Event 20: Patel 29th & Cohen 28th

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Kunel Patel - 29th Place - $16,352

Kunel Patel raised, Matt Glantz re-raised, and Kunel called all of his 650,000.

Kunel's K-J vs. Matt's A-K. An ace and a jack hit the flop but the turn and river bricked out.

With that, Kunel Patel's tournament comes to an end. He collects $16,352.

The last player to bust out before calling it a night in The Event Center was Jesse Cohen.
Jesse open shoved his remaining 280,000 and was snapped off by Chris Martin.

Cohen's K-10 vs. Chris Martin's J-J.

Board ran: 9-A-7-6-Q.

Jesse Cohen busts in 28th place and just missed the next pay-level increase.

Cohen takes home $16,352 for his efforts in the Championship.

Will have everyone's totals soon as they appear on their end-of-night chip bags.

Event 20: Williams Walks Plank

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Aces are David's Downfall

David Williams' quest for a WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship title comes to an end when he runs into the pocket queens of Vanessa Selbst. 

On a 10-high flop Williams is all-in with 10 8 against Selbt's pocket queens. The board doesn't offer any help and he sends his last 150k across the table.

"It always hurts when you get knocked out of a tournament," says Williams who began Day 2 as the chip leader. "But now I get to go home to my family so that's a good thing."

Williams at one point had his chip stack up to 2.5 million, but he twice lost big pots with pocket aces, including one to chip leader Will Failla.

Williams, who was the runner-up here to Daniel Negreanu in 2004, is looking forward to seeing his his seven month old daughter Liliana.

Event 20: Saying Goodbye

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Amarender Puri - 32nd Place - $16,352

Amarender Puri's 10-10 just lost to Vanessa Selbst's Q-5. Vanessa was making a move and shoved over half of her stack pre-flop. Puri flatted then jammed the flop of 6-9-Q.

Vanessa holding top pair called. She had to sweat as Puri picked up an open ended straight draw when a Jack hit the turn. Alas a brick on the river sent Amarender home.

Amarender came in 35th place in last week's Borgata $750 satellite and won $1700. He then immediately went to a roulette table and put it all on black. Mission accomplished, Amarender had enough for his Championship buy-in.

He was extremely happy to turn that initial $750 into 32nd place prize of $16,352.

Event 20: Payouts 37-45

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

37 Thomas Ross $14,675
38 Joanne Dorin $14,675
39 Bob Hwang $14,675
40 Matt Isherwood $14,675
41 Andrew Rosen$14,675
42 Dominic Pistone $14,675
43 Jean-Philippe Matte $14,675
44 Maurice Hawkins$14,675
45 Peter Campo $14,675

Event 20: Monster Chips In Middle

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Dan Buzgon (Marlton, NJ) - 1,400,000

Dan Buzgon (Marlton, NJ) gives the details on a big hand at his table. We talk as bb Fred Goldberg goes into the tank, deciding what to do on a board of 10-8-K-3-A after sb Ricki Hale checks. Did I mention there's already 875,000 rolled into the center-felt?

Dan is a bored internet player who comes to Borgata to splash around in the big tournaments. "If I win this, I'm gonna retire and play a lot more golf" laughed Buzgon. Dan had over 2 million then hit a detour, as he explained it. Still in good shape though.

Meanwhile, Goldberg cuts out 675,000 and Hale folds. Hale shows 9-J having missed his straight draws.

Monster pot will have Goldberg stacking up for about an hour.

Event 20: Table 5 GONE

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Two players share the chip lead:

Ryan Eriquezzo -2,800,000
Will "The Thrill" Failla - 2,800,000

We're down to four tables as table 5 breaks up. David Williams - 695,000, John Racener - 1,100,000, & Matt Glantz - 770,000 have all been shuffled.

Other stacks include:
Dan Colman - 2,000,000
Vanessa Selbts - 620,000
Ricki Hale - 1,700,000

Blinds: 12,000 / 24,000

35 players remain - playing down to 27 tonight.

Event 22: Payouts & Bubble

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Entries: 1,048
Total Buy-In: $209,600

Place - Amount

1st .....$44,724
2nd .....$26,878
3rd .....$16,265
4th .....$13,622
5th .....$11,182
6th .....$9,047
7th .....$7,218
8th .....$5,489
9th .....$3,761
10-12 .....$2,440
13-15 .....$1,728
16-18 .....$1,118
19-27 .....$915
28-36 .....$793
37-45 .....$712
46-54 .....$630
55-63 .....$569
64-72 .....$508
73-81 .....$468
82-90 .....$427
91-100 .....$407

The bubble broke at 10:25 PM as the rear area of The Event Center exploded in applause celebrating that everyone has made the money.

Event 20: Chip Leader

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Dittmar Dancing with Queens

Joe Dittmar (Hicksville, NY) is the big stack with 2.5 million chips.  His biggest hand of the tournament came just after the dinner break when he cracked Kyle Burnside's pocket kings with pocket queens to take a 1.5 million chip pot.

Dittmar only had a 20% chance to win the hand, but he hit a queen to take Burnside's big stack of 750k and vault into the chip lead. Burnside finished 55th for $11,740.

Dittmar has built himself a nice Borgata resume by making two final tables since June.  He finished 3rd ($14,000) in the Big Stack tournament during the Summer Poker Open and 10th ($8,000) in the August double play.

39 remain as the players are just back from a 15 minute break. Blinds are now 10k/20k/2k ante and the average stack is 1 million (50 BB).

Event: 20: Two Hwangs Don't Make A Fight

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

In the final hand before break, "Action" Bob Hwang ships his final 400,000 and once again he runs into A-K of Jin Hwang. But there was another player shoving on top of both Hwangs.

Ricki Hale tacks on another 300,000 and Jin Hwang reluctantly calls.

Action Bob tables A-Q off, Jin's A-K off, vs. Ricki's K-K.

Board runs: 10-2-7-7-J sending Bob Hwang home in 39th place for $14,675.

Jin now sits on 575,000 while Ricki Hale shoots up to 2,100,000.

Pretty sick hand. Not sure what Jin Hwang is gonna do if he wakes up to A-K yet again.

Ricki Hale - 2,100,000

Event 20: Action Bob Flop & River

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

"Action" Bob Hwang - 438,000 & Surviving

Borgata regular "Action" Bob Hwang shipped his last 225,000, got the big blind to fold 10-10 but the player two to his left called holding A♥ K♥.

Bob flipped A♠ 4♠ realizing he was pretty far behind.

Flop of 7♠ A♣ 10♠ would have given bb a set of tens.

Turn 2♦ didn't help...then the miracle 4♥ extended Hwang's Championship life as he doubles up to 438,000.

Event 20: Payouts 46-54

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Vyacheslav Eyzerovich

Place-Name-Amount

46 Jason Henrki $12,998
47 Yevgeniy Timoshenko $12,998
48 Vyacheslav Eyzerovich $12,998
49 Jeffrey Blenkarn $12,998
50 Roman Valerstein$12,998
51 Hans Schreiber $12,998
52 Donald Norman $12,998
53 William Braden $12,998
54 John Cosi $12,998

Event 20: No Mo' Hawkins

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Maurice Hawkins

Maurice Hawkins is out after flopping top, top against "Miami" John Cernuto's set of 4s.  Hawkins has AQ on a Q 10 4 board and is all in for his last 400k.  Cernuto ends up with quads to knock out Hawkins in 44th place ($12,998), while Cernuto is up to 1.6 million.

Event 22: Still Playing

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

As the remaining players close in on the money bubble. Here's a look at some familiar faces still playing:

Keith Crawford
Jane Gold (mother of WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold)
Larry Gold (no relation to Jamie Gold)
Eric Siegel
"Little Man" Mike Sica
Robert Varkonyi (2002 WSOP Main Event Champion
Howard Wolper

Number of Entrants: 1,048
Players Remaining: 175
Chips In Play: 21 million

Average Stack: 120k (14 BB)
Big Stack: 477k (60 BB)

Blinds: 4k/8k/500 ante

Total Buy-In: $209,600
First Prize: $44,724
Places Paid: 100

Event 20: Payouts 55-63

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Kyle Burnside

Place-Name-Amount

55 Kyle Burnside $11,740
56 Andreas Freund $11,740
57 Gene Santora $11,740
58 Vichien Siprajim $11,740
59 John Dagostino $11,740
60 Jeff Madsen $11,740
61 Joseph Tracy $11,740
62 Scott Anderson $11,740
63 Louis Lynch $11,740

Event 22: Dinner Break Chip Leaders

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Asa Berger 
Chip Leader

175 players are on a one hour dinner break as the field is still 100 spots away from the money.  Only three players have more than 300k.

Big Stacks

Asa Berger (Chalfont, PA) 477k
Aaron Wright (Brooklyn, MD via NY) 359k
Brian Hardy (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 300k

 Aaron Wright
2nd in Chips

Event 20: Back from Break

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Chip Leader - Colman

The 57 remaining players are back from break as Dan Colman continues to lead the way with 2.8 million chips. Play continues tonight until 27 players remain.

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 57
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 689k (43 BB)
Big Stack: 2.8 million (175 BB)

Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante

Total Buy-In: $4,332,900
First Prize: $922,441
Places Paid: 100

Event 20: Pay Day!

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Since the bubble broke this afternoon the eliminations have been fast and furious. The dinner break allowed us to catch our breath and update the eliminations to this point.  

Place-Name-Amount

58 Vichien Siprajim $11,740
59 John Dagostino $11,740
60 Jeff Madsen $11,740
61 Joseph Tracy $11,740
62 Scott Anderson $11,740
63 Louis Lynch $11,740
64 Matthew Rosenbaum $10,482
65 David Diaz $10,482
66 Guy Cruickshanks $10,482
67 Eric Haber $10,482
68 Nimer Ltaif $10,482
69 Miguel Perez $10,482
70 David Jones $10,482
71 Randall Cohen $10,482
72 Benjamin Smith $10,482
73 Ken Silberstein $9,644
74 Michael Meredith $9,644
75 Lawrence Abrams $9,644
76 Brian Warren $9,644
77 Thomas Savistky $9,644
78 Edgar Lemus-Argueta $9,644
79 Adam White $9,644
80 Omar Golden $9,644
81 Jesse Maupin $9,644
82 Peter Apicella $8,805
83 Luis Urioste $8,805
84 Joe Grodowski $8,805
85 Sumit Kumar $8,805
86 Ezra McCord $8,805
87 Mike Castaldo $8,805
88 Yehuda Cohen $8,805
89 Aaron Belardo $8,805
90 Michael Nye $8,805
91 Mark Reynolds $8,386
92 Laurence Samet $8,386
93 Jerry Burgess $8,386
94 Kwan Fun Cheung $8,386
95 Philip Consolo $8,386
96 Darren Ekin $8,386
97 Omar Sider $8,386
98 Michael LaRocca $8,386
99 Joseph Couden $8,386
100 Joseph Pitti $8,386

Event 20: Payout Reminder

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Here's a reminder what's still up for grabs:

Place - Amount

1st   $922,441
2nd  $554,303
3rd   $335,433
4th   $280,925
5th   $230,610
6th   $186,585
7th   $148,848
8th   $113,209
9th     $77,569
10-12 $50,315
13-15 $35,640
16-18 $23,061
19-27 $18,868
28-36 $16,352
37-45 $14,675
46-54 $12,998
55-63 $11,740

Event 20: Controversy Before Dinner Break

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

The hand before dinner break increased the stack of our new chip leader, Dan Colman, but not without controversy.

A short stacked player, Vichien Siprajim reached the river against Dan on a board K2936. There was about 150K in the pot and Vichien had about 100K.  Dan said "one million" and threw an orange (1000) chip into the pot. The dealer said, "That basically puts you all in." Vichien Siprajim threw in an orange chip.  Colman turned over K8 and Vichien mucked.

The controversy then erupted as Vichien said he had only intended to call the 1000 bet (which is not a legal bet.) Dozens of players stayed 15 minutes into the dinner break as the floor ruled that Vichien's call was for his entire stack. He finishes in 58th place.

Tournament director Tab Duchateau said, "It was a bet, you throwing in the chip confirms the bet, there was nothing more we could do." 

Colman said that he regretted his unorthodox betting verbiage. He now has about 2.8 million in chips.   

Event 20: Dinner-Time Tweets

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

The latest from our remaining flock of Tweeters:  

ArgentinaBoy Alex Queen

1.25 million going to dinner lost a few pots down to 59ish players on a side note this is my first wpt cash woo hoo

dwpoker David Williams

Much needed dinner break. 838k. #comebackafterdinner. (double entrendre) #wptBorgata

WiLDmAn_75 Daniel Buzgon 

1.7 mil going to dinner Wpt borgata. 50ish left. Coming back to 8k 16k.

VanessaSelbst Vanessa Selbst 

Sigh just check raised TPTK for value and then folded when lots more money went in. #livepro 400k at dinner.

Event 20: 60th - Madsen

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH     

Jeff Madsen got his last 260k in holding pocket Jacks, but ran into pocket Aces.  He busted out in 60th place, picking up $11,740.

Alex Queen flopped quads, busted a player, and is now up to ~1.4 million.

 Alex Queen

Alex won the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship and over $355,000 in April 2010.

End of level 22 and 58 remaining players have been released for a 75-minute dinner break (with action still in progress on one table).

Play will resume at about 7:30pm.

Event 20: Payouts 64-72

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

64 Matthew Rosenbaum $10,482
65 David Diaz $10,482
66 Guy Cruickshanks $10,482
67 Eric Haber $10,482
68 Nimer Ltaif $10,482
69 Miguel Perez $10,482
70 David Jones $10,482
71 Randall Cohen $10,482
72 Benjamin Smith $10,482

Event 20: Latest Action

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Eric 'sheets' Haber got his chips in with T9 and ran into Alex Queen's AK.  The better hand held up and Alex chipped up to ~950k.  Eric busted out in 67th place.

David Diaz busted out in 65th place.

Both earned $10,482 for their efforts. 

On a King-high flop, David Williams got in with AK, but discovered his opponent had pocket Aces.  Then David's 88 fell to a player holding A7.  He's down to about 850k.

63 players remain.  Average is over 623k.  At blinds of 6k/12k, that's almost 52 big blinds.

Event 20: 68th - Ltaif

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Nimer Ltaif (Ottowa, Ontario) got his last chips in holding pocket 7s and was racing against K9.  When a 9 landed on the turn, Nimer's tournament was done.

He finished in 68th place, earning $10,482.

Nimer finished 4th ($8,072)in the $350 Black Chip Bounty tournament just last week.  He was very impressed with the way the Borgata ran the tournaments and the great turnouts for each event.  He'll be looking to come back soon to play some more events here.

Event 20: Payouts 73-81

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Place-Name-Amount

73 Ken Silberstein $9,644
74 Michael Meredith $9,644
75 Lawrence Abrams $9,644
76 Brian Warren $9,644
77 Thomas Savistky $9,644
78 Edgar Lemus-Argueta $9,644
79 Adam White $9,644
80 Omar Golden $9,644
81 Jesse Maupin $9,644

Event 20: 70th - Jones

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

After seat 1 opened for 36k, David Jones moved all-in for ~220k.  Action folded back to seat 1, who called all-in for 169k.

David showed pocket 7s.  Seat 1 had pocket Queens.  The board came K 8 2 6 8 and David had to ship the double across the table.  He was left with only about 50k and busted out a couple of hands later.

David Jones will pocket $10,482 for his 70th place finish.

Event 20: Million-Chip Club

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    


These folks have all joined David Williams with chip counts north of 1 million:
Daniel Colman - 1.7
Kunal Patel - 1.2
Andrew Blake - 1.05
Jack Schanbacher - 1.05
Dan Buzgon - 1.0
Will 'the Thrill' Failla - 1.0

Of course David Williams is now over 2 million.

Event 20: Payouts 82-90

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Place-Name-Amount

82 Peter Apicella $8,805
83 Luis Urioste $8,805
84 Joe Grodowski $8,805
85 Sumit Kumar $8,805
86 Ezra McCord $8,805
87 Mike Castaldo $8,805
88 Yehuda Cohen $8,805
89 Aaron Belardo $8,805
90 Michael Nye $8,805

Event 20: Possible Squeeze?

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Jack Schanbacher raised utg+1, got a call from the cutoff, and got a call from Matt Glantz in the small blind.  Then Orson Young (bb) shoved for 184k.

 Matt Glantz and Orson Young

Jack folded, the cutoff folded, then Matt gave it some though, and let it go.  As Orson was about to toss his hand to the dealer, Matt asked him to show.  "I'll tell you after" replied Orson.

Orson took 2nd place in the $1,500 Purple Chip Bounty tournament just a few days ago, cashing for more than $59k.

Event 20: Queens Chop as Two Women Remain

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Vanessa Selbst and Joanne Dorin 

The two remaining women at the WPT Borgata Poker Open, Vanessa Selbst and Joanne Dorin are at the same table. Dorin just found herself all in preflop with two red queens against two....black queens. The board ran out peacefully with KJTxx and the pot was chopped.

Selbst, who raise-folded preflop, joked, "I folded ace-queen. I would have gotten there." A few moments later, several players at the table laughed, remembering that there are only four queens in the deck. 

Event 20: Lemus-Argueta's Kings Kracked

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

Edgar Lemus-Argueta got all-in pre-flop holding pocket Kings.  He was in good shape against AK, but then an Ace his the flop.

 Edgar Lemus-Argueta

Edgar busted out in 78th place.

Down to 76 players now.  Average stack is almost 517k.  That's 51 big blinds at 5k/10k.

Event 20: Payouts 91-100

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Place-Name-Amount

91 Mark Reynolds $8,386
92 Laurence Samet $8,386
93 Jerry Burgess $8,386
94 Kwan Fun Cheung $8,386
95 Philip Consolo $8,386
96 Darren Ekin $8,386
97 Omar Sider $8,386
98 Michael LaRocca $8,386
99 Joseph Couden $8,386
100 Joseph Pitti $8,386

Event 20: Norman Doubles Through Williams

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

David Williams and Don Norman 

Don Norman of the Saint Louis area doubled through David Williams in a hand soon after the bubble burst. David raised under the gun and Don called in position. The board ran out Q67T and the two players got it all in on the turn. Williams turned over AA while Norman showed QJ. The rivered queen gave Norman the double up and took a bite out of Williams' monster stack- he now has about 1.5 million.

Norman remarked "He can't have the nuts everytime" while Williams' clarified to WPT Champion Will Failla that the money went in on the turn, when he was still ahead.

Just moments later, David gave his own perspective on the hand on twitter @dwpoker:  Guy just tried to give me 425k. I raise utg he calls. Flop Q67 he calls. Turn T I bet 75k he shoves 350k. Has QJ. River Q. #nobigdeal 1.5M

Event 20: Bubble Breakthroughs

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Ekin Ekes In

Surviving the bubble in a high profile tournament is one of the most stressful times in poker and three players are feeling the elation of making it into the money.

Stephen Ekin (Vero Beach, FL) is the biggest benefactor of Mark Bramley's implosion against David Williams when he ended up with just 5k (5 antes). He wasn't happy the "vultures" were circling the table as he folds his way into the money.  "I had three hands," he says before being the big blind, "I wasn't playing anything but aces."

Ekin shows his appreciation by giving Williams, and his entire table, a gift card after cashing in the event. 

Lacrocca Lasts Long Enough

Michael Larocca (Boca Raton, FL) is another shorty breathing a sigh of relief after getting through into the money with 35k. As play was hand for hand he said, "This is gross. If I'm the bubble boy I will puke all over the table."

Pitti Before & After

The best bubble story comes from Joe Pitti (East Meadow, NY), who was half way out the door until the dealer declares a chopped pot when his 6 kicker is irrelevant.

"They all started clapping because the bubble boy busted," says Pitti, who was thrilled with new life and cashing for the minimum $8,386.

Event 20: Bubble Burst - Break Time

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Mark Bramley (utg) opened for 25k.  David Williams (button) raised to 60k and Mark flatted.

On the J J T rainbow flop, both players checked. Turn was the 9 of hearts, putting two hearts on the board.  Mark bet 45k, David Williams raised to 100k, and Mark called after giving it some thought.

River was an offsuit King.  Mark checked, David moved in, having Mark well covered, and Mark checked into the tank for an extended stay.

 Mark Bramley

All the other tables had completed their hands, so a large crowd had formed around the table.

One table over, Stephen Ekin had already folded, leaving himself with only 5,000 chips.

Mark, who started the hand with about 450k, finally called all-in.  David showed pocket Kings for the rivered full house.  Mark mucked his hand, later claiming he held AQ of hearts (open-ender, nut-flush draw on the turn, rivered Broadway).

Mark busted out in 101st place, earning zip, zilch, nada.  (Mark finished 2nd in the $500 + $60 event earlier in this series for over $22,000).

David Williams extended his chip lead to almost 2 million.

Once the player count was verified, the final 100 took off for a break.  They are all in the money and guaranteed to earn at least $8,386.

Event 20: Bubble Watch

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

Seat 2 opened for a raise, got one call from seat 4, then Will 'the Thrill' Failla called from the big blind.

On the flop of A Q 7 with two diamonds, Will checked, seat 2 bet, got a call from seat 4, then Will check-raised another 55k on top.

Seat 2 tanked for a bit, then called.  Seat 4 folded.  Turn was an offsuit Jack.

 Will 'the Thrill' Failla

Will fired 100k.  After some thought, seat 2 called.  River was the 2 of diamonds, putting the third diamond on the board.

Will fired another 100k.  Seat 2 folded quickly, saying "if the diamond doesn't come, then I call you".  Will said he didn't have any diamonds, he had two pair (but didn't show).

With that pot, will chipped up to over 900k.

101 players remain, so it is bubble-time.  They are now playing hand-for-hand until one more player is eliminated.

Level 20:  Blinds are now 4k/8k with 500 antes.  Play will continue without a break until the bubble breaks.

Event 20: Markholt Busts, Two From the Money

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH


It became hand for hand at the Borgata Championship event after Ken Silverstein of Edison, New Jersey busted former WPT Champion Lee Markholt of Tacoma, Washington.  Silverstein had a pair of aces vs. Markholt's Ace King. We are now down to 101 players, with just one to bust before every player is guaranteed at least $8,386. 


Don't feel too bad for the almost bubble boy though. Markholt won the 2008 World Poker Challenge WPT in Reno and has over $2.5 million in tournament earnings. 

Event 20: Timoshenko Doubles

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Yevgeniy Timoshenko flopped a set of Queens and they held up against Daniel Santoro.  Yevgeniy doubled up to about 750k.

Yevgeniy won the WPT World Championship in 2009 along with more than $2.1 million.  His career earnings are over $4.1 million.  Quite an accomplishment, considering that his career began in 2007.

With 108 players remaining, according to the tournament clock:

"We're only 8 away." said Will 'the Thrill' Failla to David Williams.  David seemed confused "Away from what?".

"From the money" will replied.

David doesn't care about making the money.  From his perspective, he's only 107 away from his goal.

Event 20: Time for a Live Score for Sumit Kumar

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Sumit Kumar and Yevgeniy Timoshenko

Sumit Kumar (Richmond, VA) is one of several online turned live players who have helped contribute to the largest WPT field in history (1313 entries). Kumar has just over $4,000 in live poker tournament winnings but his online scores under the handle pool_shark_1 top $800,000.

Despite this impressive figure, Sumit is also a family man and has a full-time career in banking. He's sitting with ~240K in chips as we approach the bubble. If he cashes in this event he'll triple his live earnings!

Since April 15, Sumit has been playing in more live events and is getting used to it. Although he's comfortable with his day three table draw, he's not happy about the player he drew to his direct left: the formidable Yevgeniy Timoshenko.

Event 20: More Goners

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

More folks who have busted out and departed:

Matt Affleck
Mark Gregorich
Dan Shak
Lee Childs
Baruch Thaler
Brandon Novena

Event 20: Random Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

Some random chip counts from the break:

'Action' Bob Hwang ~ 165k (up from 53,500 where he started today)
Mike Castaldo ~ 230k (up from 121,100 where he started today)
Ryan Eriquezzo ~650k (up from 277,300 where he started today)
Brandon Novena ~ 40k (down from 237,700 where he started today)

 James St. Hilaire

James St. Hilaire - 0, aka busted (down from 125,800 where he started today).

Event 20: Break-Time Tweets

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

After the break, play resumed with level 20, blinds 4k/8k with 500 antes.

Here are some tweets sent during the break: 

leechilds Lee Childs

Series of unfortunate events & honestly didnt play my best today. I'm out w/ less than 130 players to go. Thx 4 all the virtual rail support

sheetspwns Eric Haber 

End level....won a decent post flop pot .....607000 going to 4k/8k.....15 or so from the money 

ArgentinaBoy Alex Queen 

151k going to 4/8k brutal since i was up to 450k half way through 2500/5k but im staying positive 

WiLDmAn_75 Daniel Buzgon 

550k on break. Going to 4k 8k. Like 15 from the $. 

VanessaSelbst Vanessa Selbst 

498k at first break. Got moved to table where average stack is around 550 or so but tourney average is 340 or so. So much for the bubble! 

JeffMadsenobv Jeff Madsen 

Comeback activated #500k #Borgatcha twitpic.com/6ocup3

Event 22: Champions Join as Main Event Dreams End

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Robert Varkonyi 

The field at today's re-entry tournament continues to attract new stars as players bust from the WPT Borgata Poker Open. After up to three days of playing the deep-stacked Main Event, poker players are excited to jump into the fast pace of today's Noon event. 


Among the contenders are former WSOP Champion Robert Varkonyi, former Borgata Championship final-tablist Kenny "Super Tuan" Nguyen, "Little Man" Mike Sica, James Boyle and Chris Edwards. 

Event 20: Erik v Eric Action

  $3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

Erik Cajelais (middle) and Eric 'sheets' Haber (button) got to the turn with a board of K Q 2 7.  Cajelais bet 60k and after some thought, Haber called.

 Eric Haber (left, red shirt) and Erik Cajelais (far right)

River was a 3 and both players checked.  Cajelais showed JT suited for a flopped open-ender that never got there.  Haber showed AQ suited for a pair of Queens to take the pot.

Cajelais was down to ~50k while Haber chipped up to ~640k.

13 tables -- 117 players -- remain.  Average stack is ~335k -- that's almost 56 big blinds.

End of level 19 and time for a break.

Event 20: Himpele Hosed

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

Donald Himpele had his last chips in for the ante.  Action folded around to Ryan Eriquezzo, who raised, shutting out the blinds.

Donald held J3 offsuit.  Ryan held pocket Aces.  The board brought no help for Donald and he was done.

Also gone:

Joanne Monteavaro
Abe Korotki
Christopher Edwards
Robert Mizrachi
Jeremy McLaughlin
Tony Antonious

Event 22: Familiar Faces and a Baby on the Way

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Lana O'Brien 

Today's Noon tournament has attracted a large field, with plenty of Borgata regulars including Keith Crowder, Larry Gold, Gil Sacks, Jamie Kerstetter, Al Riccobono and Steve Ryan. 


Some players are licking their Main event elimination wounds at this juicy postlim. Others came specifically for the $100,000 guarantee, such as Lana O'Brien, who just arrived at the Borgata. Lana registered for this event in advance, allowing her to bypass this morning's spiraling registration line. Lana is due in November and wants to get her fill of poker in before her baby boy arrives. 

Event 20: Williams Crests 1 Million

  $3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

David Williams (sb) and Dylan Hortin (bb) got to the turn with a board of Q T 9 J (two diamonds).  After David checked, Dylan shoved for ~150k.  David snap-called, showing KJ for the straight.

 Dylan Hortin

Dylan held AQ of diamonds for top pair with flush draw and gutshot to Broadway.

River was another 9 and David took the pot.  He's now over 1 million chips.  Dylan took the hike to the exit. 

15 tables remain --  133 players still in the hunt.

Event 20: Grippo Gonzo

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

Level 19:  Blinds are up to 3k/6k with 500 antes.

Anthony Rivera shoved, then Nick Grippo, on his immediate left, also shoved for fewer chips.

When the hands were tabled, Anthony's AK was dominating Nick's AJ.  The board came Q 9 4 A K and Anthony took the pot.

Nick took the long walk to the rail.

Event 20: Two More Out the Door

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

On a flop of Q J 9, all the chips went in the middle.  Brandon Setzer had QT off for top pair with open-ender.  Baruch Thaler held J9 for two pair. 

It was all over on the turn, which was another Jack.  Baruch took the pot with Jacks-full and Brandon took the walk.

Moni Advani had paired his Ace on the board, but Brian Lamanna had made a straight.  Moni will not make the money here today.

16 tables -- 144 players -- remain.

PPI UPDATE

Guest Post:

As the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event enters Day 3, several PPI players are still in the running for the $922,411 1st place prize and the title of WPT Champion.

Will "The Thrill " Failla remains at the top of the PPI chip counts, coming off his WPT win at the Legends of Poker. Other PPI players still in mix are Jack Schanbacher, John Racener, Vinny Pahuja, Lee Childs, John D'Agastino, Jeremy McLaughlin, Mike Castaldo and Ryan Eriquezzo.

Today's action will be full of excitement as the money bubble hits and players begin to position themselves to make a deep run for the tv final table.

Best of Luck to all,

Eric Siegel, Co-Founder PPI, Director of Marketing

Event 22: Cards Are In the Air

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

The third of three Wednesday main events with big guarantees is underway.

Today's $200 + $30 Big Stack event has a $100,000 guarantee and that always brings out the crowds.  This event also allows re-entries, so players who bust out during the first 8 levels may re-enter as many times as they want.

Players began with 20,000 chips and those first 8 levels are 20 minutes long.  Beginning with level 9, levels will be 30 minutes for the remainder of the tournament.

Level 1 blinds are 25/50 and cards are in the air!

Event 20: Last Women Sitting

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

There are only three women still in the field and two of them are named Joanne.

 Joanne Dorin & Joanne Monteavaro

Joanne Dorin and Joanne Monteavaro are two of the last three women sitting in this event.  They're both regular tournament players here at Borgata.

Of course the third woman left in the field is Vanessa Selbst, who held the chip lead for a while on day two.  Today, she's been having  a little trouble chipping up.  She's currently at about 370k.

Down to 18 tables -- 162 players.

Event 20: Timoshenko Tanks, Takes One Out

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Zdravko Janjic got his chips in the middle pre-flop, sending Yevgeniy Timoshenko into the tank.  Eventually the clock was called.

 Yevgeniy Timoshenko

Before his time expired, Yevgeniy called, showing pocket Jacks.  The board came A K 5 Q K and Yevgeniy took the pot.  Janjic took the walk to the exit.

Event 20: Early Departures

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

There was an error in the overnight chip count listings.  Farzad Rouhani was listed, but he busted out on day two.  At table 14, seat 8, it should have listed Vineet (Vinny) Pahuja.

The error is somewhat moot now that Vinny has busted out, courtesy of Peter Campo.

Other early departures:
John Delrossi
Kristopher Bradshaw
Elliott Zaydman

Event 20: Day 3 Underway

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

170 players returned today to continue their fight for a piece of the more than $4 million prize pool.

Only 100 will get paid (at least $8,386) so 70 will leave with nothing but memories.

Average stack is about 231k.

Level 18 blinds are 2,500/5,000 with 400 antes.  An average stack has about 46 big blinds.  In contrast, chip leader David Williams' 727k is about 145 big blinds and the 15k stack belonging to John Delrossi is only 3 big blinds.

Cards are in the air. 

Championship Event Table Assignments

Borgata Poker Open
Event 20: WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship
$3,300 + $200 No Limit Hold'em
September 18 - 23, 2011

Entries:  1,313
Total Buy-in:  $4,332,900

START OF DAY 3 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS:

T: 06 S: 08 - ABRAMS, LAWRENCE:  280,000

T: 18 S: 03 - ADVANI, MONI:  66,700

T: 04 S: 01 - AFFLECK, MATTHEW:  83,200

T: 15 S: 02 - ANDERSON, SCOTT:  213,000

T: 15 S: 08 - ANTONIOUS, NASHAAT:  594,700

T: 19 S: 07 - APICELLA, PETER:  175,800

T: 17 S: 09 - BARZYK, TIMOTHY:  48,200

T: 12 S: 04 - BASCOM, JONATHAN:  143,000

T: 03 S: 06 - BELARDO, AARON:  480,400

T: 09 S: 05 - BENSTER, JONATHAN:  113,500

T: 14 S: 07 - BLAKE, ANDREW:  534,000

T: 02 S: 09 - BLENKARN, JEFFREY:  338,300

T: 19 S: 06 - BRADEN, WILLIAM:  155,200

T: 10 S: 03 - BRADSHAW, KRISTOPHER:  51,600

T: 18 S: 08 - BRAMLEY, MARK DAVID:  413,100

T: 13 S: 03 - BRONGO, ANDREW:  182,100

T: 16 S: 07 - BURGESS, JERRY:  247,000

T: 05 S: 05 - BURNSIDE, KYLE P:  301,000

T: 01 S: 02 - BUZGON, DANIEL:  160,200

Wednesday, September 21

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 20 - $3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH (Day 3)

• $3,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Day 3 Levels: will last 75 minutes
• 5-Day event (with two Day 1 starting days)
• Day 2 ends when 27 players remain

12PM: Event 22 - $200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

• $100,000 Guaranteed
• Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
• Players that are eliminated within the first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• Levels 1-8: will last 20 minutes each | Levels 9+: will last 30 minutes each 
• 1-Day event

6PM: Event 55 - $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

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

Event 21 Recap

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

After 17 hours, Event 21 is in the books and your champion is 28 year old Accountant, Finian Anuforo (Queens, NY). He just won all 5,100,000 chips and will take home $31,161 out of the $119,000 total buy-in.

This event provided a great opportunity for anyone who busted out of Day 2 BPO Championship and still wanted to play some poker and win some cash. And it was a $100 Black Chip Bounty so for every player you busted, you got their $100 chip.

Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler was one of those players. He got off to an early start and held the chip lead from time to time. Kessler finished as the final table bubble in 11th place for $1,501. He also collected 9 bounties.

Patricia Barsanti-Chou, Steve Dannenmann, Adam Cook, and David Inselberg, also jumped over once bounced out of the Championship Event.

Mike Sica and Eric Siegel played in Event 21 as well.

Top 36 made the money and three players busted almost at the same time during hand for hand action.

Your final table of ten included, Robby Devries, Scott Shoyer, Christopher Guth, Ed Cotter, Chris Defforey, Frank Walden, Greg Kolo, Joseph Fox, Finian Anuforo, and David Oliver.

At 4am there were only five players remaining. At 5am it was all over.

3rd place in the amount of $10,735 was awarded to Chris Defforey while 2nd place prize of $17,314 went to 25 year old poker pro from Ottawa Canada, David Oliver. Oliver had the most bounties with 12 knockouts total.

But once again your big winner was Finian Anuforo who just took down the first Borgata tournament he's ever played in. Beginner's luck proved true today (even though Anuforo has been playing poker for five years). 8 bounties added to Finian's haul of a whopping $31,161.

Way to go and congratulations again!

Event 21: Finian Anuforo - 1st Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Finian Anuforo - 1st Place - $31,161

Finian Anuforo (Queens, NY) is your Event 21 Champion. He wins the Borgata trophy, the Blue Shark Optics shades, and $31,161 for his 17 hours of hard work.

This represents Finian's first ever Borgata tournament and obviously his biggest cash.

Anuforo knocked out 8 other players and collected $800 in bounties. The 28 year old accountant has been playing poker for five years.

Congratulations again to Finian Anuforo for outlasting 340 other players and finishing on top at Borgata for $31,161.

Winner!

Event 21: David Oliver - 2nd Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

David Oliver - 2nd Place - $17,314

Poker Pro David Oliver (Ottawa Canada) was behind heads up until he slo-played A-A and doubled up through Fininan's 5-5.

Board ran 7-10-2-J-9. Oliver bet the flop, Fininan shoved all-in and Oliver snapped.

The stacks were even after that and eventually Oliver bled chips back and was out.

David came down from Canada to play in the Borgata Poker Open and had support on the rail from friends Fausto and Brett.

Oliver adds $17,314 to his bankroll along with 12 bounties. This is his biggest Borgata cash to date. 12 was the most bounties in the tournament.

Event 21: Chris Defforey - 3rd Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Chris Defforey - 3rd Place - $10,735

One hand after Kolo busted, Chris Defforey (Germany) moved up the money board one spot, busting at third place.

Defforey had A-Q and fell to J-J on a clean board. Chris and his friend came all the way from Germany to play in the 2011 Borgata Poker Open.

He more than paid for his trip with tonight's $10,735 prize.

Event 21: Greg Kolo - 4th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Greg Kolo - 4th Place - $8,657

Rough way to leave as Greg Kolo (Rocky River, OH) runs into Finian Anuforo's set of deuces.

Kolo had top pair on a flop of 2-9-6 so he check raised Finian all in. His 9-8 did not improve.

Kolo, once your chip leader, is now out of the tournament in 4th place. He'll pocket $8,657 for his day at Borgata.

Event 21: Ed Cotter - 5th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Ed Cotter - 5th Place - $6,695

At the last break Ed Cotter (Rivervale, NJ) had 1,200,000. He dropped down to 600,000 and got it in with Q-6 of diamonds. Opponent called with A-2 and hit and ace and a deuce.

Cotter felted in fifth for $6,695 plus 6 bounties.

Event 21: Frank Walden - 6th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Frank Walden - 6th Place - $5,656

Frank Walden has a job interview in a few hours. After our interview I learned that he was short stacked, down to 10 big blinds, jammed with 10-8 of clubs and was way behind against Greg Kolo's A-10. Ace held up on a clean board.

Walden walks away with $5,656 for his one day of work.

Good luck on your interview. If it doesn't work out, maybe consider poker as a profession.

Event 21: Robby Devries - 7th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Robby Devries - 7th Place - $4,559

Robby Devries (Patterson, NJ) ran into Finian Anuforo's pocket rockets. Devries had 10-10 but failed to hit a ten on the board.

Finian confiscates Robby's last 600,000 giving him 1,200,00.

1.2 ties with Greg Kolo for the lead.

Devries adds $4,559 to his Borgata bankroll.

Event 21: Scott Shoyer - 8th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Scott Shoyer - 8th Place - $3,405

Short stacked Scott Shoyer shoves with J-10 suited and loses the flip against Opponent's 8-8.

Three aces ended on the board giving Opponent a full-house.

Shoyer had 6 $100 bounties to go with his $3,405 8th place prize.

Event 21: Christopher Guth - 9th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Christopher Guth - 9th Place - $2,309

End of the road for Christopher Guth (North Valley Stream, NY) who battled with the short stack all the way to the final table, then fell to Ed Cotter.

Guth had the best of it as he shipped it with K-K. Cotter called holding A-9 of diamonds and hit his man on the turn. You know those cowboys are ace magnets. Oh well.

Chris says hi and thanks to his friend Neil who taught him how to play poker and is sorry he wasn't here at Borgata to play in the tournament also. The two may be going heads-up on Thursday. Who will win, the student or the teacher?

Tonight Christopher Guth wins to the tune of $2,309 for his 9th place finish.

Event 21: Final Nine

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Final Table of Nine:
1.Robby Devries
2. Scott Shoyer
3. Christopher Guth
4. Ed Cotter
5. Chris Defforey
6. Frank Walden
7. Greg Kolo
8. Finian Anuforo
9. David Oliver

Event 21: Joseph Fox - 10th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Joseph Fox - 10th Place - $1,501

Joseph Fox shipped his last 80,000 in holding A-5 of hearts. Robby Devries in the 1-seat snap called and showed K-K.

Fox found an ace on the flop then realized a king also fell.

Board ran: K-A-9-J-4.

Fox earns $1,501 for his Event 21 showing.

Event 21: Allen Kessler - 11th Place

$350 + $50 + 100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

Allen Kessler - 11th Place - $1,501

Allen Kessler played great all day but fell short of the final table as he goes out in 11th place for $1,501.

All in pre-flop. Allen's 7-7 vs. Greg Kolo's K-J off.

Board ran out 3-K-9-6-3 sending Kessler to the rail.

Moments before Allen's bustout, Taylor Shpur was ousted in 12th place at the other table.

The short stack kept shoving and finally was caught by Ed Cotter.

Taylor's 8-3 vs. Ed's A-4 on a board of Q-J-10-Q-7.

Taylor Shpur takes home $1,501 for his 12th place finish.

Taylor Shpur - 12th Place - $1,501

Final table of ten is set.

Event 20: End of Day 2

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Williams with the Lead

A generous player early in the day helped David Williams become one of the only three players to crack the 600k mark propelling him to the end of Day 2 chip lead of the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event.

The WSOP bracelet holder is chased by a stellar field that includes Vanessa Selbst, John Racener, and Jeff Madsen who are all still alive for the $922,441 first place prize.

"It was a steady climb most of the day," said Williams, who finished the day with 727,100 chips, "but a guy gave me a gift by calling off 170k with ace-queen."  A surprised Williams, who has nearly $8 million in career tournament earnings, had ace-king.

When big slick held for a ~450k chip pot it helped propel him to the chip lead ahead of Maurice Hawkins (647k) and David Jones (643k).

Other WSOP bracelet holders in the field include Selbst (315k), Madsen (124k), and "Miami" John Cernuto (120k). Start of Day 2 chip leader Abe Korotki had an up and down day and bagged 192k.

170 players return 11 am Wednesday for Day 3 with an average stack of 231k (46 BB) as the field stakes it claim at the $4,332,900 total buy-in. The top 100 finishers are guaranteed a minimum of $8,386 and the field will play down to the final 27, just two days before Friday's televised final table of six.

"I love Borgata," said Willliams, "this was my first WPT (tour) event and I finished second to Daniel (Negreanu).  I've got a soft spot in my heart for this place and want to rectify that," he said after his runner-up finish in 2004.

"Having the chip lead now means nothing, You can be one cooler away from being short stacked or even out. They key is to keep making good decisions."

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 170
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 231k (46 BB)
Big Stack: 727k (145 BB)

Next Blinds: 2.5k/5k/400 ante

Total Buy-In: $4,332,900
First Prize: $922,441
Places Paid: 100

Event 20: Chip Leaders

$350 + $50 + $100 Big Stack Black Chip Bounty NLH

The final count has WSOP bracelet holder David Williams as the Day 2 chip leader with 727,100. 170 players return for Day 3 play as we head towards the money. The top 100 finishers collect at least $8,386 as they chase the top prize of $922,441.

Here's a look at the players with more than 500k, along with a list of notable counts.

Big Stacks

David Williams 727,100
Maurice Hawkins 646,500
David Jones 643,400
Tony Antonious 594,700
Miguel Perez 553,800
Andrew Blake 534,000
Roman Valerstein 517,200
Ricky Hale 514,500

Notable & Random Chip Counts

Eric Haber 496,400
Hans Schrieber 489,400
Omar Golden 481,800
Aaron Belardo 480,000
Matthew Rosenbaum 458,800
Daniel Santoro 457,400
David  Diaz 457,100
Zachary  Gruneberg 453,000
Kevin Calenzo 432,700
Mark Bramley 413,100
Brandon Schaefer 410,600
Kunal Patel 403,000
Jean-Philippe Matte 390,500
John Racener 384,200
Vanessa Selbst 315,200
Anthony Newman 306,600
Guy Cruickshanks 306,200
Lee Childs 294,400
Matt Glantz 282,000
Ryan Eriquezzo 277,300
Lee Markholt 249,800
Wade Woelfel 206,400
Nimer Ltaif 203,100
Robert Mizrachi 197,200
Abe Korotki 191,500
Gene Santora 190,000
Chris Edwards 175,000
Dan Shak 171,900
Vinny Pahuja 146,500
Joanne Dorin 127,900
Jeff Madsen 123,700
John Cernuto 119,600
Mark Reynolds 83,800
Joanne Monteavaro 83,400
Matt Affleck 83,200
Bob Hwang 53,500
Jeremy McLaughlin 44,200

Event 20: Chip Leader Drops

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Roman Valerstein - 517,200

Roman Valerstein (Philadelphia, PA) had 750,000 and was the tournament chip leader until the very last hand. He got a little out of line with 8-9 of diamonds on a diamond heavy 6-6-2 flop.

"I had two overs and a flush draw and I shoved" said Roman. Opponent had Q-Q and called.

That brings our former-chip leader down to 517,200. I broke the news to him that for a few moments there he was the chip leader.

Roman was very surprised figuring the cl had 1,000,000. That's why you gotta read the blog even at the table.

However, if he wins that hand, he's up to 1,000,000 and is the dominant tournament leader going into Day 3.

Play has stopped for the night. We will post chip counts of leaders and notables very soon.