Borgata Tournament Leaderboard Promotion

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

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

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

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

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

Shark Attack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Castaldo Sporting his Sharks

Event 1: Mystery Man Reappears

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

Leach Learns Lesson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Event 1: Dash for the Cash

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

Parretta Poised at the Top

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

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

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

Event 3: Busy, Busy Day

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

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

Early recognizable faces include:

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

Event 2: Ladies Only

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

Jamie Grindette-ing Away

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

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

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

Other Women in the Field

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

Event 2: Off & Running

$350 + $50 + 100 NLH Black Chip Bounty

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

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

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

Thursday, September 8

Today's Events (Event Center)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Event 1 Chip Leaders

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

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

END OF DAY 1 CHIP COUNT LEADERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

62.  ANDREW ROSEN (NY, NY):  234,500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

97.  DONG KIM (BAYSIDE, NY):  180,000

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

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

Event 1: Day 1, The End

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

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

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

Day 2 continues tomorrow at Noon.

Top 10 Chipleaders:

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

Event 1: Wrapping Up

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

Day 1 comes to an end with 236 players remaining.

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

Official Chip Counts and Table draws coming soon...

Event 1: Late Night Chipleader

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

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

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

Kevin McLoughlin

Event 1: The Truth

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

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

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

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

Paul "the Truth" Darden (Hamdem, Connecticut)

Event 1: Thin the Field

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

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

Current Chipleaders:

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