Event 3: Young Gun

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

While most of the younger players lean toward fast-paced No Limit Hold Em' events, Ilya Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) took his poker prowess to the mixed game field.

The youngest player in the field has the Chiplead with only 31 players left.

The New York native "has chips, feels good...let's see what happens."

CHIPLEADER - Ilya Dyment
261,500 chips

Event 1: 26 Players Remain

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)   

Christopher Kusha busted in 36th place.

Adam White departed in 35th place.

Frank Piasecki went in 31st place.

Bob Hwang busted in 30th place.

Gordon Eng was felted in 29th place.

All earned $2,533 for their efforts.

26 players remain at three tables.  They're currently enjoying another break as the orange 1k chips are colored up.

Event 1: Johnson Jilted

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Joe Wertz (Montoursville, PA) opened for 120k, then Austen Johnson shoved for ~600k.

 Joe Wertz

Joe called holding AQ suited.  Austen held 86 suited.  An Ace on the flop was enough for Joe to take the pot, busting Austen in the process.  Austen finished in 37th place ($2,133).

Joe was up to ~2.4 million after that hand.

With 36 players remaining, table five was broken and Joe landed at table two with the massive stack of Vincent Maglio.

Event 2: Tourney Stats

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

The bubble has broken.

The remaining players are in the money,
46th - 54th place will earn $697.

Event #2
Number of entrants: 513
Players remaining: 53
Total Buy-In: $179,550

Chipleaders:
Eugene Kleyman - 398,000
Joshie Berger - 331,000
Dennis Reitman - 251,000
Jacobo Fernandez - 229,000
Chris Law - 212,000

Event 1: Crazy Hand, Gigantic Pot

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Just when you think you've seen it all...

Three players get all-in pre-flop on table two:
Larry Kolk - AA
Vincent Maglio - KK
Adam White - KK

Vincent Maglio with his enormous stack

The board ran out with four hearts and Larry did NOT have the right Ace.  Vincent held the King of hearts to take the gigantic pot.  Larry was busted in 38th place ($2,133) and Adam was left short-stacked.

After that pot, Vincent was way up over 5 million chips.  There are only 42.95 million chips in play and Vincent has more than 11% of all the chips in play with 37 players remaining.

Poker Fashion?

Poker Fashion - The Backwards Baseball Hat, because nothing else looks cool with a hooded sweatshirt and bulky headphones.

Here's to Major League Baseball for providing flat-bill hats at Borgata and poker rooms around the world.

Toronto Blue Jays

St. Louis Cardinals

Philadelphia Phillies

New York Mets

New York Yankees

Chicago White Sox

Event 1: Eng Stays Alive

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Vishal got all-in pre-flop against Gordon Eng.  Vishal held pocket Aces and was way ahead of Gordon's pocket 4s.  An Ace on the flop was overkill.  Vishal doubled to ~1.8 million.

Gordon was all-in for 90k on the next hand (button).  Paul Darden called from the small blind and the big blind came along for the ride.  On the flop of 8 2 2, Paul checked, the big blind bet, and Paul folded.

The big blind held T2 for trip deuces, but Gordon held pocket 8s for 8s full.  The last two came K K and Gordon tripled up to ~300k.

Event 3: TV Star

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

A televised final table could be in the works for reality TV star,
Joshie Berger (Brooklyn, NY).

The Food Network's "worst chef in America" is the overwhelming Chipleader with 333,500 chips in Event #2.

He considers his tablemates "overrated" while they continue to sing his praises.

Joshie Burger
333,500 chips

Event 3: Nguyen the Master

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Andy Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) is all smiles as he becomes the
Chipleader in Event #3.

The IT system administrator took a break from his day job "because I wanted a break from No Limit Hold Em."

Andy Nguyen
149,000 chips

Event 1: Markatos Flushes

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Niko Markatos (sb) bet 200k on the turn with a board of K♦J♥T♦9♦.  His opponent on the button tanked, then called.

River was the Q♥, putting a straight on the board.  Niko again bet 200k.  After some additional tank time, his opponent called.  Niko showed 8♦7♦ for the flush.  His opponent mucked.  Niko chipped up to over 1.6 million.

Event 1: Braden Busts

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Former chip leader Billy Braden got his last 280k in holding AQ and got action from a player holding AJ.  Unfortunately for Billy, a Jack hit the board and he was busted.  He finished in 42nd place, earning $2,133.

Gordon Eng took a coin flip against a shorter stack.  Gordon's pocket 6s were slightly ahead of his opponent's AK, but an Ace hit the flop.  After shipping the double, Gordon was down to ~1.1 million.

Shortly after that hand, Gordon got moved to another table, landing on the right of Paul Darden.  These two pros started off today at the same table and now are together again.

39 players remain.  Average is now over 1.1 million.

Event 3: Real Housewives of New Jersey

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

When artist Gina Cannone isn't painting murals, she's stacking chips.

The New Jersey native and "Poker Queen" just eclipsed the 100k chip mark in Borgata's first mixed game event of the series.

Good Luck "Ginevil."

Poker Queen - Gina Cannone
141,000 chips

Event 1: Yet Another New Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

After the break, play resumed with 20k/40k blinds and 4k antes. 

As players busted and tables were balanced, table two has ended up with three very big stacks.  

It appears Adam White (Ketchum, ID) is the new chip leader with ~2.8 million.  He's in the six seat.

Calvin Liu (Brooklyn, NY) is a close second with ~2.7 million.  He's in the three seat.

Vincent Maglio (5 seat) has dropped back to ~1.8 million.

Larry Kolk (9 seat) has about 1.3 million.

Also at table two:
Dean Schultz (seat 1)
Steve Ryan (seat 2)
Bob Hwang (seat 7)

Event 1: Martin Moves Up

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) sent another player packing when her pocket Queens held up against pocket 9s.  Nancy is now up to ~1.6 million.

 Nancy Martin

44 players remain.  The next eight to depart will each collect $2,133.

At the end of the level, players took off for ten minutes away from the felt.

Event 2: Hurley Hat Heater

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, CT) breaks the 200k chip mark for
the first time in Event #2.

The East Coast tournament pro and Borgata regular is poised
to "ship this tournament" and get back in the winners circle.

A friendly reminder from his friends on the rail, "Don't punt."

Ryan Eriquezzo
203,000 chips

Event 1: New Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)   

Vincent Maglio (Revere, MA) has claimed the chip lead.  He's over 2.3 million.

 Vincent Maglio

Former chip leader Gordon Eng is stalled at 2.1 million.

45 players remain at 5 tables.

Event 2: Field Size Shrinks

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Big stacks bully and short stacks struggle as we come
down the stretch in Event #2.

With 86 players remaining from a field that started with 513 hopefuls,
the Blinds are up to 1,000/2,000/300a.

54 players make the money, good luck field.

Event 1: Kusha Keeps On

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Christopher Kusha (Staten Island, NY) has been quietly building his stack all day. 

Christopher Kusha

He started day two with 129k and is now up to ~900k.  Perhaps his 'Chef Duck' card protector is bringing him some luck.

46 players remain, making the average ~933k, so Christopher is keeping close to average.

Event 2: On the Rise

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Burak Temel (Washington, DC) took his talents from the online gaming scene and hopes to make a big splash in East Coast live tournaments.

Coming off a WSOP Circuit win, he's well on his way to more deep finishes and big time scores.

Eager to post results at Borgata, he tells us "I'm here to win it."

Burak Temel (Washington, DC)
121,ooo chips

Event 1: Blinds Up

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Table 7 is history so they're down to 54 players at six tables.  Average is ~795k.

Chip Leader Gordon Eng landed at table 3 with Niko Markatos.

Jeremy Rosen landed at table 1 with Nancy Martin and Ta Wey.

Nancy Martin is the last woman sitting in this event, and has been for quite a while.

Blinds have just increased to 15k/30k with 4k antes.

Event 2: Funny Man

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Brian Hewitt (Staten Island, NY) is known for telling inappropriate jokes and making his friends laugh.

If poker doesn't pan out for this part-time pro, he may have a career in comedy.

Event #2's funny man sits slightly above chip average after the Dinner Break.

Brian Hewitt (Staten Island, NY)

grinding after the Dinner Break

Event 2: Words of Wisdom

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Event #2 has an official Chipleader. Hiding behind Louis Vitton shades and raking mulitple pots put "the poker playing philospher" in the top spot after the Dinner Break.

Eugene Kleyman (Brooklyn, NY) gives the Borgata Poker Blog the best soundbite of the tournament.

The soon-to-be Equity broker tells us "Life is the hardest of all teachers, you get the test before the lesson."

Eugene Kleyman (Brooklyn, NY)
283,000 chips

Event 1: Hwang Chips Up

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)       

Play resumed after dinner with blinds of 12k/24k and 3k antes.

Not long after play resumed, 'Action' Bob Hwang doubled up.  On a flop of Q 6 4, all the chips went in the middle. 

 Bob Hwang

The player in seat 4 held QT for top pair.  Bob had him out-kicked with KQ.

The last two came 3 7 and Bob chipped up to ~500k.

Event 2: Dinner Break Chip Counts

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

110 Players remain with an average stack of 56k.  

Big Stacks 

Eugene Kleyman (Brooklyn, NY) 283k
Dennis Roitman (Brooklyn, NY) 195k
Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, CT) 186k
Jonathan Chehanske (Howell, NJ) 160k
Joshie Berger (Brooklyn, NY) 158k
Dan DaConti (Mt. Laurel, NJ) 140k

Players are on a one hour dinner break and play resumes at 8:30 pm

Event 3: Dinner Break

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

85 players remain with an average stack of 27k. Players are on dinner break and resume play at 8 pm

Event 3: Payouts

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Entries:
Totat Buy-In:

Place - Amount

1st $19,352
2nd $10,643
3rd $6,128
4th $5,160
5th $3,870
6th $3,225
7th $2,580
8th $1,935
9th $1,451
10-12 $1,290
13-15 $1,129
16-18 $968

Event 1: Dinner Break

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)      

At the end of the level, the 62 remaining players were rewarded with a one hour dinner break.  Play will resume at about 8pm.

Gordon Eng is the chip leader with 2.1 million.

Claude the Dealer During Dinner Break

While the players are gone, their chips are still on the tables so dealers continue to push through their rotation, even though the cards are still and the chips are silent.  Claude is one of those dealers just pushing in to a table, minus the players.

Event 2: Payouts

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Entries: 513
Total Buy-In: $179,550

Place - Amount

1st $43,359
2nd $24,342
3rd $15,675
4th $12,453
5th $9,753
6th $8,012
7th $6,357
8th $4,964
9th $3,483
10-12 $2,264
13-15 $1,742
16-18 $1,306
19-27 $958
28-36 $871
37-45 $784
46-54 $697

Event 1: New Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)     

Gordon Eng got all-in on the turn holding KJ for the nut straight and the current nuts.  He got called by a big stack holding two pair.

 Gordon Eng

Gordon faded the four-outer on the river and doubled up to ~2 million chips, good for the chip lead.

Table 8 is breaking now, so 63 players remain.  The next nine players to depart will each earn $1,666.

Event 1: Avramov Hanging On

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)    

Ronen Avramov (Glendale, NY) is still holding on.  He began day two with only 91k and he's still sitting on a stack about that size with only 71 players remaining.

 Ronen Avramov

The big stack of Billy Braden has dwindled to about half it's former size.  He's now down to ~700k.

**  Ronan busted out shortly after this post, finishing 67th for $1,466.

Event 1: Colamaria Doubles Thru Cicak

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)   

Tommy Colamaria (Jackson, NJ) got all his chips in the middle pre-flop against the big-stack of George Cicak, who is on Tommy's right.

 George Cicak and Tommy Colamaria

Tommy had the boss pair, pocket Aces, and they held up against George's pocket Kings.  Tommy doubled up to over 800k while George dropped down to 1.1 million, surrendering the chip lead.

Event 2: Going Green

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Vasserman is a Green Machine

Players are just back from a color-up break as the green (25) chips have been removed from play.

170 players of the 513 starting field remain, as a couple of stacks have reached the 100k chip mark.

Big Stacks:

Ryan Eriquezzo 123k
John Allen Hinds 105k
Burak Temel 101k

Ilya Vasserman (Margate, NJ), with 81k, is one of several players in the 80-100k range.

Event 1: Ryan Running Good

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

Steve Ryan (New York, NY) is making his comeback.  A little over an hour ago, Ryan was down to ~150k.  Now he's back to ~550k.

 Steve Ryan

As I watched, Ryan was facing a 62k bet on the river.  The board was T 8 2 6 4 and the third heart had fallen on 5th street.  Ryan made the call and heard those magic words, "Good call" from his opponent.  Ryan showed A6 offsuit for a pair of 6s to take the pot as his opponent mucked.

With that pot, Ryan chipped up to ~700k.

74 players remain.  Average stack is ~596k.

Event 3: 130 Players Remain

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Hollywood Dave Representing the West Coast

Of the 130 remaining players the most colorful is "Hollywood" Dave Stann, who's a West Coast pro who won the 2011 Borgata Spring Open H.O.S.E event for $7,500.

190 players entered the field and the top 18 cash with a top prize of $19,352.

Event 1: Whorley Whipped

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)   

DJ Whorley (Accokeek, MD) made his last stand with AJ suited and got looked up by the big stack of Billy Braden (Toms River, NJ).  Billy was trailing with T9 offsuit, but the board ran out K Q 9 3 3 and Billy paired his 9 to take the pot.  He chipped up to ~1.3 million.

 Billy Braden

DJ finished in 84th place for $1,200.  He finished 3rd in the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP this summer, good for over $91k.

On the next hand, Billy picked up pocket Aces and they held up.  He's now up to over 1.5 million.

Nine tables remain with 81 players.  Average stack is now over 530k.

Event 1: 90 Players Remain

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)  

They're down to 10 nine-handed tables now, leaving 90 players still in the hunt.

George Cicak is still the chip leader, despite dropping down to ~1.56 million.

Only about 10 players are at or over 1 million chips.

They are on a break now and will return to blinds of 8k/16k with 2k antes.

Event 2: Jack Hammer

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Here's a three way all-in from earlier in the day had some interesting action:

Limp, Raise, Flat, Jam, Re-Jam, Call.

Jammer: 9 9
Re-Jammer: J J
Call: K K

The flop brings a jack giving John Allen Hinds (Greenville, NC) a set of jacks against Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY) and his pocket kings. Hinds has both players covered and knocks out Dentale.

"Every time," says Dentale, who's quick to point out how he "runs bad."

Event 1: Chip Counts

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Now that they're in the money, the bust-outs are coming quickly and a line has formed at the payout desk.  All these guys are waiting for their $1,000 reward for two days of hard work.

 Stacking Up at the Payout Desk

Meanwhile, back on the felt, they are approaching the 100-player mark.  Players busting in 100th to 91st places will collect $1,067.

Here are some rough chip counts for a random assortment of players:

Dean Schultz -- 400k
Paul Darden -- 300k
Austen Johnson --600k
Gordon Eng -- 700k
David Tawil -- 1.4 million
'Lucky' Lee Kirsch -- 150k
Nancy Martin -- 400k
'Action' Bob Hwang -- 320k
Steve Ryan -- 150k
Gil Sacks -- 220k
Jesse Cohen -- 260k
Tommy Colamaria -- 200k
Frank Piasecki -- 600k

Event 1: Cashing In

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Weingart & Gibbons
First to Cash in the 2011 Borgata Poker Open

The broken bubble is now a steady stream to the payout desk.

First in line is Fred Weingart (New Egypt, NJ) who's 120th place finish nets him $1,000. Right behind him is Nick Gibbons (Stratford, NJ), who's last 14k in chips helps him limp across the line in 119th place for the cool grand.

A reminder of what they're playing for:

Number of Entries: 1,718
Total Buy-In: $687,200

Place-Amount

1st $140,852
2nd $87,989
3rd $53,327
4th $44,661
5th $36,662
6th $29,663
7th $23,664
8th $17,998
9th $12,332
10-12 $7,999
13-15 $5,666
16-18 $3,666
19-27 $3,000
28-36 $2,533
37-45 $2,133
46-54 $1,866
55-63 $1,666
64-72 $1,466
73-81 $1,333
82-90 $1,200
91-100 $1,067
101-120 $1,000

Event 1: In The Money

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

It's got to be tough being the short-stack and having the chip leader on your immediate left.  That's the situation Daniel Lombardi (Huntington, NY) found himself in today.

 Daniel Lombardi and George Cicak

He had anted and blinded his way down to only 2k in chips.  Those went in for his ante (he was in the cutoff seat) and he was all-in before the cards were even dealt.  Action folded to chip leader George Cicak on the button, who flat-called.  Both blinds came along for the ride and checked down the board of 5 3 2 T 4.

Daniel held Q3 suited for a pair of 3s, but George had an Ace for the wheel to take the pot.

Daniel is today's bubble-boy and was a good sport about it as he left the tournament area. 

The remaining 120 players are all in the money and guaranteed to cash for at least $1,000.

Event 1: Still Bubbling

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Whorley & Parretta Showing Off the Ladies

All-in action continues, but the bubble has yet to break. One anti-climatic showdown is Q♦ Q♥ vs Q♠ Q♣ and Dajuan Whorley (Accokeek, MD) shouts "black," as he's holding the black ladies against Dave Parretta (Williamstown, NJ) and his ladies in red.

The board fails to put out a flush and the two chop the 650k pot.

Just before that, on a neighboring table, Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) three-bets and when the original raisers folds, he show's pocket aces and says, "easy game."

Hand-for-hand play continues.

Event 1: Titans Clash Again

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

On the turn with a board of T 9 4 6 (two clubs, two hearts) George Cicak opts to call Jeremy Rosen's 80k bet. 

The river delivered the 8 of spades and George led out for 200k.  Jeremy folded.  He was left with ~600k.

George increased his lead to 1.8 million.

Still 121 players, still hand-for-hand.

Event 1: Break On The Bubble

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

One player busted out, leaving 121 players on the true-money-bubble.  They completed the level and were sent on a break.

Average stack is almost 355k.

When they return, blinds will be 6k/12k with 2k antes and play will continue hand-for-hand until one more player is eliminated.

Event 1: Monster Hand, Monster Pot

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

With 122 players remaining, they went to hand-for-hand play.  Two more must go to reach the money.

A huge hand developed on table 11 between Jeremy Rosen (utg) and George Cicak (Randolph, NJ).  Jeremy raised, George 3-bet from the small blind, Jeremy 4-bet, George 5-bet, Jeremy 6-bet (+202k) and George tanked.

Crowd surrounding table 11 during this massive hand

All hands were completed at the other tables with no bust-outs, so a crowd gathered around this table.

George finally decided to move all-in (565k more on top).  Both players were very close in chips.

Now it was Jeremy's turn in the tank.  He eventually opted to fold (without showing).  His six-bet-fold ties the record held by Scott Blackman from the 2010 Spring Poker Open.

At the urging of the surrounding crowd, George showed his hand -- AK suited.

Jeremy was left with ~700k.  George claimed the chip lead with over 1.6 million.

Event 3: Up All Night

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Burr & Rouhani

The large fields and great values are luring the big game cash players into the Borgata Poker Open. Melissa Burr (Brigantine, NJ) was up all night grinding cash before deciding to enter the Omaha event.

She's just one of the recognizable names at what's turned into an all-star table. On her left is Freddie Rouhani (Gaithersburg, MD) and Eric Siegel (Melville, NY).

Also in the field is Brent Keller (Horsham, PA) who's a three-time WSOP circuit event champion and says, "it's pretty tough to bust out this early in the tournament."

12k starting stacks, limit betting, and split pots sets up a long day at the table.

Event 1: 135 Remain

 $400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Table 16 was quite a handful with amateur Frank Piasecki (Tonawanda, NY) in the two seat holding his own, sandwiched between poker pros Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) in the one seat and Paul Darden (Hampton, CT) in the three seat. 

 Gordon Eng and Frank Piasecki

They've now broken table sixteen, so Frank's been moved to a new table away from the pros.

15 tables remain with 135 players.  The tension in the room is ratcheting up as they can now smell the money.

Events 2 & 3: Numbers Game

The early returns have 500+ players in Event 2 (NLBounty) and 190 in Event 3 (Omaha).

Registration for both tournaments is closed and the cage is verifying the numbers for each prize pool.

Event 1: Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

David Tawil (Brooklyn, NY) has taken the chip lead with ~1.3 million.  He was at table 17, but that table has broken and he landed at table 13 (hope he's not superstitous).

 David Tawil

16 nine-handed tables remain leaving 144 players still in the hunt for the money and the top prize of over $140k.  Only the final 120 players will take home a piece of the prize pool.  Average stack is now over 298k. 

They've just moved into level 20 with blinds of 5k/10k with 1k antes.

Event 1: Another One Bites the Dust

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Jeremy Rosen (Paramus, NJ) is having a good day.  He started at noon with186,500 and is now sitting behind almost 1 million chips.

 Jeremy Rosen

His latest kill was when he called a short stack's all-in holding J8.  The all-in player was ahead with AK.

Both players picked up a pair when the flop came K 8 x.  The turn was a blank, but when another 8 landed on the river, Jeremy took the pot with trips, sending another player to the rail.

Event 2: Going Crazy

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Over enthusiasm in the early levels of a tournament can rub players the wrong way, but sometimes its pure joy. Jamal Ghanim, (South Plainfield, NJ) twice in the last 30 minutes, has stood on his chair and shouted after surviving a couple of all ins.

The latest comes while holding A 10 against the Q Q of Scott Eininger (Montebello, NY). Ghanim explodes with, "yes, yes yes!" when he hits trip aces to stay alive.

The players are unfazed and find Ghanim refreshing, "no hard feelings at all, I didn't want to take his $100," says Eininger, who doesn't mind forgoing the bounty he would have gotten for a knockout.

One other player chimes in, "he's good for the table, we don't want him to go."

Level 5 (150/300/25 ante) is underway.

Event 1: It's Good to be Lucky

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Play has resumed following a color-up break with blinds of 4k/8k and 1k antes.

Just before the break, Bernard Dominiak (Lower Burrell, PA) opened for 16k.  Austen Johnson (Woodsboro, MD) three-bet to 34k, Bernard four-bet for 105k, and Austen five-bet-shoved for another 175k on top.

 Austen Johnson

Bernard tanked for a few minutes, then made the call holding pocket Queens.  He was way ahead of Austen's JT suited.  Austen was at risk of elimination.

The flop came 9 7 6 giving Austen a gutshot, needing an 8.  The turn was a Queen, giving Bernard a bigger lead with a set of Queens, but giving Austen more outs with an open-ender.

River was a King, completing the straight for Austen and doubling him up to ~700k.  Bernard was left with ~50k after that hand.

As of the break, Bernard was down to ~20k.  Austen had lost a little and was down to ~650k.

Austen Johnson was the winner of the Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard promotion, winning his $3,500 entry into the BPO Championship, which begins on September 18(Day 1A)/19 (Day 1B).

** 5pm update:   Bernard Dominiak not only held on to make the money, but made it all the way to 94th place, earning $1,067.

Event 1: Royal On The River

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Nicolas Markatos (Astoria, NY) raised it pre-flop and got one caller.  On the flop of K Q T with two spades, all the chips went in the middle.  Nicolas was ahead with AQ of spades for middle pair with flush draw and gutshot straight and straight-flush draws.  His opponent held JT offsuit for bottom pair with open-ender.

 Nicolas Markatos

Turn was a King giving both players a second pair.  River was the Jack of spades, giving Niko the Royal flush for the overkill (he was ahead the whole way) and sending his opponent to the rail.

Niko has made quite a comeback.  At 1am on day one, he was down to only 20k with an hour left to play.  He finished day one with 223,500 and now is up to just under 400k.

Niko finished 5th in the $170 NL event during the Borgata Winter Open in January 2011, taking home over $11,000.

Event 2: Name Dropping

 $350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

The Black-Chip Bounty Hunters are currently in level 3 with blinds of 75/150.

There are quite a few recognizable faces in the field.  Here are some I spotted on my last pass:

Mike Dentale
Alex Bolotin
Eric Seigel
Russell Crane
Rick Austin
James 'Suits' Salters
Dan Spirer
David Inselberg
Ian Palomo
John Myung
Adam Lippert
Mirsad Kovaci

WSOP bracelet holder Mike "Little Man" Sica busted out of event 1, day 2 and has joined the bounty hunters in this event.

They're down to 45 tables now, meaning 450 (or fewer) players remain.

Borgata Tournament Leaderboard Promotion

Borgata Poker Open Tournament Leaderboard
Win prizes for the Borgata Poker Open Tournament Leaderboard promotion

How To Qualify:
By participating in any Borgata Poker Open event (September 7 - 23, 2011), players will earn points based upon Borgata’s poker tournament leaderboard formula, which takes into consideration three criteria:

• Tournament Buy-In Amount 
• Total Event Entries 
• Place Finished

Borgata Tournament Leaderboard points are calculated by multiplying the point factors from all three criteria.
The Borgata Tournament Leaderboard will be updated throughout the tournament.
Winners will be announced Monday, September 26:

• 1st Place: $3,500 Entry for Borgata Fall Poker Open (November 9-23, 2011) 
• 2nd - 4th Place: Sony Web TV 
• 5th - 7th Place: Apple iPod Touch 
• 8th - 10th Place: Nikon digital camera

Shark Attack

Kerry Karoutsos (right) shows Chip Modo a pair of glasses

In addition to taking home a ton of money and a championship trophy, Main Event winners also get a pair of Blue Shark Optics sunglasses.

"It's huge for us," says Kerry Karoutsos, the company's executive director. "It's a chance for us to get in front of players who have never heard of us."

Blue Shark started making sunglasses exclusively for poker players in 2006 and touts it's technology that allows in more light to make it easier to see the cards and chips.

"I love them," says Borgata regular Mike Castaldo (Palisades, NY), who's been wearing them for two years. "It makes everything brighter and my eyes are less tired."

Poker pros Jonathan Little and Kathy Liebert are two players who have Borgata experience that are on the front lines promoting the glasses along with Humberto Brenes and Hoyt Corkins.

"Players wear sunglasses to hide their eyes, so they don't give off tells and to look cool," says Karoutsos, "but many of their lenses are too dark. Our glasses cut down on the strain and fatigue that can lead to mistakes at the table."

Blue Shark Optics has a variety of looks and styles and their lenses can be inserted into existing frames. And as one of the sponsors of the Borgata Poker Open, Blue Shark Optics is glad that all the winners will be admiring their new hardware with a pair of new glasses.

Castaldo Sporting his Sharks

Event 1: Mystery Man Reappears

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Leach Learns Lesson

Richard Leach (Washington, D.C.) drove three hours expecting to see ~60k in his chip bag, instead he found 6k. Two hands later he shrugs his shoulders and is leaving with nothing more than a lesson learned the hard way.

"You can't get upset about it," says the real estate investor, adding with a smile "it was a misunderstanding on both our parts."

The confusion came when the remaining 150 players in the Poker Room were told to bag and tag their chips because they were moving upstairs to the Event Center. Everybody but Leach understood that it was a relocation, not the end of Day 1.

"I was talking to the dealer and I took it as we were ending early, which was great because I got ahead start on something I had to do early this morning," says Leach, who was surprisingly upbeat after hearing he was blinded down from 10 pm to 2 am.

When tournament directors realized Leach was missing and his stack was being blinded off, an APB went out to try and track him down. Announcements in the Event Center and Poker Room went unanswered, while blog posts were floating in cyberspace.

"You can't get mad, all you can do is regroup and start over again. They have tournaments here all the time," Leach says, while eying the satellite schedule to try and qualify for the Championship Event.

As Day 2 kicked off, Leach's 6k was enough to cover his 500 ante on the the first hand and with blinds at 2,500/5,000 was forced all-in from the big blind on the second. After watching David Tawil (Brooklyn, NY) tangle with Cathy Dever (Lancaster, PA) in the side pot, Leach waited until the river to flip over 5♣ 7♥ to seal his fate against Tawil's J♦ J♥.

"I'm definitely talking to the floor (supervisor) next time, and I'm definitely going to be checking the blog every 10 minutes from here on out," says Leach, who's off to hit his favorite slot machine before driving back to D.C.

"You always think how could anybody do something like put chips in their pocket, but now I'm sitting in their shoes."

Event 1: Dash for the Cash

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Parretta Poised at the Top

After 15 hours of play, the 236 remaining players are anxious to hit the money. Only 14% of the 1718 entries remain and the next step is to reach the cash as 120 players collect.

David Parretta (Williamstown, NJ) is the chip leader with 587k, while the average stack is 182k.

Action resumes with Level 17 (1,200/2,500/500 ante) with 35 minutes on the clock and the button is in the 10 seat.

Event 3: Busy, Busy Day

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The Event Center is jamming as Event 2 (NL Bounty) is underway, Event 1 (NL) players are finding their seats and unpacking their chips, and Event 3 (Omaha) is anxiously awaiting to kick off the first non No Limit of the series.

Early recognizable faces include:

Ron "Shifty" Schiffman (Cherry Hill, NJ)
Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ)
Dave Grubb (Wildwood Crest, NJ)

Event 2: Ladies Only

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Jamie Grindette-ing Away

The early list of notables includes a lot of formidable woman players, include Jamie Kerstetter (Monroe Township, NJ) who's fresh off her cash in the WSOP Main Event.

Kerstetter is a tough local player who's joined forces with three other women who formed the "Grindettes." Their website states, "4 passionate, hard-working & intelligent girls who defy the odds on a daily basis by playing poker for a living."

Blinds are 25/50 start and levels are 45 minutes long.

Other Women in the Field

Patricia Barsanti-Chou
Sheree Bykofsky
Joanne Monteavaro
Lisa Pickell
Jennifer So

Event 2: Off & Running

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Players are in filing in and taking their seats for the first bounty tournament of the 2011 Borgata Poker Open. A lot players bought their black chips in advance so there haven't been any lines at the chip carts.

There's no re-entry in this event so there's a serious vibe as there are no second chances.

Button starts in the 10 seat and the cards are in the air!

Thursday, September 8

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 2 - $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

• $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament.
• Levels will last 45 minutes each 
• 2-Day event

12PM: Event 3 - $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels1-10:  will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each
• 1-Day event

3PM: Event 27 - $200 + $30 Survivor NLH

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 25 minutes each 
• Approximately 1 in 10 will win $2,000 CASH 
• 1-Day event

7PM: Event 28 - $170 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 20 minutes each 
• 1-Day event

Event 1 Chip Leaders

Borgata Poker Open
Event 1: $400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH
September 7-8, 2011

Entries:  1,718
Total Buy-In:  $687,200

END OF DAY 1 CHIP COUNT LEADERS

1.  DAVID PARRETTA (WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ):  587,000

2.  TOMASZ GLINIECKI (JACKSON, NJ):  585,500

3.  KEVIN MCLOUGHLIN (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  579,000

4.  WILLIAM BRADEN (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  526,000

5.  JAYAKRISHNAN NAIR (REDMOND, WA):  500,500

6.  VINCENT MAGLIO (REVERE, MA):  483,500

7.  RUSLAN SHAMAL (BROOKLYN, NY):  480,000

8.  ELIANO MESQUITA (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  476,500

9.  ROCCO GIUGLIANO (EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ):  443,000

10.  HAMDY ABDALLA (WATERBURY, CT):  440,000

11.  NISSIM CHABI (BROOKLYN, NY):  426,000

12.  RYAN HEMMEL (HOBOKEN, NJ):  422,500

13.  JESSE ALEXIS COHEN (ARDMORE, PA):  406,500

14.  TURGUT GUERSEL (FAIRVIEW, NJ):  400,000

15.  KALID ALI (SILVER SPRING M, MD):  379,000

16.  DAVID TAWIL (BROOKLYN, NY):  375,000

17.  KIJOON PARK (FLUSHING, NY):  371,000

18.  ADAM WHITE (KETCHUM, ID):  362,500

19.  MATTHEW SHAFMAN (WEST ORANGE, NJ):  362,000

20.  TRAVIS GREENAWALT (LANDSVILLE, PA):  361,000

21.  GORDON ENG (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ):  344,000

22.  SHERVIN GOLBARI (ROSLYN HEIGHTS, NY):  339,500

23.  TIMOTHY MCCORMACK (BROOKLYN, NY):  336,000

24.  GREGORY JOSLYN (MILFORD, PA):  332,000

25.  MARK STEINBERG (WOODMERE, NY):  330,000

26.  EUI WOONG KIM (TORONTO, CAN):  326,000

27.  LUIS TORRES (MARACAIBO, VEN):  326,000

28.  VINCENT BASILICATA (LITTLE NECK, NY):  315,500

29.  DAJUAN WHORLEY (ACCOKEEK, MD):  315,000

30.  BERNARD DOMINIAK (LOWER BURRELL, PA):  308,000

31.  JEFFREY CLARK (VOORHEES, NJ):  294,500

32.  JOHN DELROSSI (MANTUA, NJ):  290,000

33.  PAUL DARDEN  JR (HAMPTON, CT):  289,500

34.  MATTHEW BEAUDETTE (LATTINGTOWN, NY):  288,000

35.  MICHAEL MARDER (SEWELL, NJ):  286,500

36.  CHRISTOPHER MACNEIL (PEABODY, MA):  284,500

37.  DOMINIC CARLO (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  282,000

38.  AUSTEN JOHNSON (WOODSBORO, MD):  279,000

39.  STEVEN RAIMIE (BROOKLYN, NY):  277,500

40.  MICHAEL ZHANG (NEW YORK, NY):  276,000

41.  GEORGE CICAK (RANDOLPH, NJ):  274,500

42.  JEFFERY TODD HILL (SHILLINGTON, PA):  271,500

43.  RICHARD CEFALONI (WINTER GARDEN, FL):  269,000

44.  DAVID POULTERER (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  267,000

45.  MARCELLO CALABRESE (CHALFONT, PA):  264,500

46.  QUANG NGUYEN (SAN JOSE, CA):  262,500

47.  CALVIN LIU (BROOKLYN, NY):  260,000

48.  MITCHELL MANTIN (LAS VEGAS, NV):  255,000

49.  DMITRIY TKACHENKO (BROOKLYN, NY):  253,000

50.  AARON WRIGHT (BALTIMORE, MD):  252,500

51.  MARK OLSHANSKY (BROOKLYN, NY):  252,000

52.  TREVOR GRAFFA (LANCASTER, PA):  251,500

53.  GEORGE OSHEA (FORDS, NJ):  250,000

54.  MARC DECORSO (BRIGANTINE, NJ):  249,000

55.  BARTLEY DOWLING (NEW YORK, NY):  247,000

56.  NANCY MARTIN (WASHINGTON CROSSING, PA):  245,500

57.  JACOB FERRO (N SYRACUSE, NY):  242,000

58.  DEREK BUONANO (TOLLAND, CT):  241,000

59.  YESNIEL PULIDO (PEMBROKE PINES, FL):  241,000

60.  NICHOLAS GIBBONS (STRATFORD, NJ):  240,000

61.  MICHAEL FORMAN (FARMINGVILLE, NY):  236,500

62.  ANDREW ROSEN (NY, NY):  234,500

63.  MICHAEL HAHN (CARMEL, IN):  232,000

64.  MICHAEL COLOGNA (FREEHOLD, NJ):  228,500

65.  MARK LLORENTE (LONG ISLAND CITY, NY):  227,000

66.  JAWID NAIM (BAY SHORE, NY):  224,000

67.  NICOLAS MARKATOS (DIX HILLS, NY):  223,500

68.  SOO SIN (HUNTINGDON, PA):  223,000

69.  ROLAND ISRAELASHVILI (FOREST HILLS, NY):  221,000

70.  NATHANIEL LINDQUIST (PHILA, PA):  220,500

71.  STANLEY KOZLOWSKI (BORDENTOWN, NJ):  220,000

72.  TOMMY COLAMARIA (JACKSON, NJ):  212,500

73.  YOSEF IZHAK LIDER (LOD, ISR):  211,000

74.  JOSEPH MATOS (STRATFORD, CT):  208,500

75.  NICHOLAS SALIMBENE (BRICK, NJ):  207,000

76.  ARTHUR PETERS (BRICK, NJ):  206,500

77.  DONALD MATUSOW (BRYN MAWR, PA):  205,000

78.  ALAN DWORETSKY (WOODMERE, NY):  204,500

79.  BRYAN MOSSEY (ORLANDO, FL):  203,500

80.  GERARD CARBERY (ASTORIA QUEENS, NY):  202,500

81.  NIELS RIKHOF (LA JUNTA, CO):  197,000

82.  ERIC WARMING (HOCKESSIN, DE):  195,000

83.  CATHERINE DEVER (EPHRATA, PA):  194,500

84.  RAYMOND FERRETTI (WOOLWICH TWP, NJ):  193,000

85.  VINCENT GROSSO (HASBROUCK HIGHTS, NJ):  192,500

86.  BOVIC GABRIEL (FORDS, NJ):  191,500

87.  JOSEPH WERTZ (MONTOURSVILLE, PA):  191,500

88.  AKIVA PEARLMAN (PROVIDENCE, RI):  190,000

89.  SANG LIM (FLUSHING, NY):  188,000

90.  FRANCIS PIASECKI (TONAWANDA, NY):  186,500

91.  JEREMY ROSEN (PARAMUS, NJ):  186,500

92.  HENRY FELLELA (JOHNSTON, RI):  186,000

93.  TIMOTHY GROSS (PENNDEL, PA):  186,000

94.  KERRY SMALL (VENTNOR CITY, NJ):  181,500

95.  FRITZ STONER (LANCASTER, PA):  181,500

96.  GEORGE NINOS (BELLEVILLE, NJ):  181,000

97.  DONG KIM (BAYSIDE, NY):  180,000

98.  YINGCHOU LIN (FLUSHING, NY):  177,500

99.  CHRISTOPHER LEONG (NEW YORK, NY):  177,000

Event 1: Day 1, The End

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

A record-setting field kicked off the 2011 Borgata Poker Open in style, here's the breakdown after our first full day of poker action:

Number of Entries: 1,718
Players remaining: 236
Total Buy-In: $687,200

Day 2 continues tomorrow at Noon.

Top 10 Chipleaders:

David Parretta - Williamstown, NJ - 587,000
Tomasz Gliniecki - Jackson, NJ - 585,000
Kevin McLoughlin - Philadelphia, PA - 579,000
Bill Braden - Toms River, NJ - 526,000
Jay Nair - Redmond, WA - 500,500
Vincent Maglio - N/A - 483,500
Ruslan Shamal - Brooklyn, NY - 480,000
Eliano Mesquita - Toms River, NJ - 476,500
Rocco Giugliano - Egg Harbor Township - 443,000
Hamdy Abdalla - Waterbury, CT - 440,000

Event 1: Wrapping Up

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Day 1 comes to an end with 236 players remaining.

Event #1 drew a massive field, with 1,718 hopefuls vying for a chance to win the $140,852 first place prize.

Official Chip Counts and Table draws coming soon...

Event 1: Late Night Chipleader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Kevin McLoughlin leads the field with 671,00 chips
and only 263 players remaining.

Blinds at 2,500/5,000/500a, play continues until 2am.

Kevin McLoughlin

Event 1: The Truth

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Paul "the Truth" Darden has been around the felt all his life. He was born in Connecticut and learned the game long before "the Boom" brought poker mainstream.

His father owned a small poker club and taught him how to play 7 Card Stud before he could drive a car. Paul has been a professional poker player for over a decade and has close to 2 million dollars in tournament winnings to show for it.

He sits with 271,000 chips heading into Level #16, best of luck to the long time tournament veteran.

Paul "the Truth" Darden (Hamdem, Connecticut)

Event 1: Thin the Field

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Players have returned from a 10-minute break.
Play will continue with Level #16, Blinds at 2,000/4,000/400a.

Current Chipleaders:

Kevin McLaughlin - 515,000
Shervin Golbari - 476,000
Thomas Glianicki - 471,000
Jay Nair - 429,000
Hamdy Abdalla - 428,000
Billy Braden - 406,000
Mike Forman - 381,000
Ruslan Shamal - 361,000
George O'Shea - 356,000
Ryan Hemmel - 314,000