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ISLE CASINO POMPANO PARK CIRCUIT - FEB 2022
Notable stars shine at first-ever Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit series as 13 official gold rings were awarded.
14 February 2022 (Pompano Beach, FL) – This February, the World Series of Poker Circuit welcomed a brand-new stop to the schedule. Isle Casino Pompano Park, located near Fort Lauderdale in south Florida, ran their first-ever WSOP tournament series, which spanned a total of 12 days and awarded 13 official Circuit gold rings throughout its duration.
The featured event for the first weekend of the Circuit was Event #1: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Multi-Flight, which drew a combined total of 1,162 entries between three Day 1s. Before the multi-flight came to fruition, two other ring events fully ran their respective courses, both crowning first-time WSOP Circuit winners.
Florida native, Kyle Lazzaro took down Event #2: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em to win his first ring and $39,324. Following Lazzaro was Angelina Rich. The traveling Poker Pro came out on top in Event #3: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Purple Chip Bounty for a $22,885 payday and her debut gold ring.
Event #1 proceeded with its finale on the first Sunday of the series. In the end, it was a Rodriguez battle. Fernando Rodriguez, from Puerto Rico, and Rafael Rodriguez, from Colombia, went toe-to-toe heads up for the $94,947 top prize. Ultimately Fernando prevailed. Grabbing his first gold ring, while Rafael fell one spot short of the honors.
One of the most notable names to seize gold at the Isle Casino Circuit was winner of Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Phillip Hui. Hui, a Poker Pro and WSOP regular with over two million dollars in earnings, picked up a gold ring of significant importance. The win provided Hui with his fifth Circuit title, which brought him to an exact tie with his wife, and fellow poker phenom, Loni Harwood. The pair now both lay claim to two WSOP gold bracelets and five gold rings.
Another notable player to grace the Isle Casino winner’s circle was Joseph Hebert, winner of the 2022 WSOP.com Main Event World Championship ($1,553,256). Though Hebert won the domestic side of the 2022 Main, he fell to the international winner, Damian Salas, therefore not receiving a piece of WSOP jewelry. But that all changed in south Florida when Hebert took down the 10th ring event of the Isle Casino Circuit, grabbing a gold ring to add to his accolades.
The most decorated Circuit champ to win at Isle Casino, Jeffrey Trudeau Jr., topped the largest buy-in tournament of the series, Event #11: $2,200 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller. After beginning with just five big blinds, Trudeau mounted an improbable comeback to win the grand prize of $93,116 and, more importantly, a remarkable 10th Circuit gold ring.
Trudeau earned himself a spot in elite company by becoming only the fifth player in WSOP history to reach double-digit gold rings. He ties the count of two-time bracelet winner Ari Engel and only trails Josh Reichard (12), Valentin Vornicu (12), and the all-time leader Maurice Hawkins (14).
Monday, February 14, 2022, capped off the Circuit series with the Event #13: $1,700 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event finale. In the end, it was two-time gold ring winner Brian Altman claiming his third WSOP Circuit title along with a six-figure payout, $204,935.
Altman had a dominating performance on Day 2 following the three-table redraw. He jumped to the top Never conceding his lead until heads-up action against two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Athanasios Polychronopoulos for a brief spell. Altman doubled shortly after, then finished off Polychronopoulos for the Main Event title.
All ring winners stemming from the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit earned themselves a seat to the Tournament of Champions. This $1,000,000 guaranteed freeroll tournament will feature a field of all the ring winners from the 2021/22 season and bracelet winners from the 2022 WSOP and will run after the conclusion of the next WSOP in Las Vegas.
Completed Events
Event #1: $600 NLH Multi-Flight - Fernando Rodriguez defeats 1,162 entries to win $94,947.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #2: $1,100 No-Limit Hold'em - Kyle Lazzaro defeats 154 entries to win $39,324.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #3: $1,700 NLH Purple Chip Bounty - Angelina Rich defeats 71 entries to win $22,885.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Phillip Hui defeats 298 entries to win $21,198.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #6: $400 NLH Monster Stack - Moises Jattin defeats 1,156 entries to win $62,580.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha - William Toy defeats 145 entries to win $19,628.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Elias Nassif defeats 243 entries to win $18,238.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #9: $600 NLH Mystery Bounty - Justin Matecki defeats 278 entries to win $25,364.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold'em - Joseph Hebert defeats 242 entries to win $18,159.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #11: $2,200 NLH High Roller - Jeffrey Trudeau Jr. defeats 187 entries to win $93,116.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #12: $400 Limit Omaha 8 - Victor Nassif defeats 129 entries to win $11,510.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #13: $1,700 NLH MAIN EVENT - Brian Altman defeats 725 entries to win $204,935.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
Event #15: $400 NLH Last Chance - Tony Close defeats 230 entries to win $17,550.
Official Report | Winner Photo | Results
About the Winners
Event #1 - Fernando Rodriguez
After multiple Day 1s and over eight hours of Day-2 play at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Isle Casino Pompano Park, Event #1 arrived at champion. Fernando Rodriguez, hailing from Puerto Rico, took down the $600 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em tourney, which encompassed 1,162 entries over three starting flights.
Rodriguez disclosed that he has been playing poker professionally for only the past two years. Including his recent achievement, he lays claim an extraordinary 17 first-place finishes since January of 2020.
“I win a big tournament last year. This is a second big one,” stated Rodriguez.
Among his top accolades, Rodriguez claimed a massive score of $205,000 by defeating a field of 3,004 entrants at Seminole Hard Rock - Hollywood . Event #1 provided the Florida resident with a debut Circuit gold ring second largest career cash to date, $94,947. Not to mention, Rodriguez had a deep run in the 52nd annual WSOP Main Event where he placed 198/6,650 for $44,200.
Needless to say, Rodriguez has been crushing it since he transitioned to professional play and Event #1: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Multi-Flight was no exception. Rafael Rodriguez had to settle for the runner-up prize of $58,682 while Fernando scooped nearly $100,000, a gold ring, and a seat to the Tournament of Champions.
“I am gonna play the rest of the series. I hope I win again,” Rodriguez said with a smile.
Event #2 - Kyle Lazzaro
Kyle Lazzaro was the player to seize the first-ever World Series of Poker gold ring handed out at the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit series. The 30-year-old Florida native topped a field of 154 entrants in Event #2: $1,100 No-Limit Hold’em, a tournament that took two days to deem a champion.
“First time I’ve ever won a Circuit event, first ring. I’ve played for 12 years so it means a lot,” said Lazzaro.
Throughout Day 1, Day 2, and the final table, the blinds were at an ideal pace, allowing for more intricate, slower play. However, when it came to heads-up action the complete opposite was seen.
“First hand, heads up, I got an ace on the button. I had him about two to one in chips… It just happened to work out for me. I hit an ace. He had two nines,” Lazzaro explained.
With just one hand dealt, Lazzaro and his heads-up opponent Paul Balzano, got all the chips in and Lazzaro spiked an ace on the turn to claim victory. Along with the golden hardware Lazzaro also banked the top prize of $39,324 and an automatic bid to the Tournament of Champions in July of 2022.
Event #3 - Angelina Rich
Angelina Rich secured her first World Series of Poker Circuit gold ring and top prize of $22,885 by taking down Event #3 at the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit. The $1,700 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em event featured a $500 (Purple Chip) bounty attached to the head of every player.
A total of 71 entries participated in the bounty tournament, which took just under eight hours to completely run its course. When all was said and done, Rich graced the winner’s circle as the last player standing.
“It feels really good. I’ve been putting in a lot of work, playing online and studying, trying to get better. Now that live [poker] is back, it’s nice to come in and just sort of come back with a hurrah,” Rich expressed after her triumph.
It was Rich’s first outright victory on the felt since 2015 when she raked in a massive payday of $304,386 by conquering a $1,100 MSPT Main Event at the Venetian in Las Vegas.
Rich’s final opponent in Event #3 was gold ring winner Jose Reyes. With a solid chip advantage, she made quick work of Reyes and, capturing the gold, the cash, and, on top of that, a seat to the Tournament of Champions.
Event #5 - Phillip Hui
Phillip Hui successfully scooped up his fifth World Series of Poker Circuit title Monday afternoon at Isle Casino Pompano Park in south Florida. The 34-year-old Poker Pro defeated 297 opponents Event #5: $400 No-Limit Hold’em to bank $21,198 and secure his fifth gold ring.
“Feels good to tie Loni in rings. That feels the best. She’s always had that over me. We are tied in bracelets and now both tied in rings.” Hui stated, referring to his wife Loni Harwood who, like Hui, has a remarkable WSOP résumé.
Since Hui’s debut Circuit win in 2010, he and Harwood have gone back and forth in title count, with one of the two Florida residents stamping a WSOP first-place finish almost every year.
Harwood was the first to claim two gold bracelets and the first to reach five gold rings. However, Hui came back to match her count in each category. Only question now is, who will break the tie?
Event #6 - Moises Jattin
Between two starting flights, the first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit Monster Stack at Isle Casino Pompano Park drew 1,156 entries and among the four-figure field, Moises Jattin rose to the top. The 25-year-old Real Estate Agent acquired a debut gold ring and $62,580 for his win in Event #6: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack.
During three-handed play, when chips were all but even between the three players, Mo accidentally made a devastating mistake. While heads-up in a hand versus Jattin, Mo went to place a bet of 1.2 million, but verbally announced “12 million.”
The verbalized sum was clearly heard around the table; therefore, the Dealer and Tournament Director had no choice but to deem the 12 million as binding, which was a large enough bet to put Jattin all in. Jattin ended up calling and winning scooping the 22 million pot
After sticking around for a while, Mo ultimately fell in third place ($28,079), leaving Jattin and 14-time gold ring winner Maurice Hawkins heads up. Hawkins could not surmount the chip disparity and fell in second place, one spot short of a record-setting gold ring number 15.
Jattin is originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, he moved to the United States when he was very young and now lives in Miami Florida. His older brother, Farid, is actually a Professional Poker Player that has helped out Jattin with his game a bit.
“I’ve just been going over hands with him over the years and just going with the flow. And that’s been the word of the year this year. 2022 is all about flow,” Jattin expressed. “I’m going with my flow. I’m not really following the charts. I’m going with what I think is right and luckily it worked out this time.”
Event #7 - William Toy
William Toy logged his second World Series of Poker cash on Tuesday at the Isle Casino Pompano Park and made it a momentous one. The Kentucky native came out on top of a 145-entry field in Event #7: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha to win his first Circuit gold ring, cash prize of $19,628, and a seat to the Tournament of Champions.
“It means a lot. I’m happy to have it,” said Toy after his ring win. “I play, probably, half and half between Hold’em and PLO, some five card too, but PLO is my favorite game,” he added.
During three-handed play two-time ring winner TJ Shulman got it all in with a small straight draw against Toy who was in the driver seat with a wrap on the high end. Toy got there, sending Shulman out in third. Then, the very next hand, Toy successfully raked in Gabriel Pardo’s chips as well, claiming victory.
Toy made his way down to Florida to participate in the WSOP Circuit, but also disclosed that the Isle Casino is a standard destination for him on account of his best being the Announcer for the horse track on property.
Event #8 - Elias Nassif
The eighth World Series of Poker gold ring awarded at the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit series found a home with Elias Nassif along with $18,238. All in all, Nassif defeated a field of 243 entrants in Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, which completed in one day.
Earlier in the series, Nassif ran deep in the $600 Multi-Flight that encompassed 1,162 entries. He ultimately fell in 7th place for a payout of $14,531, but the experience helped to light a fire under him to continue to strive for a gold ring. On his second bullet of Event #8, Nassif successfully raked in the chips and by the time the redraw to one table occurred, the 32-year-old was sitting pretty.
“Luckily for me, I did enter the final table as the chip leader,” said Nassif. “Honestly, I just kind of grinded, was a little patient, picked up a couple of spots. I won a big flip with Ace-King to Jacks. Ant then, I just kind of cruised controlled and held on.”
Nassif began heads up with a chip advantage over Brett Feldman. However, Feldman did crack Nassif’s pocket sevens to double up and take the lead at one point. Nassif seized the lead back by winning a huge double up with Ace-Three, then proceeded to scoop the last of Feldman’s chips, ending the tournament.
Event #9 - Justin Matecki
The first-ever World Series of Poker Circuit event featuring Mystery Bounties was held at the Isle Casino Pompano Park tournament series, starting Wednesday afternoon. The following day, Justin Matecki closed out Event #9: $600 No-Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty to claim $25,364 and his first WSOP gold ring.
“I’m so happy,” Matecki expressed as emotions bubbled up to the surface following his milestone achievement.
The Florida resident, originally from New Jersey, is still in his infancy when it comes to playing poker for a living. Although Matecki did not have the fortune of claiming any of the lucrative marks via his six mystery bounties, the Circuit title and $25k payday were more than enough to mean the world to him.
“I just quit my job in November… Decided to start taking this a lot more serious. Had a nice score of like $20k in December,” Matecki explained. “Hadn’t really played all through January, got COVID. Took some time off and did a little studying,” he added. “This was my first series since taking like three to four weeks off… And then, just to come out swinging with another big score, it’s just… everything.”
Event #10 - Joseph Hebert
An unassuming tournament at the World Series of Poker Circuit stop at Isle Casino Pompano Park ended up producing a powerhouse final table and, in the end, a momentous breakthrough for one previous WSOP Main Event challenger, Joseph Hebert.
During 2020, the WSOP Main Event World Championship was played mostly online. Hebert, out of Louisiana, made it through the WSOP.com portion of the Main and ended up winning the live final table for a massive score of $1,553,256.
Though Hebert conquered the domestic side of things, he ultimately fell to the international champion, Argentina’s Damian Salas, in a heads-up battle for the prestigious gold bracelet. Fast forward a year, plus some change, and Hebert is hoisting a liberating piece of WSOP jewelry, a Circuit gold ring.
“It’s a lot more fun here. It’s a different stage of poker,” Hebert stated, comparing his Florida Circuit experience to the highly-publicized, pressure-filled Main Event run. “I’ve never won any jewelry before, so this is great.”
Event #10: $400 No-Limit Hold’em drew a field of 242 entrants and ran its course in the matter of one day. When the final table was reached, a wealth of talent remained.
“The players were great. I really ran good. I won my flips. Other than that, I did a lot of aggression in certain spots. It worked out in my favor, and that was it,” said Hebert. “It’s a small tournament, but you know what, the jewelry means a lot to me, just to feel the love of it. Just to be here and do what I love is amazing.”
Back in 2020, it is documented that Hebert was playing for his late mother, Linda. The very last text message exchange Hebert had with her was about him winning a gold bracelet.
Though the bracelet did not quite reach the wrist of Hebert, he is now the proud owner of a WSOP gold ring. And, by the grace of happenstance, or something greater, the 39-year-old’s tattoo memorializing his mother had recently been completed two days prior to his crowning Circuit achievement.
Event #11 - Jeffrey Trudeau Jr.
After beginning Day 2 as the outright short stack among 27 formidable opponents, Jeffrey Trueau Jr. mounted an improbable comeback to win Event #11: $2,200 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller to win the grand prize of $93,116 and, more importantly, a remarkable 10th Circuit gold ring.
With the victory, Trudeau recorded a handful of benchmarks for himself. The 27-year-old Poker Pro increased his WSOP earnings to over $1.1 million, he has now won Circuit titles in six different states, including two on his home turf, Florida, and he became the fifth player in history to capture double-digit WSOP Circuit gold rings.
Trudeau earned himself a spot in elite company. He ties the gold ring count of two-time bracelet winner Ari Engel and only trails Josh Reichard (12), Valentin Vornicu (12), and the all-time leader Maurice Hawkins (14).
However, counting rings is not a priority for Trudeau. When asked if he ever actively guns for the top spot, Trudeau humbly replied, “Not really. I Just go play, try and do my best.”
Event #12 - Victor Nassif
Victor Nassif was the one to close out Event #12: $400 Limit Omaha 8 at the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit. The 29-year-old defeated 129 entrants to win $11,510 and his first World Series of Poker gold ring.
Like brother, like brother, Nassif’s triumph coincidentally came to fruition exactly two days after his older sibling, Elias Nassif, accomplished the same feat. Elias took down Event #8: $400 No-Limit Hold’em, while Victor rose to the top in a different game type.
“I just recently started getting into it. I just chopped the Omaha Hi-Lo/Stud 8 at the Hard Rock… Ever since then, I’ve just been dabbling into the mixed games,” said Nassif.
Event #12 finished in the matter of one day. When play got down to heads up, Nassif was face-to-face with a mixed-games specialist, Phillip Hui, owner of two WSOP gold bracelets and five gold rings. Hui had just won his fifth Circuit gold ring earlier in the week and was looking to repeat but could not usurp Nassif’s momentum in the end.
“I just had such a big chip lead and there was a lot of shorties. I was just running really good, got cards and being aggressive,” explained Nassif.
“I’ve never actually outright won a tournament, and this feels really good,” Nassif expressed, following his achievement. “I lost my job due to COVID and I’ve been playing poker since. Circumstantially transitioning to life as a Poker Pro seems to be working out for Nassif so far as he will look for continued success in the future.
Event #13 - Brian Altman
VFor the first time the Isle Casino has crowned a champion at the World Series of Poker Main Event. Brian Altman defeated the 725-player field to take home his third WSOP Circuit gold ring and $204,935. The 33-year-old poker professional has been playing professionally since 2008, getting started at a young age.
“I got into poker during the Moneymaker era. Everyone in high school was playing and I was hooked,” said Altman. “I am very excited to get my third ring, and now I get an invite to the ‘tournament of champions,” Altman ecstatically told WSOP.
Altman finished Day 1B in the top 10 chip leaders and came into Day 2 in the top 20 of the 117 remaining, starting the day with 304,000. He continued to grow his stack throughout Day 2, always keeping his composure. By the end of Day 2 Altman had a massive chip lead, bagging a total of 9,800,000, while the runner-up finisher was second in chips with 3,700,000.
He began Day 2 with a bang, eliminating Michael Graffeo in seventh place in the first half hour. His ace-queen out-flopped the pocket kings of Graffeo in a preflop all-in, sending him over 10,000,000 chip mark. It wasn’t until there were five players left that Altman started to get hit, doubling up multiple players. “I just had to take one hand at a time. I try not to be results oriented and just do what I think is best.” Altman explained when asked if he was worried when he started to lose some big pots.
Event #15 - Tony Close
Honors for the last ring event of the Isle Casino Pompano Park Circuit series went to Tony Close. The 41-year-old topped a field of 230 entries in Event #15: $400 No-Limit Hold’em Last Chance to win his first World Series of Poker gold ring and bank a cash prize of $17,550. The tournament took only one day to complete, lasting nearly 12 hours long.
“Well, I’ve had a couple final tables and I’ve been playing a lot of smaller tournaments… getting to the final table and actually playing it out, heads up. So, when I got heads up it actually helped me out,” said Close.
Along with the gold ring and top payout, Close walks away with a guaranteed seat in the 2022 Tournament of Champions. The West Palm Beach, Florida native runs bars and night clubs around the area, but still has an avid poker presence in his life.
“When I get off, and I don’t have my kid, I play tournaments, or I play cash,” Close stated.
