Thursday, January 20, 2011

Event 3: Final Table

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

The final table is set when Joe Lopes (West Creek, NJ) busts in 11th place. The final 10 players are drawing for their new seat assignments and are one elimination from hitting the money.

Event 2: BIG stack

$300 + $50 NLH (1 re-entry)

Chan Representing Chinatown

With the field shrinking, the big stacks continue to grow. As the floor person breaks another table it's clear the new chip leader is Benchino Chan (New York, NY) who has 525k.

Chan says his pocket aces held against another big stack who had pocket kings.

Other big stacks in the mix include Steve Dannenmann (280k) and Abraham Musleh (243k).

Event 1: New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

Another level of frenetic play has ended.

Leonard Sande (New Haven, CT) doubled through Joshua Supsak.  Leonard chipped up to ~1.9 million while Joshua dropped to about 600k.

Marcello Delmonaco (New Haven, CT) doubled through Aaron Smith when his pocket Kings held up against Aaron's flush draw.

Sean Lee

Matt Gambino (bb) got all in holding KQ against the pocket Aces of Sean Lee (button).  The board brought no salvation and Matt (W Babylon, NY) was busted in 30th place ($2,713).

Matt Gambino

Nick Hojnoski (Corning, NY) got his last chips in with QJ against the dominating AQ of Leonardo Palermo (Ortley Beach, NJ).  The board came A T 8 7 2 and Nick was busted in 29th place ($2,713).

Nick Hojnoski

28 players remain.  They took a break while the 1k chips were colored up.

Sean Lee (Albertson, NY)  is up to 3.6 million and is the new chip leader.   Steven Macchia has dropped down to ~3.2 million.  Ryan Wood is third with 2.15 million.  Joshua Lawson is fourth with 2.1 million.

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

Event 1: Cannone Triples; Rappaport & Monteavarro Out

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

While the players took a break, I got some quick chip count estimates.  Here are the leaders:

Steven Macchia - 3.7 million
Joshua Lawson - 1.95 million
Sean Lee - 1.8 million
Ryan Wood - 1.8 million
Joshua Supsak - 1.7 million
Gino Genari - 1.6 million
Brian Mooney - 1.6 million
Konstanti Ehlert - 1.5 million
Michael Shasho - 1.5 million
Aaron Smith - 1.4 million
Alex Rocha - 1.3 million
Ed McCarthy - 1.3 million
Eric Hall - 1.2 million
'Bobby Haha' Hanley - 1.2 million
Marcello Delmonaco - 1.2 million

Play resumed with blinds of 25k/50k and 4k antes.

 
Gina 'Gin-evil' Cannone

Another three-way all-in.  This time Gina Cannone was the short-stack and all-in with pocket Aces.  Joshua Supsak was the big stack with pocket Kings. Erik Rappaport held pocket Tens and was in bad shape.  The board changed nothing and Gina tripled up to over 1.5 million.  Joshua took the side pot and was left with ~1.7 million.  Erik was busted in 33rd place ($2,713).

Joanne Monteavarro moved her last chips in, then Aaron Smith moved in over the top.  Everyone else got out of the way.  Joanne's A7 was dominated by Aaron's AK.  The board came J J 3 5 6 and Aaron took the pot with nut-no-pair.  Joanne took 32nd place ($2,713).

Event 3: 14 Remain

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Eliminations are continuing at a feverish pace in the Limit tournament (Event #3) of the Borgata Winter Open as the starting field of 68 is down to 14 players.

The average stack is 49k as the top 9 players cash. Here's what they're playing for:

Place-Amount

1 $6,925
2 $3,760
3 $2,375
4 $1,781
5 $1,385
6 $1,187
7 $989
8 $792
9 $594

Event 2: No Bubble!

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

As "G" the floor man directs dealers that hand-for-hand play will start the next hand, three players are all-in at three different tables. Two of the three are eliminated, while Mike "The Nose" Castaldo (Palisades, NY) survives to make the money.

The two eliminated players reduces the field to 54 and all remaining players cash for a minimum of $605 and erases the need for a bubble.

The field played one more hand before going on break. Play resumes with Level 15 (2k/4k/400 ante), with the average stack at 96k.

Event 1: Macchia Takes Out Two With Bullets

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)    

Another crazy three-way all-in.  Bill Seymour held AK; Alan Haddy held pocket Jacks, and big stack Steven Macchia held the weapons of mass destruction, pocket Aces.  The board came all low cards and Steven continues to add chips to his massive stack after busting two players. 

Bill Seymour started the hand with fewer chips, so he finished in 36th place.  Alan Haddy finished in 35th place.  Both earned $2,713 for their efforts.

34 players remain.  Average stack is now over 1 million.  There are 36.8 million chips in play and Steven Macchia has almost 3.7 million, meaning he's holding 10% of all the chips in play.

Event 3: Get Out the Vote

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Calandrino Collecting Chips

The Limit tournament was originally scheduled to be a two day event, but with 20 players left the floor person put the possibility of change to a vote. The field decided unanimously that it would rather finish tonight, rather than stop with 18 players remaining and return Friday afternoon.

Since the dinner break, a new chip leader has emerged as Joe Calandrino (Oakdale, NY) is up to 80k, while two of the big stacks have taken a hit. Jason Young (Suffern, NY) is on the rail, and former chip leader Norman Whiteley (Newark, DE) has gone from 62k to 11k.

The top 9 players finish in the money and are guaranteed a minimum of $594.

Event 2: On the Bubble

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

58 players remain (90k avg.) with the top 54 cashing for a minimum of $605.

Steve Dannenmann is still in the hunt, but Borgata regular Keith Crowder has hit the rail.

What they're playing for:

Place-Amount

1 $37,679
2 $21,185
3 $13,619
4 $10,819
5 $ 8,474
6 $ 6,961
7 $ 5,523
8 $ 4,313
9 $ 3,027
10-12 $1,967
13-15 $1,513
16-18 $ 1,135
19-27 $ 832
28-36 $ 757
37-45 $ 681
46-54 $ 605

Event 1: Mooney Triples

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)    

Play resumed after dinner at the same level, blinds are 15k/30k with 4k antes.

Gina Cannone raised to 60k utg and action folded around to Anthony Caruso in the big blind.  Anthony moved all-in for another 169k on top.  Gina made the call, showing pocket 8s.  Anthony held A4 and would need help to survive.

The board came 4 3 3 8 7 giving Gina full house.  Anthony finished in 43rd place ($2,285).

Over on table 1, there was a huge three-way pre-flop all-in.  The shortest stack held pocket Aces.  Brian Mooney (Middle Village, NY) held pocket Kings, and Konstanti Ehlert (Edison, NJ) held pocket Jacks and had the other two covered.

Brian Mooney
The board came T 6 4 6 K and Brian caught a miracle on the river to crack those Aces.  He chipped up to ~1.3 million.  The short stack was busted in 43rd place and Konstanti was left with less than 300k.

Konstanti wasted no time getting some chips back.  He shoved over the top of Eric Doerr's raise and got Eric to lay down.  He then got in a pot with Ryan Wood.  On the flop of 8 3 2 with two clubs, Konstanti shoved for 362k.  Ryan thought about it, then called showing A5 of spades for a gutshot with one overcard.  Konstanti held AK of clubs for the lead and flush draw.  The last two came offsuit J 8 and Konstanti doubled up.

Event 3: Let's Eat

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Norman Knows Limit Poker

The 30 remaining players (23k avg.) are on a one hour dinner break. The unofficial chip leader with 62k is Norman Whiteley (Newark, DE), who won this event in the 2009 Borgata Poker Open.

Jason Young (Suffern, NY) is in the mix with 40k, while Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) and Howard Wolper (Altantic City, NJ) are both less than 20k.

Event 1: Dinner Time

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

Blinds are up to 15k/30k with 4k antes.

On the river, the board read J 8 7 A 4 with three hearts.  Seat 5 checked to chip leader Steven Macchia, who moved all-in.  Seat 5 tanked for several minutes and eventually another player called for the clock.  Before his time expired, the player called.  Steven showed pocket 4s for the rivered set.  Another player hit the rail and the big stack got bigger.

 Ryan Wood

Steven is up to 2.4 million and leading the pack.  Ryan Wood is second with just over 2 million.

45 remaining players have been sent on a one hour dinner break.  Play will resume at 8:30pm.

Average stack is almost 818k.

Event 2: Chowing Down

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

Here's a look at some of the big stacks as players are on a one hour dinner break. 76 players remain with an average stack of 68k.

Musleh Making Things Happen

161k Abraham Musleh (Brooklyn, NY)
160k Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA)
155k Aaron Wright (Baltimore, MD)
140k Jesse Pulido (Pembrooke Pines, FL)
130k Aaron Mermelstein (Philadelphia, PA)
110k Angel Velez (Hoboken NJ)
105k Gabriel Aminov (Marlboro, NJ)
103k Fred Amponsem (Woodbridge, VA)
100k Robert Santilli (Jackson, NJ)
99k Frank Fazio (King of Prussia, PA)
99k Steve Dannenmann (Severn, VA)

Event 2: Waking Up to Aces

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

The Wright Stuff

On the last hand before dinner break, Aaron Wright (Baltimore, MD) goes from average stack to big stack.

A player in early position raises to 4,400 (blinds 800/1,600), followed by a 75k jam from Domenico Barretta (New London, PA), which is a blessing for Wright.

"I looked down at two black aces and said, 'thank you Jesus.' Wright makes the snap call and when the board runs out clean he eliminates Barretta.

"I can't believe I'm running this good," says Barretta, who now has 155k and is one of the top 5 stacks in the room.

Level 11 (800/1,600/200 ante) is winding down.

Event 1: Cannone Doubles; Spitzberg Sacked

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

Gina Cannone got her last chips in with A4 suited, only to get looked up by  Anthony Colombo, who had her dominated with AQ.  Then the board came  8 4 2 6 5 and Gina paired her kicker to double up.  She's up to ~600k.

Paul Spitzberg (Tenafly, NJ) moved his last 260k in from the button and got called by both Eric Hall (Staten Island, NY) in the small blind and Ed McCarthy (Souderton, PA) in the big.  On the flop of T 7 6, Eric tossed in his last ~45k and Ed called. 

 Eric Hall

Ed was out in front with pocket Jacks.  Eric held AT suited for a pair of Tens.  Paul was trailing with KQ (two overcards).  The turn was a 7 and changed nothing.  It looked like Ed was headed for a double-elimination, but then the ubiquitous Ace on the river gave Eric the win and the pot.  He chipped up to about 1 million.  Paul busted in 54th place, earning $1,999. 

53 players remain at six tables.

Event 2: The Comeback Kid

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Celso Garcia Survives

With only 90 players left and 54 in the money, any move could make you, or break you.

One interesting story involves merchandising company worker, Celso Garcia (Charlotte, NC).

Celso was down to one measly 5,000 chip. He casually tossed it in for a pre-flop call and his opponents mistakenly thought he was all in. They got their 5,000 in and Celso decided he had the right price to call. "That lead to my first triple up."

Fast forward to a table change where Celso's wired Jacks held up for a double up. "Then I doubled up again."

Garcia now has some breathing room as he turned 5000 into 75,000 (his current chip stack).

Blinds are 1000 / 2000 with 300 antes.

Dinner break at 7:30pm.

Event 1: 56 Players Remain

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

Steven Macchia

 At the end of the level, 56 players remained and they took a ten minute break, giving me a chance to scope out the big stacks.  Here are the chip leaders with their approximate chip counts:

Steven Macchia - 2 million
Erik Rappaport - 1.7 million
Joshua Supsak - 1.65 million
Ryan Wood - 1.3 million
Anthony Colombo - 1.2 million
Chris 'unique' Russell - 1.2 million

After the break, play resumed with blinds of 12k/24k and 3k antes.

Event 1: Macchia Extends Lead

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)  

The chips are flying around the tables right now.  Joshua Supsak is back up to almost 1.7 million. 

Erik Rappaport raced his AK against a shorter-stacks pocket Jacks.  A King on the board gave Erik a double-up to ~1.7 million.

Steven Macchia continues to gather chips.  He's up to ~2.2 million now.

 Vittorio Faricelli

Yat Cheng (Charlotte, NC) got his last chips in the middle on a J J 2 flop, holding pocket 9s.  Unfortunately for Cheng, Vittorio Faricelli (Maspeth, NY) was holding pocket Aces.  No help for Cheng and he was busted in 59th place ($1,785).  Vittorio chipped up to over 700k.

58 players remain.

Event 2: Dorin Down, But Cheerful

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

World Traveler Joanne Dorin

Joanne Dorin (New York, NY) loves to travel. She's been to Greece, Israel, and all over this tournament.

Lots of players in Event 2 have stories to tell with Joanne as a main character. She's either doubling somebody up or devouring their entire stack.

She's currently on the downside of her roller-coaster ride with 80,000 chips. At her peak she had the lead with 190,000. Win or lose Dorin told me she's having a great time.

The bad run began as soon as she was moved to her current table. "I haven't won a hand here...my neighbors are rough on me" said Joanne.

She plans on playing a couple more Borgata Winter Poker Open tournaments this week.

When Joanne's not playing poker, she'd rather be shopping.

Who knows, maybe the next table change will change your luck again.

Event 3: All Gunning After Young

$300 + $50 Limit

Jason Young - Chipleader

The Limit chip leader is Borgata regular and poker pro Jason Young, protecting a stack of 33,000.

Second in chips at a different table is Steven Hong (Bayside, NY) with 28,000.

When I mentioned that Young had the lead I heard another player state, "I would love to go heads up against him some day."

48 players remain on 6 tables.

Some are already looking forward to the 7:30pm dinner break.

Blinds are at 400 / 800.

Event 1: New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry) 

After the player in seat 6 moved his short-stack all-in, Joshua Supsak called him down with A9.  Seat 6 held KT and would need help to survive.  It didn't come as the board ran out A 8 6 6 Q.  Another player hit the rail and Joshua chipped up to over 1.6 million.

 Joshua Supsak

His lead did not last long, however.  Joshua raised to 50k (utg+1) and Alex Rocha (S Setauket, NY) kicked it on up to 100k on his left.  Action folded back around to Joshua, who announced he was all-in.  Alex called all-in and was ahead with AK suited.  Joshua's AQ offsuit was in bad shape.  The board came 9 7 5 5 3 and Alex doubled up ~1.2 million.  Joshua was busted down to ~1.1 million.

73 players remain.

In a huge three-way pot, Steven Macchia (Woodridge, NJ) rivered a set of 9s to bust one player and cripple another.  Steven tripled to 1.7 million, good for the chip lead.

72 players remain.

Alfie Natale (Philadelphia, PA) got his last ~80k in with pocket Jacks, only to run into pocket Queens in the big blind.  It looked like Alfie was headed for a 72nd place finish, but the board came 6 6 5 J T and Alfie caught the two-outer on the turn to double up.

Event 3: Payouts

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Entries: 68
Total Buy-In: $20,400

Place-Amount

1 $6,925
2 $3,760
3 $2,375
4 $1,781
5 $1,385
6 $1,187
7 $989
8 $792
9 $594

Event 2: In The Lead

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Down to eight tables in this two day tournament.
Blinds are 800/1600 with 200 antes

The unofficial leaders include:
Joanne Dorin 150,000
Tom Hancock 120,000
Vinny Bahuja 120,000
Robert Fetzko 110,000

Joanne had a monster 180,000 stack but recently took a couple hits.

Steve Dennenmann is alive with an average chip stack

Event 2: Payouts

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Entries: 520
Total Buy-In: $156,000

Place-Amount

1 $37,679
2 $21,185
3 $13,619
4 $10,819
5 $ 8,474
6 $ 6,961
7 $ 5,523
8 $ 4,313
9 $ 3,027
10-12 $1,967
13-15 $1,513
16-18 $ 1,135
19-27 $ 832
28-36 $ 757
37-45 $ 681
46-54 $ 605

Event 1: Cannone Doubles; Sica Sacked

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)


Gina Cannone

Gina Cannone (Staten Island, NY) moved in and got looked up by the big blind, who held AQ offsuit.  Gina was racing with pocket Jacks.  The board ran clean --  T 4 3 3 9 -- and Gina doubled up to almost 500k.

Mike 'Little Man' Sica got his last chips in when he paired up on the turn, but the button held pocket Queens to send him packing.  Little Man finished 83rd for $1,285.

81 players remain.  73rd - 81st places earn $1,428.

Event 1: Huge hands, huge pots!

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Robert Boyko ran his pocket Kings into the pocket Aces of Kevin Johnson (Bridgewater, NJ).   The aces held and Kevin pulled the pot, chipping up to about 1.225 million.  Robert finished in 91st place ($1,142).

Jason Dominici and Eric Rappaport

On the next table over, Jason Dominici raised from the button, Eric Rappaport re-raised from the small blind, Jason 4-bet, and Eric 5-bet-shoved for over 500k total.  Jason took a few moments to deliberate, then made the call.  Eric tabled an un-impressive K8 offsuit.  Jason was ahead with AJ suited.

The flop came 9 4 3 and changed nothing.  Then a King hit the turn, giving Eric top pair and the lead.  Jason needed a 3-outer Ace on the river to win.  River was a 9, however, and Eric doubled up to over 1.1 million.  Jason, who started day two as the chip leader, was left with less than 100k and busted out soon after in 90th place ($1,285).

Joshua Supsak (Linwood, NJ) is up to 1.4 million and may be the chip leader.

At the end of level 20, 88 players remained.  They're taking a ten minute break.

Event 2: Fifteen Minute Break

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry) is take a fifteen minute siesta.

153 players on 17 tables remain and we started the day with 517 players.

When we return, blinds are going up to 500/1000 with 100 antes.

33,000 average chip stack.

Event 1: Boyko and Liu Chipping Up

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

After seat 8 opened for 24k, Robert Boyko flats in the big blind.  The flop came K Q J with two diamonds and Robert checked.  His opponent fired 25k and Robert called. Turn was another King.  Robert checked, seat 8 bet 45k, and again Robert called.

Robert Boyko

River was an 8 and the third diamond on board.  Robert checked, seat 8 shoved for 110k, and Robert snap-called.  Seat 8 showed KJ for Kings full of Jacks.  Robert rolled over KQ for Kings full of Queens to take the pot, sending his opponent to the rail.  Robert chipped up to ~500k.

Over on table 8, a little excitement ensued.  Ken Silberstein (Edson, NJ) had moved all-in for 95k, but the player in the small blind didn't notice and put in 35k to raise the big blind.  The floor was called and ruled that the 30k he put in on top of the small blind had to stay.  He could then call the remaining 60k all-in, or fold.  He opted to fold.

 Jia Liu

Jia Liu (Brooklyn, NY) was in the big blind and after looking at his cards, took a couple of seconds, then called.  Ken held J7 suited and was domninated by Jia's A7 offsuit.  The board came K K 6 2 2 and Jia took the pot.  Ken headed for the payout desk.

Barbara Rogers (Lock Haven, PA) is one of the few ladies who made it to day two.  She finished in 104th place, earning $1,071.  She did re-enter once, so almost broke-even.

 Barbara Rogers

Play continued into level 20 with blinds of 6k/12k and 2k antes.

Down to 11 tables now, meaning 99 players remain.  91st to 100th places each earn $1,142.

Event 2: This Is Poker

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Aaron Wright

On a board of 7-2-8-A-7, Aaron Wright (Baltimore, MD) is using every trick in his book to get Thomas Renault (Boston, MA) to call off the rest of his stack.

Line after line. "When you didn't call right away, I was felling pretty good." "If you fold I'll show you." "Take your time man, play your game."

With his tournament life at stake and a ton invested in the 50,000 pot, Thomas went in the tank. He took so long, an opponent not in the hand called a clock.

With seconds ticking down, finally the Frenchman folded.

Neither player showed but Aaron represented two red aces for top Full House while Renault claims having a seven. "So much for showing me" mumbled Renault.

A lot of drama, excitement, leveling, and table talk in this hand.

The very next deal, perhaps steaming, Thomas shoved with 99 against A-J suited.

His hand held and he doubled up.

Event 3: The Blind Leading the Blind

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Koval & Kim

Limit poker isn't the flashiest card game around, so a couple of players are trying to spice things-up. Howard Koval (Brick, NJ) is raising without looking at his cards. Marty Kim (New York, NY) re-raises "blind" to get extra chips in the pot.

Another player that likes to gamble is Jason Young (Suffern, NY), who takes a peek at his hole cards, and caps the betting at 800 (100/200 ante). After two more rounds of capped betting, Young and Koval go to the river on a board: A 2 6♠ 9♣ A♠.

Young bets "the most" and Koval says, "I have to see it." Young tables the winner A♣ K, for trip aces.

"That's how you play limit poker boys," says Young who takes his stack to 22k, while Koval is down to 1,100.

Young is Trippin'

Event 1: First to Collect

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Corbett, Glantz & Greenwood

Once the money bubble broke, the flood gates opened and the min. cash players swamp Borgata's Deb Daly at the payout podium. Accomplished player Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hill, PA) adds $1,071 to his career earnings of $3.25 million.

Here's a look at the first three players heading to the cage at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

120 Brian Corbett (Jamesburg, NJ) $1,071
119 Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hill, PA) $1,071
118 Eric Greenwood (Virginia Beach, VA) $1,071

Event 1: In The Money!

 Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Level 18 ended and during the break, the black (100) and purple (500) chips were colored up and removed from play.  When action resumed, they were in level 19 with blinds of 5k/10k and 1k antes.

134 players remained.  Only 120 will get paid.  The short stacks were looking for a hand to get their chips in good.

Olga Varkonyi

Olga Varkonyi (Great Neck, NY) made her moved with QT offsuit when action folded to her on the button.  The small blind looked her up with AJ.  The flop came 8 8 2 and changed nothing.  Olga took the lead on the turn when a Ten fell, but the river delivered a Jack for her opponent, giving him the pot and sending Olga to the rail in 132nd place.

131...130...129...

Pocket 4s fell to T8 when an 8 hit the river.  Another one gone.

Joanne Monteavarro (Bronx, NY) mucks pocket 7s in the blind after a raise.  Her opponent shows pocket Aces.  Joanne gives herself a pat on the back for the good laydown.

128...127...

Mike 'Little Man' Sica

Mike 'Little Man' Sica (N Brunswick, NJ) was looking for his spot and moved in from middle position.  Play folded around to Robert Boyko (Bronx, NY) in the small blind, who made the call.  His pocket Jacks were crushed by Mike's pocket Queens.  The flop came Q T 6, giving Mike a set and extending his lead.  The Jack on the turn was too little, too late, for Robert.  His set was no good.  A 6 on the river completed Little Man's full house and he doubled up to ~200k.

126 players...table 15 broken.  Now 14 tables (9-handed)...125...124...123...122...

Things got a little crazy, so they stopped the clock to get a head count.  After three passes through the tables, they confirmed that only 120 players remained, so the bubble had already burst.  A round of applause went up when it was announced that they were in the money!!

The next 20 players to bust will earn $1,071 for their efforts.

Event 2: Southern Invasion

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Dao "Miss Virginia" Bui

Dao Bui (Sterling, VA) is a sweet Southern Belle ready to take your chips. Ironically, she's sitting between two Southern gentlemen, one from Virgina and one from North Carolina.

The accents (drawls, not draws) are flying at this table as one of the guy's chirped out, "We came up here to get all youins Yankee money." No embellishment from this reporter, he really did say it like that.

Dao with under 20,000 just impressively laid down A-K to her opponent's All In Jam Session.

She politely tossed the cards his way showing the "hopefully correct" fold.

Event 2: Among The Chip Leaders

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

I went around and eye-balled everyone's chips and three stacks, all in the mid-seventies, stood out.

Joanne Dorin (New York City)
John Lakatosh (Red Lion, PA)
Big Tom Hancock (Long Island, NY)

Big Tom got most of his chips when his wired Jacks held up.

When asked how he grew his stack to one of the largest on the floor, Big Tom grinned and exclaimed, "I've been grinding and grinding and grinding all day".

Level 8 - Blinds 400/800 with 75 antes

Event 2: Back From Break

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry) is back from a quick ten minute break.

Just starting Level 7: 300/600 blinds with 75 antes.

Event 2: Broadway Run

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

David "The Assassin" Danlag (Abington, MD)

A big and and a long hand as three players get it all in holding AA, QQ, and 10-10.

Flop of Q-K-A gives two players a set.

Danlag's with pocket tens needs a Jack and spikes it on the turn.

He sweats the river, knocks out a player, and scoops a 20,000 pot with Broadway.

A disappointed Michael Forca (Long Island, NY) had the Queens and named David "The Assassin".

I don't know, this could be the happiest, non-threatening-looking Assassin ever.

Event 1: Dash for the Cash

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Veliu Very Close to the Money

After 2+ hours of poker, players are on their first break of the day and approximately 15 players from the money.

The floor personnel is coloring-up the black (100) chips and the purple (500) chips as they gear up for the first payouts of the Borgata Winter Open.

John Supsak (New York, NY) used pocket kings as one of his key hands to go from 250k (dropping as low as 100k) to 700k.

While Alida Veliu (Wyckoff, NJ) has gone from 250k to 420k, saying "I'm having a good day."

Level 19 (5k/10k/1k ante)

Event 2: Swapping Stories

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

It's a fun, friendly atmosphere out there as players are going from table to table to see how their buds are doing.

I got to eavesdrop a little as Gordon Eng and Steve Dannenmann were swapping stories.

Gordon sent his PPI pal Carl Restifo to the rail after his A-K hit a three-outter against Carl's K-K. In the same hand a short stack had the discipline to fold A-Q suited pre-flop correctly.

Steve arrived at the tournament 90 minutes late then tripled up on the second hand he played.

He's currently sitting on approximately 21,000 and Gordon has 60,000.

Dannenmann wants everyone to know that he's playing for American dollars not Euros are Yens.
Ha-ha, these guys are funny!

Event 3: Limit is Set

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

68 players are in the field as registration is closed.

For the uninitiated, the limit format sets the amount each play can bet at any given time. The betting is capped on the third raise, which means stacks last a lot long than in a no-limit tournament.

Level 4 is complete and players are on a 10 minute break.

Event 2: NL - 517 Total Players

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)


517 Total Players

Event 2: $300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry) has 517 total players in the Borgata Event Center.

Last I looked there were 39 tables remaining.

We'll post payouts when we get them.

Event 1: Head Count

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

As the money bubble approaches, the big question is, "how many left?"

The floor person just broke another table and 154 players remain, as 120 get paid.

Level 18 (4k/8k/500 ante) is underway.

Event 2: A+A+A+A = QUADS

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Mike Defrancesco hits aaaa monster!

Mike Defrancesco (Wilkes Barre, PA) tripled up during Level 4 from 8,000 to 27,000 when his pocket aces setted up on an all club flop.

The flop hit everyone as Opponent 1 thought his set of threes was good and Opponent two jammed his remaining 5,000 with the second nut flush draw.

Ace on the turn gets a rousing reaction from the table as Quadzilla strikes again at Borgata.

It's one thing to get quads, but it's oh so much sweeter when two other players are coming along for the ride.

Mike busted out of yesterday's Deepstack, his favorite event, but is excited to hit some more events this week.

In his day-job, Mike gives MRI's to animals.
Wonder if that makes him good at scanning the table for Donkeys?

Event 2: Fifteen Minute Break

Event 2: $300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

We're on a fifteen minute break.

When we return...
Level 5 150-300 blinds with 25 ante.

You may notice we usually include where our players are from. Players come from all over to play in Borgata Winter Poker Open. I met a man last night named Phil who drove 9 hours from Tennessee.

He told me he loves this atmosphere and feels he gets the most bang for his poker buck.

Our Blog is enjoyed all over the world and Borgata players drive in from all over the Eastern United States.

Event 1: Storms are Brewing

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Cheng Chalks up a Win

Tim Latouch (Hatboro, PA), who started the day 8th in chips (448k) and Yat Cheng (Charlotte, NC), who finished 2nd in Borgata's November Deep Stack Double Play, butt heads on Table 2.

Latouch opens from the high jack position to 14k (3k/6k blinds)
Cheng 3-bets to 4ok total from the big blind
Latouch re-popped to 93k total
Cheng 5-bets to 193k, leaving himself with 100k and making the pot nearly 4ook.

Latouch puts up the white flag and folds saying, "six, seven of hearts?"
Cheng's response, "a little better than that."

Cheng started the the hand with 300k and is now up to 50ok, while Latouch drops to 390k.

Level 17 continues.

Latouch Lays it Down

Event 2: Happily Dever After

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Knock Out in Seat 7 Helps Knock Out 7

Three players at Table 17 (seats 2, 7, & 8) have collectively sent seven players to the rail.

"I had a full house and a nut flush that held-up" said Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) who is happy to stay put in seat #7.

Cathy, sitting on 36,000 chips, is thinking positive thoughts as she's looking forward to playing this tournament for TWO days so we can blog her at the final table.

Event 3: Limited Field

$300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

Riccobono Ready for Redemption

A lot of regular No Limit players are taking a crack at the Limit tournament.

"This is great," says Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY), who finished 2nd in the 2009 Borgata Poker Open Limit Event. "I haven't had a chance to play this in awhile."

His nemesis, Norman Whitely (Newark, DE), who beat Riccobono heads up, is also in the tournament. Also in the field are Borgata regulars Jason Young (Suffern, NY) and Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ).

Players start with 10,000 chips and Levels 1-4 each last 30 minutes (Levels 5+ are 40 min.).

Event 2: Re-Buy Odds?

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Rich Forte Enjoys Massage

Implied Odds...Pot Odds...how about Re-Buy Odds?

Rich Forte leads out, and two Opponents shove. The basketball coach of 10-12 year olds contemplates calling with A-J only because one opponent was short stacked and the other, for a half-hour, was just itching to re-buy. And Forte would still have 7,500 chips remaining.

Forte's A-J up against Paul Faynegersh's (Brooklyn, NY) A-Q and John Lee's (Westwood, NJ) K-Q.

Lee shouts out "King-Ball" again and again as the flop falls J-K-4.

The board bricks out.

Lee celebrates and scoops the pot as Faynegersh hurries off to re-buy.

Lee pulled out the "Blogger's Curse" claiming the last time we took his picture he busted out soon after. So we'll let him slide this time.

"No re-buy for me" said John who, as he neatly stacks the 15,000 pot, admitted he was very lucky.

We're now into Level 4 with 100-200 blinds.
Last chance to re-buy!

Event 1: Movers & Shakers

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Dominici on the Move

The top 5 big stacks are all sitting tight. "Slow right now," says Antoine White (Middle River, MD), who began the day 5th in chips with 501k.

But chip leader Jason Dominici (Bowie, MD) is on the move, literally. He began the day at Table 1 with 810k, but was moved to table 18.

"I busted him," joked one short stack who's still at what will eventually become the final table.

Level 17 (3k/6k/500 ante) is underway.

Event 3: Limit Underway

$300 + $50 Limit Hold-em

Event 3 underway in Event Center

We have a full house (pun intended) as every table is occupied with three tournaments running simultaneously.

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels 1-4: 30 minutes Levels 5+: 40 minutes
  • 2-day event (Day 2 starts at 1P)

PPI UPDATE

PPI (Poker Players International ) is honored to be part of another Borgata Winter Poker Open. Both our staff and players consider Borgata to be the premier destination of any poker event series. Across the board Borgata has every poker players best interest in mind. Everything from tournament structures, staff, dealers ,variety of events, dining, spa, and an energy filled event center room ..... Borgata has it covered!

PPI represents hundreds of World Class Poker Players that always include the Borgata Winter Poker Open on their tournament schedules - including, 2011 WSOP runner-up John Racener , WSOP Player of the Year Frank Kasella, WPT 2nd place finisher David Inselberg, Joseph Cheong , Mike Beasely, Josh Brikis, Jason Young , Lee Childs , David Fox, and Vinny Pahuja .

At this years BWO we are pleased to introduce the PPI "Play for the Main" which will award the PPI player with the most points accumulated through participation , cashes, and final table appearances a seat into the Borgata Winter Open Main Event. We will provide you with daily leaderboard updates here on the Live Updates Blog, along with PPI player news. You can check out our roster of players and bios, news, charity organizations we support, and see the trailer for the PPI produced documentary film On The Line: John Racener at PPIPOKER .

The 1st event at the 2011 BWO got off to an amazing start attracting 1,472 entrants (and setting a record first-day BWO prize pool of $736k). PPI players Carlos Delafuenta 165k, Robert Hwang 148k, James Boyle 141k, Mike Sica 125k , Joe Culter 120k and Dave Inselberg 109k all survived day 1 of the Deep Stack Event. They will return at 12pm today as they make a run for the title.

We will provide the PPI "Play for the Main " Leaderboard after Event 1 has ended.

Event 1: First Pay Day

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

The chips are unpacked, the tables signs are down and Event 1 players are ready to hit the money for the first time at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

209 players return, with 120 collecting the minimum cash of $1,071. Five players begin the day with more than 500k in chips, as Jason Dominici (Bowie, MD) leads the way with 810,300.

Button starts in the 4 seat and play resumes with 25 minutes left on Level 16 (2,500/5,000/400 ante).

Cards are in the air!

Event 2: Hand Made For TV

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Steve Topchev (Hillside, NJ) Doubles Up


Rich Hall (Wilkes Barre, PA) - Watching TV

With three players in and the chips flying onto the felt, Steve Topchev (Hillside, NJ) bets every street and catches his man on the river, hitting a full house.

Steve's pocket's 7-7 filled out in the nick of time.

On a board of 9s 9h Ac 8s 7h Rich Hall (Wilkes Barre, PA) turns a straight, looks away from his NCIS television episode he's watching at the table, and prays he's good.

Third opponent calls with top-top but neither is good enough as Topchev rakes a monster pot.

Blinds are up 75 - 150 as Level 3 begins.

Event 2: Notables

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Some truly great players signed up this morning to play in Event 2.

James Boyd
Josh Brikis
Michael Castaldo
Keith Crowder
Steve Dannenmann
Michael Dentale
Gordon Eng
David Inselberg
Barry Leventhal
James "Suits" Salters
Eric Siegel
James Stenella

Keep watching to see which notables make it to the end...

Event 2: Payman Looking For Payday

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Coffee and Big Hole Cards Wake Up Azizoghli

Johnny Promo, a Borgata regular, sized up his table (4) and immediately pegs Payman Azizoghli (Freehold, NJ) as an early threat, "He's good man, he's got it going on".

Promo playing for his kids EJ and Sabrina who follow the blog at home.

Payman is a small business owner (import/export) and has his eye on the Main Event - "Winning that is my major goal".

Borgata is Payman's favorite place to play. "This is the biggest game in town. I like how organized everything is."

Payman is looking to continue importing more chips than he exports.

Heard the floor shout out, "seat open" so there's already one early bust out.

Don't forget you can re-buy...

Event 2: Shuffle Up And Away We Go

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Cool Borgata Logo Sees All

Are you ready for another exciting day of Borgata Winter Poker Open action?

I'm looking forward to meeting as many players on the floor (new and old) as I report on the most insane bad beats, suck-outs, and lay-downs I can find.

We have a full slate today starting with Event 2 $300 + $50 which is underway.

Players start with 10,000 chips, blinds are 25 - 50 with 1 re-entry (through first four levels).
Event 2 a two day tournament with Day 1 ending at 2am or 18 players, whichever comes first.

So if you can't make it down to Borgata, follow us on the blog.

And if you're here, introduce yourself and give me a great poker story to share with the world.

Thursday, January 20

TODAY'S EVENTS (EVENT CENTER)

11AM (Event 2): $300 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

  • 1 Re-Entry
  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels 1-4: 30 minutes Levels 5+: 40 minutes
  • 2-day event (Day 2 starts at 1P)

12PM (Event 3): $300 + $50 Limit Hold'em

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels 1-4: 30 minutes Levels 5+: 40 minutes
  • 2-day event (Day 2 starts at 1P)

3PM (Event 29): $200 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels last 25 minutes
  • 1-day event

7PM (Event 30): $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels last 20 minutes
  • 1-day event

Event 1 Chip Leaders

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
January 19-20, 2011

Entries: 1,472
Total Buy-In: $736,000

END OF DAY 1 CHIP LEADERS:
1. JASON DOMINICI (BOWLE, MD): 810,300
2. YEVGENY GANS (SYKESVILLE, MD): 607,700
3. VITTORIO FARICELLI (MASPETH, NY): 547,100
4. JEFFREY KROSCHE (WHITE PLAINS, NY): 511,000
5. ANTOINE WHITE (MIDDLE RIVER, MD): 501,200
6. SAKIP SHEHU (BROOKLYN, NY): 473,000
7. BRETT BRUCALERI (ST JAMES, NY): 458,400
8. TIMOTHY LATOUCH (HATBORO, PA): 447,600
9. RHODA ROSENKOWITZ (FLUSHING, NY): 423,900
10. MICHAEL BONNEY (MAYS LANDING, NJ): 402,500
11. CHRISTOPHER RUSSELL (MASSAPEQUA, NY): 401,500
12. GINA CANNONE (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 400,700
13. STEVEN MACCHIA (WOOD RIDGE, NJ): 396,300
14. SEAN WALLACE (HORSHAM, PA): 375,600
15. KEVIN JOHNSON (BRIDGEWATER, NJ): 372,300
16. ALEXANDER ROCHA (S SETAUKET, NY): 368,300
17. NEAL LIPTAK (YORK, PA): 359,100
18. RICKY SUN (JACKSON HGTS, NY): 358,000
19. ALFIE NATALE (PHILA, PA): 349,800
20. MICHAEL SHASHO (RAMSEY, NJ): 346,600
21. RANDY BARCINAS (CLIFTON, NJ): 334,300
22. MICHAEL SCIBETTA (TOMS RIVER, NJ): 330,200
23. KARL COOPER (TELFORD, PA): 314,800
24. ROBERT PAUL HANLEY (FOREST HILLS, NY): 314,700
25. MARK LLORENTE (LONG ISLAND CITY, NY): 314,000
26. PAUL SPITZBERG (TENAFLY, NJ): 309,400
27. SEUNGHWAN LEE (ALBERTSON, NY): 306,500
28. PHONG THAN NGUYEN (BRISTOW, VA): 304,000
29. GREGORY KOLO (ROCKY RIVER, OH): 300,200
30. RONALD DURANTE (HAINESPORT, NJ): 293,200
31. DOUGLAS BARAHONA (DERWOOD, MD): 291,900
32. DAVID SOLOMON (PLAINVIEW, NY): 284,700
33. JOHN RUSSO (COMMACK, NY): 278,900
34. WALTER HARRIS (ST PETERSBURG, FL): 274,100
35. LEONARD J 3RD SANDE (NEW HAVEN, CT): 264,600
36. JULIAN PARK (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 263,700
37. VITALY KOVYAZIN (BROOKLYN, NY): 260,200
38. ALLAN VROOMAN (GREENVILLE, NC): 259,200
39. BRYAN BINDERT (WENONAH, NJ): 259,000
40. STEVEN RUSSELL (COOLVILLE, OH): 258,500
41. BERNARD CASANOVA (FARMINGVILLE, NY): 257,900
42. ERIC DOERR (NEWARK, DE): 257,400
43. CARLO FRANCISCO (JERSEY CITY, NJ): 253,200
44. ALIDA VELIU (WYCKOFF, NJ): 251,500
45. ROBERT PAVENTI (BROOKLYN, NY): 250,000
46. MARCELLO DELMONACO (NEW HAVEN, CT): 249,200
47. JOSHUA SUPSAK (LINWOOD, NJ): 248,700
48. YAT CHENG (CHARLOTTE, NC): 247,200
49. MARK FALOW (TOTOWA, NJ): 238,100
50. ROBERT BOYKO (YONKERS, NY): 238,000
51. PHILIP PROCKER (BRONX, NY): 237,800
52. AARON STEURY (FT WAYNE, IN): 237,200
53. ARTYEM PERLOV (FORT LEE, NJ): 228,400
54. RYAN WOOD (CROWNSVILLE, MD): 225,200
55. TOBY KASSER (NANUET, NY): 224,600
56. DANIEL DIZENZO (SUSSEX, NJ): 222,300
57. DIMITRIOS BERGOS (BALTIMORE, MD): 221,300
58. WOOYANG LIN (MORRISTOWN, NJ): 218,600
59. DEMETRIOS GEORGOUS (LITTLE FALLS, NJ): 215,200
60. FRANK PUGLIESE (TENAFLY, NJ): 213,000
61. AYUB SAYED (INDIA): 212,500
62. ERIC HALL (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 211,900
63. MICKAEL MORGOUSKY (BROOKLYN, NY): 210,000
64. CHARLES INGRAM (SHARPSBURG WA, MD): 209,900
65. NENAD SIMIC (EDISON, NJ): 208,400
66. RONALD MNIECKOWSKI (REXFORD, NY): 206,600
67. THOMAS DIANTONIO (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 206,000
68. SATISH SURAPANENI (NEW YORK, NY): 196,700
69. MICHEAL MALANDRO (WAVERLY, VA): 195,400
70. ONOFRIO REINA (ELIZABETH, NJ): 194,900
71. KENNETH WALDROP (ASHLAND, VA): 194,200
72. ROBERT MELO (HOWARD BEACH, NY): 193,700
73. KERRY SMALL (VENTNOR CITY, NJ): 193,000
74. TOMMY POPE (RALEIGH, NC): 192,900
75. ERIC GREENWOOD (VIRGINIA BEACH, VA): 189,900
76. JOAKIM BROCHARD (WANTAGH, NY): 188,900
77. FRANK RASILE (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 184,800
78. TAYLOR SHPUR (WITHERBEE, NY): 183,400
79. ZACKERY SPICER (GEORGETOWN, DE): 182,300
80. MATTHEW GLANTZ (LAFAYETTE HILL, PA): 181,200
81. GINO GENARI (LINDEN, VA): 180,500
82. JOHN BUGLION (COMMACK, NY): 180,100
83. MARIO BAGO (ASTORIA, NY): 175,000
84. ALAN HADDY (OAKLAND, NJ): 174,000
85. SUNGWOO TAE (PALISADES PK, NJ): 173,300
86. LAN HOANG LE (GLEN MILLS DR, PA): 172,600
87. NICHOLAS HOJNOSKI (CORNING, NY): 170,000
88. STEVEN COSENZA (NEW YORK, NY): 169,000
89. ANTHONY COLOMBO (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 166,700
90. JIA LIU (BROOKLYN, NY): 165,400
91. CARLOS DELAFUENTE (SYOSSET, NY): 165,000
92. RICHARD SMITH (EDGE WATER, MD): 160,000
93. JOSEPH HANRAHAN (AMHERST, NH): 159,800
94. HENRY DOIBAN (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 157,400
95. WILLIAM GURBISZ (CRANFORD, NJ): 156,600
96. BRIAN CORBETT (MONROE TWP, NJ): 155,500
97. YONISANDER RAMIREZ (MIAMI, FL): 155,100
98. ALPHONSE TELYMONDE (BRIGANTINE, NJ): 153,300
99. ERIC RAPPAPORT (LANSDALE, PA): 152,900
100. DANIEL CARPENTER II (NEWPORT NEWS, VA): 151,600
101. CLAUDIUS FERRIS (HOLLIS, NY): 151,000
102. MATTHEW GALLUZZO (MARLBORO, NJ): 150,500
103. DAVID VUOLO (TOMS RIVER, NJ): 149,400
104. ROBERT HWANG (BARNEGAT, NJ): 148,800
105. ROHAN LONG (WINDSOR, CT): 148,000
106. JEFFREY GOTTESMAN (HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA): 145,850
107. DIMITRIOS MOUTAFIS (ASTORIA, NY): 145,700
108. STEVE CHA (BROOKLYN, NY): 144,200
109. HANOCH GUTTMAN (BROOKLYN, NY): 143,500
110. VINCENT BASILICATA (LITTLE NECK, NY): 143,400
111. DAVID POULTERER (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 141,500
112. MICHAEL GLICK (BALA CYNWYD, PA): 141,500
113. JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD): 141,500
114. VINCENT PALMERI (STATEN ISLAND, NY): 141,000
115. WILLIAM WOOD (CROWNSVILLE, MD): 139,900
116. MICHAEL MALETTA (HICKSVILLE, NY): 137,700
117. JONATHAN SONDEJ (CHESAPEAKE, VA): 136,100
118. DAVID BIVINS (BROWN MILLS, NJ): 135,000
119. SHAWN JAMES (VIRGINIA BCH, VA): 133,900
120. ERIK WINIARSKI (POUGHKEEPSIE, NY): 133,800
121. THOMAS MCMACKIN (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 131,300
122. ZOHAIB BUTT (BABYLON, NY): 130,600
123. JOANNE MONTEAVARO (BRONX, NY): 130,100
124. LEONARDO PALERMO (ORTLEY BEACH, NJ): 128,600
125. KONSTANTINO DIMITROULAKOS (TINTON FALLS, NJ): 127,000
126. DAVID HICKMAN (HAYMARKET, VA): 125,700
127. MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ): 125,600
128. PAUL RELYEA (BRKLYN, NY): 122,500
129. THOMAS MCGARRY (HAZLET, NJ): 122,400
130. DAVE ELLIOTT (TINTON FALLS, NJ): 122,300
131. OLGA VARKONYI (GREAT NECK, NY): 121,800
132. AARON SMITH (NEW BEDFORD, MA): 121,000
133. JOSEPH CUTLER (BAY SHORE, NY): 120,900
134. KONSTANTI EHLERT (EDISON, NJ): 120,000
135. MICHAEL SHELDON (DRESHER, PA): 117,000
136. ETHAN DOLAN (HAZLETON, PA): 116,700
137. MATTHEW GAMBINO (WEST BABYLON, NY): 115,300
138. TANIOS ABI-YAGHI (TOMS RIVER, NJ): 114,700
139. RICHARD LEACH (WASHINGTON, DC): 113,900
140. ERIC ROCKWELL (PORT MOUTH, VA): 113,500
141. ALEKSEY GODUNOV (RICHBORO, PA): 112,500
142. BRIAN MOONEY (MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY): 111,000
143. TOM PETER ABBAS (ENOLA, PA): 110,800
144. RICHARD RICE (HAYMARKET, VA): 110,000
145. BRIAN ADRAGNA (E MEADOW, NY): 109,500
146. DAVID INSELBERG (NEW YORK, NY): 109,500
147. DAVID BLACK (ROBBINSVILLE, NJ): 109,000
148. DONALD BOIVIN (ANNAPOLIS, MD): 105,900
149. KEN SILBERSTEIN (EDISON, NJ): 105,500
150. ALLISON SCHULTZ (NEW YORK, NY): 105,000
151. WILLIAM SEYMOUR (GREENVILLE, NC): 104,400
152. PAUL PHILLIPS (ANGELICA, NY): 103,700
153. MIKE GOGLIORMELLA (YONKERS, NY): 103,100
154. JOSHUA LAWSON (QUARRYVILLE, PA): 98,400
155. URI NIR (SILVER SPRING, MD): 98,300
156. JOSEPH POCHEDLY (ROYAL OAK, MI): 96,900
157. PATRICK ALAN WHITMORE (MARTINSBURG, WV): 96,700
158. TARIEL AMINOV (JAMAICA ESTATE, NY): 94,900
159. ALEKSANDR BOLTON (BROOKLYN, NY): 94,400
160. BRIAN WAGNER (ASHLAND, PA): 93,100
161. VINCENT CAESAR (GLEN MILLS, PA): 91,500
162. JOHN RABEL (VIRGINIA BCH, VA): 89,700
163. KONSTANTINE BASIOS (MINEOLA, NY): 89,000
164. SPIROS MARKATOS (DIX HILLS, NY): 88,800
165. DANNY RISTICK (TURNERSVILLE, NJ): 88,500
166. ALEXANDRI CONKLIN (TOMS RIVER, NJ): 88,200
167. MARC GENDLEMAN (ANNAPOLIS AA, MD): 87,400
168. MATTHEW SILBERZWEIG (ELMONT, NY): 86,000
169. SEAN OHALLERAN (RONKONKOMA, NY): 81,100
170. PAUL GOMBERG (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 80,200
171. FRANK BELASIC (CEDAR GROVE, NJ): 80,100
172. CHRISTOPHER BRANSCOMB (MECHANICSVLLE, VA): 79,500
173. ANDREW DIFALCO (NESCONSET, NY): 77,500
174. EDMOND MCCARTHY (SOUDERTON, PA): 76,600
175. BARBARA ROGERS (LOCK HAVEN, PA): 75,700
176. BENJAMIN MODO (ROSEDALE, MD): 74,600
177. RICHARD SEMANDER (PEMBROKE, FL): 74,500
178. DANIEL LOBEL (KATONAH, NY): 73,500
179. NUA VUKEL (BRONX, NY): 69,500
180. IGOR FISHKOP (BROOKLYN, NY): 68,300
181. STEPHEN ESPOSITO (ORLANDO, FL): 65,100
182. DARRELL LADOW (LITITZ, PA): 65,100
183. ANTHONY RAIMONE (BARDONIA, NY): 65,000
184. HAROLD VASQUEZ (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 63,600
185. TERRELL CHEATHAM (KENT, OH): 63,200
186. GARY STEINBERG (ELLICOTT CITY, MD): 63,200
187. LYDIA WALTONBAUGH (NEW KENSINGTON, PA): 62,600
188. LENNY SPINA (ASTORIA, NY): 62,500
189. ANDREW ROSEN (NY, NY): 59,500
190. JOHN HANNA (NEW YORK, NY): 58,700
191. NEAL GAY (BROOKLYN, NY): 53,000
192. CHARLES BURKS (FAIROAKS, PA): 48,300
193. JOHN FITZPATRICK (HICKSVILLE, NY): 47,600
194. JOANNA LEBAN (NEW YORK, NY): 46,000
195. CHRISTOPHER DEQUATRO (WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY): 43,900
196. TIMOTHY ROSA (EASTON, PA): 43,700
197. RONNIE PLYLER (WAXHAW, NC): 38,800
198. WILLIAM REILLY (OAKDALE, PA): 35,900
199. DEAN SCHULTZ (STOW, OH): 34,100
200. MONTY DENNIS (TUCKER, GA): 33,200
201. KEITH FARLEY (RIDGEFIELD, NJ): 33,100
202. ERIC LISICA (GLEN BURNIE, MD): 31,500
203. MATTHEW FORREST (E WILLISTON, NY): 30,500
204. TODD GARDNER (WATERFORD WKSKS, NJ): 30,000
205. JAMES BUTLER JR (VIRGINIA BCH H, VA): 24,100
206. RICHARD NORMAN (BOHEMIA, NY): 24,000
207. ANTHONY REED (PHILADELPHIA, PA): 21,700
208. JOSEPH PITTI (E MEADOW, NY): 19,500
209. MINH TAM NGUYEN (LANCASTER, PA): 14,200

Event 28 Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 28: $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em
January 19, 2011

Entries: 159
Total Buy-In: $23,850

FINAL RESULTS
1. KIRKOR TEKNECI (WHITESTONE, NY): $6,940
2. HOWARD BROWN (BRIGANTINE, NJ): $3,817
3. MATTHEW PICCOLO (DUMONT, NJ): $2,197
4. ABUL MOBORROD (VENTNOR CITY, NJ): $1,851
5. BRIAN LUCY (KEYPORT, NJ): $1,388
6. DAVID BARNOW (TUCHAHOE, NJ): $1,157
7. SAMUEL ABRAMS (FRANKLIN LAKES, NJ): $925
8. KEVIN MECHALAS (NORTH WALES, PA): $694
9. LOUIS DEMARCO (BROOKLYN, NY): $521
10. ANDREW KLEIN (OCEAN, NJ): $463
11. FRED ALESI (ISLIP, NY): $463
12. JIM KAISER (ELWOOD, NJ): $463
13. MICHAEL FAVOR (TOMS RIVER, NJ): $405
14. THOMAS STALBA (WILLIAMSTOWN, NJ): $405
15. OSCAR ARANDA (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $405
16. REGINALDO TEIXEIRA (CARLE PLACE, NY): $347
17. HENRY PORCARO (WARWICK, NY): $347
18. MICHAEL MAGLIETTA (PARLIN, NJ): $347



*Total prize pool reduced by 3% for dealer tip pursuant to a new law enacted by the State of New Jersey

Event 1 Day 1 Recap

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)    

The premiere event of the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open was a record-setting one.  The 1,472 entries generated total buy-ins of $736,000, topping the previous record set in 2007 of $685,000.

The final 120 players will earn a piece of the prize pool and the winner will take home $150,850.

Four WSOP bracelet holders were in the field, the most notable of which was Robert Varkonyi, (Great Neck, NY) who won the main event in 2002.  Mike 'Little Man' Sica, (North Brunswick, NJ) Chris Reslock, (Atlantic City, NJ) and Jason Young (Suffern, NY) were the other three.  When the dust settled at 2am, only Little Man was still alive.  He will return for day two with 125,600.  (While Robert did not make it to day two, his wife, Olga Varkonyi, did.)

Other notables who did not make it through the grueling 15 hours of day one are:  Steve Dannenmann, (2005 WSOP main event runner-up) Josh Brikis, (Pittsburgh, PA) James Boyd, (Martinsburg, WV) Lisa Pickell,  (Brick, NJ) Matt 'muffins' Mazzeo, (E Williston, NY) Vinny Pahuja, (Hicksville, NY) Nick Frangos,  (NY) Mike Dentale, (Brooklyn, NY) Sirous Jamshidi, (Broomall, PA) and Torpekay Habashzada (Broomall, PA).

About 210 players will return for day two.  Notable players and regular locals who survived and will return, in no particular order:
Alex Bolotin - 94,400
Joanne Monteavarro  130,100
Matt Glantz - 181,200
Paul Spitzberg - 309,400
Eric Doerr - 257,400
'Action' Bob Hwang - 148,800
James Boyle - 109,500
Dean Schultz - 34,100

Day two begins at noon Thursday here in the event center!

End of Day 1 Chip Leaders

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

Jason Dominici

Ryan Wood made the mistake of getting tangled up in a pot with his neighbor, Jason Dominici of Bowie, MD (they play in the same home-game).  On the river, Ryan bet 130k and Jason shoved.  Ryan let it go and no hands were shown, but Jason collected a huge pot, boosting his chip count to 690k and taking the chip lead.

As the clock struck 2am, the tournament clock was paused with 25 minutes remaining in level 16 and players began bagging and tagging their chips.  A complete list will be posted when available but I scanned the bags for any over half a million, and here they are:

Jason Dominici    810,300
Yevgeny Gans     607,700
Vittorio Faricelli  547,100
Jeff Krosche        511,000
Antoine White    501,200

A couple of other stacks of note:  Rhoda Rosenkowitz ended the day with 423,900.  Phong 'VIP' Nguyen finished up with 304,000.  Matt Glantz had 181,000.

Between 210 and 220 players survived and they will return at noon to continue play.

Last Level Has Begun

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)   

At the end of level 15, players took a ten minute break, then got back to business with level 16, blinds of 2,500/5,000 with 400 antes.  They will play about half of this level until 2am, then stop the clock and call it a night. 

24 tables remain.  240 or fewer players.  Average is about 153k.

Rosenkowitz Rakes a Big One

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)  

On the river, the board read Q 8 5 7 4 (no flush possible).  The player in the small blind checked it over to Rhoda Rosenkowitz (Queens, NY) who moved all in.  After a few minutes in the tank, the small blind called all-in, putting his tournament life on the line with AQ (top pair, top kicker).  Rhoda showed A6 suited for the straight to take the pot, busting her opponent.

Rhoda Rosenkowitz

It took Rhoda quite a while to stack all those chips, but it came up to about 420k, making her the first woman with over 400k in chips.

Ryan Wood is up to ~500k, becoming the second player to reach that milestone.

Down to 25 tables (250 players).  Average stack is 147,200.

Krosche Crosses Half-Million Mark

Event 1: $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)  

The unidentified player at table 30, seat 5, has now been identified as Ryan Wood of Crownsville, MD.  He lost a small pot while I was watching when his pocket 7s were out-flopped by KQ.  He's still over 400k, however.

 Ryan Wood

Jeff Krosche has extended his chip lead to 519k and become the first player to cross the half-million chip mark. 

After action folded to him in the small blind, Mike Dentale looked to his left and said "Think you can fold one time?" as he tossed his last 27k into the pot.  The big blind did let it go and Mike picked up some desperately needed chips, showing JT offsuit.

29 tables remain with 20 players still in the hunt.  Average is ~137k.