Winter Poker Open 2012

Borgata Leaderboard - Final Results

2012-02-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

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.

Winners are:
1. Thomas Hoglund: Entry into Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship event (April 2012)
2. Will Failla: Sony Internet TV
3. Daryl Black: Ray Ban sunglasses
4. Joseph Opie: Ray Ban sunglasses
5. Michael Linster: Ray Ban sunglasses
6. Joseph Stuckey: Ray Ban sunglasses
7. Daryl Boatwright: Ray Ban sunglasses
8. Mickael Morgousky: Ray Ban sunglasses
9. Ben Geller: Nikon digital camera
10. Gonzalo Villarreal: Keurig coffee maker

Below are the top 200 scores for the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard

(Final Results from all Borgata Winter Poker Open events)

583.605 PTS: THOMAS HOGLUND (NEW BEDFORD, MA)

569.668 PTS: EMANUEL FAILLA (SMITHTOWN, NY)

537.275 PTS: DARYL BLACK (VOORHEES, NJ)

459.705 PTS: JOSEPH OPIE (FAIR HAVEN, NJ)

437.668 PTS: MICHAEL LINSTER (ISLAND PARK, NY)

430.913 PTS: JOSEPH STUCKEY (HICKSVILLE, NY)

419.900 PTS: DARYL BOATWRIGHT (SICKLERVILLE, NJ)

418.588 PTS: MICKAEL MORGOUSKY (BROOKLYN, NY)

408.138 PTS: BEN GELLER (FAR ROCKAWAY, NY)

389.875 PTS: GONZALO VILLARREAL (E HANOVER, NJ)

386.875 PTS: LEONID VIZIROV (CHALFONT, PA)

364.775 PTS: JOSHUA MANCUSO (MANDEVILEE, LA)

362.268 PTS: MATTHEW MAZZEO (EAST WILLISTON, NY)

362.063 PTS: KEVIN SAUL (WARRENVILLE, IL)

354.013 PTS: JOSEPH MOSCA (BRONX, NY)

348.040 PTS: SRIDHAR CHEBROLU (ELLICOTT CITY, MD)

344.525 PTS: JONATHAN SORSCHER (LYNBROOK, NY)

342.010 PTS: DANIEL DACONTI (MOUNT LAUREL, NJ)

336.675 PTS: LINHKHOUNE VIRATH (NOKESVILLE, VA)

331.425 PTS: SCOTT SCHWALICH (MIAMISBURG, OH)

328.788 PTS: OMAR GHANIM (WOODLAND PARK, NJ)

325.963 PTS: MANH NGUYEN (MUNHALL, PA)

322.088 PTS: ELLIOTT ZAYDMAN (GLEN ROCK, NJ)

318.625 PTS: HARRY KOROTKI (OWINGS MILLS, MD)

313.055 PTS: WADE WOELFEL (MANKATO, MN)

310.850 PTS: JOSEPH BRAND (FAIRLAWN, NJ)

308.463 PTS: GERALD SOSLER (PURCHASE, NY)

307.075 PTS: JOHN ZOLDAK (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

306.413 PTS: JEREMIAH MCKENNA (NORWALK, CT)

302.225 PTS: TIMOTHY BRYAN (CENTERVILLE, VA)

302.025 PTS: MICHAEL FORCA (BABYLON, NY)

293.203 PTS: PETER IPPOLITO (E MEADOW, NY)

292.713 PTS: ANDREW KLEIN (OCEAN, NJ)

292.600 PTS: JOHN PARKER (SILVER SPRING, MD)

291.520 PTS: ALEXANDER PETERSON (RIVERSIDE, CT)

289.950 PTS: PATRICIA CAHILL (PORT JEFF STATION, NY)

287.875 PTS: DANIEL LUPO (LOPATCONG, NJ)

283.563 PTS: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN (MEDFORD, NY)

283.160 PTS: ALEX NEPOMNYASCHIY (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

281.150 PTS: JEFFREY PAPOLA (NEW YORK, NY)

279.938 PTS: ILYA VASSERMAN (HUNTINGDON VY, PA)

279.888 PTS: JOHN HINDS (WINTERVILLE, NC)

277.405 PTS: NEEL MAZUMDAR (WALLINGFORD, CT)

276.913 PTS: MICHAEL POGOLOFF (DURHAM, NC)

275.538 PTS: JOSHUA BRIKIS (MURRYSVILLE, PA)

271.438 PTS: TREVOR GRAFFA (LANCASTER, PA)

268.948 PTS: AUSTEN JOHNSON (WOODSBORO, MD)

268.400 PTS: DAVID LAUFER (BROOKLYN, NY)

268.118 PTS: DAVID JOHNSTON (BRIGANTINE, NJ)

264.000 PTS: THOMAS EVERS (E NORTHPORT, NY)

262.050 PTS: JACOB FAFARD (NEW IPSWICH, NH)

261.315 PTS: ELI LOEWENTHAL (CARMEL, IN)

260.925 PTS: MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY)

258.888 PTS: RYAN ERIQUEZZO (DANBURY, CT)

258.575 PTS: SHEREE BYKOFSKY (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

257.338 PTS: ADAM FAHERTY (LOWELL, MA)

254.888 PTS: STEPHEN SCALES (RED BANK, NJ)

253.175 PTS: JOHN DELROSSI (MANTUA, NJ)

252.438 PTS: LEE KIRSCH (COLD SPG HBR, NY)

251.938 PTS: JAYAKRISHNAN NAIR (REDMOND, WA)

250.728 PTS: JULIE CORNELIUS (ROCKVILLE, MD)

247.738 PTS: FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ (BRADENTON, FL)

247.130 PTS: MATTHEW JACOBI (DURHAM, NC)

247.050 PTS: ERIC DOERR (NEWARK, DE)

246.350 PTS: ROBERT KOERBER (WATERBURY, CT)

245.813 PTS: DANIEL VOCCIA (WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY)

245.775 PTS: ABBEY DANIELS (CORAL SPRINGS, FL)

245.263 PTS: TAISIYA KUZNETSOVA (BROOKLYN, NY)

244.813 PTS: WAZIR BAKSH (QUEENS VILLAGE, NY)

242.500 PTS: DANIEL WACH (BOONTON, NJ)

241.650 PTS: DAVID HECK (COLTS NECK, NJ)

241.388 PTS: SAMEER ALJANEDI (MARINA DEL REY, CA)

240.888 PTS: ROBERT SANTILLI (JACKSON, NJ)

240.440 PTS: ROMAN VALERSTEIN (NEWTOWN, PA)

238.638 PTS: LARRY STJEAN (SALISBURY BCH, MA)

238.375 PTS: ROBERT BOYKO (YONKERS, NY)

238.188 PTS: CEDRIC ADAM (PRODO NEORT, FRA)

237.478 PTS: EUGENE FOUKSMAN (MANALAPAN, NJ)

235.100 PTS: VINEET PAHUJA (HICKSVILLE, NY)

234.775 PTS: BRIAN ADRAGNA (E MEADOW, NY)

234.450 PTS: KHALED ALWAN (WAYNE, NJ)

233.613 PTS: IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC (BROOKLYN, NY)

231.910 PTS: MARSHA WOLAK (SARASOTA, FL)

231.388 PTS: ERIC SIEGEL (BELLMORE, NY)

231.200 PTS: MARK SYKES (HAMDEN, CT)

230.188 PTS: CHII CHING SUN (MERRICK, NY)

229.338 PTS: CARLESS BOATWRIGHT (WOODBRIDGE, VA)

229.278 PTS: DANIEL BUZGON (MARLTON, NJ)

228.325 PTS: TRAVIS GREENAWALT (LANDISVILLE, PA)

227.425 PTS: STEVEN RODRIGUEZ (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

226.375 PTS: ANTHONY HULBERT (RESTON, VA)

224.763 PTS: STEVEN FIORENTINI (WINCHESTER, MA)

223.575 PTS: DAVID INSELBERG (LONG BEACH, NY)

223.400 PTS: JEREMY MAHER (WARREN, NJ)

222.488 PTS: ROBERT ROMANOWSKI (LANOKA HARBOR, NJ)

221.538 PTS: JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD)

220.150 PTS: MICHAEL FERRELL (CLEVAND HEIGHTS, OH)

219.800 PTS: JAMES GETTINGER (NEW YORK, NY)

217.588 PTS: THANG VAN NGUYEN (MCLEAN, VA)

217.563 PTS: MUKUL PAHUJA (FT LAUDERDALE, FL)

214.975 PTS: CHRISTOPHER TRYBA (LAS VEGAS, NV)

212.275 PTS: MICHAEL SCARBOROUGH (LAWRENCEBURG, IN)

211.738 PTS: MICHAEL MILLIKIN (OWGSSO, MI)

211.500 PTS: GREGORY GLASSMAN (BROOKLYN, NY)

210.765 PTS: HOWARD WOLPER (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

209.963 PTS: CHARLES TOWNSEND (DAGBORO, DE)

209.760 PTS: REAL VILLENEUVE (MONTREAL, CAN)

209.300 PTS: PASQUALE BOFFICE (MANAHAWKIN, NJ)

208.150 PTS: DEAN MARTIN (MC CONNELLSBG, PA)

207.338 PTS: JOSEPH LIBERTA (BERLIN, NJ)

206.288 PTS: JOHN HARVILLA (MINERSVILLE, PA)

203.575 PTS: DOUGLAS LOVELACE (MAYS LANDING, NJ)

202.525 PTS: ABRAHAM MEVORAH (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

201.838 PTS: CATHERINE DEVER (EPHRATA, PA)

201.288 PTS: SCOTT BARLOW (PEQUANNOCK, NJ)

200.925 PTS: JOHN V IV COMEAU (RUTLAND, MA)

200.000 PTS: PETER MAVRO (LAS VEGAS, NV)

199.838 PTS: BARUCH THALER (BROOKLYN, NY)

199.500 PTS: LOUIS GALASSO (CRANBURY, NJ)

198.775 PTS: RICARDO VELASCO (ELMHURST, NY)

197.488 PTS: CUONG PHUNG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

196.813 PTS: LEE SOMMERS (GERMANTOWN, MD)

196.675 PTS: JOHN MYUNG (VIENNA, VA)

196.325 PTS: MARGUERITE SPAGNUOLO (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

195.225 PTS: ORSON YOUNG (OCEANPORT, NJ)

192.938 PTS: ADAM HUI (MARKHAM, CAN)

192.875 PTS: CHRIS RESLOCK (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

192.838 PTS: ALEXANDROS TAKOUNAKIS (ALEXANDRIA, VA)

191.500 PTS: WILLIAM BLANDA (GALVESTON, TX)

191.263 PTS: JAMES PISANO (WAMPUM, PA)

191.000 PTS: RYAN DION (BLACKWOOD, NJ)

190.700 PTS: ALEX SMITH (HIGHLAND PARK, NJ)

190.638 PTS: MATTHEW WEISS (SUFFERN, NY)

189.708 PTS: JAMIE KERSTETTER (MONROE TWP., NJ)

189.038 PTS: ZAUR MAMEDOV (CHERRY HILL, NJ)

188.613 PTS: THOMAS MCGARRY (HAZLET, NJ)

185.175 PTS: MICHAEL DAVISON (BROOKLYN, NY)

184.438 PTS: ANNA DIKKER (MORGANVILLE, NJ)

184.268 PTS: JORGE RIVERA CARRERO (GALLOWAY, NJ)

183.650 PTS: BRIAN ALI (BROOKLYN, NY)

183.638 PTS: ALLAN VROOMAN (GREENVILLE, NC)

182.925 PTS: CHRISTIAN IACOBELLIS (RYE, NY)

181.138 PTS: ERIC SUAREZ (GLEN MILLS, PA)

180.750 PTS: BRIAN ENGLAND (HAZLET, NJ)

180.150 PTS: MARK BORGES (GLEN ROCK, NJ)

179.850 PTS: EDWARD WALSH (LANGHORNE, PA)

179.800 PTS: MICHAEL BARLETTA (TOMS RIVER, NJ)

179.288 PTS: WILLIAM CHILDS (ALEXANDRIA, VA)

179.213 PTS: STEVEN RUSSELL (COOLVILLE, OH)

178.625 PTS: MICHAEL RECTOR WOODS (MADISON, CT)

178.513 PTS: MARK HOPKINS (EAST WINDSOR, NJ)

178.400 PTS: CARLOS AVALOS (WOODBRIDGE, VA)

177.675 PTS: LEONARD CORTELLINO (LEWISTON, ME)

177.500 PTS: MARC GOLDMAN (EASTON, PA)

176.450 PTS: WOO SHIN (PISCATAWAY, NJ)

176.350 PTS: JOHN BUGLION (COMMACK, NY)

176.063 PTS: MICHAEL SICA (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)

174.975 PTS: H MICHAEL BOROVETZ (PITTSBURGH, PA)

174.975 PTS: JOHN ANTHONY CERNUTO (LAS VEGAS, NV)

174.850 PTS: MATTHEW LEON (VIRGINIA BCH, VA)

174.700 PTS: JOSEPH VERRECCHIA (HADDONFIELD, NJ)

173.728 PTS: GARY SCHOENGOLD (OLNEY, MD)

173.188 PTS: JAMES SALTERS (WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY)

172.075 PTS: LEANNE ROSENBLATT (BRIGANTINE, NJ)

171.650 PTS: RICHARD RUBINSTEIN (BROOKLYN, NY)

171.038 PTS: AMANDA MUSUMECI (PHILADELPHIA, PA)

170.900 PTS: SCOTT LAZEWSKI (MANALAPAN, NJ)

169.238 PTS: ALOK ARORA (WILMINGTON, DE)

168.820 PTS: GENE SANTORA (MANHASSET, NY)

168.338 PTS: WILLIAM DUGAN (VENTNOR, NJ)

167.888 PTS: STEVEN CURTIN (INDIAN TRAIL, NC)

167.075 PTS: VYACHESLAV EYZEROVICH (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

167.038 PTS: ROBERT BROWN (MILFORD, NH)

166.860 PTS: JEFFREY EINSIDLER (BEDFORD, NY)

166.638 PTS: SARO SARKUNI (CRANBURY, NJ)

165.765 PTS: CORNEL ANDREW CIMPAN (LEAGUE CITY, TX)

165.663 PTS: HAYONG ZHOU (BALTIMORE, MD)

165.175 PTS: DENNIS WILBER (BLUE POINT, NY)

164.445 PTS: DANIEL WEAVER (KENNEBUNK, ME)

164.325 PTS: THOMAS NYMAN (SECAUCUS, NJ)

164.300 PTS: ADAM SANDERS (ATLANTIC HGTS, NJ)

163.513 PTS: AARON PINSON (BALTIMORE, MD)

163.200 PTS: GEORGE E FOTIADIS (NEW WINDSOR, NY)

160.388 PTS: PATRICIA BARSANTI-CHOU (METUCHEN, NJ)

160.025 PTS: LUIS URIOSTE (FLUSHING, NY)

160.000 PTS: SEAN PERRY (COLUMBIA, MD)

159.000 PTS: JAMES NEWBERRY (POOLESVILLE, MD)

158.925 PTS: ADAM AGAEV (BROOKLYN, NY)

158.218 PTS: MOHAMED HAMMOUD (TORONTO, CAN)

158.063 PTS: NATALE KUEY (BRONX, NY)

158.013 PTS: JEREMY PETERS (SOMERSET, NJ)

157.750 PTS: MICHAEL NEWMAN (NANUET, NY)

157.688 PTS: SUNG HA KIM (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ)

157.563 PTS: WILLIAM PERRY (MORRISTOWN, NJ)

157.000 PTS: CYNTHIA ALBERT (GERMANTOWN, MD)

156.838 PTS: SOHEB PORBANDARWALA (STAMFORD, CT)

156.625 PTS: MICHAEL NYE (E BRIDGEWATER, MA)

156.413 PTS: TODOR BLAZEVSKI (WAYNE, NJ)

156.350 PTS: ANTHONY CHONG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

154.975 PTS: RAY SHACKELFORD (FREDERICKSBURG, VA)

Winter Poker Open Champion - Mancuso

2012-02-05T18:15:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Josh Mancuso (New Orleans, LA)

$542,771

On the final hand of the Borgata Winter Poker Open, Josh Mancuso held AK suited and needed help from the board to claim the title. He got it with a king in the door of the flop.

His pair of Kings beat Jeff Papola's pocket 6s and Josh had all 22 million chips in play.

"It definitely wasn't easy. I had to run good and hit hands at the right times," he said.

Mancuso has been playing professionally for about 4 years, but is better known for his on-line play under the screen name "DahJinerat," and happy to get the win.

"It validates my on-line results," said Mancuso, who has more than $900,00 in online results. "Many players haven't made the transition to live play, so to win a live main event is great."

Two years ago, Josh was here for the Winter Poker Open and doing well, but busted out in 17th place ($14,712) at the hands of Tom Marchese, who went on to finish 3rd. Jeff Madsen was the Champion that year.

2nd Place - Papola

2012-02-05T18:10:00.001-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jeff Papola (New York, NY)

$315,837

Championship Event Recap

2012-02-05T18:05:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

He called himself a "DahJinerat" online, but now you can call Josh Mancuso a live champion. The 29 year old outlasted a final table that featured two bracelet holders and a WSOP Main Event runner-up to win the Borgata Winter Poker Championship.

"It was a rough five days, I'm exhausted," said Mancuso (New Orleans, LA) who won $542,771, his largest poker score.

Mancuso beat WSOP bracelet holder Jeff Papola (New York, NY) heads up when his A♣K♣ hit a king on the flop to beat Papola's pocket 6s. "I wasn't completely happy with how I played," said Papola who took home $315,837 as runner-up. "I felt I could've done better, but it was a tough table."

The final 10 also featured two time bracelet holder Brock Parker, who finished 7th, and Steve Dannenmann, the 2005 WSOP runner-up, whose run through the tournament as a short stack ended in 9th place.

"It was a stacked final table," said Mancuso, who singled out Papola, Parker and 5th place finisher Christian Iacobellis as tough internet players he's tangled with online. "It validates my on-line results. Many players haven't made the transition to live play, so to win a live main event is great."

Mancuso, whose internet handle is DahJinerat, is an accomplished online player with more than $900,000 in career tournament earnings. He joined the hordes of internet players who switched to casino poker after the Department of Justice shutdown online poker in April, 2011.

"I made plenty of final tables online so I was comfortable with chips moving around the table and the pay jumps," said Mancuso who had a roller coaster day during the Winter Open finale. He began the day third in chips, but became a short stack when seven players remained before Mancuso doubled-up through Marc Goldman.

Those two tangled again three-handed when Mancuso hit a set of 3s on the turn against Goldman's flopped two pairs. Mancuso won the 14 million chip pot and knocked Goldman out in third place good for $193,012.

Goldman, who came to the final table as the chip leader, said "making this final table with these legends," was his biggest poker accomplishment and added that, "I would have won if Jeff (Papola) wasn't there." The knockout was a big advantage to Mancuso as it gave him a nearly 2 to 1 chip lead over Papola in heads up play that last thirty minutes.

The tournament began with 734 entries who put up a total buy-in of $2,422,200, well more than the $2 million championship guarantee. The Day 1A & 1B chip leaders, Alex Queen and Tony Ruberto respectively, each took home a $5,000 bonus to start the championship event.

The tournament featured a lot of recognizable names who made the money, as the top 72 included the reigning WPT player of the year Andy Frankenberger (59th), Dave "Cold Stone" Inselberg (27th), Dan Buzgon (24th) Charlie Townsend (23rd), Amanda Musumeci (22nd) and Brent Hanks (19th).
The field also included WSOP November Niners Phil Collins (5th, 2011) and John Racener (2nd, 2010), along with WPT title winner Will "The Thrill" Failla, who had an impressive run during the 55 event Winter Poker Open series. Failla cashed four times, including a win in Event 1 for ~$165,000, but didn't make it out of Day 2 of the championship.

The rest of the final table had Cedric Adam going out 10th, followed by John Zoldak (8th), Sam Bernstein (6th) and Nick Manfredo (4th). But it's Mancuso who not only takes home the title and the cash, but the engraved Borgata trophy.

"It definitely wasn't easy. I had to run good and hit hands at the right times."

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Josh Mancuso (New Orleans, LA) $542,771
2nd Jeff Papola (New York, NY) $315,837
3rd Marc Goldman (Easton, PA) $193,012
4th Nick Manfredo (Levittown, NY) $159,088
5th Christian Iacobellis (Rye, NY) $128,674
6th Sam Bernstein (Englewood, NJ) $105,279
7th Brock Parker (College Park, MD) $84,223
8th John Zoldak (Staten Island, NY) $64,337
9th Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) $44,451
10th Cedric Adam (Prodo Neort, France) $29,244

Event 28 Recap

2012-02-04T05:02:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

The final Event in the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open is in the books with Daniel Lupo beating Charles Walton heads up for the $16,131 1st place prize and the engrave trophy.

Daniel pocketed 14 $100 bounties and admitted that his hands held up and that "it's better to be lucky than good". He credits his favorite dealer Michael with dishing him big hands at the right time.

Michael dealt the final hands of the night which were key for Dan's win. First he hit trip tens when his A-10 was up against Sheree Bykofsky's A-J pre-flop to knock her out in 3rd Place. Next he hit four diamonds to go with his pair of 99's to four flush Charles Walton (Philadelphia, PA).

With an affordable $200 + $30 buy in, 297 players jumped in taking their shot at the $59,400 Total Buy-In prize. Only 27 would make the cash.

Some recognizable Bounty-hunters included: Anthony Caruso, Fritz Stoner, David Heck (winner of event 27), Matthew Jacobi (10th in event 27), Adam Varrenti, Andrew Klein, Grace Sun, Howard Wolper, James Boyle, and Leanne Rosenblatt who finished 21st for $519.

But Dan was the man who won over 4,000,000 tournament chips and survived a long, tight, tough final table showdown.

"I'm exhausted" said Dan who only got three hours of sleep then played 17 hours of poker to win Event 28 to the tune of $16,131.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st - Daniel Lupo (Lopatcong, NJ) -$16,131
2nd - Charles Walton (Philadelphia, PA) - $9,505
3rd - Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ) - $5,473
4th - Robert Leininger Jr. (N. Cape May, NJ) - $4,437
5th - Lee Fama (Brooklyn, NY) - $3,457
6th - Massoud Nooralian (Falls Church, VA) - $2,881
7th - Louis Galasso (Cranbury, NJ) - $2,305
8th - Micahel Wuest (Sicklerville, NJ) - $1,729
9th - Vincent Vulaj (Bronx, NY) - $1,152
10th - John Whiting (Philadelphia, PA) - $749

Event 28 Champion - Dan Lupo

2012-02-04T04:36:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Dan Lupo (Lopatcong, NJ)

$16,131

Dan is the man tonight after taking down Event 28.

He played smart poker, making good moves at the right time and patiently picking his spots.

Sure, he had his share of luck as well. He won the tournament on a runner-runner four flush with 99.

At dinner break Dan was at 59,000 with the blinds at 2500 / 5000.

"My hands started holding up" explained Dan.

Look for Dan to play in the 2012 Spring Poker Open.

For now, after only 3 hours of sleep and playing poker for 17 hours, look for Dan to sleep off his exhaustion.

Dan was king of the bounties with 14.

Event 28: 2nd Place - Walton

2012-02-04T04:24:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Charles Walton (Philadelphia, PA)
$9.505

Heads up went pretty quick with what seemed like all-in / calls on every hand.

Charles took a one-two punch to lose the tournament.

1) His J-9 lost to Dan Lupo's (Lopak, NJ) K-2 on a Q-3-Q-6-10 board.

And 2) the final hand of the tournament was Charles' Q♥4♥ vs Dan's 9♦9♠.

All the chips got in on a flop of Q♣ 2♦.

Dan went on to hit runner-runner diamonds for the four flush and the win.

Turn: 7♦
River: 4♦

Charles waits tables when he's not playing poker. This is is biggest Borgata cash.

He also wanted to shout out to "Mr. Foxy Pham" who acted as Walton's agent.

Event 28: 3rd Place - Bykofsky

2012-02-04T04:12:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ)
$5,473

Sheree was down to five gray 1000 chips and couldn't buy a wired pair.
She went on to make some incredible folds to give herself a chance.

She folded A-K twice pre-flop, one at the bubble. She folded KK correctly when an ace hit the flop, and she folded top two pair against a flush.

Once at the final table, Sheree hit pair after pair. Aces and Queens multiple times.

The hand that ended tonight's dream had Sheree shipping with A-J and Dan Lupo calling with A-10. Sheree was happy to get her stack in with the best hand.

Dan had three outs and hit two courtesy of his favorite Borgata dealer, Michael.

Board ran: 9-10-8-3-10

Sheree picked up an open-ender of hope on the turn but couldn't connect.

She was also the bounty queen with 8.

Rodriquez and Jan gave support from the rail.

Event 28: 4th - Leininger

2012-02-04T03:10:00.004-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Robert Leininger Jr (N. Cape May, NJ)
$4,437

Once Sheree set the trap with AA against Bob's A-9 it was difficult for him to come back.

Bob's exit hand was A-6 vs. Dan's A-8 on a clean board of 7-5-10-3-Q.

Bob hasn't played tournament poker since 2008 because he was promoted to Sgt. for the Sheriff's Dept. Back then he cashed in back to back events. Guess it's like riding a bike.

He also spends time taking care of his four kids, Alysia, Bailey, Ryan, and Chase who he says hi to.

Robert Leininger finished in 4th Place earning $4,437.

Event 28: Anybody's Game

2012-02-04T02:28:00.003-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Sheree Bykofsky dusted off 300,000 to Dan Lupo after Dan hit two pair with K-Q.

Sheree then won a few All-in shoves uncontested to re-build her stack to 450,000.

Then she woke up to AA and saw five cards against Bob Leininger's A-9.

Board ran: 8-7-3-8-9.

Bob joked, "I have two pair" to which Sheree said, "me too".

Sheree called Bob's pre-flop shove so quickly and flipped her aces so fast that there were skid marks on the felt.

With that double up here are the current chip counts:

Bob - 960,000 with 7 bounties
Dan - 920,000 with 10 bounties
Charles - 1,500,000 with 7 bounties
Sheree - 900,000 with 8 bounties

It really is anybody's game as we're stuck on four players.

Event 28: 5th Place - Fama

2012-02-04T01:47:00.003-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Lee Fama (Brooklyn, NY)
$3,457

Lee Fama played two events during the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open and he cashed well in both.

First he finished 21st in the Championship for $12,400 and now finished 5th for $3,457.

Today he was the chip leader for a good percentage of the day. "I had 290,000 early on then took four bad beats" said Lee.

Later in the tournament he lost 400,000 when his AA's were cracked and his QQ was run down by A-Q.

Fama didn't give up and played some great short stack poker at the final table moving up cash payout spots.

He got his short stack in with A-4 and had two overs against Walton's 3-3.

Board ran 8-8-7-Q-6.

For a moment Lee thought he had A-7 and the win but quickly realized his fate.

Sheree folded Q-8 on the button and would have turned a full-house.

Lee Fama finished in 5th Place earning $3,457.

Event 28: 6th Place - Nooralian

2012-02-04T01:24:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Steve Nooralian (Falls Church, VA)
$2,881

Steve's 10-7 off lost against Sheree Bykofsky's K-3 on a clean board.

King high knocks Nooralian to the rail.

Steve Nooralian finished in 6th Place earning $2,881.

Event 28: 7th Place - Galasso

2012-02-04T01:17:00.003-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Louis Galasso (Cranbury, NJ)
$2,305

He flirted with the chip lead before and after the bubble broke but lost a big hand against Charles Walton at the final table when Walton had AA.

Final hand once short stacked was against Bob Leininger (Cape May).

Louis K-Q vs. Bob A-10 on a JJ77A board for the knock-out chip.

Louis Galasso finished in 7th Place earning $2,305.

Event 28: Three Gone From FT

2012-02-04T01:05:00.004-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

First three victims fell pretty quickly.

8th Place - Michael Wuest (Sicklerville, NJ) - $1,729
9th Place - Vincent Vulaj (Bronx, NY) - $1,152
10th Place - John Whiting (Philadelphia, PA) - $749

Charles Walton has almost 50% of the chips from the entire tournament after winning with KK and AA almost back to back.

Over 4 million in play and Charles has 1,850,00

Approximate chip counts for the magnificent seven:
1. Steve Nooralian - 125,000
2. Bob Leininger - 795,000
3. Dan Lupo - 1,000,000
4. Louis Galasso - 260,000
5. Lee Fama - 180,000
6. Charles Walton -1,850,000
7. Sheree Bykofsky - 230,000

Event 28: Final Table

2012-02-04T00:39:00.004-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Final Table of Ten

Seat Pos - Name - Town

1. Steve Nooralian (Falls Church, VA)
2. Bob Leininger (Cape May, NJ)
3. Mike Wuest (Sicklerville, NJ)
4. Dan Lupo (Lopak, NJ)
5. Louis Galasso (Cranbury, NJ)
6. John Whiting (Philadelphia, PA)
7. Lee Fama (Brooklyn, NY)
8. Vincent Valaj (Bronx, NY)
9. Charles Walton (Philadelphia, PA)
10. Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ)

Lee Fama made a huge comeback in this tournament to get to the final table.

Lee continues his solid Borgata tournament runs after finishing 21st Place in the Championship.

Event 28: Final Table Bubble

2012-02-04T00:20:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Tom Smargiassi (Union, NJ)
11th Place - $749

Tom got his stack in good with AA but ran into a set of fours from Charles Walton.

Tom has four bounties to add to his day's work.

Event 28: Bustouts

2012-02-04T00:09:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH
Players are quickly approaching the final table of ten.

Here are a bunch of recent bust-outs.

Special thanks to Amy from the floor/payouts for compiling the data.

Place - Name - Amount

27th - Jill Bush (Manahawkin, NJ) $634
26th - Ali Alawadhi (Longwood, FL) $634
25th - Dana Drazner (Liberty Twp, OH) $634
24th - Derrick Huang (New York, NY) $634
23rd - Sreekanth Reddy Karumuru (Glen Allen, VA) $634
22nd - Brian Justin (Sunderland CAL, MD) $634
21st - Leanne Rosenblatt (Brigantine, NJ) $634
20th - Joel Fishman (Livingston, NJ) $634
19th - Edward Enright - Dix Hills, NY) $634
18th - Mark Steinberg (Woodmere, NY) $576
17th - Kenneth McAndress (Broomall, PA) $576
16th - Chad Cutlip (Ocean City, MD) $576
15th - Mikail Belorusov (Old Bridge, NJ) $634
14th - Lucas Green (Lincroft, NJ) $634

Event 28: Cutlip Catapulted

2012-02-03T23:54:00.007-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Chad Cutlip (Ocean City, MD) - 16th Place

Chad Cutlip was short stacked before and after dinner. He was happy to survive the bubble and move up to 16th Place for a $576 payday (along with 2 $100 bounties).

Chad came down for his brother's birthday today. Bro didn't fare as well in Event 28 but also had fun.

Final hand for Chad - his A-8 vs. Q-7.

Board: 9-10-J-2-8

Opponent rivered a straight and send Cutlip packing.

He says hi to friends AJ and Alex from Blind Squirrel.

Event 28: Happy Birthday Ken

2012-02-03T23:43:00.003-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Happy 50th Birthday - Ken Mcandress

Ken Mcandress wanted to give a special thanks to his Jamaican friends who gave him today's buy-in as a 50th Birthday present. Ken's b-day was two months ago.

Ken finished in 17th Place earning $576 along with one bounty.

"I've been short for the last five hours" said Mcandress who got his last chips in with A-10 up against A-J.

Both guys hit an ace but Ken's 10 wasn't enough.

Board: K-4-A-5-Q

Ken is an investment broker who said he had a great time today.

Event 28: Sherreeeeeeeeeeee!

2012-02-03T23:24:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

10,000th Last Woman Standing Honor

Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ) does it again!
She outlasted Leanne Rosenblatt for Last Woman Standing Honors.

Lights and buzzers went off and confetti fell from the sky as this is Sheree's 10,000th Last Woman Standing title. Okay, I might be embellishing a bit but Sheree has been playing poker a very long time and this ain't her first rodeo.

She's got 6 $100 bounties under her belt and folded A-K twice today - once when the bubble was looming.

Leanne's exit had her flopping two pair in the big blind with 7-2 and Opponent rivering a better two pair with J-7. Leanne went all in to get paid off and Opponent snapped.

20 Players remain with an average stack at $222,750.

Blinds are 8,000 / 16,000 with 2,000 antes.

Event 28: Bubble Broken

2012-02-03T22:47:00.004-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Michael Belorusov Busts Bubble

The room explodes with joy and applause as all remaining players have made the cash ($59,400 Total Buy-In) thanks to Michael Belorusov (Russia) who had just a few thousand more than Tom Smargiassi (Union, NJ) at the start of the hand.

Tom shoved his last 15,000 on the button after looking at one card, an ace.

Michael re-shipped and got called.

Each player in the hand had an ace and on a clean board of 6-8-2-2-Q.

Michael tabled A-J, Opponent had A-10, and Tom finally checks his kicker to reveal a 9.

Belorusov scoops the near triple up and was very excited to pick up a bounty. Of course the rest of the room was happy to be in the money.

Unfortunately for Tom he didn't pick up any $100 bounties.
Fortunately, because Tom is such a great guy that the entire room chipped in and bought him a parting gift. A year supply of Rice-a-Roni or something like that.

We were hand for hand for over a level so now the blinds are 6,000 / 12,000 with 2,000 antes.

Event 28: Double Bubble Gone

2012-02-03T22:30:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Vincent Vulaj (Bronx, NY) sends the double bubble home for the night with no money.

Vincent soars up to a 440,000 stack after his JJ holds up against Opponent's 10-10.

The double bubble was forced into the hand from the big blind and had A-4.

Board ran: 6-5-8-K-3

We are now one away from the money.

On a sidenote, a shortie at the same table last orbit jammed with 7-7, was called by the button with suited connectors and Louis Galasso (Cranbury, NJ) folded his big blind for only a few thousand more.

Louis announced that he folded an 8 and of course an 8 hit the river that would have beaten 7-7 short stack and sent the field into the cash.

Event 28: Color Up Break

2012-02-03T21:55:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

All remaining 29 players are on a ten minute break while the floor takes off and races off the 100 black chips and the 500 maroon.

With 297 entries today and 15,000 starting chips we have 4,455,000 total chips in play.

Average stack is 153,621.

Two players away from the money with blinds about to go to Level 19 at 5000 / 10,000 with 1000 antes.

Holding tight on three tables.

Event 28: New Chip Leader

2012-02-03T21:38:00.003-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Louis Galasso - 560,000

A wall of chips protects Louis Galasso (Cranbury, NJ) as his heater continues.

"He's won every hand in the last 20 minutes" said a fellow tablemate complaining he wants someone else to have a chance to win.

Galasso's latest knock-out came after flopping three queens.

Louis - K-Q vs Opponent's A-10

Both players check a flop of 6 Q A.

Another Q hits the turn and all the chips go in the middle.

10 on the river is meaningless.

Down to 31 players with top 27 getting paid.

Blinds have also gone up to 4000 / 8000 with 500 antes.

Event 28: Vultures Attack Dead Meat

2012-02-03T21:06:00.005-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Bob Leininger - 305,000

Bob Leininger (Cape May, NJ) picks up his fourth bounty in dramatic fashion and continues to be among the chip leaders.

The Opponent who eventually went out in 35th place thought he was out the door after his QQ ran into AA. He started to leave and was called back by the table.

Like blood in the water all the sharks were ready to feast on the man's extremely short stack and his $100 bounty.

Bob Leininger got the hand heads up against the short stack.

Bob had a pair but had to sweat an open ender on the flop.

Opponent - 10♣ 5♣

Flop: 8♠ J♠ 9♣

Leanne says, "now put a club out there" and sure enough the dealer complies with the 3♣.

This gives Opponent even more outs and more hope. He needs a club, a queen, or a seven.

2♦ on the river gives Leininger his fourth bounty and the field is one player closer to the $59,400 Total Buy-In.

Event 28: Wild Wild Wuest

2012-02-03T20:50:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Mike Wuest Doubes Up

In a nutshell Mike Wuest (Sicklerville, NJ) was happy to get a double up but unhappy he didn't get his fourth $100 bounty chip.

"Now I'm just trying to make the money" said Mike who doubled his 48,100 stack to over 100,000.

Mike's 99 held up against small blinds A-K on a board of 7-Q-Q-8-5.

Poker Pro Sheree Bykofsky was happy because she folded A-K on the button and would have been drawing pretty thin.

Also at the table is Borgata regular Leanne Rosenblatt and former chip leader Bob Leininger (Cape May).

39 players are left on four tables - top 27 get paid.

Event 28: Walton Mountain of Chips

2012-02-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Charles Walton - 315,000 - Chip Leader

Charles Walton is currently the tournament chip leader with a bunch of uneven big stacks.

In a huge hand before dinner break, Walton nearly doubles when his A-K holds up against Opponent's A-10 with an ace on the board.

Opponent joked, "my plan was that he had pocket kings".

Dinner break is over and play has resumed.

Event 28: Payouts

2012-02-03T20:00:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Today's bounty event drew 297 bounty hunters. Total buy-ins was $59,400.

PAYOUTS:

1: $16,131
2: $9,505
3: $5,473
4: $4,437
5: $3,457
6: $2,881
7: $2,305
8: $1,729
9: $1,152
10 - 12: $749
13 - 15: $634
16 - 18: $576
19 - 27: $519

Event 28: Dinner Time

2012-02-03T19:35:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Players have exited the Poker Room for a one hour dinner break.

We'll see everybody back in their seats at 8:30 when the Level 6 blinds will be 2500 / 3000.

Started the day with 297.

50 remaining.

Top 27 share in the $59,400 Total Buy-In

Top stack in the room has 315,000 over at table 2, seat 7.

We'll be covering this tournament until it concludes tonight.

Event 28: Can't Drive 55

2012-02-03T18:46:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

The last trophy tournament of the series began with 297 players and now 55 remain.

Bob Leininger (Cape May, NJ) is the chip leader with 275k, but is disappointed that he only has 3 bounties for $300. He's essentially free rolling the rest of the way as players put up $330 to play.

Players have an average stack of 81k (27 BB) as blinds are 1,500/3k/400 ante. Play continues until the 7:30 pm dinner break and then it will be a dash for the cash as the top 27 get paid.

Championship Event Recap

2012-02-03T18:30:00.001-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

He called himself a "DahJinerat" online, but now you can call Josh Mancuso a live champion. The 29 year old outlasted a final table that featured two bracelet holders and a WSOP Main Event runner-up to win the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship.

"It was a rough five days, I'm exhausted," said Mancuso (New Orleans, LA) who won $542,771, his largest poker score.

Mancuso beat WSOP bracelet holder Jeff Papola (New York, NY) heads up when his A♣ K♣ hit a king on the flop to beat Papola's pocket 6s. "I wasn't completely happy with how I played," said Papola who took home $315,837 as runner-up. "I felt I could've done better, but it was a tough table."

The final 10 also featured two time bracelet holder Brock Parker, who finished 7th, and Steve Dannenmann, the 2005 WSOP runner-up, whose run through the tournament as a short stack ended in 9th place.

"It was a stacked final table," said Mancuso, who singled out Papola, Parker and 5th place finisher Christian Iacobellis as tough internet players he's tangled with online. "It validates my on-line results. Many players haven't made the transition to live play, so to win a live main event is great."

Mancuso, whose internet handle is DahJinerat, is an accomplished online player with more than $900,000 in career tournament earnings. He joined the hordes of internet players who switched to casino poker after the Department of Justice shutdown online poker in April, 2011.

"I made plenty of final tables online so I was comfortable with chips moving around the table and the pay jumps," said Mancuso who had a roller coaster day during the Borgata Winter Poker Open finale. He began the day third in chips, but became a short stack when seven players remained before Mancuso doubled-up through Marc Goldman.

Those two tangled again three-handed when Mancuso hit a set of 3s on the turn against Goldman's flopped two pairs. Mancuso won the 14 million chip pot and knocked Goldman out in third place good for $193,012.

Goldman, who came to the final table as the chip leader, said "making this final table with these legends," was his biggest poker accomplishment and added that, "I would have won if Jeff (Papola) wasn't there." The knockout was a big advantage to Mancuso as it gave him a nearly 2 to 1 chip lead over Papola in heads up play that last thirty minutes.

The tournament began with 734 entries who put up a total buy-in of $2,422,200, well more than the $2 million championship guarantee. The Day 1A & 1B chip leaders, Alex Queen and Tony Ruberto respectively, each took home a $5,000 bonus to start the championship event.

The tournament featured a lot of recognizable names who made the money, as the top 72 included the reigning WPT player of the year Andy Frankenberger (59th), Dave "Cold Stone" Inselberg (27th), Dan Buzgon (24th) Charlie Townsend (23rd), Amanda Musumeci (22nd) and Brent Hanks (19th).
The field also included WSOP November Niners Phil Collins (5th, 2011) and John Racener (2nd, 2010), along with WPT title winner Will "The Thrill" Failla, who had an impressive run during the 55 event Winter Poker Open series. Failla cashed four times, including a win in Event 1 for ~$165,000, but didn't make it out of Day 2 of the championship.

The rest of the final table had Cedric Adam going out 10th, followed by John Zoldak (8th), Sam Bernstein (6th) and Nick Manfredo (4th). But it's Mancuso who not only takes home the title and the cash, but the engraved Borgata trophy.

"It definitely wasn't easy. I had to run good and hit hands at the right times."

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Josh Mancuso (New Orleans, LA) $542,771
2nd Jeff Papola (New York, NY) $315,837
3rd Marc Goldman (Easton, PA) $193,012
4th Nick Manfredo (Levittown, NY) $159,088
5th Christian Iacobellis (Rye, NY) $128,674
6th Sam Bernstein (Englewood, NJ) $105,279
7th Brock Parker (College Park, MD) $84,223
8th John Zoldak (Staten Island, NY) $64,337
9th Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) $44,451
10th Cedric Adam (Prodo Neort, France) $29,244

Winter Poker Open Champion - Mancuso

2012-02-03T18:27:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Josh Mancuso (New Orleans, LA)

$542,771

On the final hand, Josh Mancuso held AK suited and needed help from the board to claim the title. He got it with a king in the door of the flop.

His pair of Kings beat Jeff Papola's pocket 6s and Josh had all 22 million chips in play.

"It definitely wasn't easy. I had to run good and hit hands at the right times," he said.

Mancuso has been playing professionally for about 4 years, but is better known for his on-line play under the screen name "DahJinerat," and happy to get the win.

"It validates my on-line results," said Mancuso, who has more than $900,00 in online results. "Many players haven't made the transition to live play, so to win a live main event is great."

Two years ago, Josh was here for the Winter Poker Open and doing well, but busted out in 17th place ($14,712) at the hands of Tom Marchese, who went on to finish 3rd. Jeff Madsen was the Champion that year.

2nd Place - Papola

2012-02-03T18:17:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jeff Papola (New York, NY)

$315,837

The final two traded jabs for a little while, but Josh Mancuso never surrendered the chip lead.

On the final hand:

Jeff Papola opened for 240k (min-raise). Josh raised to 610k.

Jeff moved all-in. Josh called.

Jeff held pocket 6s. Josh held A♣K♣ suited. The flop came with a King in the window.

The final board was K J 8 9 T and sent all 22 million chips to Josh.

Jeff Papola finished in 2nd place, earning $315,837.

Jeff finished 7th in the 2010 Borgata Poker Open ($118k) the year that Dwyte Pilgim won it all. He has a WSOP bracelet he won in the $5k Six Max event in 2010 and a Borgata trophy he won during the 2011 Fall Poker Open ($700 Six Max NL). He was hoping to add a second Borgata trophy to his collection, but came up short.

"I got lucky a number of times," he commented about this tournament. Jeff played on day 1A and busted out, then entered again on day 1B. During the last level of the re-entry period, he was all-in with pocket Queens against pocket Kings. He thought he would be entering for a third time, but hit a Queen on the board to stay alive. That hand propelled him to day two.

On the second day, he was all-in with AQ against pocket Queens. This time he caught an Ace to survive. Day three was a roller-coaster for him. He started with ~300k chips, got up to 1.2 million, then was back down around 300k to end the day.

His stack went through the same kind of variance today. Papola started at 2.4 million, was up to 6 million, then back down to 1 million, and back up again. He added that while the table was stacked with recognizable names, that third place finisher Marc Goldman caused him some problems.

"Marc made it difficult to adjust with him on my right," he said. "I wasn'thaving a lot of fun because I had to be more selective with my hands. He madeit tough, but I think I adjusted right."

Papola expects to be back at Borgata in April for the Spring Poker Open, to take another shot at the title.

Papola & Alex "Jedi" Nepomnyaschiy

Hoodie v. Hoodie

2012-02-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Red Hoodie vs Grey Hoodie

Mancuso vs Papola

Has heads up play begins Josh Mancuso has nearly a 2 to 1 chip lead over Jeff Papola 14 million to 8 million.

Trophy Time

3rd Place - Goldman

2012-02-03T17:48:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Marc Goldman (Easton, PA)

$193,012

Blinds: 60k/120/10k ante

Josh Mancuso button raises to 240k
Marc Goldman calls from the big blind

Flop: J♦ 2♥ 4♦

Goldman bets 275k, Mancuso calls

Turn: 3♥

Goldman bets 425k
Mancuso raises to 1.425 million
Goldman moves all in for 6.5 million
Mancuso calls and has Goldman covered by 700k

Goldman: J♣ 4♣ (two pairs)
Mancuso: 3♦ 3♣ (set of 3s)

River: K♥

Josh Mancuso's set of 3s eliminates Marc Goldman in third place for $193,012.

Goldman is 23 years old and unemployed and said, "making this final table with these legends," is his biggest poker accomplishment. He added, "I would have won if Jeff (Papola) wasn't there."

As heads up play begins, Mancuso has the chip lead over Jeff Paola 14 million to 8 million.

Goldman Takes Milly from Mancuso

2012-02-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Goldman (right) & Papola as Railbirds Watch

In a battle of the blinds:

Marc Goldman (sb) and Josh Mancuso (bb) got to the river with a board of

Q♥7♠4♦A♥5♠

and a little over two million in the pot.

They both checked the river. Marc said "Queen" and showed Q8 for one pair. Josh mucked. He was left with ~6.3 million.

3 Handed Chip Counts

2012-02-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

The chip counts are relatively close:

Marc Goldman - 8.4 million
Josh Mancuso - 7.1 million
Jeff Papola - 6.5 million

Blinds are up to 60k/120k/20k ante

4th Place - Manfredo

2012-02-03T16:55:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Nick Manfredo (Levittown, NY)

$159,088

Blinds 25k/50k/5k ante

Nick Manfredo moves all in from UTG for 2.775 million, Jeff Papola calls from the button, blinds fold.

Manfredo: J♠ Q♣
Papola: A♦ Q♦

Flop: 8♦ 2♠ 3♣

Turn: 3♥

River 8♠

Papola's ace high wins the hand and takes Nick Manfredo home $159,088 for his 4th place finish.

This is Manfredo's biggest score of his career as all three cashes have come at Borgata, including making the final four tables (36th/$11,000) in the 2009 Borgata Poker Open. He's been a poker pro for four years and is primarily a cash game player. Manfredo has a math education degree from Molloy College in Rockville Centre, NY.

Mancuso Doubles Through Papola

2012-02-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Blinds 50k/100k/5k ante

UTG: Josh Mancuso opens to 225
SB: Jeff Papola makes it 700k
Mancuso moves all in for 2.825 million, Papola calls

Mancuso: 9♣ 9♦
Papola: A♥ K♠

Flop: J♥ J♣ 6♦

Turn: 3♦

River 10♥

Mancuso doubles through Papola and has nearly 6 million chips. Nick Manfredo says to Mancuso, "I got to be honest, I was rooting against you."

15 minutes left on the level.

Final Four Playing Serious Poker

2012-02-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jeff Papola has moved in a couple of times, but has not yet gotten called.

Four players remain. The next one to go will earn $159,088.

The winner will earn $542,771. That's a difference of over $383,000.

Marc Goldman (button) and Jeff Papola got to the river with a board of J♣8♠8♦T♠4♠. Jeff moved all-in for 3.375 million.

Marc tanked, trying to get a read on Jeff, who sat motionless.

Marc flashed the A♣ and folded. Jeff collected the pot, chipping up to ~5.2 million. Marc was left with about 9 million.

Final Four Chip Counts

2012-02-03T15:41:00.001-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Play resumed with blinds of 50k/100k with 10k antes.

Top: Marc Goldman & Josh Mancuso

Bottom: Nick Manfredo & Jeff Papola

Here are the chip counts as of the break (in millions):

Marc Goldman - 9.4 (94 big blinds)
Josh Mancuso - 5.3
Nick Manfredo - 4.8
Jeff Papola - 2.5 (25 big blinds)

5th Place - Iacobellis

2012-02-03T15:40:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Christian Iacobellis (Rye, NY)

$128,674

With Sam Bernstein's departure in 6th place, the remaining five players are all twenty-somethings.

Marc Goldman is the youngest at 23. Josh Mancuso is the oldest at 29.

Marc Goldman (button) raised and Christian Iacobellis moved in from the big blind.

Marc called, showing pocket Jacks. Christian held pocket 3s.

The board ran out K Q 7 9 8 and Marc's Jacks were good.

Christian Iacobellis finished in 5th place, earning $128,674.

Christian has been playing professionally for about 10 years. He finished 10th in the 2010 Borgata Poker Open Championship event the year that Dwyte Pilgrim won it all. He also won three major online tournaments in one day.

When not playing poker, Christian plays professional Roller Hockey for the New England Insanity.

Another level gone and the final four are taking a break.

6th Place - Bernstein

2012-02-03T15:22:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Sam Bernstein (Englewood, NJ)

$105,279

Sam Bernstein moved in for his last ~750k. Marc Goldman put in a min-raise and successfully isolated.

Sam held JT. Marc was ahead with A4.

The board came 6 5 2 7 7 and Marc's Ace-high was good to take the pot.

Sam Bernstein finished in 6th place and will take home $105,279.

Sam is a hedge fund manager in New York and plays poker for fun. He made the final table of a $5k event at Foxwoods, but this is by far his largest reported cash in a tournament.

His greatest accomplishment outside of poker is paying for his three children's educations.

Mancuso Doubles Thru Goldman

2012-02-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

In a battle of the blinds:

Marc Goldman completed and Josh Mancuso checked.

Josh Mancuso & Marc Goldman

The flop came Q 4 3. Marc bet and Josh called.

Turn was a 9 and Marc fired again. This time Josh raised and Marc shoved. Josh called.

Marc showed T9 for a pair of 9s. Josh held Q4 for two pair. The river changed nothing and Josh doubled up to ~ 4 million.

7th Place - Parker

2012-02-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Brock Parker (College Park, MD)

$84,223

Brock Parker open-shoved and sent Jeff Papola (bb) into the tank. Jeff decided to call, showing A9 off. Brock was ahead with AJ.

Then the flop came J T 8, giving Brock top pair, but giving Jeff the open-ended draw.

The turn was an inconsequential 5, but then a 7 on the river completed the straight for Jeff. He chipped up to ~3 million.

Brock Parker finished in 7th place, earning $84,223.

Brock has been playing poker professionally for 11 years. He picked up two WSOP bracelets in 2009, playing both Limit and No Limit Six Max events. He also took first place in the $1,500 Purple Chip Bounty tournament, event 20, during this series, good for over $76,000.

Besides being a champion pro poker player, Brock is also a pro tour champion Magic the Gathering player.

Break Time Chip Counts

2012-02-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

With seven players remaining, the average stack is over 3.1 million (37 big blinds).

Here are the approximate chip counts, in millions:

Marc Goldman - 6.325 (79 big blinds)
Nick Manfredo - 5.500
Sam Bernstein - 2.670
Christian Iacobellis - 2.345
Josh Mancuso - 1.900
Brock Parker - 1.640
Jeff Papola - 1.600 (20 big blinds)

Following the break, they got back to business with blinds of 40k/80k with 5k antes.

Chips Moving Around the Felt

2012-02-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Marc Goldman opened for 130k utg, then Christian Iacobellis flatted in the cutoff. San Bernstein made a big three-bet from the big blind. Both opponents folded.

Nick Manfredo opened for 130k in the cutoff. Jeff Papola called on the button. Marc Goldman called from the big blind.

The flop came Q 6 4 with two diamonds. It was checked to Jeff, who bet 155k. Marc folded. Nick checked out Jeff's remaining chips (about 1.6 million) then announced he was all-in.

Jeff gave it some thought, then folded.

End of level and players are taking a break.

8th Place - Zoldak

2012-02-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

John Zoldak (Staten Island, NY)

$64,337

John Zoldak got his chips in holding pocket Queens, but ran into Christian Iacobellis' pocket Kings.

The board ran out A 9 9 4 J and Christian's Kings were good. He chipped up to over 5 million.

John Zoldak finished in 8th place, earning $64,337.

At 54 years young, John Zoldak was the elder statesman at this final table. Born and raised in New York he plays here at Borgata frequently.

He finished 6th in a $175 + $25 satellite for the main event, earning $3,400, which was nearly enough to buy his entry. He used that to enter a $700 + $50 satellite, where he won his seat. He basically turned $200 into over $64,000!

His proudest accomplishment outside of poker is earning a Staten Island Service Award for building baseball fields for Youth Baseball.

Goldman Takes Big Pot from Papola

2012-02-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jeff Papola and Marc Goldman tangled in a pot that was four-bet pre-flop.

Jeff fired the turn and got called.

Marc Goldman & Jeff Papola

Both players checked the river with a board of K♣J♦2♣Q♥9♣.

Jeff held A6 off for Ace-high.

Marc held AK for top/top to take the pot, chipping up to nearly 7 million.

Jeff was left with about 4 million.

9th Place - Dannenmann

2012-02-03T13:16:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD)

$44,451

Steve Dannenmann got his short-stack in good with pocket Queens. Brock Parker was trying to chase him down with AJ.

The board came A K 9 6 T and Brock paired his Ace to take the pot, ending Steve's run. Brock chipped up to ~1.5 million.

Steve Dannenmann finished in 9th place, earning $44,451.

Steve is of course best known for his 2nd place finish in the 2005 WSOP Main Event, where he took home $4.5 million. He still works full time as a CPA and only plays tournament recreationally.

John Zoldak moved in twice in a row, but got no callers. He picked up 130k in blinds and antes each time.

Break Time Chip Counts

2012-02-03T12:57:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

End of level and time for a break while the 1K chips are colored up.

Here are the approximate chip counts:

Jeff Papola - 6 million
Marc Goldman - 5 million
Nick Manfredo - 2.67 million
Josh Mancuso - 2.75 million
Christian Iacobellis - 1.63
Sam Bernstein - 1.46 million
John Zoldak - 1.2 million
Brock Parker - 860k
Steve Dannenmann - 550k

Average with nine players remaining is 2.4 million.

Play resumed with blinds of 30k/60k with 5k antes.

10th Place - Adam

2012-02-03T12:35:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Cedric Adam (Prodo Neort, France)

$29,244

After Marc Goldman raised from the cutoff, Cedric Adam moved in from the big blind.

Marc called, showing AQ, Cedric was racing with pocket 5s.

The Queen on the flop was bad news for Cedric.

The Ace on the turn was just overkill. Cedric needed a 5.

River was a 7 and it was over for him.

Cedric Adam finished in 10th place, earning $29,244.

This 26-year-old has been playing poker professionally for about 2 years. He finished second in event 6, the $1k No Limit event, (almost $34k) so he's made an excellent showing here this winter.

Huge Double for Papola

2012-02-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jeff Papola got all-in pre-flop for 2.9 million against Brock Parker.

Jeff had pocket Kings and was facing Brock's AK.

The board came Ace-free and Jeff's Kings were good for a huge double-up to ~6 million. Brock was left with ~1 million.

Big Pot Early

2012-02-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Play resumed at noon with the 25k/50k with 4k antes level (about 36 minutes remain).

Brock Parker, John Zoldak, and Sam Berstein (sb) were in a three-way pot, until Sam folded on the turn.

John Zoldak & Brock Parker

On the river, the board showed A♠T♠T♣6♥2♥.

Brock checked. John fired 550k.

Brock tanked. Checked his cards again. Thought some more. Then called.

John showed 7♠6♠ for a pair of 6s (missed flush draw).

Brock showed A♦Q♦ to take the pot with Aces-up. He chipped up to ~4 million.

John was left with about 1.3 million.

Event 28: More Familiar Faces

2012-02-03T11:56:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH Tr

More familiar faces have turned up on the felt today:

Elliott Zaydman
Leanne Rosenblatt
Grace Sun
James Boyle
Dan DaConti
Howard Wolper

Event 28: Boat Sunk By Bigger Boat

2012-02-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Borgata regular Marguerite Spagnuolo took aim at a bounty on a flop of K 8 8.

He obliged by calling all-in, showing AK for Kings-up. Marguerite had her sights locked on with A8 for trip 8s.

Then another King hit the turn, giving both a full boat, but Marguerite's 8-s full was sunk by her opponent's Kings-full.

He doubled up and Marguerite was left short.

This is a no re-entry event, so once you surrender your bounty, you're done.

Event 28: Familiar Faces

2012-02-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Bounty Hunters are back today for their last chance at some bounty bucks during the Winter Open.

Among the crowd are some familiar faces:

Sheree Bykofsky
Anthony Caruso
Fritz Stoner
Joe Simmons
David Heck (winner of event 27)
Matthew Jacobi (10th in event 27)
Adam Varrenti
Andrew Klein

Borgata Leaderboard Update (2/3)

2012-02-03T11:15:00.000-05:00

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, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53. 54)

583.605 PTS: THOMAS HOGLUND (NEW BEDFORD, MA)

569.668 PTS: EMANUEL FAILLA (SMITHTOWN, NY)

521.150 PTS: DARYL BLACK (VOORHEES, NJ)

437.668 PTS: MICHAEL LINSTER (ISLAND PARK, NY)

434.893 PTS: JOSEPH OPIE (FAIR HAVEN, NJ)

418.588 PTS: MICKAEL MORGOUSKY (BROOKLYN, NY)

414.788 PTS: JOSEPH STUCKEY (HICKSVILLE, NY)

411.088 PTS: DARYL BOATWRIGHT (SICKLERVILLE, NJ)

408.138 PTS: BEN GELLER (FAR ROCKAWAY, NY)

389.875 PTS: GONZALO VILLARREAL (E HANOVER, NJ)

379.563 PTS: LEONID VIZIROV (CHALFONT, PA)

362.063 PTS: KEVIN SAUL (WARRENVILLE, IL)

354.013 PTS: JOSEPH MOSCA (BRONX, NY)

353.455 PTS: MATTHEW MAZZEO (EAST WILLISTON, NY)

348.040 PTS: SRIDHAR CHEBROLU (ELLICOTT CITY, MD)

344.525 PTS: JONATHAN SORSCHER (LYNBROOK, NY)

336.675 PTS: LINHKHOUNE VIRATH (NOKESVILLE, VA)

333.198 PTS: DANIEL DACONTI (MOUNT LAUREL, NJ)

331.425 PTS: SCOTT SCHWALICH (MIAMISBURG, OH)

325.963 PTS: MANH NGUYEN (MUNHALL, PA)

318.625 PTS: HARRY KOROTKI (OWINGS MILLS, MD)

313.055 PTS: WADE WOELFEL (MANKATO, MN)

312.663 PTS: OMAR GHANIM (WOODLAND PARK, NJ)

310.850 PTS: JOSEPH BRAND (FAIRLAWN, NJ)

305.963 PTS: ELLIOTT ZAYDMAN (GLEN ROCK, NJ)

302.025 PTS: MICHAEL FORCA (BABYLON, NY)

299.650 PTS: GERALD SOSLER (PURCHASE, NY)

293.203 PTS: PETER IPPOLITO (E MEADOW, NY)

291.520 PTS: ALEXANDER PETERSON (RIVERSIDE, CT)

290.288 PTS: JEREMIAH MCKENNA (NORWALK, CT)

286.100 PTS: TIMOTHY BRYAN (CENTERVILLE, VA)

283.900 PTS: ANDREW KLEIN (OCEAN, NJ)

283.160 PTS: ALEX NEPOMNYASCHIY (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

279.938 PTS: ILYA VASSERMAN (HUNTINGDON VY, PA)

279.888 PTS: JOHN HINDS (WINTERVILLE, NC)

277.405 PTS: NEEL MAZUMDAR (WALLINGFORD, CT)

275.538 PTS: JOSHUA BRIKIS (MURRYSVILLE, PA)

273.825 PTS: PATRICIA CAHILL (PORT JEFF STATION, NY)

271.438 PTS: TREVOR GRAFFA (LANCASTER, PA)

268.948 PTS: AUSTEN JOHNSON (WOODSBORO, MD)

268.118 PTS: DAVID JOHNSTON (BRIGANTINE, NJ)

267.563 PTS: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN (MEDFORD, NY)

262.050 PTS: JACOB FAFARD (NEW IPSWICH, NH)

261.315 PTS: ELI LOEWENTHAL (CARMEL, IN)

260.925 PTS: MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY)

258.888 PTS: RYAN ERIQUEZZO (DANBURY, CT)

257.338 PTS: ADAM FAHERTY (LOWELL, MA)

254.888 PTS: STEPHEN SCALES (RED BANK, NJ)

253.475 PTS: MICHAEL POGOLOFF (DURHAM, NC)

253.175 PTS: JOHN DELROSSI (MANTUA, NJ)

252.438 PTS: LEE KIRSCH (COLD SPG HBR, NY)

252.400 PTS: DAVID LAUFER (BROOKLYN, NY)

248.000 PTS: THOMAS EVERS (E NORTHPORT, NY)

246.350 PTS: ROBERT KOERBER (WATERBURY, CT)

246.275 PTS: JOHN ZOLDAK (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

245.813 PTS: DANIEL VOCCIA (WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY)

245.775 PTS: ABBEY DANIELS (CORAL SPRINGS, FL)

245.263 PTS: TAISIYA KUZNETSOVA (BROOKLYN, NY)

244.813 PTS: WAZIR BAKSH (QUEENS VILLAGE, NY)

242.500 PTS: DANIEL WACH (BOONTON, NJ)

240.888 PTS: ROBERT SANTILLI (JACKSON, NJ)

240.440 PTS: ROMAN VALERSTEIN (NEWTOWN, PA)

238.638 PTS: LARRY STJEAN (SALISBURY BCH, MA)

238.375 PTS: ROBERT BOYKO (YONKERS, NY)

238.318 PTS: MATTHEW JACOBI (DURHAM, NC)

237.478 PTS: EUGENE FOUKSMAN (MANALAPAN, NJ)

235.938 PTS: JAYAKRISHNAN NAIR (REDMOND, WA)

235.100 PTS: VINEET PAHUJA (HICKSVILLE, NY)

234.603 PTS: JULIE CORNELIUS (ROCKVILLE, MD)

234.450 PTS: KHALED ALWAN (WAYNE, NJ)

233.613 PTS: IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC (BROOKLYN, NY)

232.838 PTS: DAVID HECK (COLTS NECK, NJ)

231.910 PTS: MARSHA WOLAK (SARASOTA, FL)

231.388 PTS: ERIC SIEGEL (BELLMORE, NY)

231.200 PTS: MARK SYKES (HAMDEN, CT)

231.050 PTS: ERIC DOERR (NEWARK, DE)

229.338 PTS: CARLESS BOATWRIGHT (WOODBRIDGE, VA)

228.325 PTS: TRAVIS GREENAWALT (LANDISVILLE, PA)

227.425 PTS: STEVEN RODRIGUEZ (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

226.375 PTS: ANTHONY HULBERT (RESTON, VA)

225.963 PTS: BRIAN ADRAGNA (E MEADOW, NY)

224.763 PTS: STEVEN FIORENTINI (WINCHESTER, MA)

223.400 PTS: JEREMY MAHER (WARREN, NJ)

222.488 PTS: ROBERT ROMANOWSKI (LANOKA HARBOR, NJ)

221.375 PTS: CHII CHING SUN (MERRICK, NY)

220.150 PTS: MICHAEL FERRELL (CLEVAND HEIGHTS, OH)

219.800 PTS: JAMES GETTINGER (NEW YORK, NY)

219.000 PTS: JOHN PARKER (SILVER SPRING, MD)

217.588 PTS: THANG VAN NGUYEN (MCLEAN, VA)

217.563 PTS: MUKUL PAHUJA (FT LAUDERDALE, FL)

214.975 PTS: CHRISTOPHER TRYBA (LAS VEGAS, NV)

213.278 PTS: DANIEL BUZGON (MARLTON, NJ)

212.275 PTS: MICHAEL SCARBOROUGH (LAWRENCEBURG, IN)

211.500 PTS: GREGORY GLASSMAN (BROOKLYN, NY)

209.760 PTS: REAL VILLENEUVE (MONTREAL, CAN)

209.300 PTS: PASQUALE BOFFICE (MANAHAWKIN, NJ)

208.150 PTS: DEAN MARTIN (MC CONNELLSBG, PA)

207.575 PTS: DAVID INSELBERG (LONG BEACH, NY)

207.338 PTS: JOSEPH LIBERTA (BERLIN, NJ)

205.413 PTS: JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD)

202.988 PTS: CEDRIC ADAM (PRODO NEORT, FRA)

202.525 PTS: ABRAHAM MEVORAH (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

201.953 PTS: HOWARD WOLPER (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

201.838 PTS: CATHERINE DEVER (EPHRATA, PA)

200.925 PTS: JOHN V IV COMEAU (RUTLAND, MA)

200.000 PTS: PETER MAVRO (LAS VEGAS, NV)

199.838 PTS: BARUCH THALER (BROOKLYN, NY)

198.775 PTS: RICARDO VELASCO (ELMHURST, NY)

197.475 PTS: JOHN HARVILLA (MINERSVILLE, PA)

196.675 PTS: JOHN MYUNG (VIENNA, VA)

196.263 PTS: DOUGLAS LOVELACE (MAYS LANDING, NJ)

195.613 PTS: MICHAEL MILLIKIN (OWGSSO, MI)

195.225 PTS: ORSON YOUNG (OCEANPORT, NJ)

193.963 PTS: CHARLES TOWNSEND (DAGBORO, DE)

192.938 PTS: ADAM HUI (MARKHAM, CAN)

192.875 PTS: CHRIS RESLOCK (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

191.500 PTS: WILLIAM BLANDA (GALVESTON, TX)

191.263 PTS: JAMES PISANO (WAMPUM, PA)

191.000 PTS: RYAN DION (BLACKWOOD, NJ)

190.638 PTS: MATTHEW WEISS (SUFFERN, NY)

189.708 PTS: JAMIE KERSTETTER (MONROE TWP., NJ)

188.675 PTS: CUONG PHUNG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

188.000 PTS: LEE SOMMERS (GERMANTOWN, MD)

187.513 PTS: MARGUERITE SPAGNUOLO (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

185.288 PTS: SCOTT BARLOW (PEQUANNOCK, NJ)

185.175 PTS: MICHAEL DAVISON (BROOKLYN, NY)

184.025 PTS: ALEXANDROS TAKOUNAKIS (ALEXANDRIA, VA)

183.650 PTS: BRIAN ALI (BROOKLYN, NY)

183.638 PTS: ALLAN VROOMAN (GREENVILLE, NC)

181.138 PTS: ERIC SUAREZ (GLEN MILLS, PA)

180.750 PTS: BRIAN ENGLAND (HAZLET, NJ)

180.225 PTS: ZAUR MAMEDOV (CHERRY HILL, NJ)

180.150 PTS: MARK BORGES (GLEN ROCK, NJ)

179.850 PTS: EDWARD WALSH (LANGHORNE, PA)

179.800 PTS: MICHAEL BARLETTA (TOMS RIVER, NJ)

179.288 PTS: WILLIAM CHILDS (ALEXANDRIA, VA)

179.213 PTS: STEVEN RUSSELL (COOLVILLE, OH)

178.625 PTS: MICHAEL RECTOR WOODS (MADISON, CT)

178.513 PTS: MARK HOPKINS (EAST WINDSOR, NJ)

178.400 PTS: CARLOS AVALOS (WOODBRIDGE, VA)

177.675 PTS: LEONARD CORTELLINO (LEWISTON, ME)

176.450 PTS: WOO SHIN (PISCATAWAY, NJ)

176.350 PTS: JOHN BUGLION (COMMACK, NY)

176.063 PTS: MICHAEL SICA (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)

174.975 PTS: JOHN ANTHONY CERNUTO (LAS VEGAS, NV)

174.700 PTS: ALEX SMITH (HIGHLAND PARK, NJ)

173.988 PTS: THOMAS MCGARRY (HAZLET, NJ)

173.728 PTS: GARY SCHOENGOLD (OLNEY, MD)

173.188 PTS: JAMES SALTERS (WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY)

170.900 PTS: SCOTT LAZEWSKI (MANALAPAN, NJ)

170.450 PTS: SHEREE BYKOFSKY (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

168.820 PTS: GENE SANTORA (MANHASSET, NY)

167.888 PTS: STEVEN CURTIN (INDIAN TRAIL, NC)

167.075 PTS: VYACHESLAV EYZEROVICH (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

167.038 PTS: ROBERT BROWN (MILFORD, NH)

166.860 PTS: JEFFREY EINSIDLER (BEDFORD, NY)

166.638 PTS: SARO SARKUNI (CRANBURY, NJ)

165.800 PTS: FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ (BRADENTON, FL)

165.765 PTS: CORNEL ANDREW CIMPAN (LEAGUE CITY, TX)

165.663 PTS: HAYONG ZHOU (BALTIMORE, MD)

165.175 PTS: DENNIS WILBER (BLUE POINT, NY)

164.445 PTS: DANIEL WEAVER (KENNEBUNK, ME)

164.338 PTS: RICHARD RUBINSTEIN (BROOKLYN, NY)

164.325 PTS: THOMAS NYMAN (SECAUCUS, NJ)

164.300 PTS: ADAM SANDERS (ATLANTIC HGTS, NJ)

163.513 PTS: AARON PINSON (BALTIMORE, MD)

163.200 PTS: GEORGE E FOTIADIS (NEW WINDSOR, NY)

160.830 PTS: JORGE RIVERA CARRERO (GALLOWAY, NJ)

160.425 PTS: ALOK ARORA (WILMINGTON, DE)

160.388 PTS: PATRICIA BARSANTI-CHOU (METUCHEN, NJ)

160.350 PTS: H MICHAEL BOROVETZ (PITTSBURGH, PA)

160.000 PTS: SEAN PERRY (COLUMBIA, MD)

159.525 PTS: WILLIAM DUGAN (VENTNOR, NJ)

159.000 PTS: JAMES NEWBERRY (POOLESVILLE, MD)

158.925 PTS: ADAM AGAEV (BROOKLYN, NY)

158.850 PTS: MATTHEW LEON (VIRGINIA BCH, VA)

158.700 PTS: JOSEPH VERRECCHIA (HADDONFIELD, NJ)

158.218 PTS: MOHAMED HAMMOUD (TORONTO, CAN)

158.063 PTS: NATALE KUEY (BRONX, NY)

157.750 PTS: MICHAEL NEWMAN (NANUET, NY)

157.688 PTS: SUNG HA KIM (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ)

157.563 PTS: WILLIAM PERRY (MORRISTOWN, NJ)

157.000 PTS: CYNTHIA ALBERT (GERMANTOWN, MD)

156.838 PTS: SOHEB PORBANDARWALA (STAMFORD, CT)

156.625 PTS: MICHAEL NYE (E BRIDGEWATER, MA)

156.413 PTS: TODOR BLAZEVSKI (WAYNE, NJ)

156.350 PTS: ANTHONY CHONG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

155.038 PTS: AMANDA MUSUMECI (PHILADELPHIA, PA)

154.975 PTS: RAY SHACKELFORD (FREDERICKSBURG, VA)

154.863 PTS: ROBERT GRAY (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

154.750 PTS: MARK KARPO (CHERRY HILL, NJ)

154.450 PTS: LEANNE ROSENBLATT (BRIGANTINE, NJ)

153.825 PTS: LEONARDO PALERMO (TOMS RIVER, NJ)

152.913 PTS: MICHAEL GABRIEL (HUNTINGTON, WV)

152.780 PTS: GEORGE MEDRANO (REGO PARK, NY)

152.758 PTS: YORLAN MILLAN (CARACAS, VEN)

150.850 PTS: BERNARD GUTIERREZ (W HAVERSTRAW, NY)

150.800 PTS: SCOTT BAUMSTEIN (NEW YORK, NY)

150.800 PTS: GORDON ENG (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ)

150.750 PTS: FRANK INGARDIA (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

150.150 PTS: LOUIS GALASSO (CRANBURY, NJ)

150.130 PTS: MATTHEW WANTMAN (STONEHAM, MA)

150.045 PTS: MATTHEW PICCOLO (DUMONT, NJ)

Event 28: Final Trohpy Event Begins

2012-02-03T11:02:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

The final trophy event on the Borgata Winter Poker Open is underway in the Poker Room.

Today's event is a popular Bounty tournament, where any player you bust rewards you with a Black Chips -- $100 -- Bounty.

Players began with 15,000 chips and all levels are 30 minutes long.

Level 1 blinds are 25/50.

This is a one-day event, so they'll play all night until a winner is determined.

Friday, February 3

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Today's Events (Poker Room)

11AM: Event 28 - $200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips
Levels will last 30 minutes each
This is a Bounty tournament. Players must have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament.
1-Day event

12 PM: Event 23 - $3,300 + $200 Championship NLH

Day 5 - Final Table

6PM: Event 55 - $125 + $25 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 four Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
1-Day event

Borgata Bad Beat Hits

2012-02-03T03:20:00.003-05:00

Karoon = Kaboom In A Threemendous Hand

Congratulations to Karoon Monfared (New York, NY) who just won the small Bad Beat Jackpot when his quad threes lost to Ari Nissim's (Morris Plaines, NJ) quad fours.

It all went down at 1:00 AM in the back of the Borgata Poker room on a $2 - $5 no limit hold'em cash game.

Karoom wins $20,000 of the jackpot while Ari earns $10,000 and the pot for winning the hand.

The remaining seven players, who we're incredibly excited, will chop up the remaining $20,000.

"I was just saying tonight that I've never even been playing when the bad beat hit and I've been playing for ten years" said the bad beater, Karoon Monfared.

On the flip side, Ari Nissim hit a bad beat once before at another casino.

As for the big hand of the night, five players limped in and saw a flop of 4♦ 4♥ 3♥.

Karoon held 3♠ 3♦ and Ari held 4♠ 4♣ .

An A♠ came on the turn followed by that miracle 3♣ on the river.

Karoon put the rest of his money in on the river and Ari called.

Once the men tabled their cards, the entire table jumped up and down, going wild.

Magnificent Seven each hitting for $2,857 included:
1. Alexandros Takounakis (Alexandria, VA)
2. Yosef Fima (New York, NY)
3. Daniel Fischer (Brigantine, NJ)
4. Daniel Chan (New York, NY)
5. Sushil Patel (Voorhees, NJ)
6. Joshua Nossel (New York, NY)
7. Jason Foster (Brick, NJ)

Event 27 Recap

2012-02-03T02:29:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Q: What the "Heck" just happened?
A: David Heck (Colts Neck, NJ) just won $16,397 and the Event 27 Borgata Trophy after beating Tim B (Atlanta, GA) heads up.

"I won this for my wife Jeanne and my kids Julianna and Micahel" said David after the victory.

There were two key hands that paved the way with chips for David. First, when there were two tables left, David was all in for his tournament life holding A-J up against KK.
He spiked an ace on the flop then rivered a flush for an exclamation point and monster pot.

The second big hand came when his QQ held up against A-10 for a crucial final table double up which brought David close to the chip lead. Queens holding up became significant and tension-filled because they fell twice in back to back hands, both times to KK and to the same winner. Talk about exciting Groundhog Day drama.

Kevin Way held the Kings back to back to beat QQ back to back. Kevin finished in 3rd place for $5,649. The losers were Jordon Meadow and Borgata legend Harold Wolper. Both had a ton of chips and both shipped them Oneway, to Kevin Way.

This was a fast, fun, exciting tournament that gave players 25,000 chips to work with.

Among the 313 Borgata players who jumped into the fray and tried to be amongst the lucky 36 who shared the $62,600 Total Buy-in included Gene Castro, James Boyle, Ryan Eriquezzo, Marguerite Spagnuolo, Ben Geller, Omar Akataxi, and Leo Goldberger who finished 5th for $3,524.

But the man who stacked over 5 million chips and took down this Event was David Heck who was a little surprised that before he became final table chip leader the big stacks kept challenging and felting each other out the door in the donkament.

Heck took 2nd place in the 2010 Spring Poker Open for more money, but today's Borgata $16,397 score is his first, first place victory ever and first poker trophy.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1. David Heck (Colts Neck, NJ) - $16,397
2. Tim B. (Atlanta, GA) - $9,110
3. Kevin Way (Upper Pottsgrove, PA) - $5,649
4. Matthew Piccolo (Dumont, NJ) - $4,556
5. Leo Goldberger (Brooklyn, NY) - $3,524
6. Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ) - $2,975
7. Jordon Meadow (Poughkeepsie, NY) - $2,399
8. Jack Pomeranc (Wayne, NJ) - $1,791
9. Albert Linton (Baltimore, MD) - $1,214
10. Matthew Jacobi (North Carolina) - $789

Event 27 Champion - Heck

2012-02-03T00:35:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

David Heck (Colts Neck, NJ)

$16,397

Congratulations to David Heck who just took down Event 27.

He takes home $16,397 for a good day's worth of work, along with the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open engraved trophy.

The final table saw first and second in chips continue to dance with each other for their entire stacks.

David sat back while other players battled allowing him to continue to climb up the money-board.

Last stop was 1st Place after taking down Tim B. heads-up after about twenty minutes.

David says hi to his wife Jeanne, his high school daughter Julianna, and his 7th grade son Michael.

Heck Yeah, David just finished in 1st place earning $16,397.

Event 27: 2nd Place - B.

2012-02-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Tim B. (Atlanta, GA)
$9,110

A big hand for Tim B. was when he felted Matthew Piccolo at the final table.

Tim had JJ and it held up against Piccolo's A-J suited.

Heads up between Tim B. and David Heck lasted about twenty minutes.

Tim tried to put a dent in David's monster lead but just couldn't manage to chip away.

The hand that crippled David and left him very short-stacked ended with David rivering a gutterball.

David had 10-9 on a 7-K-J-3-8 board.

The final hand of the tournament was David's A-6 vs. Tim's Q-8.

Board ran: 5-3-10-5-A.

"After dinner I won two key races with AJ and 88 and shot up to 300,000" explained Mr. B.

Tim B. finished in 2nd Place earning $9,110.

Event 27: 3rd Place - Way

2012-02-03T00:20:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Kevin Way (Upper Pottsgrove, PA)
$5,649

Appropriately on Groundhog's Day Kevin Way became the monster chip-leader at a crowded final table after KK held up in back to back hands against QQ.

By the time it got to three-handed, with ballooning blinds, Kevin was looking at a short stack.

After the 5 million dollar man, David Heck, raised, Kevin made a move with Q-J and jammed.

Heck called, tabling A-6.

Way missed his cards while Heck found a nut diamond four flush.

Kevin is a small business owner who told us, "I ran good today and got lucky."

Kevin's Dad David rooted from the rail. He also played in Event 27 saying, "I donated chips to the cause".

Kevin Way finished in 3rd Place earning $5,649.

Event 27: 4th Place - Piccolo

2012-02-02T23:59:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Matthew Piccolo (Dumont, NJ)
$4,556

Borgata regular Matthew Piccolo has now cashed in every season of Borgata Poker Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall events since January 2011.

We'll call it the Piccolo Slam.

As for today's event, Piccolo had the table in stitches as usual.

He caught lucky on one hand when his 10-8 button shove was called by Tim B's big blind A-10.

Matthew caught the 8-ball on the flop and it held.

This caused Ben Geller on the rail to say, "What planet are you from kid?"

A couple rounds later Matthew shoves from the button again. Tim tanks again, this time longer. Finally he calls with Jacks.

Matthew's A-J vs. Tim's JJ.

Board: 6-3-8-9-4.

With that loss, Piccolo was down to 8,000 and got it in begging for a double gutter on the river that never hit.

Matthew Piccolo finished in 4th Place earning $4,556

Event 27: 5th Place - Goldberger

2012-02-02T23:35:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Leo Goldberger (Brooklyn, NY)
$3,524

The dream is over for Leo Goldberger who had the final table laughing throughout the night but in the end it was Kevin "Don't Get In My" Way who did it again and had the last laugh.

Leo cuts out 500,000 into the pot pre and gets a call from Kevin Way. He says good luck to his Opponent before the flop.

Flop falls 9-2-10 (all hearts) and Leo immediately announces all-in.

Kevin quickly calls and tables A-10.

Leo shows K-K and nobody has a heart.

A ten on the turn gives Kevin trips and Leo goes out in 5th Place.

Event 27: 6th Place - Wolper

2012-02-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ)
$2,975

Extremely fitting for Groundhog's Day as the exact knock-out scenario we just witnessed happened again.

The same cards, the same winner in Kevin Way, just a different loser.

Howard Wolper had QQ and got his chips in against chipleader Kevin Way's KK.

Kings held on a board of A-8-4-10-10.

Just like that the Borgata Poker legend, Howard Wolper is out.

This certainly is Kevin's lucky day causing Matthew Piccolo to bow and call him "The Chosen One".

Event 27: 7th Place - Meadow

2012-02-02T22:57:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jordon Meadow (Poughkeepsie, NY)
$2,399

End of the road for Jordon Meadow who had QQ and ran into Kevin Way's KK.

Kings held on a board of 8-7-8-6-5.

Jordon was greeted by Jack Pomeranc who also got knocked out. The two had played side by side a good amount of the day.

Meadow lost 1.2 million on the hand and regretted that he tangled with the chip leader at the table in Kevin Way.

His girlfriend gave support from the rail.

Jordon Meadow finished in 7th Place and earned $2,399.

Event 27: 8th Place - Pomeranc

2012-02-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jack Pomeranc (Wayne, NJ)
$1,791

Amateur poker player Jack Pomeranc was thrilled to be at the final table.

"It was a dream come true to be here" said Jack the Executive Gift Company owner.

"I was on life support many times" joked Jack who admitted he had his share of lucky hits.

His final hand was J-9 vs. Tim B's A-Q.

Board ran clean: 7-6-2-K-8

Jack Pomerance finished in 8th Place earning $1,791.

Event 27: 9th Place - Linton

2012-02-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Albert Linton (Baltimore, MD)
$1,214

Albert Linton got his chips in with the best hand but couldn't survive David Heck's flopped set of eights. Albert tabled 10-10 vs. Heck's 8-8. Action was all-in pre flop.

Board ran: K-8-6-7-Q

Albert Linton finished in 9th Place earning $1,214.

Event 27: 10th Place - Jacobi

2012-02-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Matthew Jacobi (North Carolina)
$789

Matthew Jacobi jammed his 200,000 in with K-10 but ran into AA of Jack Pomeranc.

Jacobi is the first player out at this final table of ten.

He takes home $789 and a Blind Squirrel t-shirt for his one day of work.

Event 27: Final Table of Ten

2012-02-02T22:18:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Final Table Time

Congratulations to the final ten players remaining in Event 27.

1. Kevin Way - 590,000
2.Tim B. - 600,000
3. Matthew Jacobi - 200,000
4. David Heck - 725,000
5. Jack Pomeranc - 243,000
6. Howard Wolper - 2,100,000
7. Albert Linton - 310,000
8. Leo Goldberger - 1,000,000
9. Jordon Meadow - 1,250,000
10. Matthew Piccolo - 780,000

Howard Wolper is your chip leader with 2,100,000.

Event 27: 11th Place - Gold

2012-02-02T22:06:00.002-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Larry Gold (Medford, NY)
$789

Larry Gold was crippled when his 7-10 suited small blind 400,000 shove ran into Matthew Piccolo's AA.

Board ran 6-J-Q-Q-5

Larry was down to 12,000 and survived the next hand when his 8-9 found two pair against two other players. With that triple up, Larry waited for his spot.

Gold's final hand was A-2 vs. A-J and he ran into Piccolo's J on the flop.

Larry is the final table bubble as the remaining ten players got new seat assignments in a redraw.

Event 27: Bindert Busted

2012-02-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jess At Your Service

Out in 12th place for $789 is Bryan Bindert (Deptford, NJ).

Bryan and Howard Wolper were getting into some sparring jabs at the table then settled their differences on the felt.

Bryan had A-9 and couldn't improve against Wolper's J-J.

Board ran: K-Q-6-6-Q

Bryan was a little camera shy so we posted one of Jess instead.

Final Table Preview/Day 4 Recap

2012-02-02T21:00:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Goldman & Dannenmann

The final table of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship is filled with heavy hitters as the event is just ten players from awarding the title, the trophy and the $542,771 first prize. Marc Goldman (Easton, PA) is the chip leader with 4.2 million, while WSOP Main Event runner-up Steve Dannenmann continues to be a short stack ninja.

Goldman says that, "making this final table with these legends," is the greatest accomplishment in his poker career. The 23 year old is currently unemployed and is an amateur player.

He'll be up against Dannenmann, who finished second to Joe Hachem in 2005, and two players who hold WSOP bracelets in Brock Parker (2) and Jeff Papola (1). These three have combined to win $8 million in career tournament earnings.

While Parker and Papola are 4th and 5th respectfully in chips with ~2.5 million, Dannenmann has been at the bottom of the chip counts the entire tournament. He's 9th out of 10 players with 687k and only has 13 big blinds.

Dannenamann began Day 4 26th out of 27 players and after Day 2 was 111 out of 119 remaining players.

"I had to cancel all my appointments for tomorrow," said Dannenmann who's a full time CPA. He added that poker is only a hobby and that he only plays in 15-20 big tournaments a year.

While Dannenmann has been nursing a short stack, Goldman has enjoyed a big stack most of the tournament and holds a 1.2 million chip lead over Nick Manfredo, who's second. Goldman had the chip lead after Day 2, was second after Day 3 and heading to the final table once again has the lead.

He got Day 4 started when he knocked out Borgata regulars Dan Buzgon (3rd, 2011 Borgata Poker Open) and Amanda Musumeci (62nd, 2011 WSOP Main Event) as a lot of familiar faces hit the rail. They included, Dave "Cold Stone" Inselberg (27th), Buzgon (24th) Charlie Townsend (23rd), Musumeci (22nd) and Brent Hanks (19th).

Also at the final table is Josh Mancuso, John Zoldak, Sam Berstein, Christian Iacobellis and Cedric Adam. Iacobellis was 10th in the 2010 Borgata Poker Open, while Adam returns as the short stack.

Play resumes noon Friday with blinds at 25k/50k/4k ante.

Final Table

Name-Chip Count

Marc Goldman - 4.213 million
Nick Manfredo - 3.042 million
Josh Mancuso - 2.647 million
Brock Parker - 2.534 million
Jeff Papola - 2.459 million
John Zoldak - 2.34 million
Sam Bernstein - 1.877 million
Christian Iacobellis - 1.672 million
Steve Dannenmann - 687k
Cedric Adam - 598k

Event 27: 13th Place - Mesquita

2012-02-02T20:44:00.005-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Eliano Mesquita (Brazil)
$607

Eliano got his chips in with A-6 but lost to Bryan Bindert's (Deptford, NJ) K-5.

Bindert used his 5 to to turn a straight and his King to hit a flush.

Eliano is originally from Brazil and representing his country's colors.

Other recent bust-outs include:
16th Place - John Hunter - $516
15th Place - Thomas Balla - $607
14th Place - Linhkhoune Virath - $607

Event 27: Three Gone Before Dinner Break

2012-02-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Three bust outs in the final five minutes before the dinner break.

First to go is Perry Baldwin (E. Northport, NY) who finishes 18th.

Then it's Matt Jacobi (Durham, NC) taking the chip lead with 1.1 million after knocking out Brian Corbett (Jamesburg, NJ) in 17th place when his pocket aces hold against AJ.

Finally on the last hand before dinner break Leo Goldberg (Brooklyn, NY) hits an ace while holding A Q to bust John Hunter's (Bronx, NY) pocket 10s. Hunter is out in 16th place as all three players earn $516.

The remaining 15 players are on a one hour dinner break and play resumes at 8:20 pm.

Event 27: Win One, Lose One for Kevin

2012-02-02T19:22:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Two Kevins are all in with Kevin Way (Upper Pottsgrove, PA) dominating Kevin Radday (Washintonville, NY) AK vs A 10. Radday doesn't get any help and is out in 19th place, earning $455.

Way takes his stack to 900k after grabbing 350k from Radday. The final 18 players are redrawing for seats on the final two tables.

Place-Name-Amount

19th Kevin Radday (Washingtonville, NY) $455
20th Alok Arora (Wilmington, DE) $455
21st Martino Scaturro (Clark, NJ) $455
22nd Chris Chan (New York, NY)$455

Event 27: Busto, 23rd-27th Places

2012-02-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Place-Name-Amount

23rd Lee Balestier (North Bergen, NJ) $455
24th James Boyle (Havre de Grace, MD) $455
25th Patricia Cahill (Port Jefferson Station, NY) $455
26th Deon Nossell (New York, NY) $455
27th John Mitchell (Norwood, PA) $455

Event 27: Turbo Time

2012-02-02T18:40:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

The tournament keeps buzzing along as we're down to three tables and 27 players.

Alex Santiago (West Hartford, CT) and Howard Wolper are involved in a huge hand as both players each have ~400k and they're all in preflop.

Santiago: KK
Wolper: AK

The flop brings an ace and gives Wolper the chip lead with 850k. Santiago is out in 28th place.

Blinds going up to 10k/20k/3k ante.

Event 27: Bubble Breaks

2012-02-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

The final 36 players are in the money.

Place-Name-Amount

29th Vincent Pizaro (East Meadow, NY) $364
30th Emmanuel Vega (New York, NY) $364
31st Matthew Damon (Astoria, NY) $364
32nd Angelo Bonomo (Williamstown, NJ) $364
33rd John Pirisino (Lutherville Timonium, MD) $364
34th Jeffrey Perricone (New Milford, NJ) $364
35th Michael Brownbridge (New Brunswick, NJ) $364
36th Andrew Interdonato (Washington, DC) $364

Final Table Lineup with Chip Counts

2012-02-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

The final ten got their seat draws for the final table, then counted and bagged up their chips. They will return at noon Friday for the final table.

Here they are with their seat assignments and chip counts.

Seat - Player - Chips

1 - Josh Mancuso - 2.647 million
2 - Brock Parker - 2.534 million
3 - Cedric Adam - 598k
4 - John Zoldak - 2.34 million
5 - Steve Dannenmann - 687k
6 - Christian Iacobellis - 1.672 million
7 - Nick Manfredo - 3.042 million
8 - Jeff Papola - 2.459 million
9 - Sam Bernstein - 1.877 million
10 - Marc Goldman - 4.213 million

Average stack is 2.2 million. 36:12 minutes remain in the 25k/50k blind level.

11th Place - Urioste

2012-02-02T17:40:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Luis Urioste (Flushing, NY)

$29,244

Blinds 25k/50k/4k ante

Urioste is all in for 700k with pocket queens against the pocket kings of Brock Parker. Urioste doesn't get any help and he's out in 11th place, earning $29,244.

The final 10 players are now bagging and tagging and are set for Friday's final table. Tournament Director Tab Duchateau says, "it gets them every time. Level 27 (25k/50k) is the level of death. We always hit the final table now."

12th Place - Verrecchia

2012-02-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Joe Verrecchia (Haddonfield, NJ)

$29,244

Joe Verrecchia opened for 100k (min-raise) on the button. Jeff Papola (bb) announced he was all-in, having Joe covered.

Joe called all-in showing A8 of diamonds.

Jeff held AK of hearts.

The board ran out K T 5 5 4 with only one diamond. Jeff collected the pot.

Joe will collect $29,244 for 12th place.

Event 27: Payouts

2012-02-02T17:25:00.001-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Entries: 313
Total Buy-In: $62,600

Place - Amount

1st $16,397
2nd $9,110
3rd $5,649
4th $4,556
5th $3,524
6th $2,975
7th $2,399
8th $1,791
9th $1,214
10-12 $789
13-15 $607
16-18 $516
19-27 $455
28-36 $364

Big Pot for Manfredo

2012-02-02T17:14:00.004-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Nick Manfredo called from the small blind, then Cedric Adam raised 75k on top from the big. Nick called.

The flop came Q J T with two spades.

Nick checked, Cedric bet 120k, and Nick called.

Turn was an offsuit 3.

Again Nick checked. Cedric bet 225k. Nick checked out Cedric's remaining stack (~1 million) and then called.

River was an offsuit 9.

Nick again checked. Cedric bet 400k. Nick snap-calledm, showing KQ for the King-high straight.

Cedric mucked his hand. Nick chipped up to over 3 million. Cedric was left with ~700k.

Steve Dannenmann has been all-in three times, but gotten no callers. He's chipped up to over 600k with the blinds and antes.

Event 27: Fading the River

2012-02-02T17:01:00.000-05:00

$200 + $30 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Lucky Leo

The featured table in the main part of the Poker Room has a lot of recognizable faces including Larry Gold, Howard Wolper, Alex Santiago and Leo Goldberger.

We walk by just in time to see everyone debating the hand that has Goldberger surviving his all in with pocket 7s against AK and AJ. It's a massive 350k pot that has Goldberger more than doubling his 150k stack as he survives three over cards, plus flush and straight draws after the turn.

Goldberger is one of the big stacks as 50 players remain with an average stack of 157k (20 BB) as 36 make the money

Blinds are 4k/8k/500 ante.

Break Time Chip Counts

2012-02-02T16:52:00.002-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Another level gone and the final 12 players are taking 15. Here are some approximate chip counts:

Marc Goldman - 3.5 million (70 big blinds)
Sam Bernstein - 2.5 million
John Zoldak - 2.4 million
Nick Manfredo - 2.2 million
Joshua Mancuso - 2 million
Jeff Papola - 2 million
Brock Parker - 1.7 million
Cedric Adam - 1.6 million
Christian Iacobellis - 1.4 million
Luis Urioste - 1.1 million
Joe Verrecchia - 1 million
Steve Dannenmann - 525k (just over 10 big blinds)

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 25k/50k with 4k antes.

Average stack is ~1.8 million (36 big blinds).

Big Pot for Papola

2012-02-02T16:33:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

In a battle of the blinds, Luis Urioste (small) and Jeff Papola (big) got to the river with a board of T 3 2 2 A.

Luis checked, Jeff bet ~300k, and Luis called, showing pocket 9s. Jeff held pocket Jacks to take the pot.

Jeff chipped up to ~2 million. Luis was left with ~1.1 million.

13th Place - Stefanski

2012-02-02T16:15:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

David Stefanski (East Lyme, CT)

$21,056

Blinds 20k/40/4k ante

Joshua Mancuso opens to 82k, David Stefanski moves all in for 450k, Mancuso calls.

Stefanski is in trouble with 99 against Mancuso's 10 10 and doesn't get any help.

David Stefanski finishes in 13th place for $21,056.

Big Double for Adam

2012-02-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Cedric Adam (button) opened for 90k. Joshua Mancuso (bb) called.

The flop came T♠9♠5♥. Joshua led out for 92k. Cedric raised to 230k. Joshua gave it some thought, then moved all-in. Cedric called all-in.

Cedric Adam & Joshua Mancuso

Joshua had QJ for the open-ender with two overs. Cedric held K♠J♠ for the flush draw, gutshot, and two overs.

It was over on the turn when the 3♠ fell, giving Cedric the flush. The river was the 8c, completing Joshua's straight, but it was too little, too late. Cedric doubled up to ~2.2 million.

Joshua was left with ~1.3 million.

14th Place - Evers

2012-02-02T15:51:00.002-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Tom Evers (E. Northport, NY)

$21,056

Blinds 20k/40k/4k ante

Luis Urioste opens to 82k, Brock Parker raises to 215k, Tom Evers moves all in for 465k. Urioste gets out of the way and Parker calls.

Evers is crushed KK vs AA and doesn't get any help on 8 9 10 5 8 board; Parker now has 2.1 million chips.

Tom Evers takes home $21,056 for his 14th place finish.

Break Time Chip Counts

2012-02-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

It's break time and time for some rough chip counts.

Table 1
Brock Parker - 1.3 million
Christian Iacobellis - 1.2 million
Joe Verrecchia - 1.3 million
Tom Evers - 900k
Luis Urioste - 2.3 million
Jeff Papola - 700k
Marc Goldman - 3.1 million

Table 2
Nick Manfredo - 2.1 million
Cedric Adam - 1.1 million
John Zoldak - 2.9 million
Joshua Mancuso - 1.5 million
Sam Bernstein - 2.6 million
Steve Dannenmann - 620k
David Stefanski - 500k

Play resumed after the break with 20k/0k with 4k antes.

14 players remain. Average stack is 1.6 million (40 big blinds).

15th Place - Laufer

2012-02-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

David Laufer (Brooklyn, NY)

$21,056

Blinds 15k/30k/3k ante

Christian Iacobellis raises to 65k, David Laufer (Brooklyn, NY), who was just crippled, moves all in for 137k, Jeff Papola moves all in for 500k+ and Iacobellis reluctantly folds.

Laufer: J♠ Q♦
Papola: 8♥ 8♣

Flop: K♥ 9♠ 6♥ (Laufer with inside straight draw)
Turn: K♣

River 7♣

Laufer doesn't get any help and is out in 15th place for $21,056.

16th Place - Quartomy

2012-02-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Tom Evers was all-in (utg) and got called by David Laufer in the big blind.

Tom held T9. David held pocket Tens.

The board came Q J 5 5 8 and Tom rivered the straight to double up to over 850k. David was left with under 200k.

Ray Quartomy (Sugar Land, TX)

$14,505

Ray Quartomy was all-in with AK against the A8 of Nick Mancuso.

The board came 8 7 4 Q Q and Nick took the pot with two pair.

Ray will take home $14,505 for 16th place.

17th Place - Nair

2012-02-02T15:00:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Jay Nair (Redmond, WA)

$14,505

Jay Nair moved in from the cutoff for 177k.

Joshua Mancuso called from the small blind with A7 suited. Jay had KJ offsuit.

The board came Q 8 6 9 5 and Joshua improved to a straight (not that he needed it) to take the pot.

Jay took $14,505 for 17th place.

It's A Numbers Game

2012-02-02T14:42:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

The final 17 have settled in for some serious poker. There have been some all-ins, but no calls yet.

Average stack is almost 1.3 million. With 15k/30k blinds, that's 43 big blinds and plenty deep.

Jay Nair is the short stack with ~200k (<7 big blinds).

Marc Goldman is the big stack with over 3 million (100 big blinds).

Massive Double-Up for Bernstein

2012-02-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Ray Quartomy (button) raised and got three-bet by Sam Bernstein in the big blind.

Ray Quartomy & Sam Bernstein

Ray called the raise and the flop came J 5 3.

Ray moved all-in and Sam snap-called, showing pocket Aces. Ray rolled over QT offsuit.

The last two came 7 Q and were no help to Ray.

Sam doubled up to over 2.7 million.

Ray was left with about 1 million.

18th Place - Rohde

2012-02-02T14:06:00.000-05:00

$3300 + $200 Championship No Limit Hold'em

Play resumed after the break with binds of 15k/30k and 3k antes.

Marc Goldman is the chip leader with ~2.6 million.
Ray Quartomy is second with 2.4 million.
John Zoldak is third with 2.3 million.

Daniel Rohde (New York, NY)

$14,505

On a flop of A T x, Daniel Rohde was all-in against Luis Urioste. Daniel held AQ, but was beat by Luis' pocket Tens, which had flopped a set.

The last two were bricks and Luis took the pot. He's now over 2.2 million.

Daniel Rohde took $14,505 for 18th place.