Daniel Colman Winning Streak Continues at SHRPO

Daniel Colman, en route to victory at the Seminole Hard Rock for a record-breaking win. Once again, he refused all interviews. (Image: PokerStars/Neil Stoddart)

Daniel Colman has won the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (SHRPO), continuing the extraordinary winning streak that’s looking like one of the greatest of all time. Despite his outspoken dislike of the limelight, Colman can’t really seem to escape it at the moment; the $1,446,710 he earned in Florida this week brings his tournament winnings to just below $21 million, only since April.

Just  two other players, Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari, have won more in their lifetimes. In fact, Daniel Colman has now leapfrogged Phil Ivey on the all-time money-winning leader board.

The streak began just over fourth months ago, when Colman won the EPT Monte Carlo Super High Roller for $2,127,398. Four middling cashes later, it was the big one, literally: the Big One for One Drop was the second richest poker tournament in history, and his victory there, where he beat Daniel Negreanu heads up in the final, earned him (and his backers) $15.3 million.

One Drop Reaction

After airing on ESPN, video of Colman’s moment of victory at the One Drop went viral, as his stony-faced reaction to winning an unimaginable amount of wealth became a sensation on social media. After reluctantly posing with his new bracelet and the obligatory enormous pile of cash, Colman swept out of the building, refusing all interviews.

“First off, I don’t owe poker a single thing,” said Colman later, defending his behaviour on 2+2. “I’ve been fortunate enough to benefit financially from this game, but I have played it long enough to see the ugly side of this world … I capitalize off this game that targets peoples weaknesses. I do enjoy it, I love the strategy part of it, but I do see it as a very dark game.”

But publicity-shy Colman was to hit the headlines again on the next stage of the winning streak, at the EPT Barcelona Super High Roller, where he faced his good friend Olivier Busquet heads-up. Although he finished second to Busquet on this occasion, for $1,118,479, both players caused a stir by wearing T-shirts emblazoned with pro-Palestine slogans.

Between a Hard Rock and a Hard Place

The final table of the Seminole Hard Rock was his sixth final table of the year and included some tough opponents in Joe Kuether, who finished fifth; one-time November Niner John Dolan, who finished fourth; and WPT champ Shawn Cunix, who busted in third. Colman, a heads-up specialist, faced Mike Leah in the final, and although he began play with only a slight chip advantage, he soon had his opponent on the ropes. The final blow was dealt when Colman, holding A-K, three-bet Leah’s button raise with Q-J suited. Leah jammed and Colman snapped; Colman hit a King on the river and the rest is history.

While Colman’s streak may not be the most prolific ever in terms of frequency of cashes, the sheer amount of money involved is unprecedented and is likely to remain so for a hundred years or so until inflation has a chance to catch up. Colman’s own thoughts on the matter remain unknown, however; as expected, he refused all interviews.

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