Event 10: 1st Place - O'Donoghue

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em        

Brian O'Donoghue (Bayside, NY)

$50,132

After playing for nearly 11 hours on day two, Brian O'Donoghue had all 15 million chips on the table and his first Borgata Poker Open trophy, along with $50,132.

Brian was happy to finally take down an event here at Borgata.  He has narrowly missed several final tables over the last few years.  His only final table -- ever -- at Borgata was in a $500k Guaranteed Deepstack event back in 2008, where he finished 6th for over $90k.

Event 12: "I Broke Even...I Guess"

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

We had some fireworks on the last hand before break, and it brought us one of the biggest pots of the tournament so far.  A player under the gun raised to 11k, which was then called by Pat Lavecchia.  When it folded around to Grace Sun, she shipped in her last 124k.  The original raiser also declared himself all-in, and Lavecchia said he was all-in as well.  So we had three players all-in, with Lavecchia having both players covered.

UTG: Ad Jd        Lavecchia: Ac As      Sun: Qh 9d

Flop: 8h 9c 8s

Turn: 10d

River: 9h

Lavecchia had to do some fading on the river, but couldn't escape the tough beat.  Grace Sun triples up to approximately 400k, while Lavecchia gets back ~200k (about 40k less than he started the hand with).

Event 10: 2nd Place - K. Nguyen

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em       

Kenny Nguyen (Orlando, FL)

$28,187

And just like that, it was over.

Kenny Nguyen had pocket 3s.  Brian O'Donoghue had KJ offsuit.

It was essentially a coin-flip.

Then the board came 6 5 5 6 7, counterfeiting Kenny's pair and giving the pot to Brian with his King kicker.

Kenny finished in 2nd place, earning $28,187.

Event 14: Schwartz vs. The Chainsaw - The Apology

Event 14 - $350+$50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

Allen Kessler raised with Ylon Schwartz following with an apologetic "Sorry, I have to go all-in" and Kessler called.

Schwartz turned over A♣A♦5♣8♣ vs Kessler's 2♥3♥2♠3♠

The board came up Q♥ 3♠ 8♠ 7♣ 5♥ giving Kessler the high and Schwartz the low chopping the pot leaving both superstars in the tournament.

Event 10: Still Heads Up

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em       

Players took a break at the end of the level.

Approximate chip counts:

Brian O'Donoghue - 11 million
Kenny Tran - 4.4 million

There has not been much change in the chip counts since they got heads up.

Level 31:  Blinds 100k/200k, 30k ante.

Event 13: 19-27th Places ($724)

$350 + 50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

19. Abraham Mevorah (Staten Island, NY)
20. Stuart Geschwind (Haworth, NJ)
21. Salvatore Attina (Hartsdale, NY)
22. Philip Gisiano (Kingston, NY)
23. Kim Eisler (Bethesda, MD)
24. Fritz Stoner (Lancaster, PA)
25. Peter Baracks (E. Setauket, NY)
26. Nicholas Castellano (Harrison, NY)
27. Michael Hyett (Atlantic City, NJ)

Event 10: Heads Up -- Still

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em       

Still heads up.  The chips have only shifted slightly.

Brian O'Donoghue - 10.5 million
Kenny Nguyen - 4.7 million.

Kenny opened for 350k.  Brian raised to 825k. Kenny folded.

Brian opened for 350k.  Kenny folded.

Kenny opened for 350k.  Brian folded.

Brian opened for 350k.  Kenny folded.

Kenny completed.  Brian checked.  Flop was T 5 3 with two diamonds.  Kenny bet, Brian folded.

Kenny completed.  Brian checked.  Flop was K 8 2 with two clubs.  Brian bet, Kenny folded.

Brian opened for 350k.  Kenny called.  Flop was J T 7 with two spades.  Both checked.  Turn was an offsuit 4.  Kenny bet 420k.  Brian folded.

Event 14: Fotiadis and Hunter Lead

Event 14 - $350+$50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

Top chip stacks in the event are:

Jeff Hunter (Bronx, NY) - 70,900
George Fotiadis (Newberry, NY) - 70,000
James Martini (Incline Village, NV)  ) - 54,000
Allan Marshall (Long Branch, NJ) - 52,500

Event 12: Level Up

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

Level 16 has just started with 26 players currently remaining.  The blinds have gone up to 2,500/5,000/500 and the chip average among the remaining players is 150k.

Event 10: Heads Up

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em       

The final two have been battling heads up for a short while.

Brian O'Donoghue still leads with about 11 million.

Kenny Nguyen has about 4 million.

Heads up play continues.

Event 14 - How About Some Parchessi?

Event 14 - $350+$50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

While "Miami" John Cernuto was in a three-way pot which he scored three-quarters of the pot, Allen Kessler apparently was ready to watch the Game Show Network.

With Ylon Schwartz looking on, Kessler was playing "Family Feud" on his IPad.  Kessler was in the Fast Money round but came up short with Ylon giving suggestions for the next time.  Apparently "Family Feud" could not hold his interest as he moved on to "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?".

We wish Allen the best of luck in both endeavors.

Event 12: Think Tank

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

John Del Rossi

It had already been a few moments when we walked over to John Del Rossi's table.  He was really giving some thought to a 20k bet on the river from his opponent (~70k pot).  The board was Qd Jd 7h 6c 9h, and Del Rossi continued to cut his chips thinking about his move.  He finally decided to call, and his opponent flipped over A K.  Del Rossi showed his K Q and took down the pot with what turned out to be a solid decision to call.  John now sits on a stack over ~225k.

Event 14: 45 Left and on Break

350+50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

Another table broke right before a quick break and we are down to 45.

This field is loaded with great players and some players who have already had success in this Open.  Barry Levy who is a two-time Borgata Open event is still at the tables along with Chun Chen and Peter Ippolito who both final tabled the earlier PLO Event #9 and James Martini who finished 5th in the 1k Event #6.

Also seated together in seats 5, 6 and 8 on one table are "Miami" John Cernuto, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler and WSOP bracelet winner and former November Niner Ylon Schwartz.  This should be an exciting table to watch as the night progresses.

Event 10: 3rd Place - Wince

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em      

Level 30:  Blinds 80k/160k, 20k ante.

Ryan Wince (Columbus, OH)

$17,747

On a flop of K 8 2 with two spades, Ryan Wince got all in against Brian O'Donoghue.

Ryan had AJ of spades for the flush draw.  Brian had K2 off for two pair.

The last two came 6 T of clubs, sending the pot to Brian.

Ryan busted out in third place, earning $17,747.

Event 12: Steamrolling

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

Alex Rocha

Alex Rocha is just continuing a pretty sick run in this event.  With blinds currently at 2k/4k, Rocha has well over 500k (~125 BB).  He just knocked out another opponent as his A Q spikes an ace on the flop against a pair of eights.  His opponent questions, "How does he hit every flop."  Rocha is a dangerous player in any tournament, let alone with a chip disparity of this much against the field.

Event 10: Still Stuck at Three

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em       

Still pushing chips around.

Kenny Nguyen opened for 280k on the button.

Brian raised to 650k from the big blind.

Kenny kicked it on up to 1.5 million striaght.

Brian let it go.

And so it goes.

Event 12: 31-36th Places ($548)

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

31. Jerry Payne (Centerville, OH)
32. Dean Chen (Ellenville, NY)
33. Jason Staalesen (Saratoga Springs, NY)
34. Gabriel Aminov (Marlboro, NJ)
35. Daniel Douglas (Yonkers, NY)
36. Alex Smith (Highland Park, NJ)

Event 10: Stuck At Three

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em      

The final three are battling hard.

In a recent battle of the blinds, the pot was raised pre-flop and the flop came J 7 4 with two hearts. 

Ryan Wince (sb) checked.  Brian O'Donoghue fired 1 million, and Ryan let it go.

On he next orbit, Ryan opened for 260k from the small blind.  Brian called from the big.

On the flop of a 7 4 rainbow, both checked.  Turn was an 8 and Ryan bet 275k and Ryan called.

River was a Ten.  Ryan bet 405k and Brian folded.

Not much change in the counts. 

Brian - 7.4 million
Ryan - 4.6 million
Kenny Nguyen - 2.9 million

Event 13: Bubbles Bursting Everywhere

$350 + 50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

There were a handful of players looking at each other saying, "We're still on the bubble?"  It may of felt like it was taking a long time, but we have finally burst this events money bubble.  With the flop already out (9s Jh Jc), Scott Conner (Pittsburgh, PA) declared himself all in for about 70,000.  There was a player already all-in, so there was a player left to a decision.  He thought for a while and showed two queens after folding.  Scott flipped over 6 6, and was up against the A K of the bubble boy.  He wouldn't be our bubble boy if he caught up on the turn or river, and everyone remaining has assured themselves at least $734.

Event 14: Quality Field

With all of the craziness currently going on amongst all of today's events, we want to make sure no event goes unnoticed.  In the far corner you can find the PLO 8B event, and the field is full of notable players.  It's still in the early stages of this event, but here are some notables and chip counts:

Kevin "Y.O.Y." Nettles - 40k
Ylon Schwartz - 21k
Rob Renner - 19k
Allen Kessler - 15k
"Miami" John Cernuto - 21k
Barry Levy - 25k

Event 10: Chip Counts

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em      

Level 29:  Blinds 60k/120k, 20k ante.

Chips have been shifting around the felt.  Here are some rough counts, in millions:

Brian O'Donoghue - 7
Ryan Wince - 5.7
Kenny Nguyen - 2.9

Event 13: Seniors On The Bubble As Well

$350 + 50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

The senior event is on the money bubble as well, with 28 players remaining currently.  The blinds are 2,500/5,000 and the chip average is at 101,000.  After scanning the field, it was surprising to see that there weren't any super short stacks.  This bubble may take a little while to pop, but when it does we will be right on top of it.

Event 10: 4th Place - Neiman

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em     

Joe Neiman (Hackensack, NJ)

$14,407

Joe Neiman raised utg and Ryan Wince (bb) tanked, then shoved.  Joe called, showing A4 off.  Ryan had A9 suited.

The board came J 8 7 A 2 and Ryan's kicker played.

Joe Neiman finished in 4th place, earning $14,407.

Event 12: Chip Leader - Rocha

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

Alex Rocha is the overwhelming chip leader with just over 380k, which hands him over a 100k cushion between his nearest competitor.  Here are some other chip counts:

Lee Childs - 105k
John Del Rossi - 71k
Jason Paster - 105k
Jamie Kerstetter - 89k

Event 12: Welcome To The Money

$350 + 50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

Joe Commisso (Philadelphia, PA)

As players were hand for hand (and blinds at 1200/2400/300), Alik Sitnyakovsky opened for a raise on the button.  Joe Commisso (Philadelphia, PA) three bet to 20k from the big blind, and Alik shipped it in for his last ~80k.  When the hands were tabled it was the K Q of Alik against the A J of Commisso.  Sitnyakovsky could not catch up and was sent home as Event 12's bubble boy.  Everyone from here on out it guaranteed $548, but all have the $26,866 first place prize on their mind.

Event 10: Shifting Chips

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em     

Kenny Nguyen opened for 255k and Joe Neiman called from the small blind.

On the flop of 9 5 3 rainbow, Kenny led out for 305k, Joe raised to 800k, and Kenny folded.

Joe opened for 215k, Brian O'Donoghue announced he was all-in, and Joe folded.

Joe limped, Brian (button) limped, and Ryan Wince (bb) checked his option.

On the flop of 8 2 2, Ryan led for 400k.  Joe said "1 million".  Brian and Ryan both folded.

And so it goes, pushing chips around the felt.

Event 10: Back in Action

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em     

Level 28:  Blinds 50k/100k, 10k ante.

The final four have returned from dinner and are back in action.  

Event 14: PLO Chip Leader

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B 

 Marc Thalheim (Old Westbury, NY) - 44k

Event 12: Play Resumes 5 From the $$$

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Number of Entries:  323
Players Remaining: 41
Chips in Play: 3.88 million

Average Stack: 95k (39 BB)
Big Stack: 299k (125 BB)

Blinds: 1,200/2,400/300 ante

Total Buy-In: $113,050
First Prize: $26,866
Places Paid: 36

Event 13: Seniors Back in Business

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

Number of Entries:  237
Players Remaining: 46
Chips in Play: 2.84 million

Average Stack: 62k (21 BB)
Big Stack: 170k (57 BB)

Blinds: 1,500/3k/400 ante

Total Buy-In: $82,950
First Prize: $22,530
Places Paid: 27

Event 14: Numbers Game

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

Number of Entries:  105
Players Remaining: 78
Chips in Play: 1.26 million

Average Stack: 16k (40 BB)
Big Stack: 44k (110 BB)

Blinds: 200/400

Total Buy-In: $36,750
First Prize: $10,693
Places Paid: 18

Event 14: Payouts

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

Entries: 105
Total Buy-In:  $10,693

PAYOUTS:
1:                 $10,693
2:                 $5,882
3:                 $3,387
4:                 $2,852
5:                 $2,139
6:                 $1,782
7:                 $1,426
8:                 $1,069
9:                 $802
10 - 12:         $713
13 - 15:         $624
16 - 18:         $535

Event 10: Dinner Time Chip Counts

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em     

The clock ran out without further fireworks and the final four have taken off for a one hour dinner break.

Play will resume at 9pm.

Here are some approximate chip counts:

Ryan Wince - 5.5 million
Kenny Nguyen - 4.3  million
Joe Neiman - 3 million
Brian O'Donoghue - 2.6 million

Event 12: Rocha Leads on Dinner Break

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Last Hand Before Break 

(l-r) Rocha, Sitnyakovsky & Amsalem

We're just five spots from the money and Alex Rocha (S. Setaukey, NY) is the chip leader with 299k.

Another big stack at the table is Danny Amsalem (Brooklyn, NY) who is at 212k, which puts the squeeze on Alik Sitnyakovsky (Brooklyn, NY) who stuck between the chip leaders.

The 41 remaining players return from dinner at 8:45 pm.

Event 10: 5th Place - Massey

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em     

Errol Massey (Queens, NY)

$11,484

Errol Massey opened for 160k.  Ryan Wince (sb) 3-bet to 400k straight.  After some thought, Errol called.

On the flop of Q♥T♠8♥, Ryan led out for 500k.  Errol shoved.  Ryan called.

Errol:  QJ (top pair, gutshot)
Ryan:  A♥4♥ (flush draw)

The last two came A♣4♦ and Ryan paired his overcard on the turn to take the lead and the pot.

Errol Massey will take $11,484 for 5th place.

Event 14: PLO Dinner Break

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

The 78 remaining players are on a one hour dinner break.  Play resumes at 8:30 pm.

Event 13: Seniors Dinner Break

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

It's no early bird special for the more seasoned players, who will end up being night owls as they chase the $22,530 top prize.

With 46 players remaining, we're just 19 spots from the money.

Play resumes at 8:25 pm.

Event 10: Final Five Chip Counts

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em    

Level 28:  Blinds 40k/80k, 10k ante.

Rough chip counts for the final five:

Kenny Nguyen - 3.8 million
Ryan Wince - 3.4 million
Joe Neiman - 3.3 million
Brian O'Donoghue - 2.9 million
Errol Massey - 1.8 million

Event 10: 6th Place - Dadoyan

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em    

Alex Dadoyan (Secaucus, NJ)

$9,500

Alex Dadoyan and Joe Neiman get all their chips in the middle on a flop of K Q J with one diamond.

Alex:  AT of diamonds
Joe:  KQ

Alex had flopped Broadway versus Joe's two pair.  Turn was the 2 of diamonds, giving Alex a flush draw.

Then an offsuit Queen came on the river, giving Joe the full house and the pot.

Alex finished in 6th place, earning $9,500.

Event 10: 8th - Hinds; 7th - Chrysanthou

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em   

Yiannos Chrysanthou (Toms River, NJ) & John Hinds (Greenville, NC)

$7,621                             $5,742

Yiannos Chrysanthou limped, Ryan Wince raised, John Hinds (sb) 3-bet, Yiannos shoved, Ryan re-shoved, and John called all-in.

Yiannos: 99
Ryan:  AA
John:  QJ of spades

The board fell K 4 4 Q J, giving Yiannos and John both useless two pair hands.  Ryan scooped both pots with Aces-up.

Yiannos had slightly more chips than John, so he takes the higher finish (7th - $7,621).  John finished 8th for $5,742.

Event 10: Neiman Doubles

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em   

Alex Dadoyan opened, then Joe Neiman shoved for 765k.

Alex called, showing AK off.

Joe had A♦9♦.

The board came Q♦Q♥8♦5♦T♣ and Joe turned a flush to double up.


Level 27:  Blinds 30k/60k, 5k ante.

Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard Update (9/11)

Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Poker Open event (September 5-21, 2012), players earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2012 Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard*

(Final Results from Main events: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11
Qualifiers and Secondary events: 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)

352.500:  JOHN HINDS

350.000:  BENEDETTO BIANCO

312.200:  MARTIN MATRANCA

280.763:  IVERSON SNUFFER

279.600:  ERIC BALDWIN

273.163:  FRANK INGARDIA

256.900:  CHRISTOPHER GROVE

256.400:  DANIEL WACH

248.900:  MICHAEL HOLM

247.250:  PAOLO NARDI

242.750:  STEPHEN COWAP

232.450:  JOHN DELROSSI

223.000:  GHEORGHE GRADINARU

220.600:  DERRICK JOHNSON

217.858:  JASON LEAKE

212.100:  GEORGE LEANDROU

198.100:  ELON DIAMOND

194.948:  CHII CHING SUN

194.725:  CHUN CHEN

194.350:  MICHAEL DENTALE

192.500:  WALTER ENGLISH

191.838:  DAVID ELYAZYAN

186.175:  WILLIAM JOHNSON

185.600:  LAURENCE SAMET

Event 10: 9th Place - Interdonato

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Andrew Interdonato (Washington, DC)

$3,967

Andrew Interdonato got his chips in with middle pair and an open-ender, but whiffed his outs and was busted by Alex Dadoyan.

He finished 9th for $3,967.

Event 13: Seniors Bubble Watch

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

 Lewis Looking Good

The more seasoned, veteran players are also getting closer to the bubble as 66 remain, 39 from the money.

Lewis Kadell (Saddle River, NJ) is the big stack with 91k (46 BB).  A couple of players are in the 80k range including Paul Avilla (Westport, PA) and Ben Laves (Somerset, NJ).

The average stack is 43k (22 BB) as blinds are 1k/2k/300 ante.

 Laves Looks Good Too

Event 10: 10th Place - Shamal

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Ruslan Shamal (Brooklyn, NY)

$2,714

Ruslan Shamal busted out right after Wooyang Lin at the other table, so before the 10-handed redraw happened, they were down to 9.

Event 10: 11th Place - Lin

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Wooyang Lin (Morristown, NJ)

$2,714

Wooyang Lin got his stack in good with pocket Queen and got action from Ryan Wince, who had KJ suited.

The board came 8 6 2 K 3 and Ryan took the lead on the turn.

Event 12: Bubble Watch

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Danny Dragging Pots

The 6-max tables are breaking fast as we're down to 63 players, 27 from the money.

The chip leader is Danny Amsalem (Brooklyn, NY), who has 175k (146BB). One of the winning hands he shows the table is two pairs while holding 8 2.

Another big stack is Jason Lee (Toronto, Canada) who's part of a small group in the 140k range.

The average stack is 62k (51 BB) as blinds are 600/1,200/200 ante.

Event 10: 12th Place - Farah

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Level 26:  Blinds 25k/50k, 5k ante.

Mo Farah (Bensalem, PA)

$2,714

On a flop of 8 6 5, Mo Farah shoved and Joe Nieman made the call.

Mo had KQ off for two overs.  Joe had 74 suited and had flopped the joint.  The last two were irrelevant.

Mo Farah finished in 12th place earning $2,714.

Event 10: Break Time Chip Counts

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

The final dozen have scattered for a break.  Here are the rough chip counts along with table/seat assignments.

Table 1
John Hinds - 1 million
Wooyang Lin - 250k
Ryan Wince - 1.9 million
Joe Nieman - 1 million
Mo Farah - 600k
Alex Dadoyan - 2.2 million

Table 2
Ruslan Shamal - 900k
Brian O'Donoghue - 2.4 million
Kenny Nguyen - 1.9 million
Errol Massey - 500k
Yiannos Chrysanthou - 1 million
Andrew Interdonato - 1.3 million

Fifth Street Radio is back on the air LIVE from the WPT Borgata Poker Open starting at 6 PM ET!  Please join us at www.fifthstreetradio.com for all the happenings from the Borgata plus special guests 2012 Women In Poker Hall of Fame inductee JJ Liu and Poker Players Alliance VP Rich Muny!

Please follow FSR on Twitter - @5thStreetRadio and join our Facebook page and group at Fifth Street Radio.

To get into the chat box and interact with the show, please go to www.ustream.tv and get a user name to join in.

You can also call the show at 702-997-3049. 

See you tonight on the show!

Event 12: Color Me Green

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The green (25) chips are being removed from play as Level 9 (500/1k/100) is complete.

Twitter Updates:

Jamie Kerstetter ‏@JamieKerstetter
At 105k from 12k start at 3rd break of borgata 6-max. I still have full confidence in my ability to screw this up.

Jose Montes ‏@suganills
82k on break alot of shortys at my table #BPO2012

Lee Childs ‏@leechilds
Lost heaps flush under flush down to 6bb. Built back to 25bb (5 for 7 calling exact card this series btw (Kc) KQ>JJ. 23k now 1200bb/200a

Robert Hwang ‏@ActionBobNJ
39k playing 600-1200.

Matt Kleckner ‏@MattKleckner
48.5k goin to break, 600/1200/200 when we resume, 78 left, avg is 49k..

Event 10: 13th Place - McKeever

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Ciaran McKeever (Douglaston, NY)

$1,984

On a flop of 8 7 6 with one club, Ciaran McKeever got all-in against Joe Nieman.

Ciaran had QJ of clubs for two over and back-door draws.  Joe had 86 off for two pair.

The last two came 7 6 and Joe improved to a full boat.

Ciaran McKeever finished 13th for $1,984.

Event 10: 15th - Prisinzano; 14th - Lopes

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Greg Prisinzano (Hammonton, NJ)

$1,984

On a flop of 9 7 3, Andrew Interdonato was all-in for 732k against Joseph Lopes.

Andrew's A9 (top/top) was ahead of Joseph's A7 (middle pair).  The last two fell 5 T and changed nothing.

Joseph Lopes (West Creek, NJ)

$1,984

Andrew doubled up to ~1.5 million chips.

Joseph was left short-stacked and busted out soon after in 14th place ($1,984).

Event 12 Payouts

Borgata Poker Open
Event 12:  $350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em

Entries:  323
Total Buy-In:  $113,050

PAYOUTS:

1:                      $26,866

2:                      $16,449

3:                      $12,501

4:                      $10,143

5:                      $7,841

6:                      $5,647

7:                      $4,112

8:                      $2,741

9:                      $1,645

10 - 12:              $1,316

13 - 18:              $1,042

19 - 24:              $768

25 - 30:              $603

31 - 36:              $548

Event 14: Tough Table

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

(left) Blanda is Next to Frank and Across from Saks

One of the tougher Omaha tables includes three-time Borgata trophy winner Bill Blanda, Bruce Frank (13th in Event 12 Big Stack PLO), Gil Sacks ($288,000 career tournament earnings) and Jeff Hunter (3 Borgata PLO final tables).

Hunter has second and third place finishes in this event since 2010.

Event 10: 16th Place - Brown

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Sean Brown (Rio Grande, NJ)

$1,462

Sean Brown got his chips in with QJ, getting action from a player holding KT.  The flop of A T T gave his opponent Trips and left Sean drawing near-dead to running Queens or running Jacks.

That long-shot didn't come through and Sean finished in 16th place ($1,462).

Level 25:  Blinds 20k/40k with 4k ante.

Event 13: More Fun Hands

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

A couple of hands from earlier in the day worth noting:

Dave Schletter (Saccasunna, NJ) is crippled when his kings run into aces, so he puts his last 300 chips in without looking at his cards.  He ends up with a triple-up with 8♦ 3♣ when he hits trip 8s.

Shortly after that, former Borgata trophy winner Robert Santilli (Jackson, NJ) turns a straight against his opponent's pocket kings. 

With his opponent drawing dead, Santilli hits a 10 on the river for a higher straight. The player is in good spirits and says, "look your hand just got better," as he wishes the table luck the rest of the way.

Schletter's day is over, while Santilli is still grinding along.

Event 10: 18th - Mezheritsky; 17th - Geier

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Vladislav Mezheritsky (Brooklyn, NY) shoved for  278k from the cutoff.  He was clear until Ruslan Shamal discovered pocket Kings in the big blind.

Vladislav's T3 on failed to improve on the board of 6 4 2 J 8 and he was busted.

18th place earned him $1,462.

Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY) shoved from the cutoff, got called by Mo Farah on the button, then Errol Massey moved in over the top from the small blind.

Mo got out of the way.  Ted's A6 was dominated by Errol's AJ.  The board changed nothing.

Ted's 17th place finish garnered him $1,462.

Event 10: Back to Back Bracelet Bustouts

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

WSOP bracelet holder Mike 'Little Man' Sica (N Brunswick, NJ) got his last chips in with A9 suited against John Hinds, who had AK.

Both players paired their kickers on the flop, but Mike came up short.  He finished 20th.

WSOP bracelet holder Ylon Schwartz (Brooklyn, NY) got his stack in with pocket Jacks, but ran into Mo Farah's pocket Queens.

The board came K T 7 6 2 and was no help to Ylon.  He finshed 19th.

Both WSOP bracelet holders will pick up $1,148.

The final 18 are drawing seats and moving to the final two tables.

Event 13: Quad Kings Beat Set of Aces

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

All the chips are in the middle on the turn and Sal Attina (Hartsdale, NY) is in huge trouble. His set of kings is behind a set of aces, but hits the one outer on the river for quads.

Both players flop sets, but only Attina is still playing after he hits his miracle card.

Event 10: Fire Sale

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Francesco Sale (Brooklyn, NY) shoved utg for 122k.  Action folded to Sean Brown in the cutoff, who looked him up.

Francesco had A8 suited.  Sean had pocket Queens.

The board came 9 6 2 T Q and Sean collected the pot.

Francesco will collect $1,148 for 21st place.

Level 24:  Blinds 15k/30k with 4k ante.

Event 10: Mooney Loses Race

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

After action folded to him on the button, Brian Mooney (Middle Village, NY) shoved.

Kenny 'Super Tuan' Nguyen made the call from the big blind.

Brian had pocket 8s.  Kenny had AQ.

The cards ran out K 4 2 A 5 and Kenny took the pot.

Brian Mooney finished in 22nd place ($1,148).

Event 14: Omahalics

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B 

Players are having a good time and the quote of the day comes from Wendy Freedman (Las Vegas, NV), who finished 6th in Event 1 for $75,519.

"You don't need to drink in this game to have fun," laughs Freedman.

Familiar Faces in the Field

Wendy Freedman
Dave Fox
Neal Levine
Gloria LoRusso
Bill Blanda
Carlos Juarez
Leonardo Palermo
Barry Levy
Gil Sacks
Allen Kessler
Chris Reslock
Anthony Zinno
Bruce Frank
Jeff Hunter

Event 10: Fu Loses Race, Mooney Wins Race

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em 

David Fu (Brooklyn, NY) was ahead with pocket Jacks when the chips went in.  Ryan Wince held AK.

The board ran out K 9 5 K 2 and that spelled the end for David.  He finished 23rd for $1,148.

Brian Mooney was all-in for 200k with pocket 5s and after some thought, Mohammed Farah looked him up with A9.

The board fell A T 5 7 3 and Brian doubled up.

22 players remain.  Average is 699k.

Event 13 Payouts

Borgata Poker Open
Event 13:  $350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

Entries:  237
Total Buy-In:  $82,950

PAYOUTS:

1:                     $22,530

2:                     $13,276

3:                     $7,644

4:                     $6,196

5:                     $4,828

6:                     $4,023

7:                     $3,218

8:                     $2,414

9:                     $1,609

10 - 12:            $1,046

13 - 15:            $885

16 - 18:            $805

19 - 27:            $724

Event 12: Roommate V Roommate

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Good friends and Borgata roommates Dave Fox and Adam "Lippy" Lippert are in a blind vs blind battle when Fox shoves 7k with pocket 10s.  Lippert makes the call with K5 and hits two pairs on the flop to bust Fox.

"This after he complained for the last hour and-a-half about how bad he's running," says Fox, who's now on his way to the PLO tournament.

Event 10: Chip Leaders

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Level 23:  Blinds 12k/24k with 3k ante.

As of the break, Brian O'Donoghue is still the chip leader with ~1.8 million.

Alex Dadoyan is still second in chips with ~1.7 million.

Joseph Lopes has moved into third with ~1.6 million.

Event 12: Re-Entry Closed

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

With no more second (or third) chances, players are buckling down for the long haul.  Here's a look at some Twitter chip counts as play resumes with Level 7 (300/600/75 ante).

Tweet Counts

Kelly Armentrout 28k
Matt Kleckner 27k
"Action" Bob Hwang 16k

Busted

Jonathan Sorscher
Mike Dentale

Event 10: Break Time!

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Joseph Opie busted out in 25th place.  This is Opie's third cash of this Borgata Poker Open Series.

Nissim Chabi (Brooklyn, NY) got his chips in with pocket Kings against Sean Brown, who held A9.  Unfortunately for Nissim, Sean had flopped an Ace.

Nissim finished in 24th place.

Both players earned $1,148.

That was the last hand of the level and the remaining 23 took off for a break.

Event 14: Omaha in the House

$350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

The second Omaha tournament of the series is on deck and a couple of familiar faces are making their way to the back of the Event Center.

Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY) is a two time Borgata trophy winner with nearly $100,000 in career tournament earnings, mostly in mixed games.  Also in the field is Neal Levine (East Norriton, PA), who has multiple PLO H/L cashes, including a third place in the recent Borgata August PLO series.

Players start with 12k in chips and levels are 40 minutes long for this two day tournament.

Event 10: Massey Triples His Stack

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Garrin Mechalas (Souderton, PA) busted out in 27th place.

Just a short while ago, Errol Massey was all-in for 251k with pocket 9s against a player with AJ.  Errol's pair held and he doubled up.

Now he's busted another player and is up to 750k, tripling up in one level.

The player he dispatched was Kenneth Jacoby (Roslyn Heights, NY) who finished 26th.

Both these players collected $1,148 for their efforts.

Event 10: Down to 27

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Christopher Leong (New York, NY) got his chips in good with pocket Aces, getting action from Alex Dadoyan, who had pocket 6s.  Christopher's double-up was squashed when Alex flopped a third 6.

Christopher busted out in 30th place.

Also gone:

29 - Maxwell McCurdy (Charlotte, NC)
28 - Michael Cordi (SW Ranches, FL)

All three collected $1,023 for their efforts.

27 players remain.  Average stack is 569k.

Event 12: 275 and Counting

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The last level of re-entry is underway in the 6-max. So far we're at 275 entries as blinds are now 200/400/50 ante.

Players who have busted and reloaded include:

Kevin McColgan
Kazu Oshima
Austen Johnson
Amanda Musumeci
James Tedrow
Matt Isles
Vinny Pahuja

Event 10: Kings Good, Jacks Not

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em  

Level 22:  Blinds 10k/20k with 3k ante.

Alex Rocha (S Setauket, NY) was all-in holding pocket Jacks against Ryan Wince, who had Q7 suited.  Ryan caught a Queen on the flop and it was over for Alex.  He finished 32nd ($1,023).

After an early player opened, Husni Aga (E Amherst,  NY) shoved.  Ted Geier also shoved, folding the opener.

Husni had AT.  Ted was ahead with pocket Kings.  The board fell 9 7 4 2 6 and Ted took the pot.  Aga took 31st place ($1,023).

Event 13: Candy Man

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

 Sewell Savors the Sweets

Grandparents and candy go together like blinds and antes.

"Pop" Sewell (Helmetta, NJ) satisfies his sweet tooth with his "candy of choice" Caramel Creams.

Sewell says he's spending the inheritance of his seven grandchildren, but someone else is quick to point out that winning the tournament will increase their take.

Candy of Choice

Event 10: Two More Out the Door

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em 

The pace of bust-outs has slowed, somewhat. 

More players reporting to the rail:

Place - Player (Hometown) earning $1,023:
34 - Michael Shelton (Guilford, CT)
33 - Larry Kolk (Levittown, PA)

Event 12: Back From Break, Twitter Updates

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 4 (100/200) is underway and Orson Young (Oceanport, NJ) has joined the field.

Twitter Report:

Orson Young ‏@YoungOrson 
Decided to donate to the $400 6max prize pool today...we'll see how this goes. 12k starting stack.

Tim Bishop ‏@timbishop847
Annnnnd just lost a mondo pot with KK. Down to the 7k grind... Again. #ninjatime

Alik Sitnyakovsky ‏@KingAlikMJstyle
Come from brake and bust 2 players in 7 minutes in 4bet ALL in pots got bout 38K I WANT 2 win THIS bird In memory Of September 11 20011 #WPT

Austen Johnson ‏@aje221
Busto bullet two. Going for the hat trick

Matt Iles ‏@mattyiles
Busto entry #2 of 6max. Using an unused buy in from a previous 350+50 since I only accounted for 2 in this event. Hope that's not a prob... 

Event 10: Blinds Up, Players Down

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em

Level 21:  Blinds 8k/16k with 2k ante.

Place - Player (Hometown) earning $1,023:
36 - Sheldon Gross (Hillsboro Beach, FL)
35 - Ken Silberstein (Edison, NJ)

34 players remain.  Average stack is 452k.

Event 13: What's Twitter, a Bird?

$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

Miller, Little, (dealer), & Childs

While the 6-max tournament has a younger crowd embracing new technology, the Senior players bring a mixed bag.

One table has a couple of players with active Twitter accounts, while Werner Miller (Hazlet, NJ) quips, "What's that, a bird?

Tim Little (Cheverly, MD) is trying to connect with Bill Childs (Southern Pines, NC) who are at the same table.

Little Tweets:

Tim Little ‏@SavingTheGreen
Borgata ev13 and today I draw The William Lee Childs to me left

....no rebuys today it's the seniors Lee's father

************

Bill Childs is the father of 2007 WSOP Final Tableist Lee Childs

Bill, @bill_childs, has yet to tweet today.

One other player shows his experience and while he's not on Twitter remembers Usenet saying, "it was the internet before there were websites."

Accoring to Wikipedia, Usenet was conceived in 1979 and is superficially a hybrid of email and web forums.

Event 10: Early Departures

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em

Early departures.

Place - Player (Hometown)  earning $814:

48 - Matthew Burnitz
47 - Kenneth Hong (Somerset, NJ)
46 - Joseph Goch (Bensalem, PA)

Earning $919:
45 - Joseph Cramer (Gardners, PA)
44 - Kori Hunter (Ellicott City, MD)
43 - Phil Lipschitz (Livingston, NJ)
42 - Tony Tran (Philadelphia, PA)
41 - Frank Argano (Miami Beach, FL)
40 - David Heck (Colts Neck, NJ)
39 - Charles Hall (Chesterton, IN)
38 - James Edwards (Midloghian, VA)
37 - Alex Berger (New York, NY)

Kenny 'Super Tuan' Nguyen has finally shown up to begin day two.

Event 10: Day Two Underway

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em

Play has resumed on day two with

Level 20:  Blinds 6k/12k with 2k ante.

48 players made it to day two and only a couple of them have not yet arrived.

Event 12: Tough Table

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Austen Johnson and Lee Childs are side-by-side on Table 21 and give a Bronx cheer to the two newest arrivals in Wade Woelfel and Jonas Wexler making this a tough table.

The Resumes: 

Name (career tournament earnings*)

Childs ($1.2 million) - 2007 WSOP Final Table (7th)
Wexler  ($302,000) - 1 WSOP Circuit Ring
Woelfel ($273,000) - 15 Borgata Cashes, 6-Max 2nd Place ('10 Winter Open)
Johnson ($193,000) - 1 Borgata Trophy ('11 Summer Open), Leaderboard Winner

Childs' most recent cash came in the Event 6, $1k where he finished 4th for $12,959

*Results from PokerPages.com

Event 12: Experienced Senior

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Bressler Authors His Success

Arthur Bressler (Manalapan, NJ) is a Borgata regular with more than $100,000 in career tournament earnings including a Seniors win in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open ($15,000).

One secret to Bressler's success is keeping a record of his exact chip count after each level.  He writes the total on the structure sheet to see his highs and lows throughout the day.

Level 2 (50/100) is underway and Bressler is down 425 as he writes 11,575 after his first 30 minutes of play.

Event 12: AA vs KK vs KK

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Putting Kings Out to Paster

It looks like internet poker is making a U.S. comeback, one plausible explanation for how aces vs kings vs kings are all in preflop.

"Flopped 'em dead," says Jason Paster (Hamilton, NJ) after a rainbow flop kills any chance for either player holding pocket kings to hit a four flush.

Paster's pocket aces takes him to 30k after nearly getting a triple-up as one of his opponents has him slightly cover.

A few hands later on the same table John Derrico (E. Hampton, NY) has pocket kings and flops quads.

As one player said, "live poker is so rigged!"

Event 13: Golden Oldies

 $350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

While the super aggro players in the Event Center are playing in the 6-max, it will be the exact opposite style of play in the Seniors, one of the more relaxed tournaments of the Borgata Poker Open.

We'll see more check-calls than 4-bets,  but it's still NL Texas Hold'em.

Players start with 12k in chips and early levels are 30 minutes each (Levels 16+ / 40 min.)

This is a one day tournament, and one player is already complaining about the scheduled 7:30 pm dinner break. He'd like to see it moved up to 4 o'clock for the early bird specials!

Event 12: In the Field

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

6-max tables are filling up and and the action is fast and furious. Lots of three and four-bets.

Familiar Faces

Mike Dentale
Lee Childs
Kevin McColgan
Jonathan Sorscher
Mark Bee
Tim Bishop
Al Riccobono
Roman Valerstein
Amanda Musecmi
Dan Buzgon
Chris Kusha
Alik Sitnyakovsky
Austen Johnson
Jerry Payne
Trevor Savage

Event 12: World According to Twitter

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here's some chatter in the early going of the 6-max.  As Chris Kusha (Staten Island, NY) tweets it's "gonna be fun."

Chris Kusha ‏@TooBusyWINNING
Lol 4th hand UTG opens, MP calls, CO 3bets, BB cold 4bets and wins. Next hand, UTG opens, MP 3bets, SB cold calls, UTG calls. Gonna be fun

Austen Johnson ‏@aje221
Try and build another stack in 6max today. Been playing well for the most part so far but nothing to show for it.

Daniel Buzgon ‏@WiLDmAn_75
Borgata $400 6max reentry today. Gonna tip my hand early..brought a lot of franklins today. Gonna be using them or have 3x starting stack.

Event 12: Reservations for 6

$350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The variety continues at the Borgata Poker Open.

After NL Guarantees, Bounties, HORSE, Stud, PLO, Limit, All In or Fold, and Ladies tournaments, today's event is the first Six Max of the series.

Players start with 12k stacks and levels are 40 minutes long.  Re-entry is available through six levels and this two-day event is underway.

Event 10 - Table Assignments

Borgata Poker Open
Event 10: $350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em

Entries:  615
Total Buy-In:  $215,250

Players Remaining: 48
Average Chip Stack: 320,300

START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:

T1 | S1:  JOHN HINDS (GREENVILLE, NC):  346,000

T1 | S2:  MICHAEL SHELTON (GUILFORD, CT):  85,000

T1 | S3:  DAVID FU (BROOKLYN, NY):  395,000

T1 | S4:  JOSEPH LOPES (WEST CREEK, NJ):  581,000

T1 | S5:  KENNY NGUYEN (ORLANDO, FL):  594,000

T1 | S6:  RYAN WINCE (DELAWARE, OH):  239,000

T1 | S7:  ANDREW INTERDONATO (WASHINGTON, DC):  718,000

T1 | S8:  ALEXANDER ROCHA (SOUTH SETAUKET, NY):  181,000

T2 | S1:  FRANK ARGANO (MIAMI BEACH, FL):  152,000

T2 | S2:  MOHAMMAD FARAH (BENSALEM, PA):  538,000

T2 | S3:  WOOYANG LIN (MORRISTOWN, NJ):  180,000

T2 | S4:  DAVID HECK (COLTS NECK, NJ):  192,000

T2 | S5:  BRIAN MOONEY (MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY):  292,000

T2 | S6:  RUSLAN SHAMAL (BROOKLYN, NY):  285,000

T2 | S7:  KORI HUNTER (ELLICOTT CITY, MD):  122,000

T2 | S8:  VLADISLAV MEZHERITSKY (BROOKLYN, NY):  236,000

T3 | S1:  JOSEPH NEIMAN (HACKENSACK, NJ):  488,000

T3 | S2:  JAMES EDWARDS (MIDLOGHIAN, VA):  260,000

T3 | S3:  JOSEPH GOCH (BENSALEM, PA):  57,000

T3 | S4:  PHIL LIFSCHITZ (LIVINGSTON, NJ):  164,000

T3 | S5:  JOSEPH OPIE (FAIR HAVEN, NJ):  540,000

T3 | S6:  ALEX DADOYAN (SECAUCUS, NJ):  1,119,000

T3 | S7:  ALEXANDER BERGER (NEW YORK, NY):  121,000

T3 | S8:  GREGORY PRISINZANO (HAMMONTON, NJ):  288,000

T4 | S1:  CIARAN MCKEEVER (DOUGLASTON, NY):  490,000

T4 | S2:  JOSEPH CRAMER (GARDNERS, PA):  133,000

T4 | S3:  SHELDON GROSS (HILLSBORO BEACH, FL):  97,000

T4 | S4:  YIANNOS CHRYSANTHOU (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  342,000

T4 | S5:  CHRISTOPHER LEONG (NEW YORK, NY):  278,000

T4 | S6:  KENNETH SILBERSTEIN (EDISON, NJ):  335,600

T4 | S7:  HUSNI AGA (EAST AMHERST, NY):  265,000

T4 | S8:  CHARLES GEIER (SUNNYSIDE, NY):  122,000

T5 | S1:  CHARLES HALL (CHESTERTON, IN):  100,000

T5 | S2:  LARRY KOLK (LEVITTOWN, PA):  254,000

T5 | S3:  MICHAEL SICA (N BRUNSWICK, NJ):  211,000

T5 | S4:  KENNETH JACOBY (ROSLYN HGTS, NY):  277,000

T5 | S5:  MATTHEW BURNITZ (BEAR, DE):  163,000

T5 | S6:  MICHAEL CORDI (SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FL):  213,000

T5 | S7:  YLON SCHWARTZ (BROOKLYN, NY):  228,000

T5 | S8:  TONY TRAN (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  327,000

T6 | S1:  ERROL MASSEY (QUEENS, NY):  216,000

T6 | S2:  FRANCESCO SALE (BROOKLYN, NY):  144,000

T6 | S3:  BRIAN ODONOGHUE (BAYSIDE, NY):  1,131,000

T6 | S4:  MAXWELL MCCURDY (CHARLOTTE, NC):  686,000

T6 | S5:  GARRIN MECHALAS (SOUDERTON, PA):  204,000

T6 | S6:  KENNETH HONG (SOMERSET, NJ):  162,000

T6 | S7:  SEAN BROWN (RIO GRANDE, NJ):  583,000

T6 | S8:  NISSIM CHABI (BROOKLYN, NY):  346,000

Tuesday, September 11

TODAY'S EVENTS (EVENT CENTER)

11AM: Event 12 - $350 + $50 Six Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 40 minutes each
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
• 2-Day event | Day 2 begins Wednesday at 1PM

12 PM: Event 13 - $350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 40 minutes each
• 1-Day event  

3 PM: Event 14 - $350 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B 

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 40 minutes each
• 2-Day event  | Day 2 begins Wednesday at 1PM

7 PM: Event 39 - $100 + $20 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament. Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on the table to remain active in the tournament. 
• Levels will last 20 minutes each 
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
• 1-Day event

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

Event 11: WInner - Ricci

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Robert Ricci (Rahway, NJ)

Event 11 Winner - $5,602

Event 11: Runner-Up - Zaliwciw

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

William Zaliwciw (Philadelphia, PA)

2nd Place - $3,041

Event 11: 3rd Place - Small

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Kerry Small (Ventnor, NJ)

3rd Place - $1,921

Event 10: 49-54th Places ($814)

$350 + 50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em

49. Demetrios Georgous (Little Falls, NJ)
50. Jamie Kestetter (Monroe Township, NJ)
51. Sardor Gaziev (North Brunswick, NJ)
52. She Lok Wong (Queens, NY)
53. Michael Wang (Livingston, NJ)
54. Anthony Clementi (Blue Bell, PA)

Event 10: 55-63rd Places ($710)

$350 + 50 Deep Stack Hold'em

55. Kelly Chasmer (Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ)
56. Justin Zaki (Tierra Verde, FL)
57. Michael Santoro (Egg Harbor, NJ)
58. Aaron Frese (Phoenixville, PA)
59. Philip Gisiano (Kingston, NY)
60. David Vu (Wake Forest, NC)
61. Aaron Massey (Elmwood Park, IL)
62. Haviv Biton (Brooklyn, NY)
63. Samir Hickson (Collegeville, PA)

Event 11: 4th Place - Boggan

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

(Not Pictured)

Christopher Boggan (Merrick, NY)

4th Place - $1,441

Event 11: 5th Place - Riccobono

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY)

5th Place - $1,120

Event 11: 6th Place - Rivkin

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Eric Rivkin (New York, NY)

6th Place - $960

Event 10: Saying Goodnight

$350 + 50 Deep Stack Hold'em

Players are currently bagging their chips for the night, and they will resume play tomorrow at 1:00 pm.  Chip counts will be posted on the blog (as well as seat assignments).  Both Alex Dadoyan and Eric O'Donague can rest well knowing they are both chip leaders coming back tomorrow, with 1.15 million.

Event 11: 7th Place - Rivkin

$300 + 40 Limit Hold'em

Jason Rivkin (Eatontown, NJ)

7th Place - $800