Sunday, January 22, 2012

Event 9: 10th Place - Morris

 $350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Jaye Morris (Church Road, VA)
$679

On a board of 7♣ 8 2♠ all the chips are in the middle and Morris puts her final 45k at risk against Jane Gold.

Gold: K♠ J♠
Morris: J 10
  
The board bricks for Morris and Gold wins the pot with king high.

"I'm very pleased with my play," says the retired financial adviser for a popular credit card company.  "I've never made a final table at a tournament with more than 40 players."

Jaye Morris what's in your wallet? An extra $679 for a 10th place finish.

Event 9: 11th Place - Peticca

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Anna Peticca (Wallingford, PA)
$679


Event 9: 12th Place - Wiley

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Flo Wiley (Staten Island, NY)
$679

Event 9: 13th Place - Wilno

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ)
$594
 

Event 9: 14th Place - Blanton

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Denise Blanton
$594

Event 6: Meet the 1K Chipleader

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em


 CHIP LEADER - Scott Schwalich

Tournament Pro, Scott Schwalich, follows up his impressive 2011 with a Final Table run in Event #6.

The rising poker star is in control with only 4 players remaining.

Scott's 2011 results include:
WSOP Main Event - 14th Place - $478,174
WSOP Circuit Event - 1st Place - $17,279

For added coverage, follow the Chipleader @ScottSchwalich #BWO2012

Event 8: 15th Place - Zhang

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Liping Zhang (Doylestown, PA)
$594

Event 9: 16th Place - Scott

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Susan Scott (Reston, VA)
$509

Event 10: PLO Chip-Counts

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

Chris Reslock is grinding a short stack (64,000), while
George Garvin remains the Chipleader.

With all the table talk about Tom Brady and Eli Manning,
the field shrinks to 37 players.

Top Chip-Counts:
George Gavin - 148,500
James Newberry - 141,000
Michael Drabot - 102,000
Mike Linster 98,000

Event 9: 18th Place - Zelman

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Julie Zelman (New York, NY)
$509

Event 9: Final Two Tables

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

The final 18 players are all in the money.

Table 1

Seat-Name

1 Flo Wiley
2 Julie Zelman
3 Kim Sachse
4 Danielle Neiman
5 Jaye Morris
6 Karen Perez
7 Lana O'Brien
8 Liping Zhang
9 Stephanie Hubbard


Table 2

Seat-Name
 
1 Leanne Rosenblatt
2 Denise Blanton
3 Ivonne Hernandez
4 Dawn Wilno
5 Hallee LoGrasso
6 Jane Gold
7 Anna Peticca
8 Susan Scott
9 Lynne Mitchnick

Event 6: 5th Place - Risman

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em


Philip Risman (Greenwich, CT)
5th Place - $12,338

The George Washington Univ. student 4-bet shoved 68♣ into A♠A♣ to end his run in 5th place.

The Finance and Marketing major first started hosting homegames in boarding school, his poker practice paid off today with a 5-figure score.

Event 9: Bubble Breaks

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Melanie Borchetta (Lagrangeville, NY)
Bubble Girl

After 40 minutes of hand-for-hand play the bubble breaks when Melanie Borchetta (Lagrangeville, NY) runs into the pocket aces of Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ).

Borchetta: A♣ 8♣
Hubbard: A♠ A

The A, the case ace, flops and Hubbard wins the hand with aces full of kings.  Borchetta is the unfortunate bubble girl and the remaining 18 players are in the money earning at least $509.

Players are on a 10 minute break as they redraw for their final two table seats.

Event 6: 1K Stacks & Payouts

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Unofficial Chip-Counts:
Scott Schwalich - 1, 560,000
Philip Risman - 363,000
Marvin Rosen - 490,000
Cedric Adam - 380,000
David Finkelstein - 875,000

Remaining PAYOUTS:
1: $57,579
2: $33,931
3: $19,536
4: $15,834
5: $12,338

Event 6: 6th Place - Tony Nguyen

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em


Tony Nguyen (McLean, VA)
6th Place - $10,282

Our 6th place finisher was crippled after losing a big pot with pocket 10's,
he never recovered and busts after two solid days of poker.

Tony will pocket $10,282 and add another final table to his
part-time poker career.

Event 10: Chipleader

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)


CHIP LEADER - George Gavin

The New York native leads Event #10 with 127,000 chips.

He's honed his skills playing underground games in Manhattan.

"I play a lot in the city, good games are always running," says the mild-mannered kid.

Event 9: Hand for Hand

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

After a few quick eliminations play slowed down and the field is finally cut to 19 when Hana Cho (Washington, D.C.) is busted by Julie Zelman (New York, NY).

Hand for hand play is underway as blinds are now 2,500/5k/400 ante.

NFL Sunday at Borgata















Event 8: Stayin' Alive

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following players are showing up on the blog radar as still participating in this two day tournament.

Jay Nair, chip leader, who just passed the 400k chip mark
Justin Nguyen
Gordon Eng
Stephen Rodriguez
"Miami" John Cernuto
Mike "the Nose" Castaldo
Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo
Marguerite Spagnuolo
Mike "Little Man" Sica

Event 6: 1K Hand History

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Scott Schwalich bleeds off some more chips when his K♣10loses an all-in pot to Marvin Rosen holding 7♣7. The Chipleader mucks with a sigh while 265k of his chips get pushed to seat 2.

6-handed play continues with a steady flow of railbirds looking on.

Event 10: Chipleaders & Notables

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

Top 3 Chip-Counts:
George Gavin - 114,500
Henry Porcaro - 92,000
Alex Peterson - 87,000

Notables still alive:
Chris Reslock
Oliver Entine
Freddy Rouhani

Event 8: Runnin' Late, Runnin' Good

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Pair of Queens for Christine

Christine Nelson (E. Norriton, PA) made a short trip and got lost coming back to Borgata so she was a few minutes late returning to play.  On her first hand back, the short stack is all in for 18k with Q♣ J♠ vs A♠ 10♠. The Q♠ on the river saves the day as Nelson is both running late and running good.

170 players remain with an average stack of 81k (34 BB).  Blinds are now 1,200/2,400/300 ante.

Event 6: 1K Pocket Jacks

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

The return from Dinner Break brings pair vs pair 6-handed.

David Finkelstein raises the button, gets 3-bet to 100k by Tony Nguyen, then ships his remaining stack of roughly 225,000.

Nguyen calls with pocket 10's, but David rolls over pocket JJ's to scoop a nice pot and build his stack to 440,000.

Event 8: Payouts

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Entries:  552
Total Buy-In: $220,800

PAYOUTS:
1: $53,324
2: $29,985
3: $19,276
4: $15,314
5: $11,994
6: $9,852
7: $7,817
8: $6,104
9: $4,284
10 - 12: $2,784
13 - 15: $2,142
16 - 18: $1,606
19 - 27: $1,178
28 - 36: $1,071
37 - 45: $964
46 - 54: $857

Event 9: Payouts

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Entries: 100
Total Buy-In: $35,000

PAYOUTS:
1: $10,185
2: $5,602
3: $3,225
4: $2,716
5: $2,037
6: $1,698
7: $1,358
8: $1,019
9: $764
10 - 12: $679
13 - 15: $594
16 - 18: $509

Event 9: Dinner Break Chip Counts

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Hubbard Has Chips

Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ) is the clear big stack with 278k as the remaining 24 players are on a one hour dinner break.  "We're all playing for second place," laughs Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ) as she takes a peak at Hubbard's stack, which at one time was more than 300k.

Lynne Mitchnick (N. Bergen, NJ) is second with 216k and there's a slew of players in the 100-120k range including Lana O'Brien (Bound Brook, NJ) who won this event in November; she has 118k.

When play resumes at 8:30 pm, the ladies are only 6 spots from the money as the top 18 get paid.

The average stack is 83k (28 BB) and blinds will be 1,500/3k/400 ante.

Event 8: Dinner Time

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Nguyen-ing Poker

At 7:30 sharp, the clock was stopped and players scattered for a one-hour dinner break.

The biggest stack continues to be Jay Nair (Redmond, WA) with 295k.  Second is Justin Nguyen (Chicago, IL) with 285k.

About 187 players are still in the mix.  They will return at 8:30 pm to continue play.

Event 6: Dinner Time Chip Counts

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em  

David Finkelstein was all-in pre-flop three times, but got no callers, just before the break.

At the end of level 20, the final six were rewarded with a one hour dinner break.  Play will resume at about 8:20pm.

Here are the rough chip counts:

Scott Schwalich - 1.145 million
Philip Risman - 638k
Tony Nguyen - 510k
Marvin Rosen - 420k
Cedric Adam - 295k
David Finkelstein - 195k

Event 6: Still Six

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em  

Play has entered the 'raise and take it' mode, with most post taken with a raise or threr-bet pre-flop.

Philip Risman opened for 23k, Scott Schwalich called from the small blind, then Marvin Rosen raised 100k on top from the big.   

Both opponents folded and Marvin collected the pot.  Successful squeeze?


Event 9: "Quad"ratic Formula

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Great Scott, Aces for Susan

It doesn't take a lot of math when there are three aces on the board and you're holding the fourth one in your hand.  That's the formula Susan Scott (Reston, VA) uses to bust a player and help break a table.

30 players remain as the money bubble is closing fast, but more than likely we won't hit the payouts until after the 7:30 pm dinner break.

Notable players still in the field

Lana O'Brien
Jen Shahade
Dawn Wilno
Debbie Troncone
Jane Gold
Stephanie Hubbard
Nancy Martin

Event 6: Stuck at Six

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em  

On the turn with a board of J 8 8 A, Tony Nguyen (sb) bet 50k.  Philip Risman (cutoff) raised 50k on top.

Tony shoved for another 145k.  Philip tanked for a couple of minutes, then folded.

Tony chipped up to just over 400k, good for third in chips.

Philip has 630k for second.

Scott Schwalich is still the chip leader with over 1 million.

Still 6 players.

Event 10: Big Stack in the Big Stack

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

DeLeon "Rey"sing Lots of Pots

Just a few levels into the tournament and Rey DeLeon (Dunellen, NJ) has nearly five times the starting stack of 20k as he's busted two players and is the clear chip leader.

DeLeon's big hand was jacks full of 7s for a big pot, but he's hopping his New York Giants will be just as fortunate in their game against the 49'ers.  "It's early," he says about both the tournament and the NFC title game.

DeLeon says he likes poker more than the Giants, but sometimes the point spread will sway his loyalty.

Event 6: 7th Place - M. Nguyen

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em   

Blinds are up to 5k/10k with 1k antes (level 20).

A Nguyen-Nguyen situation:

Manh Nguyen and Tony Nguyen tangled in a pot. 

 Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA)
$8,226

Manh had top pair and got his chips in, but Tony had top set.  Tony took the pot.

Manh Nguyen took 7th place and $8,226.

Six players remain.  Average is 530k (53 big blinds).

Event 10: Moans & Groans

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

Pransky & Woods

Balitmore fans and Patriot haters are lamenting what could've been.  The groans are for the Ravens dropped pass in the endzone, the moans are for the missed field goal that would've sent the game into overtime.

"No comment," says Brian Woods (Baltimore, MD).  "The guy's got one job," his voice trailing off while thinking about Billy Cundiff's miss.  "If you had told me the Ravens would have the lead heading into the 4th quarter I would've taken," he added. "They just made to many mistakes."

Sitting to Woods' right is Jon Pransky (Swampscott, MA), who's smiling like the butcher's dog.  "It was bound to happen, a Boston sweep. The Patriots, Celtics and Bruins all win."

Woods was moved to Pransky's table just before the two minute warning and will now have to suffer next to a Patriots fan for the foreseeable future.

Event 6: 8th Place - Scarborough

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em  

After Philip Risman raised, Mike Scarborough moved all in.

 Mike Scarborough (Lawrenceburg, IN)
$6,169

Philip called, showing pocket Queens.  Mike was way behind with pocket 7s.

There was a glimmer of hope for Mike with a straight draw, but it didn't complete and he was busted.

The WPT Hollywood winner finished in 8th place, good for $6,169.

Event 8: Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Jay Nair

The first color-up break makes it easy to see that Jay Nair (Redmond, WA) is the chip leader with 302k (252 BB).  He has more than all the other players at his table combined.

Nair's a $10/$25 cash game player, who's venturing into more NL tournaments. He picked up a $37,000 payday in September with a 5th place finish in Event 1 of the Borgata Poker Open.

Loren Chang (New York, NY) is second in chips with 215k, while there's a slew of players in the 150k range including Soheb Porbandarwalla (Standford, CT) who's at 158k.

280 (of starting 552) remain with an average stack of 49k (41 BB).  The green (25) chips are off the table as blinds are now 600/1,200/200 ante. 

Event 6: Serious Poker

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

The final eight appear to have settled in for some serious poker play.  Understandable, considering that the next person busted will get $6,169, but the winner will cash for $57,579.

Average stack is 397k, almost 50 big blinds, so there's plenty of room for play.

Scott Schwalich still has a commanding lead on the final table with over a million chips.

Total chips in play is only 3.18 million.

Event 9: Killer Corner

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

(l-r) O'Brien, Wilno, Wiley & Kerstetter

Flo Wiley (Staten Island, NY) is in the middle of a killer table draw.  Lana O'Brien, Dawn Wilno & Jamie Kerstetter are Borgata stalwarts who are all fierce competitors.

Blog contributor Jen Shahade looked at the table and said, "I'm glad I'm over here." 

100 players are in the field and chasing the top prize of $10,185. The top 18 are in the money with a min cash of $857.

Event 6: 9th Place - Albert

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

Blinds are up to 4k/8k with 1k antes (level 19).

Cedric Adam opened, then Cynthia 'Poker Peach' Albert moved all-in.  Cedric called, showing pocket 3s.  Cynthia held AK.

 Cynthia Albert (Germantown, MD)
$4,113

A three on the flop gave Cedric a set so that when the Ace came on the river, it was too little, too late.

Cynthia departed in 9th place, picking up $4,113.  She's on a good run.  She finished second in a nightly bounty tournament last week, picking up $3,400 and 8 black chip bounties.

Cynthia was the only woman to make it to day two of this event.  With her departure, there's nothing left but guys.

Event 6: Final Table Chip Counts

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

On the turn with a board of 9 6 2 A, all the chips went in.  Philip Risman had T6 for a pair of 6s, but Marvin Rosen had AJ for a pair of Aces.  River was a 4 and Marvin doubled up.

Another level gone and time to color up the 500 chips.  Here are some approximate chip counts with seating at the final table:

Seat - Player - Chips
1 - Scott Schwalich - 1.2 million
2 - Mike Scarborough - 200k
3 - Manh Nguyen - 180k
4 - Marvin Rosen - 575k
5 - Cedric Adam - 310k
6 - Cynthia Albert - 100k
7 - Philip Risman - 351k
8 - David Finkelstein - 160k
9 - Tony Nguyen - 200k

Event 9: Trash Talkers

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Poker, Patriots & Ravens

Football dominates the big screens in the Event Center as all eyes are on the Pariots vs Ravens AFC Championship Game and it's not just men who are into it.

"I think it's going to be close," says Rachel Rubeson (New York, NY), "but I think we're going to pull it out."

"We" are the Patriots as Rubeson's a "Boston fan at heart," after growing up in the New England area.  Her identity crisis isn't making her any friends especially while wearing a Jerod Mayo jersey.

 "You want tissues now or later," says the trash talking Gina "Gin-evil" Cannone (Long Branch, NJ), who's a Giants fan waiting for tonight's NFC title game (Giants vs 49'ers).

Cannone wouldn't mind a Giants/Pats Super Bowl XLII rematch, a game New York won, but both teams have to win today. And if the Patriots lose?

"I'll be curled up in a ball under one of these tables," says Rubeson, who can't bare to even think about the possibility.

"I can't wait to see it," says Cannone, "she's from Boston, but moves to Manhattan and doesn't route for the Giants, she doesn't even know where she's from."

These grid iron girls getting after it at the Event Center.

Rubeson Rooting on the Pats

Event 6: 10th - Shackelford

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

Philip Risman opened for 13k utg.  Ray Shackeford moved all-in -- for 15k.  Action folded back to Philip, who called the extra 2k and showed 76 suited. 

 Ray Shackelford (Fredericksburg, VA)
$2,673

Ray held the lead with A6 suited.  The flop came Q J 4 and Ray picked up a flush draw, but an offsuit 7 on the turn gave the lead to Philip. 

The river was an offsuit deuce and Philip took the pot with a pair of 7s.

Ray took 10th place and $2,673.

Event 6: 11th Place - Blanda

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

After chip leader Scott Schwalich raised on the button, the small blind called, then Bill Blanda attempted the squeeze from the big blind, shoving for 85k.  Scott called, foiling his plan (the sb folded).

 Bill Blanda (Galveston, TX)
$2,673

Scott held pocket 8s and Bill's J7 was unable to run him down.  The big stack got bigger and Bill got $2,673 for 11th place.

The final 10 are drawing seats and moving to the final table.

Event 6: Chip Counts Final 11

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em 

Blinds are up to 3k/6k with 500 antes (level 18).

Here are some rough chip counts as of the break:
Scott Schwalich - 925k
Philip Risman - 582k
Cedric Adam - 370k
Mike Scarborough - 295k
Marvin Rosen - 255k
Cynthia Albert - 210k
David Finkelstein - 145k
Manh Nguyen - 120k
Tony Nguyen - 95k
Bill Blanda - 85k
Ray Shackelford - 40k

Event 10: In the Field

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

The PLO list of entrants include:

Kevin Saul
Chris Reslock
Anthony Caruso
Sheree Bykofsky
David Laufer
Brian Woods
John Pransky

Event 6: 13th - Buzgon; 12th - Borrero

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

 Dan Buzgon (Marlton, NJ)
$2,262

Dan Buzgon got his last 50k in, but ran into pocket Aces. 

He finished in 13th place ($2,262).

 Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ)
$2,673

Miguel Borrero made his stand with QT, but got action from a player holding A6.  Neither hand improved and Ace-high took the pot.

Miguel took 12th place and $2,673.

Down to 11 and they're taking a break as the black 100 chips are colored up and removed from play.

Event 8: Re-Entry Closed

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 6 in the books and the re-entry periodis now closed.  More than 500 players are in the field as the cage  is verifying the final head count and payouts. Blinds moving up to 300/600/75 ante.

Tweet Check

Lee Childs
20k and change. About to go to 300/600/75

Gordon Eng
16k from 30k. Ran a bluff and guy rivers a set of 6s on me

Jonathan Rice
Break time...31125... No more reentries

Ryan Eriquezzo
76k at second break.

Austen Johnson
60k at 75 300/600

Aaron Steury
51.9k 2nd break only in for one bullet, playing 300/600/75a when we resume
 
Michael Dentale
They got me again at the Borgatcha...Rebuy
 


Eveny 6: 15th - Hertzberg; 14th - Koutelidakis

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

 Matthew Hertzberg (Severna Park, MD)
$2,262

Matthew Hertzberg was felted in 15th place.


 Greg Koutelidakis (Buffalo Grove, IL)
$2,262

Greg Koutelidakis had some hope when he flopped a straight-draw and flush-draw against pocket Jacks, but he whiffed all the outs and was busted in 14th place.

Both players will pick up $2,262 on their way out.

13 players remain.

Event 6: 16th Place - P. Nguyen

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Phong VIP Nguyen got all-in holding AQ against Scott Schwalich, who had pocket Aces (again).

 Phong 'VIP' Nguyen (Bristow, VA)
$2,056

The Aces held up and Scott took the pot.  He's up to 750k and the chip lead.

Phong Nguyen finished in 16th place, earning $2,056.

Philip Risman is back up to 550k and second in chips.

Event 10: Four for Four

$400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

The fourth of four trophy events is underway as the second Omaha tournament of the series is underway.  A big stack has 20k in tournament chips with levels lasting 45 minutes each.

Re-entry lasts for the first six levels and this is a two day tournament. The cards are in the air with the blinds starting at 25-25.

Event 6: 17th Place - Geiger

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

David Geiger got all-in holding pocket jacks against Phong VIP Nguyen's AQ suited.  David flopped a set while VIP flopped a flush draw.  The draw didn't get their and David doubled up.

 David Geiger (Linwood, NJ)
$2,056

A couple of hands later, Scott Scwalich raised and David Geiger called from the big blind.  On the flop of K J 2, David checked, Scott bet 14,500, David check-raised to 64,500, and Scott shoved, having David covered.

He tanked for a couple of minutes, then called all-in, showing KT for top pair.  Scott held pocket Aces.  The last two changed nothing and Scott took the pot.

David Geiger finished in 18th place, earning $2,056.

Event 6: Risman Bleeding Chips

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Risman's Rise & Fall

Philip Risman builds his stack to 750k, but after losing three all-in pots he's been cut in half.

After Risman doubles Manh Nygun, who proceeded to double-up David Finkelstein, Risman and Nygun clash again.

Risman raises to 11,600 (blinds 2k/4k), Nygun moves all in from the SB for 102k total. Risman tanks, calls and sees he's way behind.
 
Risman: 2♠ 2
Nygun: J J♠

Nyugn's pocket jacks hold as he doubles to 210k while Risman drops to 370k.

The chip lead now belongs to another Nguyen as Phong VIP Nguyen has the top spot with 450k (90 BB).

The average stack is 187k (37 BB) as blinds are now 2,500/5k/500 ante.

Event 6: 18th Place - Buglion

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

John Buglion open-shoved for 37k.  The small blind flat-called, then the big-blind over-shoved, folding the small blind.

 John Buglion (Commack, NY)
$2,056

John held 97 suited and was up against AK.  An Ace on the flop was all it took.

John was busted in 18th place.  He'll pick up $2,056 for his efforts over the last two days.

Event 6: Redraw at 18

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

David Israelite busted out in 20th place.

Alec French was dispatched in 19th place.

 David Israelite & Alec French

Both players earned $1,851 for their efforts.

The final 18 drew seats and moved to the final two tables.

Event 9: Lucky Ladies

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

The Ladies just enjoyed their first break of the day at the conclusion of level 3.

They are getting back to business with level 4, blinds 100/200.

There are 12 tables in action with lots of familiar Ladies:
Gina Cannone
Nancy Martin
Lana O'Brien
Leanne Rosenblatt
Sheree Bykofsky
Kelly Armentrout
Thi Dang
Marsha Wolak
Jane Gold
Roz Quarto



Event 6: Still a Score

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

20 players remain and they're enjoying their first break of the day.

Philip Risman has built is stack up to almost 680k and is way out in front of the pack.

Cynthia Albert is a distant second with 383k.

Greg Koutelidakis is an even more distant third with about 250k.

Following the break, play will resume with level 16, blinds 2k/4k with 400 antes.

Event 8: First Break Tweets

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

End of level 3 and time for the first break of the day.

After the break, play will resume with level 4, blinds 100/200.

In between the bathroom and the food line, some players have taken the time to tweet their updates for us to share:

leechilds Lee Childs
27k from 25k starting. Decided that the game is more fun accumulating chips rather than losing them. Let's see how this new plan works.

sandler1860 Jerry Payne
50,250 1st break up from 25k start.

JABistro John Allan Hinds
44.6k at 1st break. Bluffs are getting through and getting thin value every time w/ made hands. Could be a huge day #teammurder

JABistro John Allan Hinds
25k ss, coming back to 100/200         [ss = starting stack = 25k]

aje221 Austen Johnson
30k/25k at break. Fun table 100/200 when we return #teammurder #BWO2012

tworedducks larry goldstein
Chipped up to 40k going to BB200...lost big pot to Little Man with top set of kings to river flush...strong start otherwise

PhilPhan99 Jonathan Rice
First break...ok table w 3 or 4 really bad players but also 4 pretty good regs. 26125 goin to 100-200

pokerished Kris Kalidas
27k at break..lost a big pot. not happy with how I played that hand #BWO2012

NDGrinder Aaron Steury
26,450 from 25k starting stack first break #BWO2012

Event 6: 20 Players Remain

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Mike Scarborough opened for 8,500 in the cutoff.  Wazir Baksh (bb) moved all-in and Mike snap-called, showing pocket 8s.

Wazir was racing with AK.

 Wazir Baksh

The board came J 8 3 T 9 and Mike improved to a set, claiming the pot and busting Wazir in the process.  He'll collect $1,851 for his 21st place finish.

20 players remain.  Average stack is 159k (53 big blinds).

Event 6: Two More Out the Door

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

Blinds are up to 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes (level 15).

 Matt Brady

Matt Brady got his last chips in with AQ and was racing against pocket Jacks.  The Jacks held.

Matt Brady busted out in 23rd place.

 Valdet Kelmendi

Valdet Kelmendi got his stack in with pocket Tens and was racing against the AQ of Tony Nguyen.  A Queen on the flop spelled the end for Valdet.  He finished in 22nd place.

Both players will pocket $1,851.

Event 6: First Two Gone

$1,000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em
 
They got cards in the air shortly after noon with 25 players returning.  Blinds are 1,200/2,400 with 400 antes.  About 20 minutes remain in this level.

Chip leader Philip Risman opened for 5,200, Vinny Pahuja shoved for 57k straight in the hijack.  Action folded back to Philip, who asked for the count, then called.

Vinny's AK off was ahead of Philip's 98 suited.  The flop came Q 8 2 -- all diamonds -- giving Vinny the nut-flush draw, but giving Philip the lead with a pair of 8s.  Turn was another 8, increasing Philip's lead.  River was an offsuit Jack and the big stack got bigger.

Vinny finished in 25th place ($1,851).

Damon Sita was next out the door (24th - $1,851).

Event 9: Ladies Underway

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

The Ladies event is underway in the event center.

They began with 20,000 chips (Big Stack) and blinds of 205/50.

Levels are 30 minutes long.

This is a one-day event, so the Ladies will play all night until a winner is determined.

Event 8: Back For Another Go

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike 'Little Man' Sica is back in the house today, for yet another tournament.

"I haven't made it to the second break yet" he commented on how he's running so far during the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

There's a long way to go yet as they've just begun level 2 with blinds of 50/100.  Their first break isn't until after level 3.  The second break will come after level 6.

Also joining him in today's field:

Lee Childs
Steve Buckner
Mike Marder
Christopher Edwards

Event 8: Familiar Faces

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

There are many familiar faces in action already this morning:

Mark Sykes
Mike Castaldo
Austen Johnson
Greg Glassman
Steven Rodriguez
Tony Shurilla
Ibraim Ibraimovic
Joe Verrecchia
Travis Greenawalt
Larry Gold
Jon Sorscher
Allan Vrooman
Tony Behbahni
Steve Ryan
Mike Lydon
Tony Sinishtaj
Gordon Eng
Mike Dentale
Howard Wolper
Elliott Zaydman
Tam Ly

and Darcy, who is a familiar face working the floor this morning!

Event 8: Cards Fly

$400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 
$100,000 Guaranteed

Cards are in the air for today's main event, the $400 Deep Stack No Limit re-entry event.  The turnout should be big since there is a $100,000 guarantee on the total buy-ins.

Players began with 25,000 chips and blinds of 25/50.  Levels last 40 minutes until the final table, when they increase to 50 minutes.

This is a two-day event, so they'll play until about 2am, then call it a night.

Event 5 Recap

$400 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha 8B

George Fotiadis (Newbergh, NY) began the day as the chip leader and finished it with the title, the trophy and $15,832, but the victory was anything but easy.  In between, Fotiadis had a lot of ups and downs to winning his first live tournament.

"What a roller coaster," said Fotiadis who defeated John McCarthy (Kittery, ME) heads-up.  "I'm mostly a cash player, so winning the tournament is nice."

On the final hand Fotiadis held Q♠ 5♠ 3♠ 10 and hit the higher spade flush to complete an incredible succession of four straight knock outs to end the ride that nearly came to an end as the final table began. "I went from chip leader to the short stack with 10 players left," said Fotiadis, "it was crazy."

Eric Judge (7th) was the first to scoop a big pot from Fotiadis and then Ze Chen (9th) took a chunk of his stack, but neither player was able to build on that momentum.  Fotiadis hung around until play stalled with 5 players remaining.

At that point, Andrew Fiederlein was the chip leader with 800k and had Fotiadis on the ropes, but Fotiadis hit running 3s to stay alive and began Fiederlein's decent to a fourth place finish.  "That was the hand," said Greg Law, "he rode that the rest of the way."

The final five players traded chips for three hours before Fotiadis took matters into his own hands and knocked out each of the remaining players in less than 20 minutes.  First it was Law (5th), followed by Fiderlein (4th) and Jim Pappas (3rd) building a 5 to 1 chip lead over McCarthy before finally defeating him heads up.

"I played awesome the whole time," said Fotiadis, "I was super confident from the beginning.  I've been crushing the games at home and told them I was going to win it."

The tournament began Friday with 136 players who put up $54,400 in total buy-ins. The field included bracelet holders "Miami" John Cernuto (3 WSOP titles) and Chris Reslock (1 title), but neither cashed. Reslock got off to a good start, but despite having the chip lead for part of Day 1 finished seven spots off the money in 25th place.

Other notables who played, but missed the money included, Barry Levy, who won this event in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open and Brent Keller, a three-time wsop circuit winner. 

In the end Fotiadis gave partial credit for the win to his January beard.  The pool installer, who has down time in the winter said this is the only time he grows the full beard.

"Fear the beard, I like that,"  he said while holding the custom Borgata trophy.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1. George Fotiadis (Newbergh, NY) $15,832
2. John McCarthy (Kittery, ME) $8,707
3. Jim Pappas (Johnstown, PA) $5,013
4. Andrew Fiederlein (Hoboken, NJ) $4,221
5. Greg Law (Mt. Laurel, NJ) $3,116
6. Dave Johnston (Brigantine, NJ) $2,638
7. Eric Judge (Clark Summitt, PA) $2,111
8. Matt Kaplan (Plainview, NY) $1,583
9. Ze Chen (New York, NY) $1,187
10. Ed Chiaramonte (Easton, CT) $1,055

Event 4 Recap

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em  

Pete Mavro (Las Vegas, NV) came out on top of an epic three-hour heads-up battle with Matt 'Muffins' Mazzeo to claim the top prize of $43,734 and his first Borgata Open trophy.  Runner-up Mazzeo had to settle for $24,229 and second place.

Mavro was chip leader at the start of day 2, but surrendered that lead early to Joe Verrecchia.  With five players still in the hunt, an exciting three-way pre-flop all-in changed the course of the tournament.  Joe Verrecchia (4th) and Perry Johnston (5th) were both eliminated on the hand by Pete Mavro, giving Mavro a massive chip lead going into the final three.

It took longer for them to get heads-up than expected.  Mazzeo had a short-stacked Mike Marder all-in pre-flop and dominated with AK versus AJ, but a jack on the flop sent the double-up to Marder.

Mazzeo was left short-stacked, but battled back and doubled through Mavro when he sucked-out with the worst hand, then won a coin flip with two over cards against Marder's pocket pair.  Mike Marder was sent packing in third place, taking home $15,065.

When heads-up play began, the two were nearly dead even in chips.  Mazzeo, who gets his nickname 'Muffins' from his family bakery, chipped away at Mavro's stack until he had him all-in with less than 600k, but Mavro managed to grind his way back into contention, eventually holding all 4 million chips in play.

334 players began this two-day event on Friday morning, bringing total buy-ins to $167,000.  Only 36 of those earned a payout with a min-cash being worth $972.

Notable participants in this event were former Borgata tournament winners David Zeitlin, Ryan Eriquezzo, Gordon Eng, Austen Johnson, Mike Dentale, Christian Harder, 'Action' Bob Hwang, Amanda Musumeci, Harry Korotki, Josh Brikis, Keith Crowder, Bill Blanda, and Jeff Papola.  None of who managed to make the money, however.

"I ran really well with table draws.  It seemed like every seat re-draw went my way. The tougher players were always seated to my right," said Mavro.  Mazzeo, who has one Borgata trophy won during the 2010 Borgata Spring Poker Open, gave props to Mavro, calling it his toughest heads-up match ever.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1. Peter Mavro (Las Vegas, NV): $43,734
2. Matthew Mazzeo (East Williston, NY): $24,299
3. Michael Marder (Sewell, NJ): $15,065
4. Joseph Verrecchia (Haddonfield, NJ): $12,149
5. Perry Johnston (Oak Island, NC): $9,395
6. Philippe Casciola (New York, NY): $7,938
7. John Kern (Harrisburg, PA): $6,399
8. Sal Pena (Chesapeake, VA): $4,779
9. Elliott Zaydman (Glen Rock, NJ): $3,240
10. Michael Santoro (Egg Hbr Twp, NJ): $2,106

Stay Tuned...

Borgata Poker Blog coverage continues...

Bloggers will be back on Media Row at 11am to cover all the action from Poker on NFL Sunday.

Stay Tuned and thanks for following poker from Borgata's Winter Open. #BWO2012

Sunday, January 22

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 8 - $400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
                             $100.000 Guaranteed
  • Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 40 minutes each | Final Table Levels will last 50 minutes each 
  • Players that "bust" within first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
  • 2-Day event

12PM: Event 9 - $350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 30 minutes each  
  • 1-Day event
3PM: Event 10 - $400 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry) 
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 45 minutes each
  • Players that "bust" within the first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)  
  • 2-Day event 
7PM: Event 36 - $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • 1-Day event

        Event 7: CHAMPION - Len Vizirov (1st)

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)


        Len Vizirov - 1st Place (CHAMPION)

        The IT Manager from Philly carved his way through 545 players to sit with all the chips and the coveted Borgata trophy.

        "I was patient early and aggressive late" the weekend tournament
        player tells us.

        Our newest Borgata Champion talked highly of his final table opponents before exiting the Event Center with trophy in hand.

        Vizirov pockets $46,067 for his 1st place finish.

        Event 7: Joseph Opie (2nd)

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)


        Joseph Opie - 2nd Place (Runner-Up)

        The tournament grinder follows up his 5th place finish in Event #2 with a runner-up finish in Event #7.

        Opie has made a name for himself with two impressive final table runs.

        The mild-mannered tournament grinder says his pre-flop play gives him the biggest edge in tournament poker.

        "I ran good in certain spots," says Opie. He takes home $25,904 for his 2nd place finish.

        Event 7: Alex Nepomnyaschiy (3rd)

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)


        Alex Nepomnyaschiy - 3rd Place

        The Borgata regular kept his loyal railbirds entertained while he fought his way to a 3rd place finish.

        The New Yorker admits he got "hungry and frustrated at the end of the tournament."

        He credits his loyal friends for helping him focus and keeping him aware of his table image.

        Alex earns $16,653 for his deep run.

        Event 7: Slow Play

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

        It's been 'Raise and take it poker' for the last 45 minutes.

        The 3-bets have slowed down preflop and the table talk has turned to
        "what's for breakfast?"

        3-handed play continues as signs of fatigue start to show.

        Event 7: No Chirping from The Rail

        View from the Rail

        Droopy eyes and heavy yawns as the Railbirds try to stay awake.

        Event 7: Grinding

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

        Number of Entrants: 545
        Players remaining: 3

        Chip-Counts:
        Joseph Opie - 3,600,000
        Alex Nepomnyaschiy - 3,300,000
        Len Vizirov - 2,900,000

        Event 7: The Hardware

        $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

        Trophy View

        The Grind continues 3-handed...