Joe Gotlieb Wins 2017 WSOPC Seminole Hard Rock

Latest stop on the WSOP Circuit tour was the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, with 904 players entering its $1,675 Main Event to create a prize pool $356,000 in excess of its $1 million guarantee. The action then continued for three days, at the end of which it was Joe Gotlieb who would eventually lift the title, and walk away with a first place prize worth $257,638.
The local small business owner says that he has been playing a lot more poker recently in order to supplement his earnings, and was even contemplating committing to becoming a full-time poker professional. Following a victory which now pushes his career winnings to $332,968, of which $280,807 has been amassed in 2017 alone, Gotlieb stated:
“I wanted to give it a shot at going pro. This was it. This was my shot at that.”
The WSOPC Seminole Main Event attracted a number of notable pros, and among those cashing in at a top 99 money spot was Loni Harwood in 71st ($3,566), James Calderaro in 45th ($4,732), Darryll Fish in 33rd ($6,034), Erik Cajelais in 29th ($6,929), and Jonathan Jaffe in 18th ($13,438).
The final table of nine was equally as stacked with talented pros, including 3-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Hastings, who was subsequently eliminated by WPT winner Asher Conniff in 4th place. Joe Gotlieb then took care of Mauricio Ameller in 3rd to usher in heads-up play against Conniff for the title.
At this stage, Conniff enjoyed a roughly 1m to 7m chip advantage over his remaining opponent, but Gotlieb was able to move slightly ahead after taking down a few key pots, when the final hand occurred. In the hand in question, Conniff limp-reraised all-in preflop holding A-K, only to be called by Gotlieb holding pocket sevens. The board then rolled out Q-7-6-J-Q to hand Gotlieb the win, while Asher Conniff collected$159,357 for his runner-up finish, in the process pushing his live earnings to $1,923,317.
Final Table Results:
1: Joe Gotlieb $257,638
2: Asher Conniff $159,357
3: Mauricio Ameller $117,619
4: Brian Hastings $88,004
5: Brett Bader $66,675
6: Chad Eveslage $51,148
7: Jack Shea $39,717
8: Daniel Genachte $31,229
9: Michael Amato $24,842