Steven Sarmiento Wins WSOPC Seminole Coconut Creek for $188,158!

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Oct 01, 2019 6 min read

The 2019/20 World Series of Poker Circuit has crowned a new champion at Seminole Coconut Creek in the $1,700 Main Event as Steven Sarmiento emerged victorious, claiming his first WSOP Circuit ring. Sarmiento bested a 617-player field to take down the lion's share of the prize pool, collecting $188,158 along with a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.

"I really feel like I've found an adjusted strategy which is working very well."

Sarmiento is a Forest Hills, NY native who has live tournament cashes dating back to 2011 but it was not until about four years ago that he took to the title of being a pro. He had over $650,000 in tournament cashes before binking this event, with almost $400,000 of them coming in 2019.

Sarmiento now has four six-figure cashes this year. When asked about what changed during the last year that lead to the great results, he replied: "I really feel like I've found an adjusted strategy which is working very well. I've been having a lot of success this year and this is the first stranglehold win. I've come in third and second so this is super satisfying.

"I've been having a lot of success this year and this is the first stranglehold win. I've come in third and second so this is super satisfying."

"This was a very odd tournament where I really didn't have any issues at any point until the end where I was heads-up and I had the chip lead on him but he took it back and then I had to battle back," said Sarmiento.

When asked about what he thinks was the difference between this and other tournaments, he said: "All I know is that I didn't have much issue, I may have had the best hand in good spots. I made a few big hands in the final table, so I was able to not get bullied by the big stack to my left him because I kept making big hands against him, which was key.

"I pretty much smooth sailed, it was a good few days, I'm super excited and Lucky"

2019 WSOPC Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Final Table Results

2019 WSOPC Seminole Casino Coconut Creek Final Table Results Final Day Action

The final day saw only eleven players return to fight it out for a WSOP Circuit Main Event ring and of course the $188,158 first-place prize.

Two players took an exit during the last hands of Day 2 and the action seemed to continue during the start of the final day, with Thomas Alcorn headed to the payout desk first. Alcorn came into the third day and started firing, climbing up over the two million-mark instantly. Corcoran, though, had other plans for the steamrolling Alcorn. Alcorn lead when a nine-nine-eight flop landed and Corcoran shoved over the top. Alcorn snap-called in what was the biggest pot of the tournament at that point. Alcorn tabled two dimes and Corcoran showed jack-ten for a straight draw. The queen came down instantly on the turn, giving Corcoran a straight and Alcorn failed to catch up on the river as he was eliminated.

The unofficial final table of ten was set and David Nathaniel was dubbed the official final table bubble boy. Nathaniel shoved a five-high flop with ace-ten and Matthew Yorra called holding ace-queen. The board ran out dry and Nathaniel headed out the door in tenth-place.

The official final table was formed and players started to tighten up. Just under an hour went by before another player found themselves at risk, and unfortunately for Thomas Macey it was a flip that he was unable to win. Macey shoved it all into the middle, Corcoran pushed in an isolation shove, and the two tabled their hands. Corcoran flipped over big slick against the snowmen of Macey. The flop came king-high as Corcoran eliminated another player, sending Macey to the payout desk.

Next to take an exit was Daniel Couzens, and again it was a familiar face sending a player home. Couzens pushed all in from under the gun with ace-four of diamonds and Corcoran called in the big blind with his ace-jack. The board ran out clean for Corcoran who sent home another player and the tournament was down to seven.

A few hands after Couzens took an exit, it was Bradley Mercer who moved all in from the button with his king-queen. Start of the day chipleader Nick Yunis called with his ace-queen and Mercer failed to catch up and was eliminated in seventh place.

Matthew Yorra was starting to spin up a stack during the final table but Sarmiento put an end to that. Yorra jammed his stack on a turned board with top pair of aces and was instantly called by Sarmiento who had top two. Yorra failed to land a river, doubling Sarmiento as he was left short in the process. Yorra moved all in blind a few hands after and found seven-five as his cards. The hand went four-way to a three-three-deuce flop and Corcoran held king-three to bust another one. Yorra was drawing dead on the queen turn and took an exit in sixth place.

Corcoran claimed another victim shortly after when Dominique Mosley moved all in from the button with king-ten and Corcoran woke up with pocket jacks in the big blind. The flop came down ten-high, giving Mosley a pair but he failed to improve his hand any further than that and was sent to the payout desk in fifth-place.

Four-handed play lasted for over two hours before another player hit the rail and that player was Yunis. Sarmiento played a low-ball pot with Yunis on a board that had a pair of nines showing and action exploded on the river. Yunis shoved his stack on the river with his nine-seven for three nines with a seven kicker and Sarmiento called, holding nine-eight for the same hand but a better kicker. Yunis took an exit in fourth place for a respectable $64,432.

Three-handed play lasted just one hand. Sarmiento opened from the cutoff and Corcoran flatted on the button. Russell Sullivan moved all in from the big blind and Sarmiento quickly slammed in a stack, calling the shove. Corcoran folded and the remaining two tabled their hands. Sullivan showed ace-queen and was in rough shape as Sarmiento turned over ace-king. Sarmiento's big slick held on for the pot and Sullivan took an exit in third for $86,060.

The heads-up started with Sarmiento having about a two to one chip lead but Corcoran instantly drew first blood, evening out the playing field. Corcoran took his newly acquired chips and put them to good use just a few hands after, with a well-timed triple barrel bluff that he showed after Sarmiento folded the river. Corcoran took down the very next pot when each player had the same pair but Corcoran had a better kicker, extending his lead.

Sarmiento took down a flurry of pots during the next thirty minutes of play, seeming to catch complete fire and he paired it with some well-timed aggression. Sarmiento retook the lead and started to apply pressure, pushing down on Corcoran until the last hand of the night. Corcoran called a three-bet and the dealer spread out an eight-high flop. Sarmiento pushed in a bet and Corcoran moved all in. Sarmiento snap-called and the two tabled their hands. Corcoran showed ten-eight for top pair but was in poor shape when Sarmiento showed ace-eight for the same pair with the best kicker. Two bricks peeled off and Corcoran was eliminated in second for $116,291.

WSOPC Seminole Coconut Creek Ring Winners

Scott Roberts finished as the winner of the Casino Champion title with 127.5 points. He secured four cashes this stop including one victory and two runner-up finishes to secure a seat into the 2020 Global Casino Championship.