Paul Domb Wins $1,650 No-Limit Hold’em Deepest Stack After Four-Way Deal
On Sunday night, Paul Domb was declared the champion of the Seminole Hard Rock May Deep Stack Series $1,650 No-Limit Hold’em Deepest Stack after agreeing to a four-way deal with Timothy "TK" Miles (2nd - $57,738), Salman Jaddi (3rd - $52,750), and Allen Kessler (4th - $40,540).
Domb took home the title, $58,333 in prize money, and the trophy while Miles went back to back with the runner-up finishes. Indeed, last year Miles took second place in the same tournament after making a heads-up deal with Chris Bolek.
“It was a lot of fun. The people here are just wonderful," Domb said after the tournament. "Not only the people who were playing here but the staff here. It is second to none. I really enjoy it. Tony [Burns], the tournament director here, is always looking after people, so it makes it a lot of fun to come here and play. It’s an inviting environment."
The event attracted a field of 251 entries with many notables taking a shot at it including Loni Harwood, Phil Hui, Brian Hastings, Ian O'Hara, and Josh Beckley.
When the final day started, the field was whittled down to just 77 players. Domb came into Day 2 with an average stack but started building up early. By the time the final table was reached, he was second in chips. He didn't waste any time and began applying pressure on his opponents. Between his aggressive play, and his run of good cards, he eventually took over the chip lead.
When asked about his run, Domb stayed humble. “I got lucky in all the places where I needed to get lucky and that’s why I ended up winning. It wasn’t because I’m a great poker player. I’m relying on luck, more than I am on skills. You just hang in there and try to have fun. Or at least I try to have fun and not take it too seriously.”
Although Domb only plays poker as a hobby, his poker skills are unquestionable as he has multiple victories and trophies to his name. However, he doesn't keep any of his poker winnings and gives them all to a charitable foundation he created with his daughter, called Visual Snow Initiative, that helps those with Visual Snow live and enjoy their lives without fear.
Final Table Action
Hassan Tahsildar was the first to be eliminated from the final table when his sixes couldn’t hold against Domb’s ace-jack in an all-in preflop situation.
Aaron Klausman was next to go. Klausman was short and shoved with ace-eight from the small blind against Jack Battaglla’s jack-nine on the button. The river was a jack and sealed his place in eighth place for $10,452.
Javier Ramirez's fantastic run ended in seventh place ($12,613). Ramirez shoved with sixes but found himself in a bad spot against Kessler’s tens. Kessler stayed ahead and that was it for Ramirez’s run.
Battaglla was eliminated in sixth place for $15,022. Battaglla three-bet shoved with ace-king for his last 13 big blinds but got called by Jaddi’s pair of sixes that held up.
Scott Zakheim was the last bust out before a four-way deal was reached. Zakhem put up a good fight but couldn’t keep it going when he ran his ace-king against Miles’s eights without finding any help.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Domb | United States | $58,333 |
| 2 | Timothy Miles | United States | $57,738 |
| 3 | Salman Jaddi | United States | $52,750 |
| 4 | Allen Kessler | United States | $40,540 |
| 5 | Scott Zakheim | United States | $18,128 |
| 6 | Jack Battaglla | United States | $15,022 |
| 7 | Javier Ramirez | United States | $12,613 |
| 8 | Aaron Klausman | United States | $10,542 |
| 9 | Hassan Tahsilbar | United States | $8,652 |
Other notables who made the money included defending champion Chris Bolek (24th - $3,426), as well as Luke Graham (19th-$4,349), Michael Newman (29th - $2,590), and Daniel Chalifour (31st-$2,590).
The Seminole Hard Rock will host its next major series, the famed Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO), from August 1-13.