper” Rigby (33rd - $3,921), Myra Alexander (48th - $2,753), Richard Ali (63rd - $2,586), and Matthew Johnson (72nd - $2,336).
Click here for a look at the full results.
“It was run very well, especially considering it was their first big tournament post-Covid,” said Friedman, who is fresh of winning a Global Poker Award for “Best Final Table Performance,” which included defeating Phil Hellmuth heads-up. “The people running the tournament were very professional and I spoke with a few of the people individually, very open to suggestions for improvement on future events.”
Those sentiments were echoed by perennial critic Allen Kessler, who traveled out for the tournament.
Hard Rock Cincinnati will continue to host poker tournaments throughout March, including two events daily. Click here for a look at their March tournament schedule.
