Event 23: John Mirdita - 7th Place

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

John Mirdita - 7th Place - $2,474

John Mirdita (West Chester, NY) got his money in with A-K against a K-2-5 flop and lost.

Craig Lampa hit a set of Jacks on the turn and knocked Mirdita out.

"He hit a two-otter on me, nothing I could do" said the bakery owner.

John takes home $2,474 for his day at the office.

Event 23: Fred Meder - 8th Place

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Fred Meder - 8th Place - $1,855

Fred Meder (North East Philadelphia, PA) put his last 246,000 all in pre-flop.
Fred tabled A-9 of clubs up against Martino Scaturro's A-J.

Both guys hit their kickers on a flop of 9-J-A.

Nothing changed on a turn 6 and river 2.

Fred just finisher Dealer School and is looking for work. He says "What Up" to his home game.

Fred takes home $1,855 for his eighth place finish today at Borgata.

Event 23: Raifer 9th & Rasile 10th

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Three way all-in = Two way all-out.

Frank Rasile gets his chips in with A-8 while Scott Raifer gets his in with A-9.

Meanwhile, John Mirita has both players covered and calls. John flips A-A.

Will take a miracle for either Frank or Scott to survive the tournament.

Board runs out: Q-7-K-5-K and just like that we lose two players.

Fireworks flew early at the final table as this was only the second hand since these guys sat down and redrew seats.

Mirita shouted to the rail, "We got gas money".

Frank Rasile - 10th Place - $804

Scott Raifer - 9th Place - $1,237

Event 23: Final Table Set

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

The Final Table is set:

Seat...Player

1. Frank Rasile
2. Andrew Interdonato
3. Craig Lampa
4. Cuong Phung
5. Scott Raifer
6. Michael Nye
7. Fred Meder
8. Martino Scaturro
9. John Mirdita
10. Anthony Colombo

Event 20: Day 4 Recap - Championship Preview

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Top Row (l-r): Ricky Hale, Fred Goldberg & Jin Hwang,
Bottom Row: Daniel Buzgon, Bobby Oboodi & Darren Elias

A record setting field of 1,313 entries is down to six players as the tv final table is set to play for the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship first prize of $922,441.

"It's amazing," said Jin Hwang, who is the table short stack with 2.2 million chips, "I was on a roller coaster all day and to still be playing is incredible."

After four days of poker, two players emerged as the big stacks in Bobby Oboodi and WSOP bracelet holder Fred Goldberg, who both have a little more than 11 million chips.

"It's a great feeling anytime you have a chance to win a title," said Goldberg who is only 60k behind Oboodi's 11.14 million after being the chip leader most of the day. "I love Borgata. I've only played one other time, but seem to run pretty good here."

The other three players at the final table are Darren Elias (7.4 million), Daniel Buzgon (4.7 mil), and Ricky Hale (2.3 mill), who are 3rd, 4th, and 5th in chips respectfully.

Day 4 began with 27 players looking for their piece of the $4,332,900 total buy-in, including two WSOP bracelet holders and two prominent Borgata regulars.

Two-time WSOP winner Vanessa Selbst finished 23rd ($18,868), while three-time winner "Miami" John Cernuto was 14th ($35,640).

On the local side, the largest rail bird crowd supported Will "The Thrill" Failla, who was trying to be the first player to win back-to-back WPT titles. Failla started the day as the chip leader, but after becoming a short stack was crippled by Hwang.

Failla was all-in with pocket queens, but when Hwang flopped a set of jacks and turned quads, Failla was crippled and knocked out the next hand in 11th place ($50,315).

"I was trying to do something that's never been done before," says Failla, "I got it in good, but the chips ended up where they were supposed to go."

Going out in 12th place ($50,315) was Matt Glantz who plays regularly in the high stakes room and has $3.9 million in career tournament earnings.

The final six are guaranteed $186,585 as they return 3 pm Friday to play for the title under the bright lights of the Event Center.

"It's pretty exciting," said Oboodi, "but I haven't done anything yet. There's still $800,000 to play for."

Event 20: Final Table Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Tournament Director Tab Duchateau Assits Buzgone 
Bag & Tag, while Ricky Hale (left) and Oboodi Watch

Name - Chip Counts

Bobby Oboodi 11,140,000
Fred Goldberg 11,080,000
Darren Elias 7,360,000
Dan Buzgon 4,710,000
Ricky Hale 2,320,000
Jin Hwang 2,205,000

Seat - Name

1 Jin Hwang
2 Darren Elias
3 Fred Goldberg
4 Bobby Oboodi
5 Daniel Buzgon
6 Ricky Hale

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 6
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 6.6 million (41 BB)
Big Stack: 11.1 million (69 BB)

Blinds: 80k/160k/10k ante (1 hr 7 min  remain)

Total Buy-In: $4,332,900
Remaining Payouts:


1st   $922,441
2nd  $554,303
3rd   $335,433
4th   $280,925
5th   $230,610
6th   $186,585

Places Paid: 100

Event 20: Douglas Kim - 7th

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Douglas Kim - 7th Place - $148,848

The final televised table is set! Douglas Kim (Hartsdale, NY) is out in 7th Place after shoving his 1,500,000 short stack holding only Q♥ 4♠.

Unfortunately for Kim, his cards weren't even live as Bobby Oboodi snap called with A♦ Q♦ .

Douglas did not like the flop of 8♦ A♥ 3♦ but held some hope.

When the K♥ hit the turn he said aloud he was drawing dead.

Once the 7♠ fell on the river, Douglas Kim officially began his exit interview and the final remaining six players celebrated.

A disappointed Kim said, "I came so close and got so far" as he spoke to WPT reporters.

He'll take home $148,848 for his 7th place finish in the largest Borgata Poker Open WPT Championship of all time.

Ironically he also took 7th place in the largest WSOP Main Event field ever (2006).

Douglass won't be on the final telecast with the final-6 but did survive his short stack today for several levels and gave himself a chance.

Super 6 have bagged and tagged their chips and will be ready to play under the lights and cameras tomorrow at 3pm in The Event Center.

See you then.

Event 20: Double Up Dan

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Darren Elias dusts off 2,200,000 after his Q-Q runs into A♣A♠ of Dan Buzgon.

Both players were all-in pre-flop and Dan Buzgon was at risk but held the dominant hand.

Action was all-in pre-flop with Dan shipping over Douglas Kim's raise and Darren calling.

Board ran out 7♦ J♠ 3♣ 8♣ K♣

Nice time to pick up aces and have them hold up. The look on Buzgon's face was priceless after his double-up. He was both stunned and excited.

Our final seven are on a break. This is the WPT final table coverage bubble. Next bust-out will not make the final table broadcast.

Event 20: 8th Place - Dittmar

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Joe Dittmar

Blinds  60k/120k/10k

Jin Hwang raises to 275k from the high jack
Darren Elias calls from the cutoff
Joe Dittmar moves all in for 1.9 million more from the SB
Hwang folds, Elias calls

Elias: A♠ 10♥
Dittmar: K♠ Q♥

Flop: J♦ 6♥ 8♣
Turn: 4♦
River: 9♣

Elias' ace high wins the hand and Dittmar is out in 8th place earning $113,209.

As the hand runs out, short stack Douglas Kim is thrilled that he's moved up in money and will take home at least $148,848. Jin Hwang is disappointed saying he folded the best hand (A J), adding, "I can't call If I lose this hand I'm done."

Event 20: 9th Place - Calenzo

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Kevin Calenzo

Blinds: 60k/120k/10k

Calenzo raises to 255 UTG, Bobby Oboodi makes it 705k, and Calenzo tanks before moving 2.3 million all in. Oboodi snap calls.

Oboodi: K♣ K♥
Calenzo: J♥ J♣

Flop: A♦ 9♠ 2♠

Turn: 6♦
River: 6♠

Calenzo's pocket jacks can't catch up to pocket kings and he's on the rail, while Oboodi is second in chips with 8 million.

"The last hand is pretty sick," says Calenzo, "We're all trying to move up a pay bump, so he could be three-betting me pretty light there.  I almost folded, it was 50/50, but I went with my read and he happened to have kings."

Kevin Calenzo finishes in 9th place, earning $77,569.

Event 23: Sanjeev Jammin

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Sanjeev Datta - 230,000

Sanjeev Datta (Montville, NJ) finished 10th in last night's Event 22. After the marathon poker tournament he got a little sleep and re-loaded for today.

Sanjeev just doubled up when his 9-9 held up against Opponent's 8-8.

Board ran: 10-3-Q-3-10 causing Opponent to shout out, "Chop it up". The rest of the table remained silent, studying the board one more time.

Finally the news was broken that the poor guy was out of the tournament. No chop of course as Sanjeev's tens over nines were best.

23 players remain.

Event 20: Kim Doubles Through Dittmer

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

On the first hand back from dinner break, Jin Hwang is all in with A♦ A♠ against Joe Ditmer's A♥ K♥. Ditmer picks up a flush draw on the turn, but bricks the river as Hwang doubles to 2 million.

The 1 million hit drops Dittmer to 3 million.

Event 23: Yaccarino Yanked

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Steve Yaccarino - 27th Place - $557

At the same time Vince Nicoletti was in his hand, Steve Yaccarino (Raleigh, NC) was on a different table in his hand. Steve stood up and lost all his chips after A-J ran into A-K. A-K held and Steve was sent to the rail.

At first, Steve assumed he was the bubble but after Vince was ejected, the floor realized Steve started the hand with more chips.

Steve collects a min cash of $557.

Tournament has condensed down to three tables.

Event 23: Bubble Boy Vince Nicoletti

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Vince Nicoletti - 28th Place - Bubble

Okay, Vince Nicoletti is your bubble boy but he's still smiling. After a few hands of hand for hand action, Vince is bounced after his A-J is run down by J-9.

Board runs: 8-5-3-10-Q giving Opponent a straight.

All the players felt so bad Vince was the bubble that they chipped in to buy him some pizza.
That must be why he's smiling - he really likes pizza.

Everyone else is in the money!

Event 20: Back from Break

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 9
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 4.4 million (37 BB)
Big Stack: 9.5 million (79 BB)

Next Blinds: 60k/120k/10k ante

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

Event 20: Dinner Break Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Seat - Player - Chips (in millions)

Fred Goldberg 9.5
Darren Elias 6.1
Bobby Oboodi 5.1
Ricky Hale 4.5
Joe Dittmer 4
Kevin Calenzo 3.4
Douglas Kim 2.5
Dan Buzgon 2.1
Jin Hwang 1

Event 23: All In-somnia

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

The Vo - 225,000

The Vo (Harrisburg, PA) played in Event 22 yesterday and finished in 6th place. I don't know how some of these guy do it. So much poker, so little sleep.

The Vo played poker 17.5 hours yesterday, got two hours of sleep, then jumped into Event 23. Funny thing is he doesn't even look tired.

Currently in good shape with 225,000.

31 players remain. 28th place gets nada.

Event 23: Back From Dinner Chip Leader

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Martino Scaturro - 340,000

Dinner break is over and Martino Scaturro (Clark, NJ) is your Event 23 chipleader with 340,000.

With only four tables left, 35 players, it's a close race between Martino (T-1) and one other player from Table 2.

Just a steady grind for Scaturro. No major hand that brought him all his chips.

We're finishing this event out tonight in Borgata Poker Room.

Top 27 make the money so we're closing in on the bubble.

Blinds 3000 / 6000 with 500 antes.

Event 23: Payouts

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Entries: 255
Total Buy-In: $63,750

Place - Amount

1st   $17,312
2nd  $10,202
3rd    $5,875
4th    $4,762
5th    $3,710
6th    $3,092
7th    $2,474
8th    $1,855
9th    $1,237
10-12   $804
13-15   $680
16-18  $618
19-27  $557

Event 20: Payout Reminder

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Here's a reminder what's still at stake:

Place - Amount

1st   $922,441 Plus a $25,000 + $500 entry in the Season X WPT World Championship
2nd  $554,303
3rd   $335,433
4th   $280,925
5th   $230,610
6th   $186,585
7th   $148,848
8th   $113,209
9th     $77,569

Event 20: Elias Reads Jin's Soul

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Jin Hwang opened for 275k utg+2, then Darren Elias (on his immediate left) raised to 650k.  Jin gave it some thought, then called.

The flop came K♣T♣3♦ and both players checked.

Turn was the 4♦.  Jin announced he was all-in (he had Darren covered).

Darren tanked for a few minutes, then made the call all-in (2.095 million exactly).

Jin showed Q♣9♣ for the gutshot, flush draw, and gut-shot straight-flush draw.

Darren rolled over pocket Queens for the lead, needing to fade any club or Jack.

River was the 2♦.

Darren doubled up to over 5.5 million.  Jin was left with ~1.3 million.

One more hand was played, then the level expired and players were sent on a 75 minute dinner break. 

Play will resume at about 8:30 pm.

Event 20: B & A

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Gallery Checking Out the Action

Chips have been rotating around the table as players are picking up a lot of B & A (that's media lingo for blinds and antes), and not much action.

The monotony is broken when the dinner vouchers are passed out to which Kevin Calenzo says, "this is what I've been waiting for, now I can move all in."

The 75 minute dinner break starts at 7:15 pm.

Leaderboard Update (9/22)

Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard Update

By participating in any Borgata Poker Open event (September 7-23, 2011), players will earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

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

Below are the top scores for the Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard contest through September 21 events*
*(Final Results from events 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)

508.050 PTS:  JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD)

494.288 PTS:  JAMES ENGLISH (TAMARAC, FL)

459.288 PTS:  BYUNG YOO (NORWOOD, NJ)

457.513 PTS:  JOSEPH LIBERTA (BERLIN, NJ)

450.383 PTS:  MICHAEL HOLM (WOODRIDGE, IL)

443.138 PTS:  RYAN ERIQUEZZO (DANBURY, CT)

440.300 PTS:  TOMASZ GLINIECKI (JACKSON, NJ)

395.300 PTS:  VINCENT MAGLIO (REVERE, MA)

382.665 PTS:  GONZALO VILLARREAL (E HANOVER, NJ)

379.543 PTS:  MITCHELL MANTIN (LAS VEGAS, NV)

377.228 PTS:  TA WEY (HACKENSACK, NJ)

367.338 PTS:  DAVID LAUFER (BROOKLYN, NY)

363.380 PTS:  MATTHEW MAZZEO (EAST WILLISTON, NY)

344.063 PTS:  SUNG HA KIM (FEDERAL WAY, WA)

337.875 PTS:  SPIROS MARKATOS (DIX HILLS, NY)

333.560 PTS:  MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)

330.725 PTS:  ROBERT CHUNG-SHUI (NEW YORK, NY)

329.050 PTS:  MANH NGUYEN (MUNHALL, PA)

Event 20: 10th Place - Colman

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH       

Fred Goldberg raised utg and Dan Colman shoved from the small blind, about 1.6 million.

Fred called, showing KQ.  Dan held pocket 8s.

 Dan Colman

The board came 9 7 2 K 7 and Fred took the pot with Kings-up, chipping up to over 10 million, more than one-fourth of all the chips in play.

Dan Colman finished in 10th place, picking up $50,315.

Event 20: Final Table Lineup & Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH       

Here's the final table with seating and approximate chip counts:

Seat - Player - Chips (in millions)
1 - Jin Hwang - 4.8
2 - Darren Elias - 4.2
3 - Douglas Kim - 2.9
4 - Dan Colman - 1.6
5 - Joe Dittmer - 3.2
6 - Fred Goldberg - 8.7
7 - Bobby Oboodi - 4.5
8 - Dan Buzgon - 1.6
9 - Kevin Calenzo - 3.1
10 - Ricky Hale - 5.3

Play resumed with new blinds of 50k/100k and 10k antes.  Average stack is 3.92 million.  That's 39 big blinds.

Event 20: 11th Place - Failla

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Will "The Thrill" Failla

The dream of back-to-back WPT titles is over for Will "The Thrill" Failla, who's cripppled by Jin Hwang when Failla's pocket queens are run down by pocket jacks.

With the blinds 40k/80k/5k ante, we pick up the action with Failla taking the action to 250k. Hwang moves all in for 2.345 million total putting Failla into the tank.

After a careful count, Failla has slightly more than Hwang and "Thrill" calls.

Failla: Q♥ Q♠
Hwang: J♠ J♣

Failla's 80/20 advantage is gone on a flop of  A♦ J♠ 9♦, as Hwang flops a set and then turns quads with the J♣.

Failla is left with just 100k and busts the next hand, while Hwang doubles to 4.7 million.

"I was trying to do something that's never been done before," says Failla, who would have been the first to win twice in a row on the tour.  "I got it in good, but the chips ended up where they were supposed to go."

Failla (right) Ponders a Call

Failla finishes in 12th place, earning $50,315.

The remaining ten players are on a break as they draw for their final table seats.

Event 20: Calenzo Doubles Thru Colman

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH      

Kevin Calenzo was all-in pre-flop for 2.3 million against Dan Colman, who had him covered. 

Kevin's AK off was dominating Dan's AQ off. 

The board came 8 7 6 T 2 and Kevin doubled up to ~4.7 million.

Dan was left with about 2.5 million.

Event 20: 12th Place - Glantz

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH      

Will 'the Thrill' Failla picked up about 650k in a hand against Kevin Calenzo.  Will shoved on the turn with a board of Q Q 8 9 after Kevin raised his 150k bet to 350k.  Kevin surrendered.

Matt Glantz moved in with pocket Jacks and got action from Ricky Hale, who had pocket Tens.  Unfortunately for Matt, the board came K T  4 3 6 and Ricky took the pot with a set of Tens.

Matt Glantz

Matt Glantz finished in 12th place, earning $50,315.

Event 20: Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH     

At the end of the level, players were given ten minutes away from the grind.

Here are some rough chip counts (in millions):

Table 1
Fred Goldberg - 8.1  (biggest stack - over 101 big blinds)
Joe Dittmer - 3.2
Darren Elias - 3.3
Matt Glantz - 1.9
Dan Buzgon - 1.5
Ricky Hale - 3.8

Table 2
Jin Hwang - 1.7
Will Failla - 1.4  (shortest stack - about 17.5 big blinds)
Dan Colman - 4.5
Douglas Kim - 3.0
Bobby Oboodi - 3.9
Kevin Calenzo - 1.9


Play resumed after the break with blinds of 40k/80k with 5k antes.

12 players remain.  Average stack is almost 3.3 million.  That's over 41 big blinds.

Event 20: 13th Place - Schaefer

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

 Brandon Schaefer

Schafer is all in for 325k against Douglas Kim who dominates the hand with A♣ 9♠ vs A♦ 4♦.  Kim flops a 9 to seal the deal to eliminate Schaefer and take his stack 2.5 million.

Brandon Schaefer is out in 13th place earning him $35,640

Event 20: 14th Place - Cernuto

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

"Miami" John Cernuto

As the short stack with 800k, Cernuto moves all in from the BB after Fred Goldberg raises in the SB.

Goldberg snap calls and Cernuto's in big trouble.

Cernuto: A♥ J♥
Goldberg: A♣ A♦

No hearts hit the board and Cernuto gets a round of applause from both players and rail birds.

"I just can't believe he woke up with that hand," says Cernuto as three-time WSOP bracelet winner. "I had a lot of good people rooting for me, so I can't complain."

"Miami" John Cernuto is out in 14th place earning him $35,640.

Goldberg continues to hold the chip lead with more than 8 million.

Event 20: 15th Place - Marshall

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Richard Marshall

Marshall is all in for nearly 1 million chips and Darren Elias makes the call.

Elias: A J
Marshall: A 7

Elias flops a jack for two pairs and Marshall is drawing dead after the turn

Richard Marshall finishes in 15th place ($35,640), while Elias now has more than 3 million chips.

Event 20: 16th Place - Schanbacher

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Jack Schanbacher shoved with AQ off and got looked up by Bobby Oboodi, who had pocket Kings. 

Jack Schanbacher

The board came 9 7 2 8 K and Booby's Kings were good.

Jack Schanbacher finished in 16th place ($23,061).

15 players remain.  Average stack is roughly 2.6 million -- that's about 43 big blinds.

Event 20: 17th Place - Woelfel

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Wade Woelfel shoved for 1.075 million and got the call from Dan Colman in the small blind.

 Wade Woelfel

Wade's KQ offsuit needed help to out-run Dan's pocket Jacks.  The board came J 9 2 A 2 and Dan took the pot with Jacks-full.

Wade Woelfel finished in 17th place ($23,061).

Event 20: Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 30k/60 with 5k antes.

Here are some rough chip counts as of the break (in millions):

Table 1
Fred Goldberg - 6.9
'Miami' John Cernuto - 1.5
Joe Dittmar - 3.9
Will Failla - 1.4
Darren Elias - 2.3
Matt Glantz - 2.5
Richard Marshall - 1.2
Dan Buzgon - 2.0
Ricky Hale - 2.1

Table 2
Jim Hwang - 3.5
Jack Schanbacher - 1.9
Wade Woelfel - 1.1
Brandon Schaefer - 0.65
Dan Colman - 1.6
Douglas Kim - 2.3
Bobby Oboodi - 1.9
Kevin Calenzo - 2.8

Event 20: Glantz Doubles Thru Buzgon

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH    

After Darren Elias opened for 110k, Matt Glantz (cutoff) moved all-in.  Dan Buzgon (sb) gave it some thought, then announced he was all-in.  Darren opted out (folded AJ) and the hands were tabled.

Matt held KQ suited and was at risk.  Dan held pocket 9s.

The flop came A A T.  Matt said "Ten!" and the turn was...a Ten.  With two pair on the board higher than Dan's, he was counterfeited and Matt's King kicker played.  Only a 9 on the river would help Dan, but it was an 8.

Matt Glantz doubled up to ~2.4 million.

End of level and the players are taking ten while the 1k chips are colored up.

Event 20: 18th Place - Rivera

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

Anthony Rivera's comeback from the short-stack was short-lived.

Just a few hands later, he moved in from the cutoff holding JT suited.  He was racing against Wade Woelfel's pocket 4s.  

 Anthony Rivera

The board came 7-high and Wade took the pot.

Anthony Rivera finished in 18th place ($23,061).

Event 20: Rivera Short, then Quintuples

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

On a flop of K 7 4 with two spades, Bobby Oboodi got all-in against Anthony Rivera.  "You have a flush draw?" Anthony asked.

Nope -- Bobby had KQ offsuit for top pair.  "Uh-oh" said Anthony, as he rolled over KJ offsuit to show he was out-kicked.

The last two came 2 A and changed nothing.  Bobby doubled up to ~1.8 million.  Anthony was left with only 53k.

A couple of hands later, Anthony was all-in for less than the 50k big blind against three opponents who checked the board to the river:  T T 8 K A.  On the river, Douglas Kim bet and the others folded.

Douglas showed A4 for a pair of Aces, but Anthony had KT for trips to take the pot and quintuple up to about 250k.

Event 20: 19th Place - Martin

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

Chris Martin shoved for ~400k and got looked up by Jin Hwan.  Chris held pocket 9s and was beat by Jin's pocket Tens.  Chris got no help from the board and hit the rail.  Jin chipped up to over 2.6 million.

Chris Martin

Chris Martin finished in 19th place ($18,868).

They broke table 3 and now the final 18 are seated at two tables.

Event 20: 20th Place - Mann

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

Wade Woelfel (A9) doubled through Dan Colman (KJ).   Ace-high was good.

Howard Mann shoved his last 300k and Will Failla (300k) looked him up.  Howard had KQ of spades.  Will had A8 of diamonds.  The flop was 9 5 3 with two diamonds.

 Howard Mann

Howard took the lead when a Queen hit the turn, but the third diamond on the river completed Will's flush.

Howard Mann finished in 20th place ($18,868).

Dan Buzgon (AK suited) doubled through Darren Elias (AJ offsuit).

Event 20: Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH   

At the end of the level, the remaining 20 players took off for a break.  Here are some rough chip counts:

Table 1
Fred Goldberg - 6.7 million
'Miami' John Cernuto - 2 million
Darren Elias - 2.5 million
Matt Glantz - 1.1 million
Richard Marshall - 1.1 million
Dan Buzgon - 1.9 million

Table 2
Jin Hwang - 2.3 million
Wade Woelfel - 540k
Brandon Schaefer - 870k
Dan Colman - 1.6 million
Douglas Kim - 2.6 million
Bobby Oboodi - 1.1 million
Chris Martin - 500k

Table 3
Anthony Rivera - 1.6 million
Jack Schanbacher - 2.8 million
Kevin Calenzo - 1.8 million
Howard Mann - 300k
Ricky Hale - 2.3 million
Will Failla - 1.9 million
Joe Dittmar - 3.6 million

Play resumed with blinds of 25k/50k and 4k antes.

Event 20: 21st Place - Hinds

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

John Allen Hinds moved in on the turn holding KT of diamonds and nothing but a flush draw.  Chip leader Fred Goldberg looked him up with pocket 7s, which had flopped a set.

The river was a brick and Fred continues to collect chips.  He's up to ~7 million.

 John Allen Hinds

John Allen Hinds finished in 21st place, earning $18,868.

Event 20: 22nd Place - Eriquezzo

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

On the flop, the board read Q T 6 with two spades.  Ryan Eriquezzo (bb) check-raised all-in for about 1.5 million.  Fred Goldberg tanked for a couple of minutes, then called.

Ryan held A8 of spades for the nut flush draw.  Fred held T9 of diamonds for a pair of Tens.  The last two came offsuit 4 3 and brought no help for Ryan.

Fred chalked up another bust-out, chipping up to nearly 6 million.

 Ryan Eriquezzo

Ryan Eriquezzo finished in 22nd place, earning $18,868.

Event 20: 23rd Place - Selbst

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH  

In an earlier hand, Vanessa Selbst tangled with Fred Goldberg.  Fred's AT had become quads when three Aces hit the board and Vanessa paid off his river bet.

Then a short while later...

On the turn with a board of T 4 3 J with two spades, Vanessa moved all-in.

 Vanessa Selbst

Fred Goldberg made the call, showing pocket 3s for bottom set.  Vanessa held Q8 of spades for the flush draw with gutshot.

River was an offsuit 6.  Fred took the pot, chipping up to almost 4.5 million, good for the chip lead.

Vanessa Selbst finished in 23rd place, picking up $18,868 for her efforts.

Event 20: 24th Place - Queen

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Alex Queen got his last 1.3 million in the middle with action from Joe Dittmar.  Alex's pocket Tens were ahead of Joe's AQ, but a Queen on the flop and an Ace on the river were all Joe.  He chipped up to about 3.6 million.

Alex Queen

Alex Queen (2010 Borgata Spring Open Champion) finished in 24th place, earning $18,868.

Event 20: 25th Place - Johnston

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

After Richard Marshall opened for 90k from the small blind, James 'Chance' Johnston shoved for 550k from the big.  Richard looked him up, showing pocket Tens.  Chance held 98 offsuit and needed help.

He got it on the flop of Q 9 8, improving to two pair.  Turn was an Ace and changed nothing, but another Queen on the river counterfeited Chance's second pair.  Richard took the pot with Queens and Tens.

James Johnston

James 'Chance' Johnston finished in 25th place, earning $18,868.

Event 23: Cards Fly

$250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

Cards are in the air for the penultimate main event of the Borgata Poker Open.

Players began with 15,000 chips and blinds of 25/50.

Levels are 25 minutes long for the duration of the tournament.  This is a one day event, so they'll play as long as it takes tonight to determine a winner.

Event 20: 26th Place - Patel

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

'Coach' Dipen Patel got his last chips in holding AQ and ran into the pocket Kings of Jack Schanbacher.  The board came Ten-high and the clock had run out on Coach.

Dipen Patel

Dipen Patel finished in 26th place, earning $18,868.

Blinds are up to 20k/40k with 4k antes.

25 players remain.  Average stack is over 1.5 million.  That's about 39 big blinds.

Event 20: Calenzo Captures Chips

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH 

Will 'the Thrill' Failla (utg) and Kevin Calenzo (hijack) got involved in a pre-flop raising war until Kevin announced he was all-in (for about 1.3 million on top).

There was over 1 million already in the middle.

Will tanked for a couple of minutes.  "I can beat Ace-Queen, Ace-King" Will said.  But he eventually let it go.

Kevin chipped up to ~2.5 million.

Event 20: 27th - Young

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Short-stack Jin Hwang flopped top pair and back-doored a flush with his KQ of hearts to double up through Orson Young.

 Orson Young

Jin is now over 820k.  Orson was left with ~200k.

A few minutes later, Orson shoved his last 176k and got looked up by Brandon 'Schaef' Schaefer.  Orson's pocket 2s were racing against Brandon's AJ.  An Ace on the river spelled the end for Orson.

Orson Young finished in 27th place, earning $18,868.

Event 20: Day 4 Underway

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

27 Players remain in the hunt for the top prize of over $922,000.  They're in their seats here in the tournament area in the back of the Borgata's Poker Room, ready to rock.

Will 'the Thrill' Failla leads the pack with over 3.2 million.  In contrast, the short-stack is Jin Soo Hwang, with only 326k.

Blinds are 15/k/30k with 3k antes.  45 minutes remain in this level.

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 4 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS:

T:03 S:08 - EMANUEL "WILL THE THRILL" FAILLA:  3,255,000

T:02 S:07 - DOUGLAS KIM:  2,686,000

T:03 S:05 - RICKY HALE:  2,554,000

T:01 S:05 - DARREN ELIAS:  2,547,000

T:01 S:01 - FREDERICK GOLDBERG:  2,176,000

T:03 S:09 - JOSEPH DITTMAR:  2,067,000

T:01 S:03 - RYAN ERIQUEZZO:  2,007,000

T:01 S:06 - MATTHEW GLANTZ:  1,962,000

T:02 S:06 - DANIEL COLMAN:  1,800,000

T:03 S:03 - KEVIN CALENZO:  1,723,000

T:01 S:02 - JOHN ANTHONY CERNUTO:  1,600,000

T:01 S:04 - VANESSA SELBST:  1,551,000

T:03 S:02 - JACK SCHANBACHER:  1,450,000

T:02 S:08 - BAHBAK OBOODI:  1,400,000

T:03 S:01 - ANTHONY RIVERA:  1,385,000

T:03 S:06 - ALEXANDER QUEEN:  1,300,000

T:01 S:09 - JOHN HINDS:  1,174,000

T:01 S:08 - DANIEL BUZGON:  1,133,000

T:02 S:03 - RICHARD MARSHALL JR:  933,000

T:02 S:05 - BRANDON SCHAEFER:  830,000

T:03 S:04 - HOWARD MANN:  784,000

T:02 S:04 - JAMES JOHNSTON:  762,000

T:02 S:09 - CHRISTOPHER MARTIN:  641,000

T:02 S:02 - ORSON YOUNG:  626,000

T:01 S:07 - WADE WOELFEL:  581,000

T:03 S:07 - DIPEN PATEL:  485,000

T:02 S:01 - JIN HWANG:  346,000

Event 20: In the Money

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Place-Name-Amount

 
28 Jesse Cohen $16,352
29 Kunal Patel $16,352
30 Daniel Santoro $16,352
31 David Williams $16,352
32 Aneese Puri $16,352
33 Andrew Blake $16,352
34 Jack Kashishian $16,352
35 John Racener $16,352
36 Satish Gorrela $16,352
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
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
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
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: Day 3 Recap - Failla Leads

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Failla "Thrilling" his Fans

Moving day had lots of drama and even more big pots as Borgata regular Will "The Thrill" Failla has the chip lead with 27 players left in the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship.

"The sick part about it is, I don't think I knocked out one person all day," said Failla, who bagged nearly 3.3 million chips. "I just played a couple of big pots and don't remember knocking anybody out."

Failla is ahead of three players, Doug Kim, Ricky Hale and Darren Elias, who are all in the 2.5 million range, but some big names are lurking around the 1.5 million chip average (49 BB).

The list includes Matt Glantz, another Borgata regular, who has $3.8 million in career earnings, WSOP bracelet holders Vanessa Selbst and Fred Goldberg, along with three-time WSOP Champion "Miami" John Cernuto.

The list of recognizable pros who are on the rail during Day 3 of the tournament included two-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who finished in 60th place ($11,740) and David Williams, who was 31st ($16,352).

"It always hurts when you get knocked out of a tournament," said Williams who was the 2004 Borgata Poker Open Champion runner-up to Daniel Negreanu and 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 Failla. He was also instrumental in breaking the bubble in a huge hand that cost Mark Bramley his final 450k and a spot in the money as he was eliminated in 101st place.

A king on the river gave Bramley a straight, but he was bested by Williams' pocket kings for a full house. You can see the hand details here as Bramley's elimination sent the remaining 100 players into the money for a minimum cash of $8,386.

The chip lead changed hands throughout the night as Dan Colman, who was involved with this controversial hand, and Joe Dittmar both had the lead at different points. But in the end it was Failla, who recently won his first WPT title, with the lead heading into Day 4.

"When you win your first WPT (title) it's a feeling you really can't put words on. I keep using the word surreal," says the New York native, who cut his tournament teeth at Borgata.

"For me to win it in my home casino that would mean more to me than anything else because my family will be here for it," he said. "It will make a big difference to me."

Failla and the other 26 players return 11 am Thursday to continue their pursuit for the Borgata Poker Open Championship and the $922,441 first place prize. The field will play down to the final six before returning Friday for the televised final table.

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 27
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 1.46 million (49 BB)
Big Stack: 3.255 million (109 BB)

Blinds: 15k/30k/3k ante (49 minutes left on level)

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

Thursday, September 21

Today's Events (Poker Room)

11AM: Event 20 - $3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH (Day 4)

• $3,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Day 4 Levels: will last 75 minutes
• 5-Day event (with two Day 1 starting days)
• Day 4 ends when 6 players remain

12PM: Event 23 - $250 + $30 No Limit Hold'em 

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 25 minutes each 
• 1-Day event

6PM: Event 56 - $100 + $20 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 10,000 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 20 minutes each 
• 1-Day event

Event 22 Recap

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

Event 22 started at noon and just wrapped up at 5:30 am this morning. A good part of the 1,048 players had a bad beat story to tell from busting out of the Championship. Misery loves company as players battled out for the $209,600 Total Buy-In.

Top 100 got paid but only one person won the $44,724 first place prize. His name is James English (Tamarac, FL). This is James' third cash during the BPO and his first first place finish.

The big starting stack of 20,000 gave players plenty of time to play and showcase their skills. Notables such as Keith Crawford, Jane Gold (Jamies Mother), and 2002 WSOP champ Robert Varkonyi all played in Event 22. Marguerite Spagnuolo finished in 82nd for $427. PPI's Eric Siegel came in 63rd for $569. Keith Crowder came in 50th for $630.

Paul Radford (New York, NY) held the chip lead for a good chuck of the tournament and swore he hadn't lost a coin-flip. Borgata regular and fan favorite, Mike "Little Man" Sica played a great tournament as he always seemed to have above average stacks. Mike went deep and was happy with his 8th place finish for $5,489. We appreciate that Mike always has a funny story or comment for the blog.

Final two tables included, James English, Sameer Aljanedi, Neelesh Kalani, David Deneergaard, Paul Radford, The Vo, AJ Gomes, Mike Sica Jr., Radu Dacin (Romania), Sanjeev Datta, Asa Berger, Payman Arjang, and Steven Armand. After the break the guys got down to business and it shook out with 3rd place going to Neelesh Kalani - $16,265 and 2nd place prize of $26,878 going to Sameer Aljanedi.

But your big winner once again who in the end had all 20,960,000 chips was James English. James always hams it up for the photos and seems to have fun at the table. He'll take home a giant payday of $44,724 - that should help ease the pain of his Championship bad beat bust-out hand. Congrats again to everyone who cashed in this $100,000 guaranteed event.

Event 22: James English - 1st Place

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

James English - 1st Place - $44,724

Congratulations to James English who just took down Event 22 along with a pair of Blue Shark Optics sunglasses, the Borgata trophy, and $44,724.

After busting in the Borgata Poker Open Championship (James flopped a set and Opponent hit a miracle flush on the river) English entered Event 22.

He was down to 100,000 with 5 tables to go then caught a sick heater where he built his stack up to 2,100,000.

He kept the lead, played well the rest of the way, then took care of business in a quick heads-up.

James' K-J held up and at 5:30AM the tournament was finally over.

This is Mr. English's third cash during the 2011 Borgata Poker Open.

He's definitely going back to Florida as a winner.

Event 22: Sameer Aljanedi - 2nd Place

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

Sameer Aljanedi - 2nd Place - $26,878

Sameer Aljanedi is a Dentist from Los Angeles. He's on a run lately as he came in 34th during the WPT Legends of Poker at the Bicycle and just finished second here at Borgata for $26,878.

Heads up against James English only lasted one hand.

Aljanedi takes home a huge payday of $26,878 for his second place finish.

Congratulations!

Event 22: Neelesh Kalani - 3rd Place

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

Neelesh Kalani - 3rd Place - $16,265

Event 22: Here's How They Finished

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

After the break the bust-outs came fast and furiously.

Here they are from 13th down to 4th.

13th Steven Armand (S. Plainfield, NJ) - $1,728
12th Payman Arjang (Woodlands, Hls, CA) - $2,440
11th Asa Berger (Chalfont, PA) - $2,440
10th Sanjeev Datta (Montville, NJ) - $2,440
9th Radu Dacin (Romania) - $3,761
8th Mike "Little Man" Sica (N. Brunswick, NJ) - $5,489
7th AJ Gomes - (Sandy Hook, CT) - $7,218
6th The Vo (Harrisburg, PA) - $9,047
5th Paul Radford (New York, NY) - $11,182
4th David Deneergaard (E. Northport, NY) $13,622

Total Buy-In was $209,600 with 1,048 entries.

Blinds were getting so high towards the end at 100,000 / 200,000 it was anybody's game.

Table talk towards the end was getting very animated. Seemed like everyone just wanted the night/morning to end.

Borgata regular Mike "Little Man" Sica had everyone laughing until the end.

Congrats to everyone who made the money and went deep in Event 22.

Event 22: Albert 14th & Drabot 15th

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

Two more players bite the dust in Event 22. First Michael Drabot pushes his short stack in holding 7-3 and loses to big blind's Q-8.

Board of A-J-K-5-K sens Drobot packing in 15th Place for $1,728.

Next Robert Albert has A-2 up against A-4. Looks like a chop until a 4 hits the river.

Robert Albert makes a quick exit and will take home $1,728 for 14th place.

Guys are on a break and there's a lot of chatter about their hands and the tournament.

Event 22: Radford Back On Top

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

Paul Radford is up to 4.3 million after his K-Q diamonds finds broadway against The Vo's A-K offsuit. Paul is the tournament chip leader.

The next hand, Elliot Melamed busted out in 16th place for $1,118.

30,000 ante with blinds 100,000 / 200,000

15 players remain. We'll re-draw at ten players.

Event 22: Final Two Tables

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

Table 1:
1. Elliot Melamed
2. Asa Berger
3. Robert Albert
4. Paul Radford
5. Sameer Aljanedi
6. Radu Dacin
7. Payman Arjang
8. The Vo
9. Michael Drabot

Table 2:
1. James English
2. Jerry Yavner
3. Mike "Little Man" Sica
4. Sam Datta
5. Steven Armand
6. David Katz
7. David Deneergaard
8. AJ Gomes
9. Neelesh Kalani

Jerry Yavner just busted in 18th place for $1,118.
Elliot Melamed out in 19th for $915.
Dmitry Tsin out in 20th for $915.

Dimitry had A-7 and ran into K-K of Paul Radford.
Board ran: 4-8-10-7-10.

Event 22: Moving Time

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

Empty Feeling

The final 21 players have bagged and tagged and are now in the Poker Room. The maintenance crew is breaking down the 90 poker tables in the Event Center as they prepare to build the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship television set for Friday's final table.

Event 22: Put Some English On It

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

James English - 2,200,000

A two horse race right now between James English (Tamarac, FL) and Paul Radford with English edging him out. "I got all my chips on an extraordinary play" joked English. Translation, he probably got lucky and sucked out or as he called it, "a gamble that paid off".

English finished 2011 Borgata Poker Open Event 13 in third place for $11,808 and looking to go deep again.

Final four tables are bagging and tagging and will re-set-up in Borgata Poker Room.

Event 22: Radford Flipping Out

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

Paul Radford (New York, NY) - 2,000,000

Without exaggeration, Paul Radford (NYC) has won every single flip today. When asked if he ever had a day like this before he replied, "Event #4 at the WSOP day 2 where I went out in 50th place until I lost my last coin-flip."

It's nice when your hands hold up and you win the races.

As a result, Paul is sitting on top of the leaderboard with 2,000,000.

His Opponent to his right has a healthy stack of 1,500,000.

Paul's good luck charm and card protector is an oversized die that used to be part of a keychain he purchased. The kids been rolling good today and we'll see if his luck continues.

Event 22: Up To Speed

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

Event 22 is rolling along in The Event Center but at some point will be moved to Borgata Poker Room. Top 100 make the money as Daniel Darmiento survived the bubble with a min-cash.

Daniel Darmiento (Oakland Gardens, NY) - 100th place $407.

Marguerite Spagnuolo - 82nd for $427.

Eric Siegel (Melville, NY) finished in 63rd for $569.

Keith Crowder - 5oth for $630.

2002 WSOP champ Robert Varkonyi did not cash in Event 22.

Mike "Little Man" Sica is still chugging along at 370,000.

45 Players remain on five tables.

Blinds: 20,000 / 40,000 with 5,000 antes.

Event 20: Day 3 Recap - Failla Leads

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Failla "Thrilling" his Fans

Moving day had lots of drama and even more big pots as Borgata regular Will "The Thrill" Failla has the chip lead with 27 players left in the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship.

"The sick part about it is, I don't think I knocked out one person all day," said Failla, who bagged nearly 3.3 million chips. "I just played a couple of big pots and don't remember knocking anybody out."

Failla is ahead of three players, Doug Kim, Ricky Hale and Darren Elias, who are all in the 2.5 million range, but some big names are lurking around the 1.5 million chip average (49 BB).

The list includes Matt Glantz, another Borgata regular, who has $3.8 million in career earnings, WSOP bracelet holder Vanessa Selbst and Fred Goldberg, along with three-time WSOP Champion "Miami" John Cernuto.

The list of recognizable pros who are on the rail during Day 3 of the tournament included two-time WSOP bracelet winner Jeff Madsen, who finished in 60th place ($11,740) and David Williams, who was 31st ($16,352).

"It always hurts when you get knocked out of a tournament," said Williams who was the 2004 Borgata Poker Open Champion runner-up to Daniel Negreanu and 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 Failla. He was also instrumental in breaking the bubble in a huge hand that cost Mark Bramley his final 450k and a spot in the money as he was eliminated in 101st place.

A king on the river gave Bramley a straight, but he was bested by Williams' pocket kings for a full house. You can see the hand details here as Bramley's elimination sent the remaining 100 players into the money for a minimum cash of $8,386.

The chip lead changed hands throughout the night as Dan Colman, who was involved with this controversial hand, and Joe Dittmar both had the lead at different points. But in the end it was Failla, who recently won his first WPT title, with the lead heading into Day 4.

"When you win your first WPT (title) it's a feeling you really can't put words on. I keep using the word surreal," says the New York native, who cut his tournament teeth at Borgata.

"For me to win it in my home casino that would mean more to me than anything else because my family will be here for it," he said. "It will make a big difference to me."

Failla and the other 26 players return 11 am Thursday to continue their pursuit for the Borgata Poker Open Championship and the $922,441 first place prize. The field will play down to the final six before returning Friday for the televised final table.

Number of Entrants: 1,313
Players Remaining: 27
Chips In Play: 39.3 million

Average Stack: 1.46 million (49 BB)
Big Stack: 3.255 million (109 BB)

Blinds: 15k/30k/3k ante (49 minutes left on level)

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

Event 20: Final 27 Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship NLH

Name-Chip Count

Will	Failla	3,255,000
Doug	Kim	2,686,000
Ricky	Hale	2,554,000
Darren	Elias	2,547,000
Fred	Goldberg	2,176,000
Joe	Dittmar	2,067,000
Ryan	Eriquezzo	2,007,000
Matt	Glantz	1,962,000
Dan	Colman	1,800,000
Kevin	Calenzo	1,723,000
"Miami" John	Cernuto	1,642,000
Vanessa	Selbst	1,551,000
Bobby	Oboodi	1,481,000
Jack	Schanbacher	1,450,000
Anthony	Rivera	1,385,000
Alex	Queen	1,300,000
John Allen	Hinds	1,174,000
Daniel	Buzgon	1,133,000
Richard	Marshall	933,000
Brandon	Schaefer	830,000
Howard	Mann	784,000
James	Johnston	762,000
Chris	Martin	641,000
Orson	Young	626,000
Wade	Woelfel	581,000
Dipen	Patel	485,000
Jin Soo	Hwang	346,000

Check back after 9 am for table and seat assignments.