Event 11: Recap

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Limit tournaments are a different breed, with some saying it's more of a marathon than it is a sprint.  Event 11 was no different, and Robert Ricci (Rahway, NJ) was the player to cross the proverbial finish line first.  Robert took home the $5,602 first place prize, outlasting William Zaliwciw (Philadelphia, PA) in an hour long heads up match.  "I'm only a limit player, most playing 20-40 here at the Borgata, so this was the event I was looking forward to."

Both Robert and William came to the final table with average chip stacks, but once the blinds began to climb they were able to pick up key hands to put them in contention for the win.  Once heads up, there was a key hand in which Ricci flopped top pair with the second nut flush draw, while Zaliwciw flopped an open ended straight draw.  After Zaliwciw turned the straight (and went three bets on the turn), Ricci rivered the flush taking down the biggest pot of the tournament.  From there Ricci would chip away, and eventually win the tournament.

Zaliwiciw had his wife's driver license under his chip stack throughout the tournament, and eventually explained the reasoning behind that.  Unfortunately he lost his wife just two weeks ago, but before she passed told him to go enjoy himself playing in the upcoming events at the Borgata.  It's very hard to keep you head in the game on any given day in a tournament, but William was able to persevere with a heavy heart.  We wish him the best, and hope to see him again in the near future.

This event attracted 55 players with a total buy-in of $16,500.  There were many Borgata regulars in the event, including Glenn Engelbert (two-time Borgata Poker Open event winner) and Brian Nichols.

So it seems as if Robert Ricci will be waiting for the next limit event, saying he's just not in a good spot playing in no-limit events.  He's happy to get back to the cash game, but seeing that new trophy on his mantle is proof that tournament play may not be out of the question in the near future.

Final Table Results:

1. Robert Ricci (Rahway, NJ) - $5,602
2. William Zaliwciw (Philadelphia, PA) - $3,041
3. Kerry Smart (Ventnor, NJ) - $1,921
4. Christopher Boggan (Merrick, NY) - $1,441
5. Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) - $1,120
6. Eric Rivkin (New York, NY) - $960
7. Jason Rivkin (Eatontown, NJ) - $800
8. Michael Chearney (Virginia Beach, VA) - $640
9. Jack Clemento (Philadelphia, PA) - $480