McKeehen and Elias Chop SHRPO $25K High Roller

Joe McKeehen added another title to his poker resume when he won the $25,500 Super High Roller event at the 2021 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open in Florida. McKeehen chopped the tournament when heads-up with Darren Elias and won $550,990.

Ninety-one players bought into the $25,500 Super High Roller and created a $2,247,700 prize pool. Nobody at the final table walked away with less than $65,185 such was the massive prize pool.

Elias improved his chances of victory by sending Chad Eveslage to the rail in ninth. The four-time WPT champion min-raised to 80,000, Joseph Cheong called on the button, and Evelsage squeezed all-in for 590,000. Elias came over the top, and Cheong folded. Eveslage turned over Js-Jh, but Elias held Kh-Kd. The 6s-5h-2c-Ts-6c board sent Eveslage to the showers.

The tournament became an all-male affair when Nadya Magnus crashed out. Magnus raised all-in for a mere 1.5 big blinds, and Jake Daniels called from the small blind. McKeehen made it 250,000 to go, which folded out Daniels. McKeehen showed Ad-4h, Magnus 3s-3h, and the board ran Qd-Qc-Jh-Jc-Kc.

Seventh-place went to Dylan Smith, who ran into Cheong’s monster. McKeheen min-raised to 100,000 from early position, only for Smith to move all-in for 230,000. Cheong four-bet to 350,000, and McKeehen mucked. Smith showed Ad-3c, but Cheong held Ks-Kc. Neither player improved on the 9d-8h-3c-Jd-7h board, and Smith busted.

McKeehen Takes Charge Short-Handed

The waters of the tournament became less shark-infested when McKeehen dispatched Cheong in sixth. Cheong jammed his eight big blinds from the cutoff with Ah-6c, and McKeheen called with As-7d in the small blind. The five community cards ran Kd-9s-2h-3s-Qd to send Cheong home.

Each of the remaining five players locked in a six-figure prize. David Peters was the first of this quintet to get his hands on one such reward. Peters busted after check-calling an 80,000 Elias bet on a 6c-4c-2h flop. He check-called a 225,000 bet on the Ks turn before checking again on the 8c river. Elias set him all-in, and Peters called with As-Ah. Elias showed Kc-7c for a flush, and Peters crashed out.

McKeehen was in control when four-handed play began, but Elias kept tabs on the former WSOP Main Event champion. Elias found Ks-Kc when Daniels three-bet all-in with 3c-3d. His kings held, and Daniels walked away with the $197,800 third-place prize.

Pocket kings appeared during the next elimination, this time in the hands of McKeehen, who busted Thomas Boivin. McKeehen min-raised to 120,000 before calling the 660,000 all-in bet from Boivin. It was Kh-Kd versus Ah-8c, and a 9c-Jd-3h-4s-Jc board sent the tournament heads-up.

Heads-Up Lasts Two Hands

Spectators settled in for what should have been an epic heads-up battle. However, the contest ended after only two hands. Both players were relatively even in chips, so they struck a deal. The deal left $11,855 to flip for.

The first flop saw McKeehen’s Jc-2c against Elias’ 9h-4h. An 8d-Jh-7h-7c-Td board gifted McKeehen a straight and a massive advantage. Flip number two saw McKeehen’s Jc-3d beat Elias’ 5c-3c courtesy of the Qd-7d-6s-Th-Kh community cards.

Place	Player	Prize
1	Joe McKeehen	$550,990*
2	Darren Elias	$539,135*
3	Thomas Boivin	$285,460
4	Jake Daniels	$197,800
5	David Peters	$128,120
6	Joseph Cheong	$96,650
7	Dylan Smith	$78,670
8	Nadya Magnus	$67,430
9	Chad Eveslage	$65,185

*reflects a heads-up deal

This latest victory pushes McKeehen’s lifetime winnings past the $18 million mark, $18,245,794 to be exact. It is the Pennsylvania grinder’s fifth-largest career score, which is impressive. Of course, the largest of his prizes is the $7,683,346 he reeled in after winning the 2015 WSOP Main Event.

The $539,135 Elias netted is the second-largest of his illustrious career. Elias’ largest haul is $843,744, his reward for winning the 2014 WPT Borgata Poker Open.

Brad Johnson

You name the game, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Brad has either played it or placed a wager on it! Brad calls himself a natural gambler, and someone who gains as much enjoyment from writing about the crazy game of poker as he does playing it.

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