Event 10: Lots of Double-Ups

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

David Loy Song got his chips in the middle on a flop of 6 4 3.  He held KQQ7 for the overpair.  Mike Linster held 8543 and had flopped two pair for the lead.

The last two came A 6 and with the board pairing, Mike was counterfeited.  David took the pot with Queens-up, doubling to ~300k.  Mike was left with ~235k.

James Newberry made Aces-full to claim a big pot from Vince Trotter, who was left with only about 70k.  David chipped up to 680k.

A short-stacked Vinny Lodato was all-in against Vince Trotter.  Vinny doubled up to 54k, leaving Vince with only 40k.

Then Vince was all-in on a 7 6 5 flop against Reymond DeLeon.  Vince had flopped a straight and it held up to get him back up to ~90k.

Blinds then went up to 3k/6k.

Event 8: Leaderboard

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

Break time for the 31 remaining players.

Chip Leaders
Ed Walsh - 1.085 million  (54 big blinds)
Ben Geller - 1.07 million
Matt Mazzeo - 980k
David Kim - 910k
Eric Hall - 900k
Carla Moebius - 765k (38 big blinds)

Play resumed after break with blinds of 10k/20k with 3k antes.

Average stack is 445k (22 big blinds).

Event 10: Break Time Chip Counts

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

Play has resumed following a break with blinds of 2k/4k (level 15).

Here are the rough chip counts as of the break:

James Newberry - 410k
Mike Linster - 396k
Reymond DeLeon - 335k
Vince Trotter - 265k
David Loy Song - 125k
James Weaver - 110k
Vinny Lodato - 50k

With 7 players remaining, the average is just under 243k (60 big blinds).

Event 10: Weaver Doubles

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

A short-stacked James Weaver was all-in pre-flop holding AA43 (ss) against Vince Trotter's AKQT. 

The board ran out 9 8 5 3 7 and James' pocket Aces held up for the win.  He doubled up to about 125k.  Vince was left with about 190k.

James Newberry still leads with about 425k. 

Mike Linster is second with ~380k.

Event 8: Mazzeo Leads ?

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

Mike 'Little Man' Sica busted out when his KT failed to out-race Tammy Wagner's pocket 2s.  He finished in 40th place ($964).  Little Man is now headed out to late register for today's Senior event.

Blinds went up to 8k/16k with 2k antes (level 21).

Runner-up in event 4, Matt Mazzeo, was about to double-up the short-stack in seat 9, who had pocket Aces.  They got all the chips in on the Ten-high flop and Matt's pocket Queens were in a world of hurt.

Then a Queen peeled on the turn to give Matt a set.  He collected the pot and sent his opponent packing.

Matt is up to ~1 million chips and may be the new chip leader.

36 players remain at four tables.

Event 12: Seasoned Veterans

$350 + $50 Seniors NLH

Familiar Faces in the Field:

Bob Santilli
"Suits" Salters
"Little Man" Sica
Tony Shurilla

Event 11: Break Time Tweets

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

First break of the day and players are enjoying some time away from the grind.  Here are the latest tweets:

sandler1860 Jerry Payne
18.4k 1st break up from 12k start. 1 bounty.

superost Jonathan Sorscher
First break. Folding is no fun. But up to 15k from 12k starting.

leechilds Lee Childs
14.5k from 12k starting. #BWO2012 $400/$100 bounty. Blinds going to 100/200.

aje221 Austen Johnson
10k/12k at break real soft table. Bullyon is seemingly only other competent player at table.

PhilPhan99 Jonathan Rice
Up to 13200 from 12k. Got a super tight table image bc Ive been so card dead...guy on my left wont shut up about my lack of hands played lol

KevinSauLivePro Kevin Saul
Playing borgata 400nl with $100 bounties, 16.5k from 12k start. Tough table w young wizard Aaron @nevermissmassey Massey on my immed left :(
 
tworedducks larry goldstein
10k from 12k start BB200....sykes &kevin saul to my left..good tbl otherwise


Play resumed after the break with level 4, blinds 100/200.  This is the last level for late registration.

Event 10: Newberry Still Leads

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

Blinds are up to 1,500/3,000.

Still 7 players.  Average is almost 243.

James Newberry is still the chip leader -- he's up to ~445k.

Event 10: 9th - Frank; 8th - Miller

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

On the second hand of play, two players were eliminated.

 Boris Miller (Oceanside, NY) & Joel Frank (Kingston, NJ)

$1,319                              $989

Joel Frank finished 9th, since he started the hand with fewer chips.

Boris Miller finished 8th.

Event 10: Back In Action

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

Cards are in the air for day two of the Pot Limit Omaha event.

All nine returning players are in the money and guaranteed to take home at least $989.

17:15 remains in level 13 with blinds of 1k/2k.

Event 8: Day Two Underway

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

Cards are in the air for day two of the $400 Deep Stack event.

Blinds are 6k/12k with 2k antes.

46 players made the cut and are back to continue the hunt for the top prize of $53,324.

Here's a reminder what they're playing for:
1: $53,324
2: $29,985
3: $19,276
4: $15,314
5: $11,994
6: $9,852
7: $7,817
8: $6,104
9: $4,284
10 - 12: $2,784
13 - 15: $2,142
16 - 18: $1,606
19 - 27: $1,178
28 - 36: $1,071
37 - 45: $964
46: $857

Event 12: Seniors Underway

$350 + $50 Seniors NLH

The more mature players are in the back of the event center today.  The Seniors (50+) began with 10,000 chips and blinds of 25/50.

Levels 1-15 are 30 minutes long, then they expand to 40 minutes.

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

Event 11: Interesting Tables Developing

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

As more players arrive and take their seats, some interesting tables are developing.

Table 1 is now home to Adam Agaev, Larry Gold, Mark Sykes, and Kevin Saul.

Table 4 features John Buglion, Austen Johnson, and Jon Sorscher (that's a lot of Johns).

Twenty-one tables are currently active with room for more as late registration is open through level 4.

Event 11: Table for Two (Tweeters)

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

Blinds are up to 50/100 for level 2.

Two of my best Tweeters are seated side-by-side on table ten.

 Mark Baatz & Lee Childs

Here are their latest tweets:

leechilds Lee Childs
#BWO2012 $400+$100 bounty today. Enough of these short days already. Time to do work.

markbeenyc mark bee
Wpo #11 12k start with..100$ bounties.. @BorgataPoker @leechilds my neighbor..lets go! ***


If you are tweeting tournament updates, remember to include #BWO2012 so we can follow you, too!

*** Unfortunately Mark ran his pocket Kings into pocket Aces before I got this post up.  He was busted.  Sorry, no re-entries in this event.

Event 11: Familiar Faces

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

Some of today's players were very eager to get started, pouring into the room when the doors were opened.  Here are some that I spotted:

Lee Childs
Roz Quarto
Austen Johnson
Travis Greenawalt
Nancy Martin
Kevin Saul
Gordon Eng
Mark Baatz
Elliott Zaydman
Adam Agaev

Event 11: Shuffle Up & Deal

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

Cards are in the air for the second Bounty event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. 

Players began with 12,000 chips and blinds of 25/50.

Levels 1-6 are 30 minutes long.  Beginning with level 7, they are 45 minutes long for the remainder of the tournament.

Late registration is open through level 4.

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

Event 10: Payouts

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

The final 9 players will return at noon to finish up the Pot Limit Omaha event that started at 3pm Sunday. 

Here's what they're playing for:

Entries:  85
Total Buy-In: $34,000

PAYOUTS:
1: $11,543
2: $6,266
3: $3,958
4: $2,968
5: $2,309
6: $1,979
7: $1,649
8: $1,319
9: $989

Event 9 Recap

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

By winning the Ladies Event, Jane was as good as Gold. Jane Gold (Ridgewood, NJ) joins her son Jamie, the 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion, as tournament winners after she nipped Kim Sachse (2nd) and Hallee LoGrasso (3rd) to win her title at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

"This is my main event," said a beaming Gold while clutching the championship trophy. "Look out Jamie Gold, mama's coming to get you."

Gold, who earned $10,185 for the win, seized the chip lead away from Lana O'Brien by winning a one million chip pot when O'Brien missed a flush draw.  "I was getting the right price to just call instead of shoving," said O'Brien, who won this event while 9 months pregnant in November and was looking for back-to-back titles.

The hand in question came when both players saw a flop of Q♠ 2♥ 6♥ after Gold called O'Brien's preflop raise. Gold bet less than half the pot with a pair of queens and O'Brien moved all in before missing her flush.  "It's been a long day and fatigue was a factor," said a disappointed O'Brien who lost more than half her stack on the hand and finished fourth.

Also at the final table was Borgata grinder Leanne Rosenblatt (5th) and Stephanie Hubbard (6th) who recorded her 4th career Borgata final table.

Gold wasn't the only player in the field familiar with a WSOP championship as bracelet holders Marsha Wolak and Svetlana Gromenkova were part of the 100 ladies who put up $35,000 in total buy-ins, but neither cashed. Other notable women who failed to reach the money included Nancy Martin, mother of poker pro Michael Martin, Roz Quarto and Sheree Bykofksy.

After 16 hours of poker three woman deserved to be Ladies Champion, but only Gold took home the title. Jane was not letting a golden opportunity slip through her fingers, as her third Borgata cash is the most impressive.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1 Jane Gold (Ridgewood, NJ) $10,185
2 Kim Sachse (Baltimore, MD) $5,602
3 Hallee LoGrasso (Vorhees, NJ) $3,225
4 Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) $2,716
5 Leanne Rosenblatt (Brigantine, NJ) $2,037
6 Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ) $1,698
7 Lynne Mitchnick (North Bergen, NJ) $1,358
8 Karen Perez (Chalfont, NY) $1,019
9 Ivonne Hernandez (Holbrook, NY) $764
10 Jaye Morris (Church Road, VA) $679

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 8: $400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
January 22-23, 2012

Entries:  552
Total Buy-In:  $220,800

START OF DAY 2 CHIP LEADERS

1. EDWARD WALSH:  868,000)

2. ERIC HALL:  814,000)

3. CARLA MOEBIUS:  629,000)

4. LOREN CHANG:  584,000)

5. DAVID KIM:  513,000)

6. MATTHEW MAZZEO:  511,000)

7. BEN GELLER:  503,000)

8. RAMY IBRAHIM:  488,000)

9. JAYAKRISHNAN NAIR:  427,000)

10. CARLOS COLON:  424,000)

11. CATHERINE DEVER:  418,000)

12. THOMAS EVERS:  413,000)

13. SCOTT BARLOW:  402,000)

14. JEFFREY EINSIDLER:  397,000)

15. MIKE ZHANG:  395,000)

16. GEORGE MEDRANO:  356,000)

17. ANTHONY HULBERT:  355,000)

18. HIEN NGUYEN:  337,000)

19. CHAD MOORE:  336,000)

20. TAMMY WAGNER:  330,000)

21. PETER IPPOLITO:  320,000)

22. MICHAEL MCTIGUE:  273,000)

23. DAVID HOM:  249,000)

24. JACOB FERRO:  246,000)

25. ADITYA PRASETYO:  246,000)

26. TREVOR GRAFFA:  239,000)

27. NICHOLAS SPENCE:  239,000)

28. ALEXANDER SHTEYMAN:  233,000)

29. CHRISTOPHER KUSHA:  224,000)

30. DARYL BOATWRIGHT:  210,000)

31. MONTY DENNIS:  200,000)

32. JEFFREY NAGATA:  187,000)

33. TOD LIANG:  171,000)

34. ROBERT KOERBER:  168,000)

35. WILLIAM BOYLAND:  152,000)

36. CHRISTOPHER SNEAD:  123,000)

37. JEFFREY SPENCE:  123,000)

38. MICHAEL SICA:  118,000)

39. STEVE SACKS:  114,000)

40. JEFFREY MCNAUGHT:  105,000)

41. TIMOTHY LATOUCH:  84,000)

42. KENNETH WILLIAMS:  79,000)

43. PETER SEGAL:  71,000)

44. JOHN SHORT:  70,000)

45. IGOR LULOV:  65,000)

46. MICHAEL ALBERT:  55,000)

Event 7 Recap

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

Event #7 was full of talent, young and old. The Big Stack Re-Entry drew poker pros Atlantic City locals and long-time Borgata regulars, including Lee Childs, Kevin Saul, 'Little Man' Mike Sica, Nick Frangos and Howard Wolper..

The Final Table brought a host of young kids with variations of loose-aggressive poker styles. The fifth No Limit Hold em' event of the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open proved to be a another great poker show.

Tournament grinder Wade Woelfel added  Borgata Winter Poker Open final table to his string of strong results. "I love the structure and value here, I come to every series." The Minnesota native took home $10,362 for his 5th place finish.

Software consultant Brian Grodofsky, finished his deep run in 4th place for $13,230. The one time chip leader busted to 3rd place finisher Alex Nepomnyaschiy. The brash New York city kid they call 'Alex' gave his railbirds the show they deserved. His fast and loose style kept his opponents off balance and helped him earn $16,653.

Joesph Opie follows up his 5th place finish in Event #2 ($10,457) with an impressive 2nd place finish in Event #7 ($25,904). Opie played patient poker and grinded his way to a heads-up battle. The dominant run earned the New Jersey native valuable Borgata Tournament Leaderboard points.

Len Vizirov, considered the 'Elder Statesman' was surrounded by a Final Table full of young guys. The mild-mannered Vizirov found a way to combat fast play and big pot poker. His experience from weekend tournaments at Borgata helped him carve through 545 players. The IT manager from Philly earned $46,067 and a custom engraved Borgata Winter Poker Open champion trophy. "I won some key pots and had fun with this structure...It feels great," adds our newly crowned champion.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount
 
1. Len Vizirov (Chalfont, PA) $46,067
2. Joseph Opie (Fair Haven, NJ) $25,904
3. Alex Nepomnyaschiy (Atlantic City, NJ)$!6,653
4. Brian Grodofsky (Merrick, NY)$13,230
5. Wade Woelfel (Mankato, MN)$10,362
6. John McDonald (Ocean City, MD)$8,511
7. Mohammed Hammoud (Toronto, CAN)$6,754
8. Lee Glowacki (Baltimore, MD)$5,273
9. Alexander Rozhitsky (Brooklyn, NY)$3,701
10. Oliver Entine (Boston, MA) $2,405

Monday, January 23

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 11 - $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-6: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 7+:  will last 45 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

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

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 40 minutes each  
• 1-Day event

3PM: Event 37 - $200 + $30 Survivor No Limit Hold'em 

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-4: will last 20 minutes each | Levels 5+: will last 25 minutes each
• 1-Day event 

7PM: Event 38 - $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 20 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

Event 9 Champion: Gold

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Jane Gold (Ridgewood, NJ) 

$10,185

Three handed play comes to an abrupt halt and Gold is the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open Ladies Champion.  She outlasts Kim Sachse (Baltimore, MD) and Hallee LoGrasso (Vorhees, NJ) to win the title.

Gold is the mother of 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Jamie Gold and says, "Like mother, like son, this is my Main Event.  Look out Jamie Gold, mama's coming to get you."

Jane Gold takes home $10,185 and the custom Borgata trophy as the Ladies Champion.

Event 9: 2nd Place - Sachse

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Kim Sachse (Baltimore, MD)

$5,602

When it's all said and done Sachse finishes runner-up to Jane Gold and just ahead of Hallee LoGrasso in the ladies tournament.  "This isn't my first rodeo," she says, "just had to grind it out."

Sachse survived multiple all ins including when she hit a river card against Lana O'Brien to stay alive when play was 5-handed.

Sachse owns a painting contractor company and this is her first Borgata cash.

Kim Sachse earns $5,602 for her runner-up finish.

Event 9: 3rd Place - LoGrasso

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Hallee LoGrasso (Vorhees, NJ) 

$3,225

LoGrasso gets caught in the three way crossfire and finishes third behind Kim Sachse and Jane Gold.  This is her second Borgata cash and says, "I'm tired and retired," after a long day at the tables.

Halle LoGrasso takes home third place and $3,225.

Event 9: 4th Place - O'Brien

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

 Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) 

$2,716

After losing a half million chips to Jane Gold on a flush draw, O'Brien is the short stack at the table.  She open shoves for 257k and Gold tank-folds saying she folded pocket 8s after Kim Sachse makes the call with pocket queens.

The queens hold and O'Brien is out in 4th place after having half the chips in play 5-handed. Reflecting on the one million chip pot with Gold she says, "I was getting the right price to just call instead of shoving. But it's been a long day and fatigue was a factor."

On the hand in question, Gold bet less than half the pot with a pair of queens and after mulling over the O'Brien all-in bet, reluctantly made the call to take over the chip lead.

O'Brien now heads home to her new born Abe who she was pregnant with when she won the Ladies Event in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open one week before her due date.  All told in that series, O'Brien cashed three times for $28,000 while nine months pregnant which also earned her a 9th place finish in the Fall Open Leaderboard Standings.

Lana O'Brien takes home $2,716 for her 4th place finish in the Borgata Winter Poker Open Ladies Event.

Baby Abe

Event 9: Pivotal Hand

 $350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Lana O'Brien raises preflop and Jane Gold calls from the small blind.  After seeing a flop of Q♠ 2♥ 6♥, Gold bets 70k, less than half the pot.  O'Brien asks for a count and then moves all in.

Gold takes a second before making the call.

Gold: Q♣ 10♣ (pair of queens)
O'Brien: J♥ 10♥ (flush draw)

The board bricks out for O'Brien and Gold doubles 526k and now has more than half the chips in play.  The hand cripples O'Brien who's now the short stack with 200k.

Event 9: 5th Place - Rosenblatt

$350 + $50 Ladies Big Stack NLH

Leanne Rosenblatt (Brigantine, NJ)

$2,037

Rosenblatt is all in for 320k vs Lana O'Brien
♦ ♥ ♠ ♣
Rosenblatt: K♣ 10♣
O'Brien: A♠ 9♣

The board runs out with four spades and O'Briens wins the hand with the nut flush

Rosenblatt is still thinking about the Hubbard elimination hand, and if she should have called with two pairs facing two all ins.  "I gave her (O'Brien) credit for ace-jack," Rosenblatt says, meaning she was beaten by a better two pairs.  "But you make one mistake in a tournament and your screwed,"

Leanne Rosenblatt is a true Borgata grinder who had two final tables in 2011.  She adds $2,037 to her bankroll with a 5th place finish.

Event 10: Final Table

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

Day 1 play has ended, the remaining 9 players will return tomorrow at 12pm.

The Final Table

Player - Chip Count:

James Newberry - 392,500
Vincent Trotter - 277,500
Mike Linster - 182,500
Boris Miller - 151,000
Reymond DeLeon - 139,000
Vincent Lodato - 104,500
James Weaver - 71,500
Joel Frank - 67,500
David Loy Sang - 31,500

Event 10: Final Table Chip Leader

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



James Newberry comes into Day 2 as the overwhelming Chip Leader,
he brings 392,500 to the Final Table.

Poised to capture his first Borgata title?

Find out tomorrow at 12pm, when the final 9 players return for more PLO.

Event 8: Final Chip Counts (Day 1)

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

Day 1 play has ended, the remaining 46 players return tomorrow at 12pm.

Unofficial Chip Counts:
Ed Walsh - 868,000
Eric Hall - 814,000
Carla Moebius - 629,000
Loren Chang - 584,000
David Kim - 513,000
'Muffins' Mazzeo - 511,000
Ben Geller - 503,000
Jay Nair - 427,000
Tom Evers - 413,000