Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Event 14: Weiss into Semis

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Nice for Weiss to Reach Final Four

Matthew Weiss (Suffern, NY) defeats Joseph Steirs (Silver Spring, MD) to advance to the Final Four.  Weiss awaits the winner of the Thomas Ross/Ryan Hall quarterfinal which will be played noon Wednesday.

Steirs takes home a min. cash of $3,128 for losing in the quarterfinals.

Event 14: Elias Keeps Rolling

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Elias into the Final Four

Darren Elias (Erie, PA) defeats Will "The Thrill" Failla (Smithtown, NY) in the quarterfinals to punch his ticket into the Final Four.  Elias was runner-up in this tournament in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open when he lost to Alex Queen (Bethelehem, PA).

With three wins today, Elias has now won 8 of his last 9 heads up matches at Borgata.

"Darren got smashed by the deck and beat Will 'The Thrill,'" says Failla, who lost two games to none in the best of three series.

This is Failla's second cash of the series after winning Event 1 for $165,000.  He takes home $3,128 for his 5th-8th place finish.

Defending champion Alex Queen lost in the second round and won't repeat as champion.

Elias plays the winner of the Josh Brikis/Scott Lazewski quarterfinal match scheduled for noon Wednesday.

Event 14: Money Matches Update

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Matthew Weiss, Scott Lazewski, Josh Brikis and Ryan Hall advance to the quarterfinals, joining the other four players who are already in the money ($3,128 min cash/$25,026 for first place). 

Sweet 16 Matches

Darren Elias def Scott Baumstein
Thomas Ross def Derrick Huang
Will Failla def David Inselberg
Joseph Steirs def Athony Zinno
Matthew Weiss def Nicholas Muraco
Scott Lazewski def Vinny Pahuja
Josh Brikis def David Simon
Ryan Hall def Mark Borges 

Two of the four quarterfinal matches are being played tonight, while the other two will be played noon Wed.

Elite Eight Matches

Darren Elias vs Will Failla (underway)
Matthew Weiss vs Joseph Steirs (underway)
Scott Lazewsi vs Josh Brikis (Wed. 12 pm)
Thomas Ross vs Ryan Hall (Wed. 12 pm)

Event 15: Mike and Mike

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Event #15 Chip Leaders...

Steelers fan and Pittsburgh native, Mike Cisco, leads the field with 82,000 chips. The bubble breaks at the Final Table, 9 players will receive prize money.

Mike Linster is second in chips with 76,000. He's seeking his 3rd Borgata Final Table with only 34 players left in Event #15. He's currently 3rd on the Borgata Tournament Leaderboard.

Event 13: IU

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em


Indiana Basketball fan, Aaron Steury, on Table 4. The 'patch jacket' looks like something out of Bobby Knight's trophy case. #Vintage #Hoosiers

77 players remaining in Event #13.

Event 13: Lady Stacks

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

4 females left, good luck Ladies.

Hallee LoGrasso - 139,000
Nancy Martin - 88,000
Jennifer So - 46,000
Lilou Bonnet - 43,700

Event 15: Chip Leader

 $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Rasile Raising his Game

Frank Rasile (Staten Island) is the chip leader with 96k (10 big bets) as players are back from break.

Rasile had some success across the board at Borgata in 2011.  He cashed three times, including a runner-up in stud during the Winter Open.

38 players remain with an average stack of 31k (10 BB); limits are 1,500/3k.

Event 13: 'Suits'

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

James 'Suits' Salters

Always dressed to impress, the Borgata regular grinds an average stack with less than 80 players left. 'Suits' wins the Borgata best dressed award.

Event 15: Tim Trying to Repeat

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Dangerous D'Alessandro

The winner of this event in January 2011 is flying under the radar and looking for love. Tim D'Alessandro (West Chester, PA) laughs saying, "you probably haven't mentioned me all day," as he sits with an average 30k stack. 

D'Alessandro was up to 40k, but after we took his picture he dropped to 8k and has since battled back.  He says the fictional "blogger curse," wore off and he was able to get back on track.

D'Alessandro defeated three time WSOP circuit ring holder Brent Keller heads up last year to earn ~$19,000; Keller was not in this year's field.

Event 13: Stack Sizing

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Number of Entries: 359
Players remaining: 89
Avg. Stack: 80,674

Top Chip Counts:
DL - 189,000
Joe Gatmaitan - 165,000
Mohammed Farah - 159,000
Dean Schultz - 151,000
Terry Armentrout - 137,500

PPI Perspective

The buzz leading up to The 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open (BWO) tournament series had poker players from around the world making their plans to attend these spectacular events. The series kicked off with the Deep Stack $500k Guarantee which attracted a record breaking 1,873 players and generated a prize pool of more than $900k. The following events continued the trend of huge fields and more players are pouring into the Borgata as the excitement builds for the $2 Million Guaranteed Championship Event.

The Borgata staff was prepared as usual for the massive fields and the Event Center has an energy level unlike any other poker venue. Throughout any given day of the series there are more than four events running simultaneously and the Borgata team, which includes the best tournament director, floor staff, dealers and cashiers, ensure that this event series is running like a well-oiled machine.

As always the Live Updates writers help keep friends, families, and fans of all participants well informed about everything going on here at Borgata. They have a knack of combining up to the minute updates on the tournaments while sharing the stories and experiences of the players. Having covered numerous Borgata Poker Open series over the years, this experienced Live Updates Team gives the tournaments another level of excitement beyond the felt.

PPI (Poker Players International), the most prolific poker representation and marketing agency, is well represented here at the 2012 BWO. Many of the PPI Players have had tremendous success during the first few events, including Will "The Thrill" Failla who won the record breaking Event 1 and collected more than $165k and the Borgata winners trophy to add to his collection of titles that includes $3+ million in career tournament earnings.

PPI Players went back-to-back with BWO titles as Jon Sorscher took down Event 2 and more than $46k. The success of PPI Players continued as Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo put up back-to-back final table appearances that included a 2nd place finish in Event 4. We anticipate many more fantastic results from this talented group of players that are represented by PPI.

Throughout the BWO we will follow the PPI Leaderboard Contest which will award the winner a VIP Borgata Prize Package. Here is Leaderboard standings through Monday, January 23:


1 - 376.500 | WILL FAILLA
2 - 272.425 | JONATHAN SORSCHER
3 - 247.180 | MATTHEW MAZZEO
4 - 194.838 | MICHAEL DENTALE
5 - 159.838 | LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN
6 - 145.580 | GEORGE MEDRANO
7 - 131.500 | MARGUERITE SPAGNUOLO
8 - 127.193 | JAMES STENELLA
9 - 124.900 | VINEET PAHUJA
10 - 101.850 | DAVID INSELBERG


Event 15: Leading Lady

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Etay - 49,000 chips

The leading lady in Event #15 sits with 49,000 chips, she moves amongst the top 3 stacks in the room.

Event 13: Top Stacks

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Top 2 Chip Counts...

"Don't jinx me bro, just blog the initials," says the superstitous
Event #13 Chip Leader. The anonymous big stack known as "DL" has
205,000 going into Level #8.

Greenville, NC grinder Jacob Davis is 2nd in chips with 173,000. The Eastern North Carolina native honed his skills playing homegames around the East Carolina Univ. campus.

Event 15: The O8 Field

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Top Chip Counts:
Mike Cisco - 41,000
Luigi Grilla - 39,500

Notables still alive:
'Miami' John Cernuto
Chris Reslock
Mike Linster
Bo Toft
Robert Gray
Steve 'Wrecking Ball' Fiorentini
Chris Tryba
Tim D'Alessandro

Event 13: More of The Field

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Chip Leader
Chris Leong - 175,000

115 players remaining,
other notables still alive:

Dean Schultz
Scott Wardell
Larry Gold
Nancy Martin
James 'Suits' Salters
Rich Ryan
Lee Childs

Event 13: The Field

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Champions and Final Table participants still alive in Event #13.

2012 Winter Open Champions:
Scott Schwalich - 1st place (Event #6)
Jon Sorscher - 1st place - (Event #2)

2012 Winter Open Finalists:
Alexander Nepomnyaschiy - 3rd place (Event #7)
Hallee LoGrasso - 3rd place (Event #9)
Eli Loewenthal - 4th place (Event #2)

Event 14: Guaranteed Cash

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Ross Rolls On

Darren Elias, Thomas Ross, Will Failla and Joseph Steirs are all in the money after winning their Sweet 16 matches. Four more matches continue as the winners are into the quarterfinals and guaranteed at least $3,128 for reaching the Elite 8. 

The heads up champion earns $25,026.

3rd Round Matches

Darren Elias def Scott Baumstein
Thomas Ross def Derrick Huang
Will Failla def David Inselberg
Joseph Steirs def Athony Zinno
Matthew Weiss vs Nicholas Muraco
Vinny Pahuja vs Scott Lazewski
Mark Borges vs Ryan Hall
David Simon vs Josh Brikis/Michael Michnick winner

Event 15: Omaha Tweets

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
christopher tryba

36k at dinnah brk inda Omaha event. Nice lead on Cabbie Reslock for our last longer.
Brian Woods

Prob the worst I have ever run in a tournament. Just got 1 outerred in a 20k pot A356ds loses to JTK4 on 35JAJ board.
Brian Woods

Out obv

Play Resumes

Dinner Break Over

Both the Big Stack NL and the Omaha H/L 8B tournaments are back from their one hour dinner breaks.

No Limit

Players Remaining: 128
Big Stack: 180k (113 BB)
Avg Stack: 56k (35 BB)
Blinds: 800/1,600/200 ante

Omaha

Players Remaining: 63
Big Stack: 36k (23 big bets)
Avg Stack: 17k (11 BB)
Limits: 800/1,600

Event 13: Dinner Tweets

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

larry goldstein
Dinner break w/15BB...
 
Lee Childs
Apparently they have breaks for dinner in these tournaments. Got a dinner voucher and 108K. Blinds 800/1600/200 when we return.
 
Rich Ryan
52.8K at dinner break after a crazy hand.
 
Eli Loewenthal
35,200 at dinner break. Blinds up to 800/1600/200 when back. Called off a triple barrel a little light against dolt last orbit
 
Scott Schwalich
115k at dinner coming back to 800/1600
 
Austen Johnson
And out. Pretty over this sh*t.
 

Event 15: Payouts

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Entries: 97
Total Buy-In: $38,800

Place - Amount

1st $13,173
2nd $7,151
3rd $4,516
4th $3,387
5th $2,635
6th $2,258
7th $1,882
8th $1,505
9th $1,129

Event 13: Payouts

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Entries: 359
Total Buy-In: $125,650

Place - Amount

1st $32,913
2nd $18,282
3rd $11,335
4th $9,141
5th $7,069
6th $5,972
7th $4,814
8th $3,595
9th $2,438
10-12 $1,584
13-15 $1,219
16-18 $1,036
19-27 $914
28-36 $731

Event 13: 7:30 Sharp!

NL & Omaha Dinner Breaks

Lou's Angels
(l-r) Misty, Dominique & Erica

As players head out for the 7:30 pm dinner break, manager Lou coordinates a game plan with the Borgata Babes.

Play resumes at 8:30 pm for both tournaments.

Event 15: Omaha Pair Draw

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Robin Reports Things are Going Well

Robin Lee (New Haven, CT) & John McCarthy (Stony Brook, CT) is dating duo who cashed in the PLO 8B tournament and are now playing in this tournament.  McCarthy finished 3rd, while Lee was 18th.

Event 13: Ladies Revival Tour

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Three women from the final table of the Ladies Event are grinding away as the tournament approaches the dinner break.

Name-Ladies Place-Current Chip Count

Hallee LoGrasso (3rd) 16k
Leanne Rosenblatt (5th) 19k
Lynne Mitchnick (7th) 53k

Also saw Kimberly Sachse (Ladies runner-up) playing in the 3pm Championship Qualifier.

Event 15: Omaha Survivors

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

78 players remain with an an average stack of 15k (15 big bets) limits are 500/1k.

Those still in the field:

"Miami" John Cernuto
Chris Reslock
Bill Munley
Kim Findura
Leonardo Palermo
George Medrano
Mike Linster
John McCarthy
Robin Lee
Robert Gray
Chris Tryba
Tim D'Alessandro Two time Borgata trophy winner Barry Levy is on the rail.

Event 13: I'm Still Standing

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Billy Joel & Elton John would be proud of the following players:

Larry Gold
Ben Geller
Robert Santilli
Leanne Rosenblatt
Nancy Martin
James Salters
Alex Nepomnyaschiy
Lee Childs
Dean Schultz
David Laufer
Austen Johnson
Halle LoGrasso
Lynne Mitchnick
Peter Ippolito
Rich Ryan

Just some of the 150 remaining players with an average stack of 48k (40 BB) as Level 10 (600/1,200/200 ante) is underway.

Event 14: Kerstetter Kaput

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Apparel by Jamie: Matching Hat & Sweater

Jamie Kerstetter, the only woman to cash in a Borgata heads up tournament, won't be in the money this time around.  Kerstetter's tournament ends with a second round loss to Ryan Hall.

Kerstetter's Recap on Twitter:

Jamie Kerstetter

Lost 2 straight after winning first match. Never hit a flop for two hours bleeecccccchhh
Thanks for the cute hat!  
Kerstetter advanced to the quarterfinals of the Borgata Fall Poker Open where she lost to Alex Queen, but did finish in the money.   This time she gets a hat in lieu of cash.

Event 14: Payouts

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Byron Shows Andrew his Big Board

Entries: 43
Total Buy-In: $64,500

Place - Amount

1st $25,026
2nd $12,513
3rd/4th $6,257
5th-8th $3,128

Event 14: Second Round Update

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

The first round marathon match between Michael Michnick and Michael Millikin is in the books with Michnick moving on to face Josh Brikis.

That's the only second round match going on.

Second Round Matches (Winner*)

Ryan Chapman v. Matthew Weiss*
Joe Wertz v. Nicholas Muraca*
Alex Queen v. Anthony Zinno*
Leo Barlev v. Joseph Stiers*
Brian England v. Thomas Ross*
Derrick Huang* v. Jeremy McLaughlin
Ryan Hall* v. Jamie Kerstetter
Kevin Buro v. Mark Borges*
Troy Longo v. Vinny Pahuja*
Chris Tryba v. Scott Lazewski*
Michael Michnick v Josh Brikis
Travis Greenawalt v. David Simon*
Amarender Puri v. Darren Elias*
Jesse Bane v. Scott Baumstein*
Harry Korotki v. David Inselberg*
Will Failla* v. Thomas Hoglund

Event 14: Money Matches Underway

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Player reaching the round of 16 are playing for a spot in the Elite 8 as winners make the money and the minimum payout of $3,128.  The following matches are underway:

Sweet 16

Darren Elias vs Scott Baumstein
Vinny Pahuja vs Scott Lazewski
Thomas Ross vs Derrick Huang
 
In an interesting juxtaposition, Josh Brikis, who had a first round bye is still waiting to play his first round match, while these players are nearly in the money.  Brikis is getting antsy as the first round rubber game between Michael Michnik and Michael Millikin is grinding on.

 Michnik vs Millikin

Borgata Leaderboard Update (1/24)

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Winter Poker Open event (January 18 - February 3, 2012), players earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard*
(Final Results from events 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)

376.500 PTS:  EMANUEL FAILLA (SMITHTOWN, NY)
309.630 PTS:  JOSEPH OPIE (FAIR HAVEN, NJ)
308.580 PTS:  MICHAEL LINSTER (ISLAND PARK, NY)
297.650 PTS:  BEN GELLER (FAR ROCKAWAY, NY)
274.800 PTS:  THOMAS HOGLUND (NEW BEDFORD, MA)
272.425 PTS:  JONATHAN SORSCHER (LYNBROOK, NY)
266.100 PTS:  SRIDHAR CHEBROLU (ELLICOTT CITY, MD)
262.400 PTS:  KEVIN SAUL (OAK PARK, IL)
255.000 PTS:  SCOTT SCHWALICH (MIAMISBURG, OH)
247.180 PTS:  MATTHEW MAZZEO (EAST WILLISTON, NY)
245.000 PTS:  ADAM FAHERTY (LOWELL, MA)
233.500 PTS:  LEONID VIZIROV (CHALFONT, PA)
225.825 PTS:  DARYL BOATWRIGHT (SICKLERVILLE, NJ)
219.800 PTS:  JAMES GETTINGER (NEW YORK, NY)
216.000 PTS:  THOMAS EVERS (E NORTHPORT, NY)
212.275 PTS:  MICHAEL SCARBOROUGH (LAWRENCEBURG, IN)
208.338 PTS:  LARRY STJEAN (SALISBURY BCH, MA)
200.000 PTS:  PETER MAVRO (LAS VEGAS, NV)
197.875 PTS:  HARRY KOROTKI (OWINGS MILLS, MD)
195.500 PTS:  GREGORY GLASSMAN (BROOKLYN, NY)
194.838 PTS:  MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY)
188.300 PTS:  LEE KIRSCH (COLD SPG HBR, NY)
186.200 PTS:  TREVOR GRAFFA (LANCASTER, PA)
180.923 PTS:  REAL VILLENEUVE (MONTREAL, CAN)

Event 15: Table 2 Update

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

(l-r) Findura, Munley, Lane & Reslock 

Table 2 now looks like an Omaha final table, as there are five Borgata stalwarts here:

Chris Reslock
Barry Levy
Gloria LoRusso
Bill "Bumperino" Munley
Kim Findura

Ed Lane (Bayville, NJ) is caught in the middle of all the these heavy hitters.

Event 13: Ben's Big Stack

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

 Geller (left) Chats with Talib as John Whitworth Listens in

Ben Geller (Far Rockaway, NY), fresh off his 11th place finish in the $450 Deep Stack ($2,784), is one of the big stacks with 135k.

Facing an all-in bet Geller exposes the A♣ and doesn't realize there's another player still to act.  Geller eventually folds, apologizes and gets a friendly reminder from tournament floor supervisor Talib that exposing cards at any point, heads up or not, is frowned upon at this establishment.

Level 9 (500/1k/100 ante) is underway.

Event 14: First Round Results

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

First Round Results
Alex Queen def Henry Pagliuca
Anthony Zinno def Christian Harder
Joseph Stiers def Ryan Eriquezzo
Jeremy McLaughlin def Matthew Stone
Ryan Hall def Timothy Reilly
Kevin Buro def Dan Buzgon
Michael Michnik v. Michael Millikin  -- Tied at one game each; rubber match underway.
David Simon def Michael Linster
Scott Baumstein def Vyacheslav Eyzerovich
Harry Korotki def Brian Ali
David 'Coldstone' Inselberg def Alex Torres

Second Round Matches 
Ryan Chapman v. Matthew Weiss
Joe Wertz v. Nicholas Muraca*
Alex Queen v. Anthony Zinno
Leo Barlev v. Joseph Stiers
Brian England v. Thomas Ross*
Derrick Huang* v. Jeremy McLaughlin
Ryan Hall v. Jamie Kerstetter
Kevin Buro v. Mark Borges
Troy Longo v. Vinny Pahuja*
Chris Tryba v. Scott Lazewski*
Michael ??? v Josh Brikis
Travis Greenawalt v. David Simon*
Amarender Puri v. Darren Elias*
Jesse Bane v. Scott Baumstein*
Harry Korotki v. David 'Coldstone' Inselberg
Will Failla* v. Thomas Hoglund

*Match completed/winner*

Event 14: More First Round Matches

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Ryan Hall beat Timothy Reilly to advance to round two.  Ryan will now face Jamie Kerstetter in the second round.

Alex Queen beat Henry Pagliuca to advance.  Alex will now face Anthony Zinno in the second round.

One first round match is still in progress:  Michael Michnik v. Michael Millikin.

Event 13: Tweeterverse

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

bruce frank

misplay. 3b in cutoff 2100 kthh. i get cr 3000 to 8100 on ac8h4h flop. i call and bluff riv. he ajo. if i rr flop i prolly win.


Amanda Musumeci

Bustod. Rejammed AQs to an ep opener n a dude behind wakes up with AA. I turn outs but miss the riv. Gg

Eli Loewenthal

42,275 on break with blinds goin up to 300/600/75.


Lee Childs

67k. Going to 300/600/75.
Mike Wolf

Flop a set multiway. Dude check cold calls my reraise with a fd. Hits. I have one 500 chip on break. 
Jerry Payne

9650 on break going to 300 600 75. lost some with top pair, had to fold river. then guy jammed jt into my ak, no chance.
larry goldstein

Got a good 17k goin to BB600.
Mark Baatz

2nd break..tons of fun..ran KK into AA.. 2nd time in 2 days ..then had someone slam the table and yell ship it!!! Good times.. 12k
Steve Ryan

  Stop making so many dinner breaks. Get it in light and early kid!!!
Rich Ryan

28.3 on break three. Still treading water. Coming back to 300/600/75.
Gordon Eng

Taking a nice day off from sick of just making dinner breaks and not cashing

Event 14: Second Round Matches

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Will 'the Thrill' Failla followed up his record-setting win in event 1 with a win in the second round against Thomas Hoglund.  (Both players had first-round byes.)

Failla now awaits the winner of Inselberg v. Korotki for his third round match.

 Scott Lazewski & Chris Tryba

Scott Lazewski beat Chris Tryba two games to one to claim their second round match.  (Both players had first-round byes.)

Lazewski will now face Vinny Pahuja in the third round.

Event 14: More First Round Matches Completed

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

David Inselberg & Alex Torres

David 'Coldstone' Inselberg beat Alex Torres in their first round match.

 Harry Korotki & Brian Ali

Harry Korotki beat Brian Ali in their first round match.

Inselberg now faces Korotki in the second round.

Dan Buzgon won his first game, but then lost two in a row to Kevin Buro.  Kevin advances to the second round where he will face Mark Borges (first round bye).

Event 13: We Were On a Break!?!?!

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Uzan, Martin & Chabi

There are no monster stacks has 25 tables remain. Players are on a 10 minute break and play resumes with Level 8 (400/800/75 ante).  But not everyone takes the chance to stretch their legs.

Nissim Chabi (Brooklyn, NY), Nance Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) and Ephy Uzan (Brooklyn, NY) stay at the table to talk shop, while Thomas Ross is in the food court waiting to play his third round of the heads up tournament.

Ross (white hat) Enjoying the Soup

Event 14: Zinno def Harder

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Christian Harder, who won this event during the 2011 Borgata Poker Open,  ($61,690) falls in the first round to opponent Anthony Zinno (Boston, MA).

 Anthony Zinno & Christian Harder

They each won one game and had to take it to the rubber match, but that one went to Anthony.

Anthony finished 6th during the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open Heads-Up tournament, cashing for $3,638.

He now awaits the winner of the Henry Pagliuca v. Alex Queen first round match.

Event 14: Pahuja def Longo

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Vinny Pahuja and Troy Longo each got byes during the first round, so they went ahead with their second round match.

 Vinny Pahuja & Troy Longo

Vinny has just come out on top, besting Troy, to be the first player to advance to the third round.  He awaits the winner of the Chris Tryba v. Scott Lazewski second round match.

Events 13 & 15: Better Luck Next Time

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH  ->  $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

A few players who started out today in event 13, the $350 Big Stack No Limit event, have busted out and now are trying their luck at Omaha Hi/Lo.

Freddie Rouhani began his day playing Hold'em, but is now giving Omaha Hi/Lo a go.

Sharad Mehta is seated at table 1.  Sharad won the Omaha Hi/Lo & Stud Hi/Lo mix event here in April 2010 during the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Event 15: OMG-maha!

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Table two has turned into a stunner.

 Barry Levy & Gloria LoRusso

Barry Levy is in the one seat.

Gloria LoRusso (Staten Island, NY) is in the two seat.  Gloria has 9 Omaha Hi/Lo cashes to her credit, all 16th or better.  Seven of those are final tables.  She's easily considered an Omaha Hi/Lo specialist.

Chris Reslock is at the other end of the table in the eight seat.  He has wins in all flavors of Omaha, too mumerous to mention.


Event 14: Simon def Linster

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

The first of the first-round matches is complete.

On the last hand, Mike Linster was all-in and ahead with AK against the A5 of David Simon.

 Mike Linster & David Simon

The board ran out J A 4 7 5 and David paired his kicker on the river to win the pot and the match.  He will advance to the second round to face Travis Greenawalt, who had a first-round bye.

Travis was the runner-up in the 2011 Borgata Poker Open Heads-Up event, so he's a favorite to go deep.

Event 13: Break Time Tweets

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH 

End of level 4 and time for another break.  Registration is still open until the end of this break.

Here are the latest tweets from the tournament floor:

Amanda Musumeci @TheReaLMander
19k from 20k starting. Lost AK to A2 for a heap n got it back when I pulled off a successful 5bet

Jonathan Sorscher @superost
Sigh. Been demolishing my table then took a cooler when my QQ<AA. Had it up to 55k. Now 35k.

Austen Johnson @aje221
20k going to 25 150/300. #teammurder #BWO2012

Jerry Payne @sandler1860
23.6k on break going to 150 300 with 25.

Mark Baatz @markbeenyc
#BWO2012 2nd break..up to 24.8 from 20k start ..much better table...

Scott Schwalich @ScottSchwalich
14100 going to 150/300/25

Rich Ryan @RichTRyan
Back up to 24K on second break. Hero called with ace-high on KcTc8dTd5c board. *@RedBullRobbie* voice - "It is gud."

Lee Childs @leechilds 30,800. Blinds going to 150/300/25 after break. Enjoying the company of the funny older Irish lady who is beasting our table. #BWO2012

Event 15: Two-Time Winner

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Two-time Borgata Omaha Hi/Lo winner Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY) has returned for make another run for a trophy.

Barry won two trophies during the November 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open, one in Omaha Hi/Lo and the other in HORSE.

Barry also won the Omaha Hi/Lo event during the September 2010 Borgata Poker Open, making him a two-time winner in multiple ways.

They're currently in level 3 with limits of 100/200.

Event 13: And More Faces

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

Blinds are up to 100/200 (level 4).

More familiar faces have popped up in the crowd:

Freddy Rouhani
Leanne Rosenblatt
Ben Geller
Jay Nair
Jacobo Fernandez
Anthony Caruso
Wade Woelfel
Orson Young
Greg Glassman

Late registration is still open through the end of this level (about 2:20pm).

John Hinds has busted out.  He got his last chips in with pocket 8s and was racing against AK.  The AK won.  Sorry, no re-entries today.

Event 15: Omaha-lics

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Eleven tables are active in the back of the event center, with the usual Omaha suspects.

Bo Toft
Miami John Cernuto
Adel Shakerian
Glenn Englebert
Leonardo Palermo

George Medrano was too late to get into the heads-up tournament, so he's now playing Omaha Hi/Lo.

Event 15: Omaha Underway

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

For players who busted out of the 11am tournament, or those who just prefer Omaha, there is the  Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or better) event.

This is a limit structure, so limits start at 25/50.

Players began with 12,000 chips and 40 minute levels.

This is a two day event, so they'll play until 2am or until they reach the money, then call it a night.

Event 14: Heads Up First Round

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

The draw is complete and the first round matches are underway.  When both first round matches were byes, those players advanced to the second round and some second round matches are already underway, also.


First Round Matches 
Henry Pagliuca v. Alex Queen
Anthony Zinno v. Christian Harder
Ryan Eriquezzo v. Joseph Stiers
Matthew Stone v. Jeremy McLaughlin
Timothy Reilly v. Ryan Hall
Dan Buzgon v. Kevin Buro
Michael Michnik v. Michael Millikin
David Simon v. Michael Linster
Vyacheslav Eyzerovich v. Scott Baumstein
Harry Korotki v. Brian Ali
David 'Coldstone' Inselberg v. Alex Torres

Byes
Ryan Chapman
Matthew Weiss
Joe Wertz
Nicholas Muraca
Leo Barlev
Brian England
Thomas Ross
Derrick Huang
Jamie Kerstetter
Mark Borges
Troy Longo
Vinny Pahuja
Chris Tryba
Scott Lazewski
Josh Brikis
Travis Greenawalt
Amarender Puri
Darren Elias
Jesse Bane
Will Failla
Thomas Hoglund

Second Round Matches  (The second round is expected to begin officially at about 3pm.)
Ryan Chapman v. Matthew Weiss
Joe Wertz v. Nicholas Muraca
Brian England v. Thomas Ross
Troy Longo v. Vinny Pahuja
Chris Tryba v. Scott Lazewski
Amarender Puri v. Darren Elias
Will Failla v. Thomas Hoglund


Event 14: Waiting for First Round

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Among those waiting for their first-round draws in the heads-up event are:

Alex Queen (Nov 2011 winner)
Christian Harder (Sept 2011 winner)
Jeremy McLaughlin (Sept 2010 winner)
Travis Greenawalt
Darren Elias
Vinny Pahuja
Josh Brikis
David Inselberg
Chris Tryba
Mike Linster
Sirous Jamshidi
Alex Torres
Dan Buzgon
Ryan Eriquezzo
Joe Wertz
Michael Michnik
Jamie Kerstetter (only woman to ever cash in a heads-up event here at Borgata)

Event 14: Bracket Draw Underway

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Today's second main event is the Heads-Up tournament.  The bracket draw is underway -- where names are drawn at random and filled in on the NCAA-Basketball-style tournament bracket.

Looks like about 42 entries, which means there will be 22 byes in the first round.

Each match is best 2 of 3 rounds.

Players will begin each round with 20,000 chips and 100/200 blinds.

Levels are 20 minutes except in the final, when they are 30 minutes.

Event 13: Early Birds' Tweets

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

Some early tweets from today's competitors:

Austen Johnson @aje221
Back for more pain and suffering in 400 DS. #teammurder

Aaron Steury @NDGrinder
Playing $400 big stack today, 20k starting stack. #BWO2012

Scott Schwalich @ScottSchwalich
$400 freezeout today. 20k starting stacks #BWO2012

Amanda Musumeci @TheReaLMander
$400 big stack BWPO... Glgl

Mike Wolf @MikeWolf7
At table 32 in the $400 deepstack. #BWO2012

Event 13: More Faces

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

More familiar faces are popping up in the crowd:

Matthew Piccolo
Steve Rodriguez
James 'Suits' Salters
Tony 'Bagels' Cavezza
Dean Schultz
John Buglion
Tony Nguyen
Scott Schwalich
Nancy Martin
Eric Doerr
Jason Henrici
Mark Baatz

35 tables are currently in action.

In a couple of minutes, blinds will be going up to 50/100 for level 2.

Event 13: Familiar Faces

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH

These smiling (or not) faces have already arrived for the first level of today's main event:

Jerry Payne
Don Brown
Mike Marder
Charlie Marchese
Kelly Armentrout
Mike 'Little Man' Sica
Mickey Woll
Howard Wolper
Larry Gold
Joe Verrecchia
Eric Miller
Bob Santilli
Austen Johnson
Lee Childs
Jon Sorscher
Andrew Klein
John Hinds
Adam Agaev
Will Failla

Event 13: Underway

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em

Cards are in the air for event 13, today's main event.

Players began with 20,000 chips (Big Stack) and level 1 blinds of 25/50.

Levels are 45 minutes long for the duration of the tournament.

This is a two day event, so they will call it a night at about 2am or 18 players.

No re-entries today, but late registration is open through the first four levels.

Event 11 Recap

$350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Big name pros and former online stars headlined a field that featured bounty hunters looking for a piece of the $93,800 prize pool.

Event #11 drew 282 players, including Lee Childs, Gordon Eng, Kevin Saul, Bill Blanda, Matt Brady, Ryan Eriquezzo, Eli Lowenthal, Josh Brikis and Austen Johnson.

After the Dinner Break, Event #11 was a poker show featuring Kevin Saul dominating the field. When you combine skill with luck, good things happen.

Kevin 'BeLOWaBOVe' Saul is best known for his impressive online results before making a name for himself on the live tournament circuit. The sponsored pro and former online instructor has eclipsed over $2 million in lifetime earnings, but lately he's decided to put his talents in smaller buy-in tournaments.

Kevin still finds time to put in volume with 10K's and other big buy-in events, but tells Borgata's Poker Blog "I enjoy the edge in smaller buy-in tournaments...there's more to exploit."

Marguerite Spagnuolo battled through a long day of poker to earn the title of last woman standing. The lucky lady busted when her K K was cracked by the young pro. The run good continued for Saul who eliminated both Harry Zhou (3rd) and Robert Fetzko (2nd) on the way to his first Borgata title. The Forest Park, IL native takes home $25,473 for the win.

Kevin kept the virtual railbirds entertained with constant texts and tweets to his followers. The #BorgataBountyDoItFest was fun to watch.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount
 
1st Kevin Saul (Oak Park, IL) $25,473
2nd Robert Fetzko (Johnstown, PA) $15,013
3rd Hayong Zhou (Baltimore, MD) $8,644
4th Robert Gallagher (Philadelphia, PA) $7,006
5th Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY) $5,459
6th John Mason Jr. (Greensboro, NC) $4,549
7th Robert Intrabartolo (Rockaway Park, NY) $3,639
8th Steven Rosenberg (Manalapan, NJ) $2,730
9th William Lau (Sewell, NJ) $1,820
10th Ronald Wilson (Hanover Twp., PA) $1,183

Event 8 Recap

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

In a day filled with happiness and heartache, it's Tom Evers (E. Northport, NY) who celebrated his 19th wedding anniversary with a Borgata Winter Poker Open victory.  Evers defeated Trevor Graffa heads up to take the title and the $53,324 first prize.

"It feels good to get my first tournament win," said Ever who also picked up his first live tournament cash.  "The stars were aligned with the anniversary and everything," he said with wife Lori by his side.

On the final hand, Evers dodged 12 outs on the last card and won the event with two pairs while holding K J♠.

"I really wanted the trophy," said Graffa who missed a flush draw and an over card on the river. "Being heads up in one of these before, it's pretty disappointing," Graffa said referring to his runner-up finish in the 2011 Borgata Summer Poker Open.

Day 2 of the tournament was filled with plenty of ups and downs, but none greater than the fall of Eric Hall (Staten Island, NY), who went from one million chips to the rail in 10 minutes.  "Flop a full house and aces cracked, how can it be any worse," lamented Hall who started the day second in chips.

Hall's 19th place finish is chronicled here and helped propel Tammy Wagner to a 5th place finish when she was a 99% underdog and hit perfect-perfect against Hall. "That's poker," Hall said about her good fortune, "it doesn't phase me."

The final table featured Borgata regulars Daryl Boatwright (3rd), Peter Ippolito (4th), George Medrano (6th), Matt Mazzeo (7th) and Cathy Dever (9th).  For Mazzeo this was his second cash of the series after he was runner-up in Event 4 and has now earned ~$32,000 in the Winter Open.

The tournament began with 552 players who put up $220,800 in total buy-ins.  The field featured WSOP bracelet holders Mike "Little Man" Sica (40th/$964) and "Miami" John Cernuto, along with Borgata regulars Lee Childs, Wazir Baksh and Marguerite Spagnuolo (47th/$857). 

But in the end it's the happy couple who take home the title and the Borgata trophy.  "I let him play, that's his anniversary gift," says Lori, "I can't wait to see what I'm going to get."

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1 Tom Evers (E. Northport, NY) $53,324
2 Trevor Graffa (Lancaster, PA) $29,985
3 Daryl Boatwright (Sicklerville, NJ) $19,276
4 Peter Ippolito (E. Meadow, NY) $15,314
5 Tammy Wagner (North Lawrence, OH) $11,994
6 George Medrano (Rego Park, NY) $9,852
7 Matt Mazzeo (East Willston, NY) $7,817
8 David Kim (Flushing, NY) $6,104
9 Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) $4,284
10 Jeff Einsidler (Bedford, NY) $2,784

Event 10 Recap

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

James Newberry (Poolesville, MD) came close to holding the chip lead for the entire final table.  On the way to winning his first ever Borgata trophy and $11,543, Newberry only surrendered the chip lead briefly to runner-up Reymond DeLeon.

Three-handed play lasted for more than two hours until third place finisher David Loy Song was crippled by DeLeon's rivered full house.  DeLeon took the chip lead and Newberry got the last of Loy Song's chips soon after.

Heads-up play began with both players close to even in chips, but Newberry's superior play quickly gave him a more than 5-to-1 chip lead over DeLeon.  DeLeon had to settle for second place and $6,266.

Eighty-five players turned out for this two-day event, bringing total buy-ins to $34,000.  The final table of nine got paid and returned for day two.  The small field held some big names, including WSOP bracelet holders Chris Reslock and Freddie Rouhani, and WPT title holder Kevin Saul.  None of these survived play on day one.

'Captain Omaha', as Newberry is known online, claimed the Borgata Winter Poker Open Pot Limit Omaha title, his first reported win here.  He's a recreational player who makes his living as a copywriter.  "I love Omaha", he said "all flavors of Omaha", referring to the Hi/Lo split versions of the game, which are played in both Limit and Pot Limit structures.

He plays other games and does quite well.  Newberry has tournament wins in both Limit and No Limit Hold'em in addition to PLO/8.  But Omaha is his favorite.  He has to miss the Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event on Tuesday, but plans to return to Borgata for the Winter Open Championship event.


Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount
 
1. James Newberry (Poolesville, MD)  $11,543
2. Reymond DeLeon (Jersey City, NJ)   $6,266
3. David Loy Song (Newburgh, NY)  $3,958
4. Mike Linster (Island Park, NY)    $2,968
5. James Weaver (Coraopolis, PA)   $2,309
6. Vinny Lodato (Matawan, NJ)   $1,979
7. Vince Trotter (Jackson, NJ)    $1,649
8. Boris Miller (Oceanside, NY)   $1,319
9. Joel Frank (Kingston, NJ)    $989

Tuesday, January 24

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 13 - $350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 45 minutes each 
  • 2-Day event

12PM: Event 14 - $1500 + $150 Heads Up No Limit Hold'em
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Best 2 of 3 (chips will be reset to 20,000 for each Match)
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each | Final Match Levels will last 30 minutes each  
  • 2-Day event
1PM:  Event 15:  $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips
  • Levels will last 40 minutes
  • 2-Day event
3PM: Event 39 - $175 + $25 Championship Qualifier NLH
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • Approximately 1 in 20 will win $3,500 entry into Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship (Jan 29-Feb 3)
  • 1-Day event 

7PM: Event 40 - $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • Players that "bust" within the first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
  • 1-Day event

        Event 11 Champion: Kevin Saul

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


        Kevin "BeLOWABoVe' Saul (Forest Park, IL)
        $25,473

        World renowned Poker Pro, Kevin Saul, cruises to the Winner's Circle and becomes Borgata's newest Champion.

        The former online phenom enjoys the smaller buy-in tournaments, he dedicates the win to a special friend that recently passed away. #TheOutfield

        Event 11: 2nd Robert Fetzko

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH



        Robert Fetzko (Johstown, PA)
        $15,013

        Event 11: 3rd Harry Zhou

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


        Harry Zhou (Baltimore, MD)
        $8,644

        Event 11: Grinding

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        Kevin Saul is the overwhelming Chip Leader,
        3-handed play continues...

        Stay awake with the Borgata Blog until we crown a winner.

        Event 11: 4th Gallagher, 5th Spagnuolo

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH



        Robert Gallagher (Philadelphia, PA)
        $7,006




        Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY)
        $5,459

        Event 12 (Seniors) Recap

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

        The Seniors Event met all expectations. The old "war stories" and authentic laughs were well worth the price of admission for Event 12.

        The biggest laugh went to Abraham Mevorah (Staten Island) who was crowned our 2012 Seniors Champion. The New York City comedy club owner takes home $18,128 and a custom engraved Borgata trophy for his 1st place finish.

        The calm and relaxing atmosphere surrounding the Seniors Event is always refreshing during the madness of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. The relaxed, patient poker from the 'old guard' still brings exciting poker, without the trash talk and fancy headphones. A total of 178 Seniors helped the buy-in total reach $62,300.

        Mevorah fought off a tough final table that included the 'Bagel Boss' Jerry Rosner from Long Island. The family business man collected $5,741 for his 3rd place finish.

        His elimination put Mevorah heads up with Pasquale Boffice (Manahawkin, NJ), who put up quite a fight. Boffice's laid back style and patient play ended when he finished as runner-up. "I can relate to these guys," said our 2nd place finisher, "it's honest poker with a bunch of good people." 

        Words that echo the sentiments from most of the field which had a great time, but none more than Mevorah who's laughing all the way to the bank with a five figure score.

        Final Table Results

        Place-Name-Amount

        1 Abraham Mevorah (Staten Island, NY) $18,128
        2 Pasquale Boffice (Manahawkin, NJ) $9,971
        3 Jerry Rosner (Wantagh,NY) $5,741
        4 Robert Wayne Lowry (Chesterfield, VA) $4,834
        5 Thomas Ennis (Turnersville, NJ) $3,626
        6 Michael Marucci (Bristol, PA) $3,022
        7 Gary Schoengold (Olney, MD) $2,417
        8 Bernard Sierra (Maspeth, NY) $1,813
        9 Gary Friedman (Beachwood, OH) $1,360
        10 Craig Collins (Warminster, PA) $1,209

        Event 12 Champion: Abraham Mevorah

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Abraham Mevorah (Staten Island, NY)
        $18,128


        The 'Comedy Club King' from the city was full of laughs after capturing the Seniors Event title.

        The newly crowned Borgata champion tells the blog "I like playing with the od guys, it's a nice bunch of people with lots of respect."

        The New Yorker pockets $18,128 and takes home a custome Borgata trophy.

        Event 12: 2nd Pasquale Boffice

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Pasquale Boffice (Manahawkin, NY)
        $9,971


        Pasquale raved about the atmosphere on his way to a 2nd place finish.


        "I feel comfortable in this tournament, it's honest poker," says the seasoned card-player.

        Event 12: 3rd Jerry Rosner

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Jerry Rosner (Wantagh, NY)
        $5,741



        The die hard Yankees fan earns a solid 4-figure score for his efforts, a great showing from the 'Bagel Boss'.

        The Long Island native said, "I love the war stories" before his 3rd place exit.

        Event 11: 6th John Mason

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


        John Mason (Greensboro, NC)
        $4,549


        Mason who enjoys traveling the East Coast looking for small buy-in tournaments, found a Final Table appearance in Ecvent #11.

        The Triad native honed his skills in North Carolina cashgames, he takes a 6th place finish and $4,549 back down South.

        Event 12: 4th Robert Lowry

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Robert Lowry (Chester, VA)
        $4,834


        With one lonely, loyal railbird Robert Lowry managed to nurse his short stack to an impressive 4th place finish in the Seniors Event.

        Event 11: FT Bustouts

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        Recent Eliminations:

        7th Place - Robert Intrabartolo (Rockaway Park, NY) - $3,639
        The iron worker says tournaments are simple "you have to get lucky."

        8th Place - Steven Rosenberg (Manalapan, NJ) - $2,730
        Impressive performance from the Borgata regular.

        Event 11: Stack Sizes

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        5 players left,
        Avg. Stack: 645,000

        Chip Counts:
        Rob Gallagher - 630,000
        Kevin Saul - 1,400,000
        Harry Zhou - 335,000
        Robert Fetzko - 705,000
        Marguerite Spagnuolo - 516,000

        Event 12: Chip Counts

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

        Blinds @ 15k / 30k / 3k ante

        Chip Counts:
        Abraham Mevorah - 305,000
        Robert Lowry - 290,000
        Pasquale Boffice - 635,000
        Jerry Rosner - 490,000

        Event 12: 5th Thomas Ennis

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Thomas Ennis (Turnersville, NJ)
        $3,626

        The New Jersey native takes home a nice 4-figure score for his 5th place finish in Event #12.

        Event 12: 6th Michael Marucci

        Michael Marucci (Bristol, PA)
        $3,022

        Maruucci was all-in for his tournament life a few times before finally busting in 6th place. He grinded a short stack from the Dinner Break to the Final Table. He pockets $3,022 for his 6th place result.

        Event 12: 7th Gary Schoengold

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH


        Gary Schoengold (Olney, MD)
        $2,417


        Solid play from the most technical player at the Final Table. Schoengold gave off no tells with his robotic and stoic betting patterns. He used his tight image to earn $2,417 .

        Event 11: 9th William Lau

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        William Lau (Sewell, NJ) loses the rest of his short stack in a standard spot with AQ♣. was up against Robert Intrabartolo scooped the pot holding K♠K.

        "I took a gross beat for 200k with Aces, it was sick bro," says the latest Final Table casuality.

        Lau takes home $1,820 for his 9th place finish.

        Event 11: 10th Ron Wilson

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        Ron Wilson (Hanover Twp, PA) battled on the short stack all day. He takes home $1,183 for his Final Table run.

        "I dodged and weaved with no chips all day," said the 10th place finisher.
        "I can't complain."

        Event 12: Senior Bustouts

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

        Official Eliminations and Payouts:

        8th - Bernard Sierra - $1,813
        9th - Gary Friedman - $1,360
        10th - Craig Collins - $1,209
        11th - Benjamin Laves - $1,209
        12th - Michael Dunn - $1,209
        13th - Brad Sotoloff - $1,058

        Event 11: Saul Binks

        $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

        Kevin Saul gets his last 169,500 in the middle with two black 10's. The poker pro is up against pocket AA's, but binks a red 10 on the turn to scoop the pot.

        "Sorry sir, that's poker," says the seasoned tournament veteran.

        Event 12: Seniors Lose 2

        $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

        Recent Eliminations...

        Gary Friedman busts when his AJ fails to improve vs the pocket JJ's of Chip Leader, Jerry Rosner. He pockets $1,360 for his 9th place finish.

        Craig Collins becomes our 10th place finisher when he runs AJ into AQ.
        He takes home $1,209 for his efforts.