Event 13: 4th Place - Solomon

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

Steve Scales (bb) was all-in holding pocket 9s against Jacob Fafard's (sb) pocket 4s.

The bigger pair held up and Steve doubled up to ~2.8 million.

Keith Solomon (Newark, DE)

$9,141

Then Keith Solomon (sb) was all-in and called by Jacob (bb).  Keith held K5 off and was trailing Jacob's A7 off. 

The board came J 6 2 3 2 and Ace-high was good for Jacob to claim the pot.  He's now back to 3.5 million and the chip leader again.

Keith finished in 4th place ($9,141).

Event 16: Nobody Can Kick "But"

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Don't you hate when you think you're chopping then you realize you actually got felted?

Chip stack heavy-weight Erick But turned Broadway as did his Opponent on a board of K♥ Q♥ 10♣ J♥.

Erick held A♥ J♣ vs. A♣ Q♦.

10♥ spikes the river giving Erick five hearts.
When the dust settled, Opponent finally realized he was flushed out of the tournament.

A few hands later Erick called an all-in with A-J yet again.
He knocks out another player (holding 55) and adds 200,000 to his stack of 1.3 million.

After an ace hit the flop, Oren Taylor said, "Aces are coming like crazy". OH YEAH is at the table and can't believe how lucky Erick has been.

Special thanks to Jerman for the play by play details of the broadway hand. And thanks for reading the blog every night. Keep it up bro!

34 players remain.

Event 13: 5th Place - Nepomnyaschiy

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

Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy raised, Jacob Fafard shoved, and Jedi called.

Jedi was ahead with pocket Queens.  Jacob rolled over pocket 8s.

 Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy (Staten Island, NY)

$7,069

The force was not with this Jedi as the board ran out A 9 J 7 T giving Jacob the Jack-high straight.

Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy busted out in 5th place ($7,069).

Jacob now leads the final four with over 3 million chips.

Event 16: Webb Searches Straight

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Suzette Webb was down to her last chip in the big blind. She was basically all in pre-flop with any two cards.

Suzette was the shortest stack in the room while Dave Johnston (Brigantine, NJ) is amongst the chipleaders with 1.2 million.

Table folds around to Dave's small blind who jams so Suzette must put in her last 1000 chip.

"Here comes 18 in a row" says the man playing with Suzette all day and keeping count.

Suzette tabled 4-5 off and Dave had her dominated with K-4.

Optimistic Suzette saw a flop of 7-9-8 and shouted out "6". On cue the 6 hit the turn giving Suzette another life-saving win.

"I told you" said the suck-out-sayer.

Suzette survives yet another orbit and keeps moving up in the money as we're down to 40 players.

Next pay jump at 36 for $959.

All players are taking down their share of the $230,040 total Buy-In.

Event 13: 6th Place - Albert

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

Robert Albert moved his last chips in and got called by Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy.

 Robert Albert (Manalapan, NJ)

$5,972

Robert was ahead with pocket Kings.  Jedi held AK offsuit.

Four diamonds hit the board and Jedi held the Ace of diamonds to take the pot, chipping up to ~1.2 million.

Robert Albert will take 6th place and $5,972.

Five players remain.  Average is now 1.4 million (24 big blinds).

Event 16: Nossel Fuels

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Deon Nossel - 950,000

Before the break, Deon Nossel (New York, NY) takes a huge bite out of Kevin Saul's monster stack. Nossel's A♦8♠ finds four diamonds by the river winning the pot against Saul's wired nines.

After the brutal Borgata beat, Kevin is down but definitely not out with 325,000 remaining.

He tweeted, "Just lost a million chip coin flip".

Event 13: Break Time Chip Counts

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

Another level gone and the final six took off for a break.  

Here are some rough chip counts:

Jacob Fafard - 2.2 million (37 big blinds)
James 'Suits' Salters - 1.5 million
Keith Solomon - 1.2 million
Steve Scales - 1.2
Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy - 850k
Robert Albert - 350k (> 6 big blinds)

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 30k/60k and 5k antes.

Average stack is now almost 1.2 million (20 big blinds).

Event 16: Cool Cat With 17 Lives

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Suzette Webb - Last Woman Standing

With 45 players remaining, after surviving a short stack orbit after orbit, Suzette Webb (Downingtown, PA) outlasted all other women today crowning her Borgata Winter Poker Open - Event 16 Last Woman Standing.

She just woke up to her favorite hand, pocket kings, and was begging for them to hold up against A-J. "Hold up baby!"

One player at the table never doubted Suzette claiming she had 16 lives. Sure enough the board ran 10-Q-3-Q-Q for Suzette's 17th extra life.

All smiles from Suzette who doubled her 24,000 stack after the scoop.

"I absolutely love Borgata" said Webb.

Jim showed up on the rail to root Suzette on.

Event 13: 7th Place - Daconti

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

Daniel DaConti shoved from the small blind and Steve Scales called from the big.

Daniel held K7 suited.  Steve held T9 suited, but both players had spades.

 Daniel DaConti (Mt Laurel, NJ)

$4,814

Two spades flopped but the flush did not come.  A 9 on the river shipped the pot to Steve.

Daniel busted out in 7th place, earning $4,814.

Event 16: "But" Wait, There's More...

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Erick But - 1.2 million

A man of few words, Erick But (Brooklyn, NY) is our first million dollar man.

Our gangleader didn't know he was tops in chips and didn't seem to care (at least that's what he wants the table to think).

How did Erick get all his chips - by his own admission he's a value betting specialist.

Event 13: Big Double for Fafard

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

Jacob Fafard open-shoved for ~800k utg.

Action folded to Robert Albert on the button, who called, showing AK suited in hearts.

Jacob held pocket 7s. 

 Jacob Fafard

The flop came Q 6 2 with two hearts, giving Robert the flush draw and a lot of outs. 

The last two came offsuit 6 T and Robert whiffed his draw.

Jacob caught a huge double-up to about 1.7 million.  Robert was left with about 540k.

I'm told by his railbirds that Jacob just turned 21 and this is is first-ever live tournament.

Event 16: Saul Still Sailing

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Kevin Saul continues to build his stack and hold his position as Event 16 chip leader.

He used his big stack to coerce an Opponent to fold pre-flop after re-raising large under the gun.

"You had fives? I saw you flash a five" said Kevin. Opponent nodded causing Kevin to ask, "Wanna see?" Saul flipped over 44's and got a laugh from the on-lookers.

He chopped the next hand with AK suited up against a short-stack AK shove. "No blood" to quote Saul as the pot was chopped on a clean board.

860,000 for chipleader Kevin Saul.

Event 16: Inselberg Outselberg

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

A couple of Borgata regulars make the cash along with an exit from Event 16.

Christian Iacobellis finished 10th place in Season 9 Borgata Poker Open WPT Championship and finished 60th today.

On a different table David Inselberg busts in 59th place after running 88's into Queens.

Average chip stack remains 288,813.

Event 13: Million Dollar Baby

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

Only three players have over 1 million and therefore above-average stacks.

Keith Solomon is the chip leader with ~1.7 million.

Robert Albert & Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy are both close to 1.4 million.

Blinds are now up to 25k/50k with 4k antes.

Event 13: 8th Place - Jones

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

Jerry Jones got all-in holding pocket Kings against a slightly shorter stack holding pocket 9s.  A 9 on the flop left Jerry very short.

 Jerry Jones (Severn, MD)

$3,595

He got those last chips in on the next hand,  but was jilted in 8th place.  He will collect $3,595.

Seven players remain.  Average stack is now just over 1 million.

Event 16: Oh Yeah!

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Oren "Big Oh Yeah" Taylor & Abraham Grace

Rivaling the KoolAid Guy busting through a wall or Macho Man Randy Savage being interviewed back in the day, Oren Taylor (Bridgeton, NJ) stands and shouts out "Oh Yeah" after doubling up to 400,000.

Taylor's small blinded cowboys held up against Opponent's pocket twos. Both guys got it all in pre-flop after a series of raises.

"I'd like to thank the poker God's for no heart on the river" exclaimed Taylor who had to sweat a potential four flush on a board of 9-4-10-Q-5.

It's nice to see some excitement along with some good ole' feisty table talk across the Borgata felts.

Oren insisted his new friend and tablemate Abraham Grace (Fairfax, VA) shared the spotlight with him. "We going to the finals" predicted "Big Oh Yeah". Moments after this photo their table was broken up.

7 tables remain.

Blinds 8K / 16K with 2000 antes.

Event 13: 9th Place - Wong

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

After-dinner blinds are 20k/40k with 4k antes.

 Jimmy Wong (Brooklyn, NY)

$2,438

It didn't take long for Jimmy Wong to get his last chips in the middle.

He  couldn't hold on to them and was busted in 9th place ($2,438).

Event 16: Dropping Like Flies

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Wow, once the bubble burst it seemed as though one short stack per table was busting out almost simultaneously.

Down to 73 players with the average stack at 233,424.

In the heart of Level 20 where antes are 2000 and blinds are 6K / 12K.

Time to separate the men from the boys.

We'll be reporting this one to its conclusion this tomorrow morning.

8 tables remain.

Event 16: Bubble Burst Big Time

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Hand-for-hand play was underway for a few rounds.

 Jason Warriner, Howard Wolper, & Ed Walsh

Howard Wolper survived his all-in against two opponents, who checked down the board.  He tripled up with two pair.

Then during one hand, three players busted on the same hand, at three different tables.  The one with the shortest stack became today's bubble, then the other two made the min-cash.

79 players remain and play has returned to normal.

Event 16: Post-Dinner Play Underway

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Play resumed after dinner with level 18, blinds 4k/8k with 1k antes.

It was less than ten minutes later that they broke table 11, leaving 10 tables (9-handed) and 90 players.

2011 WSOP November-niner Phil Collins was one of those bust-outs.  He was felted on the first hand back from dinner.

Another 10 minutes and they were down to 82 players, making it bubble-time.

One more player must got, then the rest will be in the money!

Event 14 (Heads Up) Recap

Event 14: $1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Two players were looking for redemption in the heads up format, but only Matt Weiss (Suffern, NY) got what he was looking for. Weiss defeated Scott Lazewski (Malapan, NJ) in the finals, two games to none, to avenge his first match loss in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open.

"I've wanted to win a heads up title for some time," says Weiss who took home $25,026 and the engraved Borgata trophy. "Especially because it's so hard to play live," Weiss said after spending the last ten years playing heads up on-line.

Lazewski never got anything going in the finals and lost with wired 2s on the final hand when Sykes hit a pair of 10s on the turn while holding K♦ 10♠. Lazewski kept Darren Elias from avenging his loss in the 2011 Fall Poker Open finals.

Elias, who lost to Queen in the finals, was on track for a return appearance, but his redemption tour ended when he was swept two straight by Lazewski who won both games in less than 30 minutes.

The NCAA basketball style bracket was a best 2 out of 3 games in each round that had former heads up champs Queen, Jeremy McLauglin (Sept. 2010) and Christian Harder (Sept. 2011) all lose their first match.

After a first round bye, Weiss swept three of his series, including the finals, as he beat Ryan Chapman (2-1), Nicholas Muraco (2-0), Joseph Steirs (2-0) and Ryan Hall (2-1) before facing Lazewski for the title.

Lazewski earned $12,513 for his second place finish, while Hall & Elias took home 3rd/4th money for their semifinal losses.  Will Failla picked up his second cash of the series by advancing to the quarterfinals as did Thomas Ross, Josh Brikis and Joseph Stiers.

"It hasn't sunk in yet," says Weiss, who owns a pizza shop in New York, "I feel like I need to see my friends and girlfriend before it does."

Final Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Matt Weiss (Suffern, NY) $25,026
2nd Scott Lazewski (Manalapan, NJ) $12,513
3rd/4th Ryan Hall (Hockessin, DE) $6,257
3rd/4th Darren Elias (Erie, PA) $6,257
5th-8th Will Failla (Smithtown, NY) $3,128
5th-8th Thomas Ross (Brooklyn, NY) $3,128
5th-8th Josh Brikis (Pittsburgh, PA) $3,128
5th-8th Joseph Steirs (Silver Spring. MD) $3,128

Full Tournament Results

Championship

Matt Weiss def Scott Lazewski

Final Four

Scott Lazewski def Darren Elias
Matt Weiss def Ryan Hall

Elite 8

Darren Elias def Will Failla
Matt Weiss def Joseph Steirs
Scott Lazewsi def Josh Brikis
Ryan Hall def Thomas Ross

Event 14 (Heads Up) Champion - Weiss

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Matt Weiss (Suffern, NY)

$25,026

Event 14: 2nd Place - Lazewski

 $1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Scott Lazewski (Manalapan, NJ)

$12,153

Event 14: Weiss Wins Heads Up

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

 Lazewski Congratulates Weiss on the Win

Matt Weiss beats Scott Lazewski two games to none in the best of three championship series. On the final hand Lazewski is all in with pocket twos against two overs.

Lazewski: 2♣ 2♦
Weiss: K♦ 10♠

Flop: 3♠ 6♣ 6♦

Turn: 10♥ (Weiss pair of 10s)

River 9♥

Weiss wins the title with a pair of 10s.  "It hasn't sunk in yet," says Weiss, who wins $25,026.  "I feel like I need to see my friends and girlfriend before it does."
 
Lazewski settles for $12,513 as runner-up in a final that was never really close. "I think I had the chip lead for one hand," jokes Lazewski. He says he ran well most of the tournament, "until the end," adding, "I'd love to play him again, but he deserves it."

Weiss adds that winning a heads up title has been his goal and is redemption after losing his first match in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open.

Event 13: Dinner Time Chip Counts

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

The final nine have taken off for a one hour dinner break.

Play will resume at about 9:15pm.

Here are the approximate chip counts as of dinner:

Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy - 1.7 million
Keith Solomon - 1.1 million
Robert Albert - 970k
Daniel Daconti - 915k
James 'Suits' Salters - 910k
Jacob Fafard - 740k
Jerry Jones - 370k
Steve Scales - 335k
Jimmy Wong - 280k

Event 16: Payouts

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
Entries:  852
Total Buy-In: $230,040

PAYOUTS:
1: $51,323
2: $29,901
3: $18,298
4: $15,062
5: $12,273
6: $10,042
7: $8,034
8: $6,025
9: $4,240
10 - 12: $2,789
13 - 15: $2,008
16 - 18: $1,317
19 - 27: $1,116
28 - 36: $959
37 - 45: $848
46 - 54: $759
55 -63: $669
64 - 72: $602
73 - 81: $558

Event 15 Recap

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The list of players who have won more than one Borgata trophy isn't very long, but you can add Mark Sykes (Hamden, CT) after he won the Omaha Eight or Better (OE) at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.  Sykes beat Luigi Grilla heads up with a scoop on the final hand to grab his second title.

"I'm not an OE player," says Sykes who won the 6-max NL in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open, "I only play this for fun."

Sykes almost didn't make it out of Day 1, let alone make the money.  He was down to 2,400 chips with limits at 200/400, but a fortunate double-up and a good run of cards got him to the final table where he was up against two former champs.

Adel Shakerian, who was the OE champion in the 2011 Spring Open and Tim D'Allessandro, 2011 Winter Open champion, were eliminated back-to-back on Day 2.

Shakerian finished 6th, while D'Allesandro went from the chip lead five-handed to busting in 5th place. "It just shows that if you don't run well and don't hit cards it can go that fast," he said.

After Ed Lane went out fourth, David Pacheco was eliminated in third place by Sykes, who was then even with Grilla at the start of heads up play, before winning the title.

Despite not playing a lot of Omaha, Sykes felt he had an advantage when play was four-handed.  "I'm a tournament player, so I have experience playing short handed and was able to adjust my game."

All nine returning players for Day 2 were in the money and going after the $38,800 total buy-in that the 97 entrants put up for grabs in the prize pool.

With his second trophy Sykes joins Alex Queen, Jack Schanbacher, Bary Levy, Glenn Engelbert, Chris Reslock, Emad Alabsi and Jay Zimmet as two time winners. Bill Blanda and Howard Wolper are the only three-time Borgata title holders.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Mark Sykes (Hamden, CT) $13,173
2nd Luigi Grilla (Ventnor, NJ) $7,151
3rd David Pacheco (Fall River, MA) $4,516
4th Ed Lane (Bayville, NJ) $3,387
5th Tim D'Alessandro (Boothwyn, PA) $2,635
6th Adel Shakerian (Falls Church, VA) $2,258
7th Roman Tiraspolsky (Basking Ridge, NJ) $1,882
8th Pete Senak (Bedminster, NJ) $1,505
9th Mike Gabarick (Easton, PA) $1,129

Event 15 Champion: Sykes

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Mark Sykes (Hamden, CT) 

$13,173 

After whittling Lugi Grilla down in heads up play, Sykes wins the tournament with a scoop.  He holds A 5 7 Q and when a 7 hits the river, Sykes pair of 7s takes the high and 7 5 3 2 A wins the low.

Sykes tournament hinged on his Day 1 survival when he was down to 2,400 with the limits at 200/400.  "They kept doubling me up," says the former professor of clinical psychology turned poker pro. "I got lucky, ran well and chipped back up."

Sykes says he's not an Omaha 8 (OE) regular and decided to play the tournament "for fun."

Sykes takes home the engraved Borgata trophy and $13,173 for the win.

Event 15: 2nd Place - Grilla

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

Luigi Grilla (Ventnor, NJ)

$7,151

Grilla's tournament ends when he misses his high draw and has a worse low than Mark Sykes and finishes runner-up.

Grilla was even in chips when heads up play began, but was down to 240k on the final hand.

When asked what he does outside of poker, Grilla is quick to say, "different stuff on different days."

Grilla's second play finish earns him $7,151.

Event 15: 3rd Place - Pacheco

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

David Pacheco (Fall River, MA) 

$4,516

Three-handed play starts with everyone relatively even in chips, but Pacheco becomes the short stack.  He's all in with two pairs 5s 4s and a low draw against Mark Sykes who flops a set of aces.  Pacheco whiffs the turn and river and is on the rail.

"If it wasn't for nut-nut I would've been out in 9th place," says Pacheco. The retired plant supervisor stayed alive on the first hand of the day when hit the nut flush and nut low on the river when he was all in.

David Pacheco's third place finish earns him $4,516.

Sykes and Luigi Grilla begin heads up play even in chips.

Event 13: 10th Place - Grimberg

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

Steve Scales (AT) doubled through Jacob Fafard (pocket 3s).

Grino Grimberg opened early for ~100k and action folded around to Robert Albert, who moved in.

 Gino Grimberg (Brooklyn, NY)

$1,584

Gino called all-in, tabling pocket Queens.  Robert held AQ off.  The board came A 5 3 6 J and Robert paired his Ace to take the pot.

Gino took 10th place and $1,584.

Event 16: Dinner Break

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Eleven tables are all that are left of today's main event. 

They just completed level 17 and have been rewarded with a one hour dinner break.

 Kevin Saul

Kevin Saul flopped a straight on the last hand of the level to chip up to ~612k.  He may be the chip leader, but there is another large stack at his table that is very close.

Play resumes after dinner at 8:45 pm.

Event 13: Final Table Chip Counts

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

Here are the final ten players with their seating assignments at the final table and rough chip counts:

Seat - Player - Chips
1 - Daniel Daconti - 850k
2 - Steve Scales - 250k
3 - James 'Suits' Salters - 740k
4 - Jimmy Wong - 230k
5 - Robert Albert - 670k
6 - Keith Solomon - 1.32 million
7 - Jerry Jones - 300k
8 - Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy - 1.87 million
9 - Gino Grimberg - 320k
10 - Jacob Fafard - 630k

Event 13: 11th Place - Priore

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

Keith Solomon doubled through Andrew Priore.  Andrew was left with less than 200k and was all in soon after for 163k.

 Andrew Priore (Utica, NY)

$1,584

Keith called him down, showing A6 suited.  Andrew held KJ and needed help to survive.

The board came 8 6 5 3 4 and brought nothing for Andrew.  He was busted in 11th place ($1,584).

On the last hand at the other table, The board read Q Q 5 6 8 and James 'Suits' Salters bet, got raised by  Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy, and called.  

Suits held AQ for trip Queens, but Jedi held pocket 6s for the turned full house.  He collected the large pot and chipped up to over 1.8 million.

The final ten drew for seats and moved to the final table.

Event 16: Back On Top

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

After winning Event 11 for ~$25,000, Kevin Saul is back on top and has the chip lead with XXK.  Just before the break he busts Russel Crane, 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion, who flops two pairs.

Saul's recap on Twitter:

KevinSauLivePro Kevin Saul

I imagine I'm monster chip lead after getting heaps in on Ah7h3d flop w Jh8h vs russel crane for his tourney life, heart turn np #runninpure

 

 

Saul has 586k (98 BB) as 150 players remaining with an average stack of 113k (19 BB).

 

Blinds up to 3k/6k/500 ante. 

Event 13: 13th - Mitchell; 12th - Charles

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

 A short-stacked John Mitchell was felted shortly after play resumed.  He finished 13th ($1,219).

 John Mitchell

Jeff Charles (Riverhead, NY) was next to report to the rail, finishing 12th ($1,584).

Jeff Charles

11 players remain at two tables.

Event 13: Break Time Chip Counts

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

Players completed level 22 and scattered for a break. Here are the approximate chip counts:

Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy - 967k (40 big blinds)
James 'Suits' Salters - 900k
Jacob Fafard - 880k
Andrew Priore - 795k
Robert Albert - 790k
Jerry Jones - 685k
Steve Scales - 505k
Keith Solomon - 475k
Jimmy Wong - 400k
Gino Grimberg - 300k
Daniel Daconti - 210k
Jeff Charles - 180k
John Mitchell - 100k (4 big blinds)

13 players remain.  Average is 552k (23 big blinds).

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 12k/24k with 3k antes.

Event 13: Scales Doubles

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

Keith Solomon raised to 50k on the button, then Steve Scales announced he was all-in from the small blind (for 184k on top).

Keith called, tabling AQ suited in clubs.  Steve held pocket Aces.

The flop came T 7 3 with two clubs, giving Steve a good sweat, but the last two came offsuit Q J and Steve doubled up.

Event 15: 4th Place - Lane

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Ed Lane (Bayville, NJ) 

$3,387

Lane begins the hand with 105k and hits trip 8s on an 8 8 3 flop.  The board finishes 3 2 and gives Mark Sykes the winning full house as he holds A J 2 3.

Sykes now has 365k with three players remaining.

Lane finishes in 4th place and takes home $3,387.

Event 15: 5th Place - D'Alessandro

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Tim D'Alessandro (Boothwyn, PA) 

$2,635

Another former champion is on the rail as D'Alessandro goes from the chip lead to the rail.  D'Alessandro hit a flush on the turn, but the board pairs on the river to give Luigi Grilla a full house.

"It just shows that if you don't run well and don't hit cards it can go that fast," says the health and life insurance broker.  "It's not like I don't know what I'm doing, it just didn't work out."

D'Alessandro won this event during the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open, but this time has to settle for fifth place and $2,635.

Event 13: Solomon Doubles

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

Keith Solomon's pocket Aces held up for the double-up through Jacob Fafard. 

Jacob held JT and the board showed K J 3 K 6. 

Jacob was left with about 800k.  Keith chipped up to 625k.

Chip leader is Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy with about 1.1 million.

Robert Albert is up to 830k.


James 'Suits' Salters is down to ~650k.

Event 16: Stayin' Alive

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

19 tables are still active with 190 players still alive.

81 will get paid a minimum of $558.  Top prize is $51,323.

Still in the mix are
Kevin Saul
Wazir Baksh
David Inselberg
Lee Childs
Russell Crane
Ed Walsh
Will Failla
Ta Wey
Theen Wey
Howard Wolper
Jacobo Fernandez

Event 13: 14th Place - Neascu

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

Blinds are up to 10k/20k with 3k antes.

Dorian Neascu (Woodside, NY) busted out in 14th place, good for $1,219.

 Dorian Neascu

13 players are still in the mix.  Average is 552k (almost 28 big blinds).

Event 14: Trophy Time

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

 Heads Up Hardware

Scott Lazewski and Matthew Weiss are playing for the heads up title. Like the trophy says there's "Snow in the Air," and these guys have "Ice in Your (their) Veins."

Lazewski & Weiss

Event 14: 3rd/4th Place Finishers

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Losing in the semifinals Darren Elias and Ryan Hall pick 3rd/4th place money.

Darren Elias (Erie, PA)

$6,257

Ryan Hall (Hockessin, DE)
$6,257

Event 13: 15th Place - Vails

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

Michael Vails (Columbus, IN) busted out in 15th place ($1,219).

 Michael Vails

14 players remain.  Jacob Fafard leads with 1.2 million.

James 'Suits' Salters is second with 990k.

Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy is third with ~900k.

Event 13: 17th - Moore; 16th - Henrici

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

Mike Moore (N Cape May, NJ) finished in 17th place, earning $1,036.

 Mike Moore

Jason Henrici (Old Tappan, NJ) finished in 16th place ($1,036).

 Jason Henrici

15 players remain.  Average is now 479k (30 big blinds).

The next three players to bust out will earn $1,219.

Event 13: Fafard Leads

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

At the end of level 20, players took a break.

Play has now resumed with level 21, blinds 8k/16k with 2k antes.

17 players remain.  Average stack is 422k (26 big blinds).

Chip leader is Jacob Fafard with 960k.

Second is Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy with 805k.

Event 14: 5th-8th Place Finishers

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Players who lost in the quarterfinals finish with a min cash

Josh Brikis (Pittsburgh, PA)

$3,128

Thomas Ross (Brooklyn, NY)

$3,128

Will "The Thrill" Failla (Smithtown, NY)

$3,128 

Joe Stiers (Silver Spring, MD)

$3,128

Event 14: Finals Set

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Scott Lazeweski and Mattew Weiss are in the finals of the heads up tournament.

Today's matches are moving very quickly.  Scott Lazewski and Ryan Hall both won their quarterfinal matches, as Josh Brikis and Thomas Ross earn $3,128 for finishing in 5th/8th position. 

Lazewski kept the momentum going with a win over Darren Elias in the semis, while Hall's day ended with a loss to Matthew Weiss to set up the championship.

Elias, who has two straight cashes in heads up play after a runner-up finish at the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open, and Brikis each earn $6,257 for their 3rd/4th place finish.

Quarterfinals

Scott Lazewski def Josh Brikis
Ryan Hall def Thomas Ross
Darren Elias def Will Failla*
Matthew Weiss def Joseph Steirs*

Final Four

Scott Lazewski def Darren Elias
Matthew Weiss def Ryan Hall

Championship

Scott Lazeweski vs Mattew Weiss (underway)

*Completed Tuesday

Event 13: 18th Place - Davis

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

Just after the redraw, Jacob Davis (Greenville, NC) busted out in 18th place ($1,036).

 Here's the new lineup:

Table 1
Mike Moore
Andrew Priore
Daniel Daconti
Jimmy Wong
Jacob Fafard
Jason Henrici
Keith Solomon
Steve Scales
Dorian Neascu

Table 2
Michael Vails
James 'Suits' Salters
Gino Grimberg
Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy
Jeff Charles
John Mitchell
Jerry Jones
Robert Albert

Event 15: 6th Place - Shakerian

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

.

Adel Shakerian (Falls Church, VA) 

$2,258

Shakerian, a former champion, misses a lot of outs on the river and is now out of the tournament.  Holding 

A♦ 2♠ 3♦ 4♦, he his straight and flush draws on the river.  Mark Sykes wins his second pot in a row after crippling Shakerian the hand before.  "If I hit my card I would've scooped that pot," says Shakerian about his penultimate hand of the tournament.

Shakerian is primarily a cash game player, but won this event during the 2010 Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Adel Shakerian finishes in 6th place and earns $2,258.

Event 13: Redraw at 18

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

Chris Leong (New York, NY) finished 24th.

Lynda Johnson (Wadsworth, OH) was felted by Alex 'Jedi' Nepomnyaschiy.  She finished 23rd.

Aaron Steury (Ft Wayne, IN) busted out in 22nd place.

Mo Farah (Bensalem, PA) was eliminated in 21st place.

Sonny Lusha (Staten Island, NY) got his last chips in with AT and was dominating Jacob Fafard's K9, but a King on the flop sent the pot to Jacob.  Sonny finished in 20th place.

John Whitworth (Myrtle Beach, SC) was all-in with AT against Robert Albert's pocket Jacks.  The board came K 9 5 9 9 and the Jacks were good.  John finished in 19th place.

All these players take home $914.

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

Event 13: 25th Place - Sorscher

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

Three players took a flop of 9 3 2 rainbow and checked around.

Turn was a Jack and Jon Sorscher (bb) moved all-in for 105k.  Steve Scales folded and James 'Suits' Salters made the call.

Jon had T8 off for the open-ended straight-draw.  Suits was ahead with QJ suited for top pair.

River was a 6 and not what Jon was looking for.  He busted out in 25th place ($914).

Suits chipped up to ~430k.

Jon Sorscher won the $400 NL Bounty event last week, picking up over $46,000 (plus any bounties).

24 players remain.

Event 15: 7th Place - Tirazpolsky

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Roman Tiraspolsky (Basking Ridge, NJ) 

$1,882

Tiraspolsky has the nut low draw with A 2 3, but doesn't get there and Tim D'Allesandro gets the knockout.

It's not all bad news for Tiraspolsky who's looking forward to a new job as computer programmer. He starts Monday after being laid off for a few months.

Roman Tiraspolsky earns $1,882 for his 7th place finish.

Event 13: Two More Out The Door

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

Lynda Johnson has arrived and taken her seat.  By arriving late, she's already moved up on spot on the payouts.  The next nine players to bust out will earn $914.

The first of those was Borgata regular Dean Schultz (Stow, OH).  He finished 27th.

Then it was Eugen Cirneci who was felted next, finishing 26th.

25 players remain.

Event 15: 8th Place - Senak

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Pete Senak (Bedminster, NJ) 

$1,505

Senak puts his last chips in with A 2 and the low never gets there.  "I'm happy," says the the admittedly novice Omaha player.  "I had no chips," which end up going to Ed Lane, his second straight knock out.

Senak is retired and has lots of time to improve on his 8th place finish for $1,505.

Event 13: Three Gone Early

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

In early action, two players have been eliminated.

Tyler Stoltzfoos (Astoria, NY) busted out  in 30th place.

Mike Marder (Sewell, NJ) busted in 29th place.  Mike finished 3rd in the $500 No Limit event just a few days ago.

Ron Cauthen was the third to be dispatched, in 28th place.

All three earned $731 for their efforts.

One player has yet to arrive for day two -- Lynda Johnson (Wadsworth, OH) is being blinded off.

27 players remain.  Average stack is 266k (26 big blinds).

Event 17: Big Survivor = Big $$$

 $500 + $60 Super Survivor No Limit Hold'em

 There are 55 Events in the Borgata Winter Poker Open and this survivor is one of the most intriguing as 1 in 20 players wins $10,000 CASH MONEY!

Starting stacks are 15k and levels are 30 minutes long (Levels 11+/40 min.).  Cards are in the air as players look for that big poker payday.

Event 15: 9th Place - Gabarick

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Mike Gabarick (Easton, PA)

$1,129

Gabarick comes back as the short stack, but can't get anything going. Needing a king or any club on the river to stay alive, the 10s sends Gabarick home in 9th place.

"I'm happy I made the final table, but disappointed I couldn't move up a couple of levels," says the retired musician and professional disc jockey.  Gabarick's last 15k in chips go to Ed Lane who admits he gets the knock out with a raggedy hand.

Mike Gabarick earns $1,129 for his 9th place finish.

Event 13: Day Two Underway

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

Cards are in the air for day two.

Level 19, blinds are 5k/10k with 1k antes. 

30 players have returned to continue the battle for the top prize of $32,913.

Event 16: No More Re-Entries

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Back from break for Level 9, blinds 500/1,000 with 100 antes.

Tables will be breaking even faster as now the door for players is an 'Exit Only'.  No more re-entries.

Event 16: Break Time Tweets

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

End of level 8 and time for a break.

This is the last chance for players to re-enter.

Some tweets from the field:

Lee Childs @leechilds
60k. Blinds going to 500/1000/100. Re-entries done. #bwo2012

Steve Ryan @SteveRyanPoker
Turbo turbo

Kevin Saul @KevinSauLivePro
2nd break of borgata 300nl re-entry, 45.1k after level 8. In for 2 buy-ins, no more re-entries now. Blinds will be 500-1k

larry goldstein @tworedducks
34k going to BB1K. Dream table but haven't shown down best hand once today.

Kelly Armentrout @KellyArmentrout
48k @ break. Going to 500/1000 100 ante. Re-entry period over.

Event 16: Breaking Fast

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Blinds are up to 400/800 with 75 antes for level 8.  This is the last level for re-entries, so the action is kicking up a notch.

Tables are also breaking down.  About 60 tables remain in action.

 Al Riccobono re-enters (with Austen Johnson behind him in line)

I caught Al Riccobono in line after re-entering, waiting for his new table assignment.

Little does he know that table 17, where he is heading, is host to Russell Crane, Amanda Musumeci, and Will Failla, all of whom have won tournaments here at Borgata.

Event: 15 What's On the Line

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

A reminder of what they're playing for.

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

Place - Amount

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

Event 15: Omaha's January Nine

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Final Table

The nine returning players are ready to play for the $13,173 first prize. Ed Lane has the chip lead with 287k, while former champion Tim D'Alessandro is second in chips; he won this event in the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open

Final Table

Seat-Name-Chip Count

1 Roman Tiraspolsky - 92,500
2 Mark Sykes - 206,000
3 Mike Gabarick - 45,000
4
5 Peter Senak - 49,500
6 Luigi Grilla - 136,500
7 Ed Lane - 286,500
8 David Pacheco - 55,500
9 Adel Shakerian - 69,500
10 Tim D'Alessandro - 210,000

Event 16: Saul Sick of 6s

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

WPT title holder Kevin Saul (Chicago, IL) plays one hand after the break and has now re-entered the tournament.  He ships his 8k with pocket 6s and loses a flip vs AK.

His twitter hashtag: #donegettingitingood

Players may re-enter the tournament through the first eight levels.

Event 14: Heads Up Update

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

Ryan Hall wins game one over Thomas Ross in their best of three quarterfinals.  The winner takes on Matthew Weiss in the semifinals.

Josh Brikis and Scott Lazewsi are still playing their first game.

Event 16: Break Time

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The first four levels are in the books. When play resumes antes kick in as the blinds are 150/300/25 ante.

Here's a look at chip counts via Twitter:

leechilds Lee Childs

43k first break. Blinds going to 150/300/25. #BWO2012

 

 Borgata $300 re-entry. 20k starting stack/25 min. levels. 40k first break. Going to 150/300 25 ante. #BWO2012

 

tworedducks larry goldstein

18k goin to BB300. Bunch of big folds that have been right. 

RyanEriquezzo Ryan Eriquezzo

16k at first break. #hashtagsevadingme

 

aje221 Austen Johnson 

17.6k/20k going to 150/300. Table has no clue but can't pick up any hands. #teammurder #BWO2012

KevinSauLivePro Kevin Saul

1st break, 8.2k after level 4. Eli has yet to show up and still has 19k #heissmarterthenme

 

JABistro John Allan Hinds

20k ss, was down to 8k after losing 1st hand w/ AA. Caught some fire, back up to 43k #teammurder #teamplaygood #teamdyingtomincash

 

Event 16: World Famous Faces

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Phil Collins

A November Niner is in the house as Phil Collins (Las Vegas, NV) has busted and re-entered.  The 27 year old won $2.3 million for his 5th place finish in the 2011 WSOP Main Event won by Pius Heinz.

Another WSOP final tableist in Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) is also here. Dannenmann was the 2005 Main Event runner-up to Joe Hachem.

Dannemann has also taking advantage of the re-entry format.

Event 14: Heads Up Underway

$1500 + $150 Heads Up NLH

 Lazewski (left) vs Brikis

The two remaining quarterfinal matches are underway.  It's a best off three series, where the players start with 20k in chips and levels are 20 minutes long.

Scott Lazewski vs Josh Brikis
Thomas Ross vs Ryan Hall

The winners join Darren Elias and Matthew Weiss in the Final Four.

Semifinals

Darren Elias vs Brikis/Lazewski Winner
Matthew Weiss vs Ross/Hall winner

The top four are guaranteed $6,257, while the tournament winner takes home $25,026.  The quarterfinal losers earn $3,128 for a min cash.

  Ross (left) vs Ryan Hall

Noon Restarts Pushed Back

Because of a late night, Day 2 of Events 13 (NL) & 15 (Omaha H/L 8B) have been pushed to later in the day.

Omaha restarts at 2 pm with nine players going for the $13,173 top prize.  NL is at 3 pm with 30 players remaining as they're playing for first place and $32,913.

Event 16: Early Double

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Lee Childs, who joked yesterday, "apparently they have breaks for dinner in these tournaments," after struggling early in the series to make it to the break.  After surviving dinner, but missing the money he's back for this event.

So far, so good as he doubles his 20k stack with a set of 6s. Here's the Twitter play-by-play.

leechilds Lee Childs

And we have a first level double up. Flopped set 6's on A56hh board. SB led 275. I raise 700. Button RR to 2500. I jam. He tank-calls w/ A5

 leechilds Lee Childs

He put me on flush draw. Board ran out hh so fortunate to jam it there. We both would have slowed down.

Event 16: Quote Me

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Little Man Mike Sica is a bit insulted when asked if he's re-entering the tournament as he takes his seat in front of media row, "nah, not yet. I had breakfast first. There's plenty of time for that."

Sica's signature line is to sing, "turn out the lights, the party's over," a line from the Willie Nelson song.

Mixed game specialist Barry Levy asks, "let me get this straight, you get two cards and can put all your chips in the middle at any time?"  Levy joking about his infrequent NL tournaments and says the value is too good to pass up this event. 

He closes his stand-up routine by adding, "re-entering is a good thing right? It builds the prize pool."

Event 16: Early Arrivals

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The only way to get the most bang for your buck is to arrive early and take advantage of players who are willing to gamble.

A look at those who are already licking their chops:

Barry Levy
Al Riccobono
Howard Wolper
Bradley Utz
OG Shurilla
Miami John Cerunto
Little Man Sica
Kelly Armentrout
Austen Johnson
Dave Inselberg
Matt Maccaroni
Nick Frangos
Kevin Saul
Lee Childs
Russell Crane
Austen Johnson
Steve Ryan
Peter Ippolito
Steve Rodriguez

Event 16: No Messin' Around

$270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The third guarantee tournament of the Borgata Winter Poker Open is underway and another huge field is expected.  For $300 the prize pool players have a chance at a prize pool that will be at least $100,000.

The starting stack is 20k, levels are 25 minutes each to start (levels 16+/30 min.) and anyone busting in the first eight levels may re-enter an unlimited amount of time.  This is a one day tournament and players are prepared for the long haul.
   
Cards are in the air at 11 am sharp!

Wednesday, January 25

Today's Events (Event Center)

11AM: Event 16 - $270 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
                               $100,000 Guaranteed

• Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 25 minutes each  | Levels 16+: will last 30 minutes each
• Players that "bust" within first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

3PM: Event 17 - $500 + $60 Super Survivor No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• Approximately 1 in 20 will win $10,000 CASH
• Levels 1-10: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each  
• 1-Day event

7PM: Event 41 - $100 + $20 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty NLH 

• 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 the tournament.
• 1-Day event

Event 13 Chip Leaders

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 13 - $350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em
January 24 - 25

Entries:  359
Total Buy-In:  $125,650

START OF DAY 2 CHIP LEADERS:

1. ANDREW PRIORE (UTICA, NY):  492,000

2. JACOB DAVIS (GREENVILLE, NC):  482,000

3. DANIEL DACONTI (MOUNT LAUREL, NJ):  481,000

4. ROBERT ALBERT (MANALAPAN, NJ):  454,000

5. SHIMONO SOLOMON (NEWARK, DE):  432,000

6. STEPHEN SCALES (RED BANK, NJ):  420,000

7. GENNADY GRIMBERG (BROOKLYN, NY):  335,000

8. MICHAEL MOORE (N CAPE MAY, NJ):  334,000

9. JAMES SALTERS (W HEMPSTEAD, NY):  302,000

10. JERRY JONES (SEVERN, MD):  287,000

11. JOHN MITCHELL (NORWOOD, PA):  279,000

12. EUGEN CIRNECI (RIDGEWOOD, NY):  277,000

13. DORIAN NEACSU (WOODSIDE, NY):  220,000

14. MOHAMMAD FARAH (BENSALEM, PA):  206,000

15. JIMMY WONG (BROOKLYN, NY):  200,000

16. CHRISTOPHER LEONG (NEW YORK, NY):  187,000

17. RONALD CAUTHEN (PAWLEYS IS, SC):  183,000

18. LYNDA JOHNSON (WADSWORTH, OH):  181,000

19. ALEX NEPOMNYASCHIY (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  149,000

20. JASON HENRICI (OLD TAPPAN, NJ):  147,000

21. JACOB FAFARD (NEW IPSWICH, NH):  147,000

22. JONATHAN SORSCHER (LYNBROOK, NY):  130,000

23. JOHN WHITWORTH (MYRTLE BCH, SC):  130,000

24. MICHAEL MARDER (SEWELL, NJ):  124,000

25. AARON STEURY (FT WAYNE, IN):  123,000

26. JEFFREY CHARLES (RIVERHEAD, NY):  108,000

27. DEAN SCHULTZ (STOW, OH):  105,000

28. MICHAEL VAILS (COLUMBUS, IN):  105,000

29. TYLER STOLTZFOOS (ASTORIA, NY):  98,000

30. SAZAN LUSHA (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  64,000