Event #7: $365 Monster Stack Re-entry

Florida PLO grinder wins a two-card title, first ring at Coconut Creek

Rodney Moret-Rojas won his first WSOP Circuit ring on Thursday night at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. Moret-Rojas outlasted a big field of 538 entries in the $365 Monster Stack to collect the top prize of $37,704.

The result is the largest on his tournament record, which is brief.

Primarily a pot-limit Omaha cash game player, Moret-Rojas has only been splashing around in tournaments for a couple months. His early results are pretty enviable, though. He recently won a pair of small tournaments at a local casino for around $3,000 apiece, and he had about $15,000 in total earnings enter this event.

Now, he’s a WSOP Circuit winner. This result is 10 times larger than his previous best, and it more than doubles his total previous earnings.?

Day 1 was a resounding success for the eventual winner. He finished the day fourth in chips with 32 players remaining, bagging up close to 50 big blinds. The Day 2 field was strong, though, including Mark Dube, bracelet winner Jonathan Hilton, and local standout Matthew Yorra, who began the day with the chip lead.

Moret-Rojas outlasted them all, though, eventually finding himself heads-up against Justin Harvell for the ring. Harvell has been riding a six-month-long heater, but he was still seeking his first live tournament victory.

He was denied once again, though. The two played heads-up for more than two hours before Moret-Rojas delivered the final blow.

The champ is a 37-year-old business owner from the Dominican Republic. He’s been in the States for a while now, first in Michigan and now nearby in Boca Raton. In his postgame interview, he raved about the local poker scene.

“The best,” he said. “The best in the country, in my opinion.”

He continued on: “I like it better than Vegas, I like it better than AC… Especially for PLO, because that’s what I play. Everywhere else I go, there’s not as much action, not as many tables. There are a lot of poker rooms here offering PLO.”

Moret-Rojas and his wife have two young boys, and this weekend marks the 11th anniversary of their marriage.

It took about four hours to trim the field from 32 players down to a final table of 10. Here's the lineup:

Seat 1: Aaron Miles - 590,000 (20 bb)
Seat 2: Jeff Bohanek - 819,000 (27 bb)
Seat 3: Bryce McVay - 876,000 (29 bb)
Seat 4: Michael Chesney - 588,000 (20 bb)
Seat 5: Michael Kopjanski - 360,000 (12 bb)
Seat 6: Rodney Moret-Rojas - 3,010,000 (50 bb)
Seat 7: Joseph Brett Biegler - 1,375,000 (46 bb)
Seat 8: Justin Harvell - 1,340,000 (45 bb)
Seat 9: Matthew Yorra - 738,000 (25 bb)
Seat 10: Kammar Andries - 1,060,000 (35 bb)

McVay is appearing at his third final table of the series. If he finishes in ninth or better, he'll take the lead in the Casino Champion race for Coconut Creek. He'd very much like to improve on his fourth- and second-place finishes.

Blinds are 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante in the current level, which puts the average stack under 18 big blinds. Everyone left is now guaranteed to earn at least $2,597.

Play continues until a winner is determined this evening, with a ring and the top prize of $34,704 awaiting.

The clock has run out on Level 21 and on Day 1 as a whole. From a starting field of 538 entries, just 32 players remain.

Matthew Yorra carries the overnight chip lead with 952,000 chips. That's good for about 80 big blinds and a significant edge over the pack.

Here's the overnight top five:

1. Matthew Yorra - 952,000 (79 bb)
2. Kammar Andries - 633,000 (53 bb)
3. Bruce McVay - 602,000 (50 bb)
4. Rodney Moret-Rojas - 571,000 (48 bb)
5. Mark Dube - 545,000 (45 bb)

Bryce McVay (pictured) is working on a third deep run of the series. The previous two each culminated in final table appearances, earning fourth- and second-place finishes. He's put himself in a good spot to make a third final table, hoping for a better result this time.

Justin Harvell is also inside the top 10 with 425,000 chips, followed by the likes of Jesse Cohen (346,000), Jonathan Hilton (246,000), and Sean Shah (61,000).

Day 2 chip counts  |  Day 2 seat draw

Blinds will be 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante when play resumes, so the average stack is around 28 big blinds. Everyone left is guaranteed to earn at least $834 on Thursday, but they're playing for a ring and a top prize of $34,704.

Day 2 begins at 1 p.m.

After a big of a sluggish start, the Monster Stack field swelled to fill the room. A total of 538 entries were counted by the time registration closed, creating a prize pool worth $161,400 to easily eclipse the guarantee.

That money will be shared by the final 54 players, with a min-cash worth $620. The winner will collect the series' seventh gold ring and $34,704.

The full breakdown of the payouts can be found in the Prizepool tab above.