Peacock to Lead the Final Table at the WPT Seminole Championship

Summary:

• World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (SHRPS) has reached its final six contenders. 
• Play will resume on May 29 in Las Vegas when Floridian Arthur Peacock will return as chip leader. 
• The big winner will walk home with a $776,000 prize and a coveted $10,400 WPT seat.

The World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (SHRPS) has finally taken its huge player field of 1,755 participants down to the final six contenders. 

When play resumes in Las Vegas on May 29, Floridian Arthur Peacock will go back as the chip leader and the only player holding more than 100 big blinds. 

The eventual winner will walk away with $776,000 and a coveted $10,400 WPT seat.

$5.6M Prize Pool Up for Grabs

The $3,500 buy-in event, held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, built a prize pool of over $5.6 million. 

Joining Peacock at the final table are Jeffery Fritz, Mitchell Hynam, Jared Hemingway, Daniel Marcus and Mihai Niste. The table will be filmed for a future episode of WPT’s Season 23.

Peacock, a seasoned pro with over $1.7 million in live earnings and $358,700 in best live cash, according to Hendon Mob, will enter the finale as the most experienced U.S.-based player. 

Chip Counts: pic.twitter.com/dUlOVhNjbL

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) April 8, 2025

Niste, the $2.2M Player at the Table

Romania’s Mihai Niste, however, boasts the highest career earnings at the table, at more than $2.2 million. 

Niste recently placed second in the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event for $251,000 earlier this year.

Despite having slightly smaller resumes, the other finalists bring plenty of talent. Hemingway, from Texas, has nearly $1 million in earnings, while England’s Hynam has cashed for over $700,000.

Rafael Rodriguez fell just short of the final table, finishing in seventh place when his ace-four failed to overcome Peacock’s pocket eights. 

Other notable deep runs came from WPT champions Asher Conniff and Brian Altman (both 18th for $45,500), Frank Funaro (11th for $65,000), and David Moses (21st for $38,500).

The SHRPS festival wasn’t just about the main event. Cherish Andrews, the reigning GPI Female Player of the Year, won the $25,000 High Roller for $408,265 after a four-way deal. 

Meanwhile, Josh Reichard, who owns an impressive 16 WSOP Circuit rings, bagged $288,400 for his victory in the $10,000 Deep Stack Event, outlasting a tough final table featuring Martin Kabrhel and Faraz Jaka.

Also grabbing headlines was Matthew Zarcadoolas, who took down the CSOP Larry Frank Memorial Charity Event, earning $6,000 and an entry into the SHRPS Championship.

All eyes will now turn to Las Vegas for the final showdown.