Friday, September 16, 2011

Event 18: Bubble Time

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

46 players remain and 45 get paid.

Hand for hand action has Last Woman Standing Sandy Henkens doubling up with K-K.

Her Opponent only had Q-4 but was in the big blind.

Small blind actually folded A-Q and would have hit on a board of 5-8-8-A-9 and four hearts.

Nobody could believe he folded with 5 bigs left. That's what bubble mania does to people.

1500 / 3000 blinds.

Event 16: Tony Casale - 8th Place

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Tony Casale - 8th Place - $10,738

Once down as low as 14K, then rode the roller coaster back to a respectable level, Tony Casale got it in good but saw an ace on the flop to spoil his tournament.

Orson raised UTG and Tony jammed with JJ. Orson called holding A-7.

Jacks fell and Tony collected $10,738 for his eighth place finish.

Eight place + 8 Bounties for Mr. Casale who really knows how to ride the short stack.

Event 16: 9th Place - Adams

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

After Orson Young opened for 35k, Ken Adams moved in for over 200k from the big blind.  Orson had him covered and called, showing AQ off.  Ken held K3 suited. 

 Ken Adams

The board came A 8 6 Q K and Orson paired his Ace to take the pot.  He chipped up to nearly 800k.

Ken Adams (Washington, DC) finished in 9th place, earning $4,653 to go with all his bounties.

Event 16: Chip Counts

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

End of level and time for a break.  Here are the approximate chip counts for the final nine:

Kunal Patel - 2.18 million
Norman Zapczynski - 755k
Orson Young - 460k
Mark Baatz - 370k
Ken Adams - 350k
John Racener - 270k
Kristian Lee - 235k
Tony Casale - 190k
Kenny Fagioli - 120k

After the break, play resumed with blinds of 8k/16k and 2k antes.

Event 16: Aziz Muinde - 10th Place

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Aziz Muinde - 10th Place - $4,653

The end of the road for Aziz Muinde (Philadelphia, PA) who held A-K and lost a key hand against Orson Young who hit a set of sevens on a board of 8-7-4-4-5.

That left Aziz with only 40,000 chips. A few hands later with only two big blinds left and one big already in the pot, Muinde looked down at J-10 off.

John Racener puts in a healthy raise and Aziz calls off the rest of his super short stack.

Racener's K-K vs. Muinde's J-10.

Board: 5-6-9-10-5.

"Why couldn't he have had A-K - I actually hit my ten" lamented Muinde.

Aziz pockets $4,653 for his time on the felt.

Nine players remain.

Event 18: Sandy Henkens - Last Woman Standing

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Sandy Henkens (Virgina Beach)

Sandy Henkens (Virginia Beach) is the last woman remaining in the field.

She's hanging on with 45,000, looking to double or triple up.

Sandy is a member of the US Airforce. Wonder if that's where she learned to play poker?

We salute you Sandy - take it down and congratulations on being the Last Woman Standing.

Event 18: Todd Terry Hits Trail

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

-Professional Poker Pro with 1.8 million in earnings, Todd Terry is out of the Event 18 tournament. Based on his tweet, Terry's 9-8 suited fell to Opponent's 7-7.

-Ronnie Sewell (Shelby, NC) just felted the player to his right after securing a set of threes on a 4-5-2 diamond heavy flop. Ronnie snaps off a short stack shove from small blind Opponent holding Q-5.

65 players remain.

We'll be playing for four more hours before bagging and tagging.

Event 16: Double, Double, Double

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Ken Adams shoved from the cutoff and got called by Kristian Lee in the big blind.  Ken held AT and was dominated by Kristian's AK.  Then the board came 8 7 4 5 T and Ken caught a 3-outer on the river to stay alive.  He doubled up to ~280k.  Kristian was left short with about 55k.

John Racener opened for 27k from the hijack and Krisitan Lee shoved from the cutoff for 51k.  John called, showing pocket 2s.  Kristian held pocket 5s.  The board came J 9 8 7 7 and Kristian more than doubled up to ~140k.

Norman Zapczynski doubled through John Racener, leaving John with ~200k.

Event 18: The Quad Man

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Maurice Hawkins 6-6-6-6

Nice to get paid off when you finally get quads. That's what happened to Maurice Hawkins who called an UTG raise along with another Opponent.

Hawkins held 6-6 and saw the mother of all flops, 7-6-6 nailing down a four-of-a-kind.

Raiser had Q-7, threw out 9,000 chips and Maurice flatted.

Two on the turn caused raiser to jam the rest of his 30,000. A tank fold from the other Opponent brought the action to our QUAD MAN.

Before Maurice snapped he said to his friend Derrick, "I got quads!". The table thought he was kidding until he flipped his hole cards over.

"It felt good" said Hawkins who knocked out yet another player as I was interviewing him.

Maurice is sitting on 159,000.

Event 16: Racener Rising

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

On a flop of K92♣ John Racener bet 27k.  Kunal Patel (button) called.  Turn was the Jd.  John fired 42k and again Kunal called.  River was the 6.  John bet 110k.  Kunal let it go.

With that pot, John was up to ~715k and Kunal was down to ~1.8 million.  They are the only two players above average in chips (average is 492k).

After John opened for 23k, Norman Zapczynski called, then Ken Adams (bb) raised to 80k.  Both players folded.

Blinds are now up to 6k/12k with 2k antes.

Event 16: Final Table Lineup

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Here's the lineup at the final table:

John Racener
Kristian Lee
Norman Zapczynski
Orson Young
Kunal Patel
Aziz Muinde
Tony Casale
Kenny Fagioli
Ken Adams
Mark Baatz

Event 18: Turtle Power

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Jacob "Master Splinter" Coker

Jacob Coker knows that in poker slow and steady sometimes wins the race. With his green hoodie and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shirt, Coker is ready to fight some crime at his table.

How about cracking aces with A-K? Yup, no problem for this superhero.

The dealer and some players were quizzing him on the cartoon series and giving Jacob a hard time because he didn't know who "The Shredder" was - his arch enemy of course.

Coker up to 50,000 in chips.

79 players remain.

Blinds 800 / 1600.

Top 45 get the green stuff.

Event 16: 11th Place - Larocca

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

John Racener opened for a raise and action folded around to Mike Larocca in the big blind, who announced he was all-in.  Once he confirmed Mike said "all-in", John called instantly, showing A4 offsuit.  He was ahead of Mike's A2 suited. 

Mike Larocca

The board came 9 7 4 J 7 and John took the pot, chipping up to ~600k and second in chips.

Mike Larocca (Lake Worth, FL) finished in 11th place, taking home $4,653.

The final ten are now moving to the final table

Event 44: Have You Met Miss Jones?

Event 44: $200 + $30 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 18)Link
Lacey Jonesing For Chips

The hottest woman in poker, Lacey Jones, is maneuvering her way through Event 44 looking to satellite into the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship Event.

If you watch poker on TV you've seen Lacey hosting, modeling, and acting - or maybe you've read her blog or checked out her videos. Good stuff!

Of course Lacey is also here to celebrate Christina Lindley's birthday this Sunday at Mixx.

Everyone loves seeing Lacey at the tables and having played with her once in a Media tournament three years ago at Borgata, I can tell you she knows what she's doing and has a lot of fun felting the boys.

Event 16: Chip Counts

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Play resumed after dinner with blinds of 5k/10k and 1k antes.

Here are some rough chip counts as of a few minutes after play resumed:

Kunal Patel - 1.9 million
Norman Zapczynski - 575k
Aziz Muinde - 375k
John Racener - 305k
Kenny Fagioli - 295k
Mark Baatz - 290k
Ken Adams - 290k
Tony Casale - 275k
Kristian Lee - 275k
Orson Young - 220k
Mike Larocca - 145k

Average stack is ~447k (almost 48 big blinds).

Event 18: Andy Up

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Andy Lee - 139,000 - Unofficial Chip Leader

Guys are back from dinner break and the CL seat I eye-balled at 150,000 apparently dropped down 50,000 from the first hand back.

That makes Andy Lee our unofficial top stack in the room. Andy and his tablemates were surprised Andy's stack of 139,000 was the highest thus far.

Tony Nguyen is among the chipleaders with 115,000. Tony admits he got lucky after getting it in bad holding A9 up against A♣ Q♣. With his tournament life at risk he hit runner runner diamonds for the flush and the knock-out. Nice double up for Nguyen who couldn't help but laugh when he retold the tale.

Baldy Bounty Hunting at Borgata

Brian Baldinger Guest Post:

Baldy's Prize Possession

Today I aided participants from around the globe in preparation for the WPT Borgata Poker Open. It was also the second day that I ever played poker.

The last time was four months ago here at the fabulous Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. In that tournament I was bounced in less time that it took me to drain two beers.

Today I demonstrated skill, real poker skill. I got a bounty chip, $100 in CASINO MONEY, in the first 30 minutes when I held two aces and a third one was on the board. They tell me it's called a "set," and the best one at that, how could I lose?!?!?

After my new best friend from Charlotte walked out so, so defeated, I felt invincible and I showed the table no mercy. What a rush, what a scene!

Eventually I was bounced myself for being cocky and fool hearted, but gradually I am getting sucked into the competitive world of Texas Hold 'Em.

I will be back soon for yet another tournament and guarantee improvement and many more bounties. To my new friends at lucky table 7, I wish you a lot of luck.

Borgata is world class. What a room, what a tournament, what a memorable evening!

Baldy

(Brian Baldinger is a former NFL player with the Eagles, Cowboys and Colts. He's currently a sports-talk radio co-host for Philadelphia's 97.5 The Fanatic and is a football analyst for Compass Media Networks.)

PPI Points Challenge

Guest Post:

The Borgata Poker Open WPT is coming into the home stretch, as the WPT Champion Event $3 million guarantee starts this weekend. A star studded group of PPI players have traveled from all over the world to attend what promises to be an event that poker players do not want to miss.

PPI Players John Racener, Ryan D'Angelo, Lee Childs, Matt Glantz and many others have descended upon this poker mecca. The Event Center is sure to be packed this weekend with amateurs and professionals vying for their seats into the Championship Event through the many satellite qualifiers on the Borgata schedule.

Others are gearing up for the Championship Event by relaxing and taking advantage of all that Borgata has to offer its guests. Poker players have been seen as individuals and in large groups at the many restaurants, pools, bars and night clubs comparing tournament war stories while having a great time.

Check out www.ppipoker.com the world's largest poker player representation and marketing company for more information on PPI and our roster of world class players. We also invite you to "like" our PPI Facebook page for updates, player news and more.
Link
Best of luck to all,

Eric Siegel Co-Founder, Director of Marketing PPI

Here is the updated PPI Leaderboard:
(through 9/14 events)

352.188 PTS: JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD)
251.880 PTS: MATTHEW MAZZEO (EAST WILLISTON, NY)
199.200 PTS: RYAN ERIQUEZZO (DANBURY, CT)
177.775 PTS: MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)
165.825 PTS: MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY)
160.963 PTS: ROSLYN QUARTO (EDISON, NJ)
125.620 PTS: VINEET PAHUJA (HICKSVILLE, NY)
124.910 PTS: JOSHUA BRIKIS (MURRYSVILLE, PA)
107.013 PTS: ALBERT RICCOBONO (OSSINING, NY)
104.450 PTS: DAVID INSELBERG (LONG BEACH, NY)
101.888 PTS: ADAM LIPPERT (BROOKLYN, NY)
97.338 PTS: JAMES SALTERS (W HEMPSTEAD, NY)
88.788 PTS: GORDON ENG (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ)
81.700 PTS: ROBERT HWANG (BARNEGAT, NJ)
81.688 PTS: IAN PALOMO (NEW YORK, NY)
78.500 PTS: MICHAEL BORCHETTA (LAGRANGEVILLE, NY)
59.700 PTS: SHEREE BYKOFSKY (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)
59.675 PTS: KELLY ARMENTROUT (ALEXANDRIA, VA)
58.100 PTS: EUGENE TODD (BROOKLYN, NY)
57.600 PTS: CHRIS RESLOCK (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)
57.325 PTS: DAVID ZEITLIN (BROOKLYN, NY)
57.000 PTS: ANTHONY CAMPAGNA (MANORVILLE, NY)
54.763 PTS: MICHAEL CASTALDO (PALISADES, NY)
53.700 PTS: JASON YOUNG (SUFFERN, NY)
48.050 PTS: LISA PICKELL (BRICK, NJ)
38.900 PTS: JACK SCHANBACHER (PITTSBURGH, PA)
37.200 PTS: JONATHAN SORSCHER (LYNBROOK, NY)
33.588 PTS: GEORGE MEDRANO (REGO PARK, NY)
32.725 PTS: JAMES SANSONE (FAYETTEVILLE, NY)
30.050 PTS: JAMES STENELLA (PIPERSVILLE, PA)
29.550 PTS: ANDREW KLOC (NAUGATUCK, CT)
29.213 PTS: JAMIE KERSTETTER (MONROE TWP., NJ)
26.863 PTS: KAREN PEREZ (CHALFONT, PA)
24.288 PTS: STEVEN DANNENMANN (SEVERN, MD)
23.438 PTS: KENNY NGUYEN (LYNWOOD, IL)
20.200 PTS: JONATHAN WERZ (MELVILLE, NY)
17.825 PTS: FRANK CIERI (YONKERS, NY)
16.800 PTS: CHARLES MARCHESE (SHOREHAM, NY)
16.800 PTS: FELIX MOK (BROOKLYN, NY)
16.800 PTS: CONCETTA RINALDI (LYNBROOK, NY)
10.800 PTS: ADAM GERBER (MOORESTOWN, NJ)
9.600 PTS: MATTHEW CHANG (ROCKVILLE, MD)
8.400 PTS: BRENT KELLER (HORSHAM, PA)
7.800 PTS: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN (MEDFORD, NY)
7.638 PTS: CARL RESTIFO (WARETOWN, NJ)

Event 18: Payouts

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Entries: 430
Total Buy-In: $215,000

Place - Amount

1st .....$53,280
2nd .....$30,761
3rd .....$18,770
4th .....$15,120
5th .....$11,887
6th .....$9,906
7th .....$7,925
8th .....$6,048
9th .....$4,171
10-12 .....$2,711
13-15 .....$2,086
16-18 .....$1,648
19-27 .....$1,293
28-36 .....$1,147
37-45 .....$1,043

Event 16: 12th Place - Little

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

On a flop of Q 7 2, Jonathan Little (sb) checked.  Kunal Patel bet 18k.  Jonathan check-raised to 52k.  Kunal called.  Turn was a Jack.  Jonathan led out for 80k.  Kunal called.

 Jonathan Little

River was another 7.  Jonathan checked.  Kunal announced he was all-in.  Jonathan called, showing AQ for Queens-up.  Kunal rolled over QJ for top two pair to take the pot.

Jonathan Little finished in 12th place, earning $4,653.

That was the last hand and the final 11 players have taken off for a one-hour dinner break.  Play resumes at about 8:30pm.

Event 16: 13th Place - Kafka

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Tony Casale doubled up Kristian Lee a while back and was left with only 14k.  He then got all-in with 4 callers and quintupled up.

 Leslie Kafka

Then Leslie Kafka moved his short-stack all-in with pocket 8s and Tony found pocket Queens.  The Queens held up and Tony took the pot along with his 8th bounty of this event.

Leslie Kafka finished in 13th place ($3,937).

Event 18: Dinner Time

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Event 18 started the day with 430 players and there's currently 103 left in the field.

Top 45 get the cake.

When they return at 8:15 pm blinds will be 600 / 1200 with 200 antes.

Everyone will bag and tag at 2am and continue back tomorrow afternoon.

Total chips in play: 5,160,000.

Event 16: 14th Place - Buzgon

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Dan Buzgon moved in holding A6 suited and got looked up by Mark Baatz, who held AQ off. 

Dan Buzgon

The board came K Q 8 9 8 and Mark took the pot.

Dan Buzgon (Marlton, NJ) finished in 14th place ($3,937)

Event 16: 15th Place - Venovski

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Alex Venovski (Clermont, FL)
$3,937

On a board of  K♠ 6♠ 5♣ Venovski is all in for 185k and John Racener calls.

Venovski: A♠ 10♠
Racener: Q♣ Q

Venovski is at risk looking for the nut flush, but when the turn and river brick he's out in 15th place.

Event 16: 16th Place - Mercer

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Mark Baatz doubled through Dan Buzgon, leaving Dan short.

Then Dan doubled through Ken Adams.

Heather Sue Mercer opened for 22k and Kenny Fagioli called from the big blind, then checked dark.  The flop came T T 8 and Heather Sue moved all-in.  Kenny snap-called all-in, showing T7 suited for trips.  Heather Sue held pocket Jacks.  The last two were not kind -- T K gave Kenny quads and the double-up.  Heather Sue was let with only ~40k.

Heather Sue Mercer

When action folded around to her, Heather Sue moved all-in for 37k.  Kunal Patel flatted and Aziz Muinde flatted.  The flop came J 8 6 with two hearts.  Kunal bet 50k and Aziz folded.

Kunal rolled over pocket Queens.  Heather Sue had outs with A2 suited in hearts.  Unfortunately the last two came offsuit 3 5.

Heather Sue Mercer (New York, NY) finished in 16th place ($3,579).

Event 16: Sweet Sixteen Chip Counts

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Players took a break at the end of the level and have now returned to blinds of 3k/6k with 1k antes.

Here are rough chip counts as of the break:

Kunal Patel - 1.16 million
Jonathan Little - 730k
Norman Zapczynski - 400k
Ken Adams - 345k
Aziz Muinde - 310k
John Racener - 265k
Orson Young -240k
Mike Larocca -  200k
Alex Venovski - 195k
Tony Casale - 175k
Kristian Lee - 160k
Mark Baatz - 130k
Leslie Kafka - 130k
Heather Sue Mercer - 130k
Dan Buzgon - 130k
Kenny Fagioli - 125k

Event 16: 17th Place - Welsh

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

James Welsh (United Kingdom) is all in for 72k against Aziz Muinde.

Welsh: K♠ Q
Muinde: 7♣ 7

Welsh gets no help from the board and is out in 17th place for $3,579

Event 16: 18th Place - Rosen

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Andrew Rosen (New York, NY) is all in for 140 with AQ and is against the pocket 9s of Kunal Patel.
The board offers no help and Rosen is out in 18th place for $3,579. Patel extends his chip lead to more than 1 million chips.

Event 16: Good-Bounty Hunting

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

The final 18 bounty hunters have done well for themselves.  Here are the number of bounties they have each collected so far.

Ken Adams - 9
Kunal Patel - 7
Dan Buzgon - 7
Tony Casale - 7
Kenny Fagioli - 6
Alex Venovski - 5
Orson Young - 5
Jonathan Little - 4
Mark Baatz - 4
Heather Sue Mercer - 4
James Welsh - 4
Andrew Rosen - 3
Aziz Muinde - 3
Norman Zapczynski - 3
Mike Larocca - 3
John Racener - 2
Leslie Kafka - 2
Kristian Lee - 1

These are good for $500 each, so these 79 bounties represent $39,500.

Event 16: Final 18 Seating

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

The final 18 players have settled in to the final two tables.  Here's the new lineup:

Table 1
Orson Young
Mike Larocca
Leslie Kafka
Tony Casale
Alex Venovski
Dan Buzgon
John Racener
Norman Zapczynski
Kristian Lee

Table 2
Heather Sue Mercer
Kunal Patel
Aziz Muinde
Andrew Rosen
Kenny Fagioli
Jonathan Little
James Welsh
Mark Baatz
Ken Adams

Event 16: Todd Flushed in 19th

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

On a flop of 9♠ 2♠ Q♠ Eugene Todd (Brooklyn, NY) leads out for 42k and Jonathan Little reraises all in.
Todd calls and is at risk.

Little: J♠ 8♠ (flush)
Todd: K♠ 10 (better flush draw)

Turn: A♣
River 6♣

Todd misses his flush draw and he's out in19th place for $3,221. The remaining players are now redrawing for seats on the final two tables.

Event 18: How Tweet It Is

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Here are the latest tweets from players in this event: 

Nelson Robinson
Doubled thru Matt Affleck KJ > AQ. AJxTJ runout. Still short w/ 15k @ 300/600 

Matthew Affleck
Just open folded TT to a 17bb utg open when I had 22bb...ugh not sure if im the best or the worst 
Lee Childs
150/300/25. Raise KK to 800. Button calls. Flop 866dd. Lead 1k. He jams. I call. A4dd. Turn 8c. River Ah. Out.

Event 16: Chip Counts

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Kunal Patel is up to ~900k and the chip leader by far.

Jonathan Little is second with ~530k.

Orson Young is third with ~440k.

Aziz Muinde is fourth with ~350k

Ken Adams has dropped down to about 245k.

Other counts:
Eugene Todd ~ 215k
John Racener ~ 210k
Heather Sue Mercer ~140k

Average is ~260k.

Blinds are up to 3k/6k with 500 antes.  Average stack has over 43 big blinds.


Event 16: Ditto

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Simon Auerbacher (Great Neck, NY) busted out in 21st place.

Kunal Patel just dispatched Tony Mandia (Commack, NY) in 20th place. 

Both players will collect $3,221 to go with any bounties they already have.

Kunal Patel is up to 6 bounties now.

Event 16: Two More Out The Door

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Robert Lebeau (St. Petersburg, FL) finished in 23rd place ($3,221).

Mike Delvecchio was next to go in 22nd place ($3,221).

21 players remain at three tables.  Average stack is about 234k.

Event 18: Still Going

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Half the field is gone as 215 of the starting 430 players remain.
 
Notables still in the field:

Dwyte Pilgrim
"Action Bob" Hwang
Russell Crane
Todd Terry
Mike Dentale
Howard Wolper
"Little Man" Sica
James Boyle
Keith Crowder

Average stack: 24k (48 BB)
Blinds 250/500/50 ante


Event 16: Kunal Kracks Kings

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Blinds are now 2,500/5,000 with 500 antes.

Kunal Patel opened for 25k, then Jacob Toole (bb) raised another 31k on top.  After checking out Jacob's remaining stack, Kunal announced he was all-in.

Jacob called, showing pocket Kings.  Kunal held AQ off.

The board came 9 5 5 2 A and if the Ace wasn't enough to crack Jacob's Kings, the four diamonds on board gave Kunal a flush with his Queen of diamonds.

The stacks were close and had to be counted down.  Kunal had 296k and Jacob had ~280k.  Kunal now has about 600k and the chip lead.

Jacob Toole (State College, PA) was felted in 24th place for $3,221 (plus 2 bounties).

Event 16: Little Leads

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

24 players remain and they're taking a break.

Jonathan Little is the current chip leader with ~475k.  Ken Adams has lost a little ground.  He's still second with ~430k.

These two have at least a 100k lead over third place.

The black 100 chips are coming off the tables during this break.

Event 16: Callahan Rivered

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

After Orson Young opened for 9k, Jerry Callahan (Oyster Bay, NY) called from the big blind.  On the flop of Q 6 5, Jerry checked, Orson bet 11k, Jerry raised to 25k, Orson shoved, and Jerry called all in.

Orson held Q9 for top pair.  Jerry had him out-kicked with QJ.  Then the last two came 7 9 and Orson paired his kicker on the river to bust Jerry.  He finished in 27th place (3 bounties).

Next out the door was David Gordon (Brooklyn, NY) in 26th place, followed by Jason Park in 25th.

All three will collect $3,221 for their efforts (plus any bounties).


Event 16: Bubble Burst

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

On the turn with a board of K T 9 A (no flush) Eugene Todd (cutoff) bet 15k.  Tony Mandia (bb) shoved.  Eugene asked for the count - 248,100 total, which covered Eugene.

Eugene Todd (standing left) contemplates the all-in of Tony Mandia (standing right)

He tanked for several minutes until the clock was called.  The clock expired and his hand was killed.  He claimed two pair.  Tony showed QJ suited for Broadway and the nuts.  After folding his next hand, Eugene walked away and missed a couple of hands.

After Kenny Fagioli raised, Chris Bolek (button) shoved for 78,100 on top.  Kenny gave it some thought, then called showing pocket 3s.  Chris was racing with AK off.  The door card was an Ace, which elicited an "OH!" from the watching crowd, but there was a 3 behind it, which brought an "AH!".

The final board was A 6 3 8 8 and Kenny took the pot with a full house.  Chris took the long walk to the exit, today's bubble-boy.

27 players remain, all in the money, and guaranteed to earn at least $3,221 (plus any bounties they've picked up along the way).

Event 18: Outside Observer

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Brikis Breaking it Down

While the field dwindles in this event Josh Brikis, who's one of 300 (430 starting) still playing is keeping a close eye on the $2k purple chip ($500) bounty.  He's played with a lot of the remaining players and knows how tough the field is.

Beyond the obvious picks like Jonathan Little and John Racener, Brikis likes pros Jacob O'Toole and Daniel Buzgon to go deep into the money.

Event 16: Bubble Time

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

In a battle of the blinds, Thomas Hoglund was all in for ~22k from the big against Daniel Buzgon in the small. 

Daniel's T8 suited was dominated by Thomas' JT off, but the flop came Q J 9 giving Daniel a straight.  Thomas couldn't recover and was busted in 29th place.

With his departure, 28 players remain and it is bubble-time. They are now playing hand-for-hand until one more player is eliminated.

Event 16: Warning

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Blinds are up to 2k/4k with 400 antes.  Still 29 players, two away from the money.

After Kenny Fagioli opened for 50k, Mike Larocca shoved, then turned up his pocket Aces.  Needless to say, Kenny folded.  Mike was given a warning for showing his hand before action was complete.

Event 16: Stuck at 29

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH 

Alex Venovski opened for 7k, then John Racener (sb) made it 15,500 to go.  Alex called.  The flop came K 9 5 rainbow.  John led out for 11k and after giving it some thought, Alex let it go.

With that pot, John chipped up to ~110k.

On the river with a board of A K 2 J Q (no flush) Simon Auerbacher bet 15k.  After some think-time, Chris Bolek called.  Simon showed A3 off for top pair.  Chris mucked.  Simon picked up some much-needed chips.

Event 16: Out

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

These folks have already departed:

Zohair Karim
Brad McFarland
Andrew Lee
John Kostelac
Tom Lee
Brian Hewitt
Jerry Payne
Sam Terzi
Byron Washington
Jeremy McLaughlin

They're just two spots away from the money now, so play has become very cautious among the short stacks.

Event 16: Cimpan Cut

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Chris Bell busted out before the break in a 4-way all-in pre-flop mess.

In a battle of the blinds between the two 2-time WPT Champions, Cornell Cimpan (big) was all in against Jonathan Little (small).

 Jonathan Little

Cornell's pocket 9s were ahead of Jonathan's J4, but the board came J J T J Q giving Jonathan quadzilla.

Cornell Cimpan departed in 31st place, just 4 spots short of the money.

With that pot, Jonathan chipped up to ~400k, second only to Ken Adams, who has over 500k.

Event 16: Break Time

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Break time with 33 players still in the hunt.  27 get paid, so they're just six bounties away.

Average stack is ~148k and after the break, blinds will be 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes.

That's roughly 49 big blinds for an average stack.

Event 16: Tweet-Time

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Several players tweeting and keeping the fans posted.  Here are the lastest:
Ken Adams

Just busted another player. A-10 vs 6-6. Ace on turn. Bounty #8. Aboit 500,000 chips now
Jonathan Little

Won a flip with 77 vs AT bvb. At 340000. 4 bounties now.
eugene todd

Going through moosecock ittiss right now. Need a double up bro
Eric Wasserson

Busted before the money ak v 910hh all in for 145k at 1200 2400 pre..gl Jake hud
Ken Adams

Ibusted another one. Bounty #9. Flop came 8-2-2. He had 6-6. I had suited 3-2 in big blind.

Borgata Babes

Lindley, Jones & Ho
The beauties are now descending on the Event Center.  Poker pros Lacey Jones, Maria Ho, and Christina Lindley are all gearing up for Sunday's start to the Championship Event and for Lindey's birthday bash that night at Mixx.
Borgata life is beautiful!

Event 16: Short Stack Survival

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

McLaughlin's $500 Bounty

After starting with six tables, seven eliminations puts the field at 39 and we're now on five tables.  Returning short stack Jeremy McLaughlin (Washington, D.C.) still only has 30k (12 BB), but is still alive and says his bounty is up for grabs.

Level 14 (1,200/2,400/300) ante is underway.

Event 16: Bounty Hunters

$1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

Adams Doing Alright

The $2k bounty players are unpacking their bags and eager to grind their way to the money and the $100k first prize.  Forty-seven return as they're 20 spots off the money.

Ken Adams, who knocked a player out in the tournament's first 15 minutes, is the chip leader with 343k.

Cards are in the air as blinds resume at 800/1,600/200 ante.


Event 18: Who Dat?

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

Schinco & Pilgrim

Two former WPT Borgata Poker Open Champions are in the field including defending champion Dwyte Pilgrim and 2007 Champ Roy Winston.

Kim Schinco (Freeland, MI) has a front row seat with Pilgrim who's one of her favorite players. "My husband will be jealous," she says as her hubby Frank is friends with the champ.

"Yeah, he will," says Pilgrim, "that's a good picture," after posing for a quick snap shot.

Growing List of Notables:

Dwyte Pilgrim
Roy Winston
Lee Childs
Todd Terry
Matt Affleck
Howard Wolper
Anthony Erekat
Mike Summers

Players start with 12k in chips (blinds 25/50) and levels are 40 minutes long.


Event 18: Next Chance

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em

So far 16 Champions have been crowned with number 17 waiting in the wings as the $2k purple chip ($500) bounty returns to action at noon.  The next chance to win a Main Event is underway as the room is already filling up with the recognizable hopefuls.

Lee Childs and Todd Terry are just two of the big names already in their seats. Button is in the five seat as the cards are in the air!

Friday, September 16

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 18 - $500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em
  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
  • Day 1 Levels: will last 45 minutes | Day 2 Levels: will last 50 minutes
  • 2-Day event

3PM: Event 43 - $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

  • Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
  • This is Bounty event. Players must have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament 
  • Levels will last 30 minutes each 
  • 1-Day event

7PM: Event 44 - $200 + $30 Championship Qualifier NLH
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 25 minutes each 
  • Approximately 1 in 18 will win entry into the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event (September 18-23, 2011)
  • 1-Day event

    Event 17 Recap

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    After a long 19 1/2 hours of fun, exciting poker Event 17 is a wrap. Congratulations to our winner, 2-time WSOP bracelet champ, Roland Israelashvili who outlasted 398 other players and took home $36,483 of the $139,300 total buy-in.

    It was a tough field that featured some regulars such as Joanne Monteavaro (Bronx, NY),
    Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY), Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ), and Larry Gold.

    A few players busted out of Event 16 (11am) and jumped over to this event which began at noon. Those players included: Mike Dentale, Mike Summers, Austen Johnson, and Ryan Eriquezzo.

    Abe Gordon and Ben Gellar traded the chip lead back and forth. 36 players made the money. Gellar made the final two tables then was ousted.

    Our final table of ten included: Wade Woelfel, Leonid Vizirov, Ian Palomo, Thao Huynh, Matthew Cheverton, Roland Israelashviliz, Eric Graff, Owen Breck, Colleen Lewis, and Gene Santora.

    Palermo has been quiet this series after cashing three times in the Borgata Winter Poker Open
    for $55,000 (3rd/4th/14th). Tonight he turned things around as he finished in 10th place for $1,757.

    With two woman at the final table, it took hours to determine Colleen Lewis as the Last Woman Standing. Colleen collect $7,837 for fifth place. Well done!

    Third place and $12,566 was awarded to Wade Woelfel while second place prize money of $20,268 went to Matthew Cheverton.

    But the best bluffer, raiser, caller, talker, and folder today was poker pro veteran Roland Israelashvili who took down all of the 7,960,000 total chips in play and adds $36,483 to their Borgata bankroll. In one word, how did he do it - "Patience".

    Congratulations to our 2011 Borgata Poker Open Event 17 Champion. Look for Roland to keep on rolling in WSOP Europe - right after he plays in 2011 Borgata Poker Open WPT Championship Event.

    Event 17: Roland Israelashviliz - 1st Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Roland Israelashviliz - 1st Place - $36,483

    Another big win for poker pro Roland Israelashviliz (New York, NY). Experience prevails at a long lasting final table as Roland Israelashviliz takes down Event 17.

    This is the veteran poker pro's 11th final table this year not to mention 6 WSOP cashes.

    Looking to add to his 2 WSOP victories, he's gearing up for the 2011 Borgata Poker Open WPT Championship Event and likes his chances.

    What's next for Roland? His schedule has him traveling to Europe for the WSOP.

    "I played very patient today and it paid off" explained Israelashviliz. At one point I went three hours without playing. The event ran from noon yesterday to 7:30 AM this morning.

    Congratulations again to our Event 17 champion who takes home the Borgata trophy, the Blue Shark Optics sunglasses, and $36,483 in cold cash.


    Winner!




    Event 17: Matthew Cheverton - 2nd Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Matthew Cheverton - 2nd Place - $20,268

    Event 17: Wade Woelfel - 3rd Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Wade Woelfel - 3rd Place - $12,566

    Event 17: Eric Graff - 4th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Eric Graff - 4th Place - $10,134

    Eric picked up quad queens and REALLY didn't get paid off for them.

    Event 17: Colleen Lewis - 5th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Colleen Lewis - 5th Place - $7,837

    Event 17: Leonid Vizirov - 6th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Leonid Vizirov - 6th Place - $6,621

    Event 17: Owen Breck - 7th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Owen Breck - 7th Place - $5,337

    Owen Breck started his drive from NYC to Borgata 24 hours ago to play in Event 17. The road ends for Owen at 7th place.

    He admitted he ran good most of the day winning every important coin flip except the last.

    With 250,000 left Breck bets all of it on pocket 10's. Roland pops it a million to isolate.

    It's 10-10 vs. A-K. A-K found a king on the turn and that spelled E-N-D for O-W-E-N.

    Breck enjoys $5,337 for a 7th place prize.

    Event 17: Gene Santora - 8th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Gene Santora - 8th Place - $3,986

    Gene Santora (Long Island, NY) has been on a good poker run lately taking down a few tournaments. Today he fell short of his first place goal but did the best he could after being card dead for several orbits in a row at the final table.

    Up against monster stacks, Gene called from the big blind after Leonid shoved with A-Q.

    Gene tabled K-9 and the board ran clean for Leonid - 3-6-10-2-3.

    Realizing he just won $3,986 Gene said, "that's my buy-in for the Main Event...now I don't have to satellite in."

    Gentleman Gene said thanks to all before he left - thanking the players, the staff, and the blog.

    Event 17: Thao Huynh - 9th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Thao Huynh - 9th Place - $2,702

    So if your at home wondering if you can play with the pros and seasoned veterans at Borgata, Thao Huynh (Falls Church, VA) just came in 9th place for $2,702 and it's only her second ever tournament. Yesterday was her first.

    Friend Tony taught her how to play and rode the rail the entire time. Thao folded 7-2 with a short stack in the small blind, then in the big she shipped 125,000 with A-10 of hearts.

    "I got it in good" said Huynh who was called by Ronal Israelashviliz who tabled K-9 off.

    Board ran: 7-9-6-5-5. Two pair good enough to oust Thao.

    That table collectively said, "nice job" as she departed.

    That means Colleen Lewis is our Last Woman Standing.

    Colleen won a monster double-up against Owen Beck. Colleen A-K vs. Owen A-J.

    Board ran: 8-K-5-10-K.

    Looks like Colleen has a chance to be the last person standing as well.

    Event 17: Ian Palomo - 10th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Ian Palomo - 10th Place - $1,757

    Ian dwindled down to 120,000 with the blinds at 20,000 / 40,000. He ships with 5-5 and runs into 6-6 held by the second short stack at the table, Gene Santora.

    Gene doubles to over 240,000 while Ian is out for a payday of $1,757.

    Friend Joanne Monteavaro waited on the rail in support.

    And then there were nine...

    Event 17: Atlantic City Boat Show

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Eric Graff just went from 1.35 million to 2.5 million after his 8-8 saw a board of 7-9-4-7-7.

    Leonid Vizirov bet 200,000 on the river and Eric just called.

    "Do you have a seven asked Eric?" "Yes, said Leonid" who never flipped his cards.

    Eric tabled 8-8 and said he had a boat. Leonid mucked.

    The table was a bit confused. Leonid claimed he was only kidding.

    Show-boating or boat show - you decide.

    Either way this was a monster million dollar pot.

    Eric is the commanding chip leader while Ian rides the short stack.


    Event 17: Final Table

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Final Table of Ten

    Final Table:
    1. Matthew Cheverton - 750,000
    2. Wade Woelfel - 615,000
    3. Leonid Vizirov - 600,000
    4. Thao Huynh - 400,000
    5. Roland Israelashviliz - 1,300,000
    6. Owen Beck - 600,000
    7. Colleen Lewis - 355,000
    8. Ian Palomo - 220,000
    9. Gene Santora - 375,000
    10. Eric Graff - 2,500,000

    Blinds are 20,000 / 40,000 with 4,000 antes.

    They're talk at the table about poker marathon tournaments. I wonder if this one will break any records for the longest at Borgata.

    Event 17 began at noon. We've been playing for 17 hours and still holding strong at a final table of ten players.

    This table is the only action still going on in The Event Center. This one could be awhile.

    Event 17: Jeffrey Venturini - 11th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Jeffrey Venturini - 11th Place - $1,757

    Jeffrey Venturini from CT was short stacked with 85,000. He raised from the cut-off with 4-4 got a shove from the button holding A-7. Venturini called and saw a seven in the window.

    Jeffrey takes home $1,757 for his efforts yesterday/today and may play again later today.

    Chris & Ralph showed their support from the rail. Keep in mind it's 4:25 am. Now that's support!

    Event 17: Luke Serafin - 12th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Luke Serafin - 12th Place - $1,757

    Luke Serafin (Danbury, CT) just earned an extra $400 just by tanking and waiting to act.

    Luke lost a huge hand - all of his stack except for 1000 when his 55 lost a flip against A-Q.

    Before the next hand where he'd be big blind and forced all in, Matthew Smith went out in 13th place at the other table.

    Luke lost his forced all in and scooped up 12th place cash at $1,757 making the next pay-level.

    He's playing again at noon later today.

    Event 17: Matthew Smith - 13th Place

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Matthew Smith - 13th Place - $1,351

    Matthew Smith shipped it with 5-7 clubs and Ian Palomo called holding A-5 diamonds.

    Ian's ace held up sending Matthew to the rail in 13th place for $1,351.

    Look for Matthew to play the 6-Max.

    Smith takes home $1,351 for his days work. Good job!

    Event 17: Batman Busto

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    William Brindise - 14th Place - $1,351

    Event 17: Final Two Tables

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Table 1:
    1. Jeffrey Vanturini - 425,000
    2. William Brindise - 693,000
    3. Wade Woelfel - 480,000
    5. Leonid Vizirov - 800,000
    6. Ian Palomo - 500,000
    7. Matthew Smith - 618,000
    8. Colleen Lewis - 465,000
    9. Thao Huynh - 200,000

    Table 2:
    1. Matthew Cheverton - 1,250,000
    2. Roland Israelashvili - 300,000
    3. Eric Graff - 470,000
    4. Owen Breck - 278,000
    5. Ben Geller - 310,000
    6. Nader Hatem - 240,000
    7. Luke Serafin - 485,000
    8. Gene Santora - 303,000

    Event 16: End Of Day Chip Leaders

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Play has concluded and will resume at 12:00 noon.

    All players have bagged and tagged their chips including the $500 Purple Chip Bounty.

    48 players will re-draw seats and continue battling later today.

    Rank....Player......Chip Stacks.

    1. Ken Adams..................... 342,800
    2. Anthony Casale.............. 228,700
    3. Alexander Venovski......... 251,000
    4. Jerry Payne.................... 207,800
    5. Chris Bolek...................... 179,400
    6. Jim Welsh........................ 176,400

    Other noteables:
    Jerry Callahan 57,600
    Sam Terzi 140,000
    Heather Mercer 132,500
    Jonathan Little 87,000
    John Racener 109,000
    Cornell Cimpan 65,200
    Eugene Todd 94,900
    Kunal Patel 64,300
    Chris Bell 114,000
    Mike Delvecchio 151,500

    Get some sleep and see everyone back here in ten hours.

    Event 16: Heather Still Standing

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Last Woman Standing - Heather Mercer just knocked out a player and had him drawing dead on the turn.

    All in action pre-flop. Heather's QQ vs. Opponent's A-5 of clubs.

    Board ran: K-10-J-J

    If the Q hits, Opponent's straight is beat by Heather's full-house.

    With that bust-out, Heather pads her stack around 160,000.

    Event 16: Alek Axed

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Lori peddling water

    Alek Givotovsky won't add to his 2011 Borgata Poker Open cash and point totals as he is the only bust-out in the last hour.

    Alek held A-9 up against 10-10 of the player to his immediate left.

    Tens held up and Alek hits the showers.

    Some of the guys at Alek's table were trying to mislead me as to how the final hand went down.

    "Tell the blog Alek 7-bet shoved with 2-8 off". Nope - didn't happen.

    Playing until 2am, then finishing tomorrow at noon with a redraw.

    53 players remain.

    Blinds - 1000 / 2000 with 300 antes

    Event 16: Rooster Makes Crying Call

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Mike Larocco (Boca Raton, FL) - 140,000

    Mike Larocco from Boca noticed that action before dinner was a lot crazier as players were 4-betting like they were kamikaze pilots.

    "Now every keeps folding, and folding, and folding" said Mike.

    Like a weather vein above a barn, this lucky rooster proudly sits atop Larocco's chips courtesy of his girlfriend Erin.

    This is the roosters second appearance. The first netted Mike 40K after chopping at the Hard Rock.

    Event 16: Jonathan & John

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Jonathan Little S-6 & John Racener S-8

    Jonathan Little and John Racener mixed it up in a draw heavy hand that ended in Little check calling the hole way then folding on the river.

    Little, the 2 time WPT Champ, is looking to build on his below average stack under 50,000.

    Racener, the 2010 WSOP Main Event Runner Up sitting on just North of 100,000.

    Lots of star power in this event as all week at Borgata.

    Level 12 continues with 800 / 1600 blinds and 200 antes.

    58 players remain trying to win part of the $357,930 Total Buy-In.

    Event 17: Bubble Looming

    $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

    Event 17 continues on simultaneously with Event 16.

    In Event 17, five tables remain with 39 players.

    Closing in on the bubble as top 36 get paid.

    Min cash - $811.

    1st place - $36,483.

    Average chip stack = 204,615

    Level 18 blinds are 5,000 / 10,000 with 1000 antes.

    Event 16: Cimpan Handles Table

    $1500 + $150 + $500 Bounty Big Stack NLH

    Cornell Cimpan - Running Better

    The boys at Table 6 were willing to "create" a cool hand for the blog but I knew if I just stuck around something interesting would occur.

    Two time WPT Champion Cornell Cimpan fires pre-flop then again on a rainbow flop of 8-5-7. "We may have a hand here" said his Opponent.
    "Don't knock me out it's embarrassing for the blog" joked Cimpan.

    Once the turn card came down, the 3 of hearts, putting two on the board along with the straight draw, he fired 39,000 more, the rest of his stack announcing all-in. "No messing around here" said Cornell.

    Opponent finally folded and Cornell showed one card - an eight of clubs, revealing the goods.

    He's now up around 65,000.

    Just when it looked like Table-6 was tough enough, here comes Action Bob Hwang into seat 1 and Mike Delvecchio in seat 2.

    When the fireworks go off we'll be there to watch who blows off their fingers.