Eight months ago, Landon Tice and Dylan Smith stood smiling among a group of six players posing for a championship event final table photo in the back of the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood ballroom. Last night, they did the exact same thing.
Tice and Smith both final-tabled April's World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship, which played out the following month at the HyperX ESports Arena in Las Vegas. Smith was the chip leader but bowed out in a disappointing fifth-place finish, while Tice finished runner-up to come just short of his first WPT title.
Wednesday's 2024 WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open Championship final table, which is currently underway and available to watch on stream, is a shot at redemption for both Florida grinders.
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In an interview at the conclusion of Day 3, Tice reflected on his "really great result" in the SHRPH Championship that earned him $550,000 and said he is "somehow having great fortune again" in his home state.
“The cards are what they are," Tice told PokerNews. "I’m obviously very fortunate to get to this point in the tournament. (I've) won on a lot of all-ins, I’ve been a great all-in player after the summer.”
“(I'm) just trying to make good decisions and see what happens. But if I can improve on the last WPT score, there’s only one way to do it. So I’m definitely hopeful but realistic.”
Doing better this time around was also on Smith's mind, who told PokerNewsat the end of Day 4 that “it was disappointing coming in with the major chip lead and then going out fifth."
"I feel very lucky to be able to potentially get redemption this quickly. So hopefully first this time.”
While his early 20s were spent almost exclusively in the lab, Tice is spending his mid-20s growing as a person. He co-hosts the award-winning Only Friendspodcast, is a creator for Solve For Whyand dedicates himself to fitness. He also has a girlfriend, Mallory Folsom, who was on the rail with Tice's siblings, parents and fluffy white cat during Wednesday's final table.
"The balance is really tough," Tice said. "I’ve been kind of out of playing some stuff I would like to play online just because of good life things happening. Trying to find a balance between having relationships outside of poker … as well as putting in time for MTTs, as well as finding time for fitness. It’s hard because not everything is going to be able to fall into place. But at the same time, it feels like everything’s falling into place just by doing what I’m doing.”
If he can't win the RRPO Championship, he hopes his fellow back-to-back final tablist can take it down. “Dylan wants some redemption from the final table in April. So I hope he gets it. Better than fifth, but not first. So we can both do a little better.”
The feeling was mutual. “Landon’s just a chill guy," Smith said. "We’re very friendly. We’re about to grab some food now to celebrate. Apart from wanting myself to win, I’d root for Landon.”
The two clashed early in a devastating cooler that saw Tice running ace-king into aces to be left with crumbs. Despite the cooler, Tice had to appreciate the chips going to Smith, who now finds himself in a good position to win the title and $662,200 first-place prize.
Follow the final table action by watching the WPT YouTube stream.
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*Photos courtesy WPT
