David Malka Wins Seminole High Roller Event for $658,000

The 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown has drawn to a close in Florida, with the popular 30-tournament series having handed out over $15 million in prize money during its almost one month run. While Justin Young took down Event #18: the $3,500 Championship to claim the series’ top payout of $669,161, David Malka was not far behind having triumphed at Event #27: the $25,000 High Roller for $658,000.
The $25,000 High Roller saw 94 players pony up the high entry fee to create a prize pool worth $2,350,000. By the time the final table of nine had been set, David Malka was the short-stack at the table, with the top six places occupied by notable pros such as Sylvain Loosli, Nick Petrangelo, Timothy West, Nick Yunis, and Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
David Malka subsequently sent Lazaro Hernandez to the rail in 9th, before being dealt pocket aces and doing likewise to Brian Benderoff (J-9) in 7th for $82,250. Continuing his steamroll of the final table, David Malka then took care of Nick Yunis (5th), and Nick Petrangelo (4th), while Sylvain Loosli sent Tim West to the rail in 3rd to usher in heads-up against Malka for the title.
As the final battle got underway, Malka held a nearly 4-1 chip advantage over his remaining opponent, and not long later the deciding hand was played with both Malka (A-10) and Loosli (6-6) all-in preflop. The dealer then laid out a 4-4-2-8-A board to consign Sylvain Loosli to a runner-up finish worth $481,750, while David Malka was crowned the champion.
Malka, 28, is a Los Angeles pro who has now amassed $1,012,132 in earnings since his first tournament cash in 2008. His latest victory is by far his highest score to date, with his next best win coming in March at the WSOPC Los Angeles $3,250 High Roller for $70,355. David Malka currently has $832,417 in winning in 2016 alone.
Final Table Results:
1: David Malka $658,000
2: Sylvain Loosli $481,750
3: Tim West $298,450
4: Nick Petrangelo $206,800
5: Nick Yunis $133,950
6: Yevgeniy Timoshenko $101,050
7: Brian Benderoff $82,250
8: Steffen Sontheimer $70,500
9: Lazaro Hernandez $68,150