Jason Bocchino of Medford, N.Y., received a lucky Southwest Florida welcome on Sunday after beating poker Hall of Famer Scotty Nguyen for a seat in the Seminole Hard Rock Open WPT Main Event.

The 35-year-old, who recently moved to Naples, is the President and CEO of Bocchino & Donato Corp., an international business-to-business debt collection agency.

“I entered the competition for a chance to play Scotty,” he said.

Although Nguyen holds more than 47 first-place finishes under his belt, he proved no match for Bocchino, who has won one major tournament in Las Vegas.

“It feels awesome to be the winner, and it felt great to play against a poker star,” he said. “I look forward to meeting my competition at the WPT Main Event.”

Bocchino won the Seminole Casino Immokalee Head’s Up NL Hold’ Em tournament held at Seminole Casino Immokalee on March 30. The tourney had a $550 buy-in and a $6,000 guaranteed prize pool, with a chance to play Nguyen for a $3,500 seat in the $5 million guaranteed Seminole Hard Rock Open WPT Main Event.

The televised WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship kicks off Thursday, April 10 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood and ends Wednesday, April 16.

The championship’s $5 million guarantee is the largest ever for a $3,500 buy-in. Players may play any or all starting flights and choose their best stack. Re-entry will be allowed for six levels.

The Showdown series features no limit hold’em, bounty, pot limit Omaha, six-max and mixed events.