Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Event 12 Recap (Day 1A)

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

One of the more intriguing events of the Borgata Winter Poker Open is the Deep Stack Double Play featuring a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, 25,000 starting chips and 6 chances to enter the tournament. This two day event, that features two starting days, got underway with 462 entries for Day 1A and concluded with 69 players remaining (167k avg.).*

Julio Estevez (Hackensack, NJ) bagged and tagged the largest stack of the night with 501k, while only a handful of players have more than 300k. Estevez surged to the lead after the dinner break when he flopped a couple of sets. "Since they opened the doors I've been coming to Borgata," said the gas station owner who's referring to when the casino first opened in 2003.

Also ending the day with top 5 chip counts are several recognizable names to Borgata regulars.

Barry Leventhal (Brooklyn, NY - 440k): 7th place finisher ($69,000) in the 2008 Summer Open Main Event

Steven Curtin (Charlotte, NC - 374k): several Borgata cashes including a $400 event win ($26,000) in the 2010 Winter Open

Nicole Rowe (Salisbury Mills, NY - 429k): two Borgata cashes in the 2009 Poker Open, including 2nd place in the Ladies Event ($12,000)

The Day 1A players return Thursday for Day 2 as they wait for Wednesday's Day 1B field to play its 16 levels. Players who busted Tuesday still have their shot at the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool and can use their Double Play opportunity Wednesday where they can re-enter twice (3 total).

Estevez says he'll check on his stations, but will still be thinking about his big stack. "Poker is always on my mind," he said, and is thankful his family allows him to play. "We talked about playing more poker this year. My wife trusts me and am glad to have the chance to win."

Day 1B starts 11 am Wednesday where the Event Center will be packed again for week two of the Winter Open.

* Check after 9 am for chip counts

Event 13 Recap (Day 1)

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Two former Borgata Senior Tournament Champions are still alive as 18 players return for Day 2 of this year's Seniors Event. James Boyd (2010 Spring Open Champ) and Gary Brudner (2010 Summer Open Champ) are both in the middle of the pack as the field chases Dom Pelli (Stamford, CT) who has the chip lead with nearly 198k.

"I've been the chip leader at every table I've been at," said Pelli, who owns several business including ones involved with mortgage and travel. Pelli took the overall chip lead on the last hand of the night when he knocked out Russell Youngken (Levittown, PA) who held pocket jacks, but Pelli's AQ hit a queen on the turn to send the remaining players into the money.

Pelli holds a 15k chip lead over Donald Brown (Westbury, NY) as only the top 5 players have more than 100k. Dean Martin (Chambersburg, PA), who held the chip lead after the dinner break is the short stack with only 11k. The average returning stack is 78k (28 BB).

140 players started the day and the field included WSOP Bracelet holders Mike "Little Man" Sica (New Brunswick, NJ) and Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ), but neither player survived to make the money.

The remaining players return 1 pm Wednesday to divide up the $49,000 total buy-in as they compete for the $14,259 first prize. And even though Pelli has the chip lead he knows anything can happen. "Whatever you have to do to survive, both in poker and in business."

Event 12: End of Night Big Stacks

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Chip Leader Julio Estevez

Julio Estevez (Hackensack, NJ) is the "unofficial" official chip leader with 501k at the end of Day 1A.

Approximately 75 players advance to Thursday's Day 2.

Here's a look at the big stacks:

Name-Chip Count

Julio Estevez 501
Barry Leventhal 440k
Nicole Rowe 429k
Steven Curtin 374k
Heung Yoon 346k
Terece Jones 298k

Check back after 9 am for a full list of chip counts.


Event 13: End of Night Chip Counts

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Pelli Picks up the Chip Lead

Dom Pelli (Stamford, CT) is the chip leader with nearly 198k. The final 18 players are in the money ($713 minimum) and return 1 pm Wednesday to play for the top prize of $14,259.

Position-Name-Chip Count

1 Dom Pelli 197,600
2 Donald Brown 182,300
3 Abraham Mevorah 130,200
4 Ed Rappa 112,800
5 Jim McLaughlin 104,300
6 Mike Kessler 94,300
7 Mark Mariano 84,100
8 James Boyd 74,800
9 Gary Brudner 73,000
10 Thomas Starner 72,200
11 Richard Luckasavage 64,900
12 Henry Porcaro 58,100
13 Daniel Monahan 48,600
14 Ronald Durante 45,300
15 Brian Katz 35,400
16 Edward Newman 34,700
17 Leonard Moore 11,900
18 Dean Martin 10,800

Event 12: Bubble Breaks Youngken's Heart (Again)

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

After lamenting how much he hates the bubble and surviving an all-in without a call, Russell Youngken (Levittown, PA) is back in the fire, but this time Dom Pelli (Stamford, CT) doesn't bail him out.

Youngken and Pelli see a flop of 5 6 9 and Pelli, who folded to Youngken's all-in bet a few hands earlier, bets 10k. "After he checked, I didn't think he hit that board," says Pelli, who's a businessman and three-year-old poker player.

Youngken smooth calls and they see a queen on the turn. That's when Youngken moves all-in for his last 15k and Pelli snap calls.

Youngken: JJ (pair of jacks)
Pelli: AQ (pair of queens)

The river is a brick and Youngken is out in 19th place, sending the remaining 18 players into the money. "If he shoves on the flop, I fold," says Pelli who takes his stack to more than 190k and the chip lead. "Actually, I should've had him earlier with ace-king, but I folded. But not this time."

Players are guaranteed $713 and are bagging and tagging for the night. The field returns 1 pm Wednesday for a shot at the $14,259 first prize.

Event 13: Begging for a Fold

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Russell Youngken

"Please don't call," are the words from Russell Youngen (Levittown, PA) as he schmoozes Dom Pelli (Stamford, CT) to walk away from the pot that contains Youngken's last 27k.

The board is 10♠ 6 7♠ and the table is surrounded by a dozen players who want to see if
this will be the knockout that sends the final 18 players into the money, or if play continues.

Pelli, who's one of the big stacks at 175k, says that if it the total was 10k less he'd call but that he's going to lay down the double belly buster and shows 8 4. A relieved Youngken shows
A♠ 8♠ for ace high, with the nut flush draw and a gut shot straight draw.

"I hate this bubble stuff," says Youngken who starts rattling off all his recent finishes just outside the money.

19 players on three tables continue hand-for-hand play.

Event 12: 4 More Hands

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

With less an 80 players remaining, Level 16 ends in four more hands. The floor directors have bags standing-by for those who survive.

When play ends, the black chips (100) will be taken off the table and the field will bag and tag and wait until Thursday's Day 2 action.

Event 12: Set of Snowmen

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

As the field shrinks broken tables mean big stacks are starting collide. Julio Estevez (Hackensack, NJ) is moved between two healthy stacks including Nicole Rowe who is on this right and survived the following hand. Unfortunately the player on Estevez' left is a casualty with AK.

Estevez flops a set of 8s on a board of K 8 J, which is bad news for AK. All the money gets in on the turn and Estevez wipes out a 200k chip player to take his stack to 520k, which is in the running as the new big stack.

Level 15 is winding down.

Event 13: Gary Gone Wild

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

After knocking out 4 players on one hand earlier in the day, Gary Brudner (Sarasota, FL) is involved with another big pot.

Brudner's in the big blind and sees a flop of 2 6♣ 10.
The small blind bets 10k
Brudner comes over the top all-in for 85k and has the SB covered (70k)
SB calls

SB: A K♠ (ace high)
Brudner: K Q (king high, flush draw)

Turn: 9♣
River: 8

Brudner hits the flush on the river and retakes the chip lead from Donald Brown (Westbury, NY) who are at the same table.

After two other eliminations the field is down to 22 as the money bubble looms.

Event 13: 25 Left

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

The remaining seniors includes James Boyd (Martinsburg, WV) who won this event in the 2010 Borgata Spring Open. Boyd is always quick with a Southern joke about hicks and claims he's about to snack on some, "beef jerky, make that possum jerky."

Boyd has an average stack as does Jim McLaughlin (Broomall, PA), who's wife Nancy had three Borgata cashes during various 2010 Opens. The McLaughlin's are a friendly couple that we profiled last Spring which you can read here.

Level 12 (1k/2k/300 ante) is underway.

Event 12: Seeing the Light

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

This tournament is a two-day tournament where a player could potentially enter up to a maximum of six times. Heading into the last three levels players have to decide if they want to carry their remaining stacks into Thursday's Day 2 or surrender their chips and start from scratch Wednesday in Day 1B.

Merging the Day 1A and 1B fields means play stops at the end of Level 16 which will happen right around 11 pm. The light at the end of the tunnel is within view.

Level 14 (1.5k/3k/400 ante) is underway.

Event 13: Not the Early Bird Special

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Donald Brown

A lot of the senior players joked about how eating at 7:30 pm is like a midnight snack. Of the remaining 29 players Borgata regular Donald Brown (Westbury, NY) is the chip leader with 135k.

A look at the other big stacks:

Donald Brown (Westbury, NY) 135k
Dom Pelli (Stamford, CT) 103k
Mike Kessler (Spotslyvania, VA) 96k

Play continues until they hit the money with 18 players left or 2 am, whichever comes first.

Event 12: Back From Dinner

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Players are flowing into the Event Center as dinner is over and we're back.

Players were handed out free dinner vouchers to eat at Borgata restaurants.

12 tables remain.

Level 14: Blinds 1500 / 3000 with 400 antes.

Event 12: Big Stacks

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Chip Leader's Walk in the Park

While players are on a one hour dinner break it looks like Frank Park (Avondale, VA) is the unofficial chip leader with 340k.

A look at the big stacks:

Frank Park (Avondale, VA) 340k
Robby DeVries (Patterson, NJ) 297k
Nicole Rowe (New Windsor, NY) 235k
Jerry Jones (Severn, MD) 230
Heung Yoon (Woodbridge, VA) 230k

Event 12: Dinner Time

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry) 

120 players remain in action on day 1A, making the average stack just over 96k.

Players are headed out for a one-hour dinner break.  Play will resume at 8:30pm.

Event 13: Chip Leader

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

The Seniors are down to only 34 remaining players, making the average stack over 41k.

 Dean Martin

Dean Martin (Chambersburg, PA) has more than three times the average.  He's sitting behind about 131k at this point.

Only the last 18 will get paid.

They're approaching their 7:30pm dinner break.  Play will resume after dinner at 8:30pm.

Event 12: Ladies Come Through for the Lady

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

As I walked up to the table, Taemee Feuer (Long Island, NY) was all-in on a flop of K T 2 rainbow.  As they tabled their hands, Taemee's pocket Queens had been out-flopped by her opponent's AK. 

 Taemee Feuer

Taemee collected her things and was preparing to exit when the dealer burned and turned....a Queen!    Her opponent was drawing slim to one of four Jacks for a straight.  The river was a 3 and Taemee doubled up.  She's now got about 225k and could be the chip leader. 

Taemee won the $500 NL DeepStack event here in September 2009, good for over $108,000.

End of level and players are heading out for a break.

Event 11 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 11: $300 + $50 Pot Limit Omaha - High
January 24-25, 2011

Entries: 101
Total Buy-In: $30,300

FINAL RESULTS
1. WILLIAM SEYMOUR (GREENVILLE, NC): $8,817
2. JOHN ANTHONY CERNUTO (LAS VEGAS, NV): $4,850
3. JAMES NEWTON (EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ): $2,792
4. GARY HUTZLER (BRIDGEWATER, NJ): $2,351
5. HAECHUL CHO (RIDGEFIELD, NJ): $1,763
6. DOMINICK CHRISTIANO JR (WILKES BARRE, PA): $1,470
7. LEONARD TALARICO (CARY, NC): $1,176
8. BRENT KELLER (HORSHAM, PA): $882
9. JOSHUA MURCHISON (PLATTSBURGH, NY): $661
10. STEPHEN RINALDI (OLD FORGE, PA): $588
11. ANTHONY GIANNONE (HEWLETT, NY): $588
12. MARCEL BEDARD (GLENELG, MD): $588
13. JASON ESTOCK (WILMINGTON, DE): $514
14. FRANK PUGLIESE (TENAFLY, NJ): $514
15. WILLIAM FLEMING (CLARKS SUMMIT, PA): $514
16. DUANE FELIX (NEW ROCHELLE, NY): $441
17. ROBERT LYNCH (MANALAPAN, NJ): $441
18. ISAAC FRIESE (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $441

Event 13: Five Way All-In = Four Gone

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Gary Brudner (Sarasota, FL)

Gary Brudner won this event in 2010 Borgata Summer Poker Open. He is a returning champion who knows what he's doing.

In a hand earlier, two short stacks and two callers gambled with Brudner who held Q-10 of clubs.
He flopped the second nut flush, it held, and just like that four people were knocked out.

The dealer was the happiest since there were so many side pots to figure out. Alas, Gary had all four players covered.

He's just short of 90,000. With only 42 players remaining Gary is in decent shape to make a run at repeating.

Level 9: Blinds 500 / 1000 with 100 antes.

Event 11 Recap

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Omaha is not a game for everyone. It is significantly more complex than Texas Hold'em. Add the extra component of Pot Limit betting, where strategy is more calculating that No Limit, and you've got a very technical game.

101 players decided to take their chances Monday and only the top 18 earned a piece of the $30,300 buy-ins. Those 18 returnED for day two Tuesday in order to establish their positions and claim their payouts.

When the chips fell silent, they were all in front of William Seymour of Greenville, NC. A timely pair of pocket Aces made William the chip leader with three players remaining and soon after, Seymour was the Champion. His first place prize was $8,817.

Runner-up to Seymour was none other than three-time WSOP bracelet winner 'Miami' John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV). John was third in chips coming to the final table and even held the chip lead briefly, but in the end, he had to settle for second. Cernuto claimed $4,850 for his efforts in this event.

One other player of note at this final table was Brent Keller (Horsham, PA). He has made back-to-back Omaha final tables. In this event, he finished 8th, earning $882. Last week he finished 2nd in the Omaha Hi/Lo event, earning $10,243.

Event 11: Champion - William Seymour

$300 + $50 PLO (high)


William Seymour - 1st Place - $8,817

Event 11: 2nd Place - John Cernuto

$300 + $50 PLO (high)


Miami John Cernuto - 2nd Place - $4,850

Event 11: 3rd Place - James Newton

$300 + $50 PLO (high)


James Newton - 3rd Place - $2,792

Event 12: 462 Players - Day 1A

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

There are 462 Players in today's Day 1 Event.

15 tables remain.

Level 12: BLinds 1000 / 2000 with 300 ante.

Dinner break scheduled for 7:30PM.

Event 12: Sunny Florida It's Not

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Steve Esposito with 70,000 in chips

Meet Steve Esposito who traveled up from Orlando, FL. Steve was complaining about the cold weather. I guess everything is cold when compared to Orlando. I mean our BWO slogan is, "Snow in the Air, Ice In Your Veins." Looks like there's ice in Esposito's veins - who has played poker since he was in kid born in NY.

When Steve isn't taking down pots, he works in Commercial Real Estate and spends time with daughter Alexis.

"With 70,000 I have enough to do some damage" said Esposito.

Event 11: 4th Place - Gary Huntzler

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Gary Huntzler


Gary Huntzler tangled up with Miami John Cernuto and once again, John came out on top.

Gary Huntzler finished in 4th place, earning $2,351.

Event 13: Cotton Snuffer Takes Beat

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Cotton Snuffer Runs Into Quads

Yikes, it's getting rough out there. Cotton Snuffer's pocket Aces get picked off by Jim Boyd's quad Queens.

The always vocal Boyd said there was a huge sucking sound at the table after his pocket queens found quads.

Snuffer was taking the beat as well as one could but acknowledged, "I would have been the chip leader if I won that pot and now I'm average.

Cotton owns a pool and hot-tub store in Charleston, West Virgiania and is working on a poker book loosely based on his life as a poker grifter - When The Dealins Done.

Level 8: 400 / 800 with 75 antes.

7 Tables remain.

Event 11: 5th Place - Haechul Cho

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

 Haechul Cho

Ever since the break, Haechul Cho's chip count has been dropping.  He finally got all in against James Newton and came up short.

Haechul Cho finished in 5th place, earning $1,763.

Event 11: 6th Place - Dominick Christiano

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

On a flop of AQ2, Dominick Christiano came over the top of Miami John Cernuto's pot bet, raising another 144k.  Dominick was almost all in, with just 13k behind.

 Dominick Christiano

 John took some time to think about it, then moved in, making Dominick put in the last of his chips.

The hands were tabled
John         A642
Dominick AQ44

Dominick was ahead with top two pair but John had a flush draw with his inferior to pair.

The last two cards came 6 2 and John caught a full house on the river (deuces full of Aces) to take the pot.  Dominick took 6th place and $1,470.

Event 12: Rosa Not Feeling Rosie

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Isaac Rosa came down with his friend Juan "Borgata" Rodriquez to play in today's $170. The two friends help out each others' game and have each others' back. And if you need to borrow some extra scratch it's good to have a friend close by.

Isaac re-bought this morning after his set of Jacks was run down by a runner, runner flush.

While I was at the table, right when Isaac's massage ended, his tournament life did as well.

"Had a pair and a flush draw and I missed. I'm out" said a disheartened Rosa.

He's considering re-buying again tomorrow if Juan is still in the tourney.

Level 11: Blinds 800 / 1600 with 200 antes.

Event 11: 7th Place - Leonard Talarico

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Leonard Talarico

They returned from break to blinds of 4k/8k and it was not very long before Leonard Talarico had all his chips in the middle against James Newton.  James produced the winner and Leonard was busted.

Leonard Talarico finished in 7th place, earning $1,176.

Event 12: Stacking Up

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Richard Makarithev traveled down from Brooklyn, NY and is very excited to see his 2,000 chips climb all the way up to 80,000.

Richard, who sells real estate, says he's just been grinding it out.

The lesson here is to never give up. And if you do, you can Re-enter tomorrow.

Event 11: Chip Counts

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Another level gone and the final seven are taking ten. 

With that double-elimination, Dominick Christiano too the chip lead.  Here are the current estimates:

Dominick Christiano - 224k
James Newton - 188k
William Seymour - 185k
Haechul Cho - 165k
John Cernuto - 140k
Leonard Talarico - 80k
Gary Huntzler - 39k

Event 12: Breaking Stones

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

On a ten minute chip color-up break.

21 tables remain.

Joe Altomonte dropped off a quick update.

5 seat opened for 2,000, Joe raised to 5,800, 5 seat re-pops to 16,300, Joe shoves for 50,000.

Opponent folds and Joe drops a deuce on the table showing only the 2 of diamonds.

And that's how you create a table image. Joe told me he was bluffing quite a bit early on.

Hey Mom, he's now at 70,000 chips.

Event 11: 9th - Murchison; 8th Keller

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

After the long quiet spell, there was a sudden burst of action.  Joshua Murshison moved his short-stack all in, then Dominick Christiano came over the top.  Then Brent Keller put the last of his chips all-in, having more that Joshua (barely).  The hands were rolled over:

Dominick - AKKJ
Brent - AQQ6
Joshua - J875

 Joshua Murchison & Brent Keller

Dominick was ahead with Kings and the flop of K 9 5 extended his lead to top set.  The last two came 3 2 and changed nothing.  Dominick took the pot, sending two players to the rail.

Joshua Murchison finsihed in 9th place, earning $661.  Brent Keller finished in 8th place earning $882.

Event 12: Nice Bluff Nicole

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Nicole Rowe called a 5,000 raise with Q6 with the intention to bluff a player she had been sparring with.

The board ran K♣ 2 5 8♣ A♣ with original raiser betting each street.

Nicole jammed the river and looked very confident.

Opponent agreed to fold if Nicole would agree to show.

Nicole flipped over Q6♠ for the stone cold bluff.

"I figured that was the only way to get you off your ace. Sorry but you did asked to see it. Only bluff of the day fellows" said Rowe with a smile.

Nicole said she had full intentions of bluffing from the get go.

Event 13: Payouts

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

1 $14,259
2 $7,842
3 $4,515
4 $3,802
5 $2,851
6 $2,377
7 $1,901
8 $1,426
9 $1,069
10-12 $951
13-15 $832
16-18 $713

140 entries with Total Buy-In $49,000

Event 12: Curtin's Rebuy So Far So Good

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Steven "SOS" Curtin fresh off a 43rd place PCA Main finish had his pocket kings cracked by 5-6. Since it was only Level2, he figured he had to re-buy.

Curtin is now on a stack just under 200,000.

No stranger to Borgata Winter Open, SOS is has a solid record with a 1st place finish from 2010.

"I'm just running good and catching cards," said Steven.

Event 11: Stalled at 9

$300 + $50 PLO (high) 

The final nine have been pushing chips around the table for an entire level with no significant changes. 

Blinds are now up to 3k/6k.

Play continues...

Event 12: Ever Fold Aces Pre-Flop?

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

...Brad Kavanagh has.

Here's the scenerio - A few years ago Brad was the massive chip leader in a tournament where they were giving away three 10K buy-in seats to the Mirage. With four players left, and the lead, Kavanagh didn't need to risk chips with any hand, including pocket rockets.

So he made the lay down and let the other three shorter stacks battle it out. "Then I got everyone mad when I showed the table my cards" Kavanagh laughed.

Brad went on to easily win the 10K seat and now has a great story to tell at the tables.

Level 9: Blinds 500 / 1000 with 100 antes.

Event 13: Hits All Three Outs For Quads

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Tony Shurilla has been winning pots with his new favorite hand A-2.

Then he woke up to K-K. Felt pretty good on a flop of:

A-7-A.

Turn card of an ace didn't scare Tony who figured his full house was good.

Unless...

Sure enough his Opponent, who did a little acting, had the case Ace.

A-K found all three outs against Tony's K-K.

Gorilla Sr. still has 10,000 to work with.

Event 12: Action Dealer

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Phu is Tyler Henry's (Reading, PA) favorite dealer. "Just follow Phu around and he'll give you plenty of action flops for the blog" said King Henry.


Phu Deals Out Action

Tyler has just under 60,000 and has been on the plus side of Phu's action hands, at least today, at this table.

Tyler "King Tyler" Henry

Level 8: Blinds 400 / 800 with 75 Antes.

Event 11: Chip Counts

$300 + $50 PLO (high) 

Players took a break, so I took some chip counts (approximate):

Haechul Cho - 206k
James Newton - 148k
John Cernuto - 135k
Dominick Christiano - 120k
William Seymour - 120k
Leonard Talarico - 95k
Joshua Murchison - 70k
Brent Keller - 70k
Gary Hutzler - 42k

Following the break, play resumed with blinds of 2k/4k.

Event 11: 10th Place - Stephen Rinaldi

  $300 + $50 PLO (high)

 Stephen Rinaldi

On a flop of A 9 3, Stephen Rinaldi got all-in against Haechul Cho.  Stephen held AKQ2 and had flopped top/top, but Cho held 9974 and had flopped a set.  The last two community cards changed nothing and Cho took the pot.

Stephen took 10th place and $588.

Cho is the chip leader with ~220k.  I believe Miami John Cernuto is second with ~160k.

9 players remain.  Average is ~112k.

Event 13: Ben Elevates Game

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

I met Ben Laves (Sommerset, NJ) in the elevator and caught up with him again at the tables.

This Estate Planning attorney is happy they added an extra bathroom break to the Senior tournament although he thinks the walk is still kind of far from the facilities (even though the restroom is right outside the Event Center).

"This is the best tournament. No angry people. We're all sitting around telling jokes" said Laves

Ben knows all about end-of-life preparations and is hoping to end all of the other player's tournament lives today.

Event 11: Final Table

$300 + $50 PLO (high) 

Here are the final ten players with their seat assignments:

1 - Brent Keller
2 - Miami John Cernuto
3 - Haechul Cho
4 - Stephen Rinaldi
5 - Leonard Talarico
6 - Joshua Murchison
7 - Dominick Christiano
8 - William Seymour
9 - James Newton
10 - Gary Hutzler

Level 13: Practical Joke

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Borgata regular pulls off a practical joke at the table to perfection.

After Sal Busacca (Colts Neck, NJ) slo-played Aces on him, Ted Geier plots a way for a little payback.

Ted had been posing trivia questions to the table and awarding a dollar to the first person to correctly answer. When Sal Busacca stepped away, Ted got the entire table to agree that when he asked what planet is fourth from the Sun everyone would say Jupiter.

Sure enough when Sal came back and the question was asked, Sal was adamant the answer was Mars while everyone insisted it was Jupiter. Finally the dealer said, "You know they're just joking right?"

Sal - "I was willing to be my net worth it was Mars. They had me going good. They got me. I fell for it." Ted - "You're a good sport. And now you got a new nickname...MARS"

Sal just doubled up winning a K-Q race against 8-8.

Event 11: 11th Place - Anthony Giannone

$300 + $50 PLO (high) 

Anthony Giannone got all his chips in the middle against Brent Keller. 

Anthony Giannone

Anthony held A744.  Brent had 9876.  The board came 7 6 4 T 6 and after a lot of squinting, they sorted it out.  Anthony had made 4s full of 6s, but Brent had made 6s full of 7s for the better full house.  He also had Anthony covered.

Anthony finished in 11th place, earning $588.

Brent is currently on a huge comeback.  He was down to only 6k earlier today.  

With ten players remaining, they drew for seats and moved to a single table where play resumed.

Event 12: Time For A Berger

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Asa "Atlantic City Ace" Berger

Asa Berger (Chalfont, PA) works full time as a mortgage broker but makes time in his schedule for each season of Borgata Opens.

Today he's riding 40,000 and survived Aces and Kings getting cracked. Asa's strategy if he were to bust out in the first 6 levels he would re-buy tomorrow. "That way everyone is starting Day 2 with the same number of chips. Re-buy now and you have to battle lots of bigger stacks" said Asa.

A parting quote in our interview with Asa, "Consistency is the key to success whether it's in poker or in the business world."

Cool players, and cool hands is the key to success in the poker blogging world.

Event 11: 12th Place - Marcel Bedard

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

'Miami' John Cernuto opened with a pot-bet (10,500) and got action from the big blind, Marcel Bedard.  On the flop of 7 5 2 with two diamonds, Marcel checked, John bet the pot, and Marcel called.

Marcel Bedard

Turn was an offsuit Ten and all the chips went in.  River was an offsuit 7 and Marcel had missed his flush draw and straight wrap (he had 9865).  John took the pot with KKQ9 (pair of Kings).

The stacks were close and had to be counted down, but John had more.  Marcel finished in 12th place ($588).

Event 12: No More Re-Entries Today

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

It's official, with the start of Level 7 there are no more Re-entries for Day 1A.

If you bust out you can sign up for tomorrow's Day 1B staring at 1pm.

Blind levels now increase from 30 minutes up to 50 minutes.

Level 7: Blinds 300 / 600 with 75 antes.

Bust now, Re-enter tomorrow!

Event 11: Dirty Dozen

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

 Jason Estock

Jason Estock has been felted in 13th place ($514).

Now 12 players remain in the hunt for the top prize of $8,817.

Event 12: Dao Jones Is Up

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Dao Bui

Dao Bui is sitting on 39,000. She doesn't believe in any poker superstitions, just in winning.

"I'm here to win" said Bui. And for the record, she never chops.

Event 11: Two More Reporting to the Rail

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

After the break, play resumed with 1k/2k blinds.

William Fleming was next to go.  He busted out in 15th place ($514).

William Fleming

Next to report to the rail was Frank Pugliese.  He gets 14th place and $514.

 Frank Pugliese

13 Players remain.  Average stack is almost 78k.

Event 13: Two Lovely Ladies

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

In a sea of men two ladies happened to be seated right next to each other.

Laurie Church & Patricia Yannuzzi

Patricia Yannuzzi (Westfield, NJ) looks forward the Senior tournament which she loves 100% more than the Ladies tournament. Yannuzzi is retired and spends her time, you guessed it, playing poker all over the country.

We joked that Laurie Church (Wyckoff, NJ) might be too young to be in a Senior tournament. "We should be using those big cards or at least give us shots of prune juice" laughed Laurie. Laurie is used to 13-hour nursing shifts so playing cards all day is easy.

Event 11: Payouts

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

 Duane Felix

Just before the end of the level, Duane Felix was eliminated.  He finished in 16th place, earning $441.

Players were sent on a break.

Here's a reminder of what they're playing for:

Place Payout
1   $8,817
2   $4,850
3   $2,792
4   $2,351
5   $1,763
6   $1,470
7   $1,176
8   $882
9   $661
10-12   $588
13-15   $514
16-18   $441

Event 12: Nuts

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Armando Then Having Fun

Armando Then from NY cashed yesterday and it gave a boost to his confidence for today's tournament. In the same tournament he won a $100 prop bet by outlasting Jason Young by one spot.

From the get-go, Armando and his friend each pick a good player the other must outlast to win. Armando picked Jimmy Suits and Armando's friend picked Jason Young.

If all this sounds insane, Then is used to that. He works in the Psych Ward at NY Presbyterian Hospital. "I go from one crazy house to another" said Armando. Calling Borgata a crazy house...well we do flop a lot of nuts and deal with many sick hands.

Event 13: Fore!

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Golf pro Ron Cauthen (Pawleys, SC) yells FORE with pocket fours.

Three-way action involved Ron flopping a set of fours and his Opponent, holding 7 8♦, flopping the nut straight.

Flop: 5-6-4

But then Cauthen went all in, swinging for a double eagle. He hit one eight and then another eight for the runner, runner, full-house.

Cauthen has tripled up in the Senior for a nice 30,000 start.

Event 11: Sweet Sixteen

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Robert Lynch moved his short-stack all-in and 'Miami' John Cernuto called.  Then Stephen Rinaldi moved in over the top.  John called that one also and all three hands were tabled.

Robert Lynch

Stephen was ahead with AAJ9.  Robert had JJ98 double-suited and John had 8642 double-suited.  Stephen took it all when he flopped a set of Aces and improved to Aces-full.  Robert hit the rail in 17th place, earning $441.

Event 12: Another Fresh Face

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)   

Philip DeSimone (Glenridge, NJ) is another new face in the Borgata crowd.  He's played tournaments before, but this is his first time playing a tournament at Borgata. 

 Philip DeSimone

Philip is 25 and works in news production.  Perhaps he can make some news of his own with a win in this event.  He doesn't really have a strategy regarding the re-entries -- he "just came for the money". 

Event 12: Hunka Delivers Funka

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Bobby Hunka (Wayne, NJ) flops a set and cracks Kings for an early double up.

Table four has already seen three full-houses all with 88 or 888.

Board of 3-3-8-10-5 gave Bobby some "bust-out" or "re-entry" insurance.

And only because the table asked, Yes - this is a big story - they're all big stories.

Level 4: Blinds 100 /200 with no antes.

Event 11: Back in Action

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

Eighteen players returned for the Pot Limit Omaha finale.  Play resumed in level 12 with blinds of 800/1,600.

Isaac Friese


They wasted no time moving the chips as Isaac Friese was all-in on the first hand.  He had flopped top/top with his AKQ3, but Duane Felix had flopped top two with ATxx.  Duane's hand held up and Isaac was the first player to collect a payout.  He earned $441.

Event 13: Notable Seniors

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

The Seniors are now playing in level 2 with blinds of 50/100.

Some of the faces I recognized in the crowd:

Mike 'Little Man' Sica
James Boyd
Chris Reslock
Tony Shurilla
Ted Geier
Martha Patella

They'll get a break after this level.

"Let us respect gray hairs, especially our own."  J. P. Sears

Event 13: Veteran - Poker Veteran

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

Charlie Murrin

My handle is Colonel Poker so I was drawn to Charlie Murrin's camouflage hat.

Charlie's been playing poker for 65 years. Now that's a lot of bad beats and hopefully tons of cashes too.

"I play poker every day" said Murrin who lives with his wife Sookie in Virginia.

That's Sookie, not Snookie.

Event 12: Back From Break for Level 4

$170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

After three levels, players were sent out to enjoy ten minutes away from the felt. "Just enough time to have a smoke or [use the restroom], but not both" one player commented. Smoking is not allowed on the Event Center level, so players have to go down the escalator to the casino level (in a smoking-designated area) if they want to light one up.

Play resumed after the break with level 4, blinds of 100/200.

Table 38 has broken, but there are still 37 tables in action.

Event 13: Does the SSA Know?

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

As I was checking out the seniors crowd, it overheard a couple of players trying to agree on a last-longer bet.  One was trying to bet his Social Security check he would last longer than his opponent.  Does the Social Security Administration know that's how these guys are spending those checks?

They've earned it just by making it to this point.  As Bette Davis said, "Old age is not for sissies."

Of course in my book, old age is always 15 years older than I am, so I'll never get there.

Event 12: More Tables, More Faces

 $170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)  

Tables 38 & 39 have been put into action to accomodate the late entries and re-entries.  They're currently playing level 3, 75/150 blinds, so a fresh 25k starting stack is still 166 big-blinds deep.

Just some of the faces in the crowd today:
Adam Lippert
Sheree Bykofsky
Terece Jones
Jorge Carrero Garcia
Kelly Armentrout
Mikey Woll
Torpekay Habashzada
Lisa Pickell
Chris Walker
Robert Nguyen
Al Riccobono
Ed McCarthy
Daniel Chan
Jane Gold

Event 13: Seniors In Action

$350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

The Seniors are underway in the back of the event center.  They start with 10,000 chips, 25/50 blinds, and levels last 40 minutes.

Jim and Nancy McLaughlin (Broomall, PA) are playing today.  Jim tells me the reason he plays the seniors event is that he's sure if a player gets upset, they won't be throwing chairs around -- because they can't lift them!

17 Tables currently going for the seniors.  Late registration is allowed through the first two levels.

Event 12: Turnover

 $170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry) 

As they approach the end of the second level (50/100 blinds) the bust-outs are starting to pick up.  On table 27, two players were eliminated on the same hand.  One opted to take a re-entry card, but the other declined. 

Table 38 has not been put into action yet, so they're still filling empty seats at the other 37.

Event 12: New Face in the Crowd

 $170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Tony Lam (Atlantic City, NJ) is here today playing his first-ever tournament.  At the age of 32, he's never played one before and decided to give it a shot.  He usually only plays cash games.  The funny thing is that he makes his living as a poker dealer at Caesar's!

 Tony Lam

Tony decided it was time to get some tournament experience and the low price-tag on this event makes it a good choice for a start.  There's also the possibility of a nice payday if he goes deep, plus the chance to try again if he makes a mistake early.  With his cash game and dealing experience, it will be interesting to see if Tony compete with the more experienced tournament players.

37 tables are currently in action with more standing by for late entries and re-entries.

PPI UPDATE

The $400 Deep Stack event had a huge turnout at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, leading to an action packed final table filled with PPI players. Matt Mazzeo, Katie Stone , Ian Palermo and Mike Castaldo found themselves battling at this tough final table. The rail was packed with railbirds cheering for their friends and family, and when the poker dust settled Castaldo was named Champion. All of them move up on the leaderboard and it will be exciting to see how the final weeks events determine who wins this exciting PPI race.

At this year's 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 Poker Open Championship Event. We will provide you with daily leaderboard updates here, 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 .

Here is your PPI "Play for the Main" Leader Board:
PTS: PLAYER
70: JAMES BOYLE
70: JASON YOUNG
60: MATTHEW MAZZEO
60: ALBERT RICCOBONO
50: JOSEPH CUTLER
50: RYAN ERIQUEZZO
45: JOSHUA BRIKIS
45: STEVEN DANNENMANN
45: MICHAEL DENTALE
45: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN
45: ADAM LIPPERT
40: MICHAEL CASTALDO
40: MICHAEL SICA JR
35: VINEET PAHUJA
35: KATHRYN DOUGHERTY
30: BRENT KELLER
30: CARL RESTIFO
30: JAMES SALTERS
25: ANTHONY CASAGRANDE
25: DAVID INSELBERG
20: CARLOS DELAFUENTE
20: GORDON ENG
20: JONATHAN WERZ
15: MICHAEL BROWN
15: ALEXANDER CUKAR
10: KELLY ARMENTROUT
10: ROBERT HWANG
10: ROSLYN QUARTO
10: CHRIS RESLOCK
10: JAMES STENELLA
10: EUGENE TODD
10: JEFFREY VANCHIRO
10: DAVID ZEITLIN
5: ANTHONY CAMPAGNA
5: CARLOS COLON
5: EMANUEL FAILLA
5: ADAM GERBER
5: ELIZABETH GREY-PARDO
5: CHARLES MARCHESE
5: LISA PICKELL
5: JONATHAN SORSCHER
(Leaderboard updated through Main Events 1-10 & Secondary Events 27-38)
*Note to all PPI players - If you have participated or cashed in any events and do not see your name on the leader board, please contact me at eric@ppipoker.com

Event 12: Day 1A Underway

 $170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH (2 Re-entry)

Cards are in the air for day 1A of the $170 + $30 No Limit Hold'em Double Play event.  Players can re-enter up to two times if they bust out during the first six levels.  Those levels are 30 minutes long.  Late registrations is also allowed during the fist six levels.

A player can enter day 1A, bust-out and re-enter twice.  If they bust out again before the end of day 1A, then can come back and enter again on day 1B, and possibly re-enter twice more!  That means a player could get in as many as 6 times!

The 25,000 chip starting stack is also an attractive feature on this event.  With blinds of 25/50, they're starting 500 big-blinds deep.

Starting with level 7, registration is closed and levels extend to 40 minutes.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25

TODAY IN THE EVENT CENTER

11A - Event 12: $170 + $30 Deep Stack Double Play NLH
Day 1A $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool

  • 2 Re-Entry
  • 25,000 in starting chips
  • Players that are eliminated (bust) within the first six (6) Levels may Re-Enter up to two (2) additional times
  • Levels 1-6: each will last 30 minutes Levels 7+: each will last 40 minute
    Final Table: each Level will last 50 minutes
  • 2-day event with two Day 1's (Day 2 will start on Thursday at 1P)

12P - Event 13: $350 + $50 Seniors No Limit Hold'em

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels last 40 minutes
  • 2-day event (Day 2 starts at 1P)

3P - Event 39: $100 + $20 Championship Qualifier NLH

  • 10,000 in starting chips
  • Levels last 20 minutes
  • Approximately 1 in 35 players will win $3,500 Entry to play in the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship Event (Jan 30 - Feb 4)
  • 1-day event

7P - Event 40: $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

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

Event 10 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 10: $300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH
January 24, 2011

Entries: 340
Total Buy-In: $102,000

FINAL RESULTS
1. MARK SACCUCCI (OXFORD, PA): $26,713
2. EDWIN LAU (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $14,840
3. BART SEEMEN (SANTA MONICA, CA): $9,201
4. ROBERT CHUNG-SHUI (NEW YORK, NY): $7,421
5. MONTE HOOVER JR (STEUBENVILLE, OH): $5,739
6. JOSEPH NEIMAN (HACKENSACK, NJ): $4,848
7. JOHN MORALES (GETTYSBURG, PA): $3,908
8. BROOKS FLOYD (BOONE, NC): $2,919
9. MICHAEL COLLETTE (GALLOWAY, NJ): $1,979
10. JAMES BOYLE (HAVRE DE GRACE, MD): $1,286
11. ALIDA VELIU (WYCKOFF, NJ): $1,286
12. ANDREW CALDARELLI (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $1,286
13. ALYSON PARKER (PLAINSBORO, NJ): $989
14. LEONARDO PALERMO (ORTLEY BEACH, NJ): $989
15. JEFFREY COUGHLIN (FREEHOLD, NJ): $989
16. JOSEPH CRAMER (CARLISLE, PA): $841
17. JOHN PELLAK (MULLICA HILL, NJ): $841
18. ILYA VASSERMAN (HUNTINGDON VY, PA): $841
19. BERNARD DOMINIAK (LOWER BURRELL, PA): $742
20. JASON YOUNG (SUFFERN, NY): $742
21. ARMANDO THEN (NEW YORK, NY): $742
22. SHAWN ALMONTE (YONKERS, NY): $742
23. ELLIOT GRUEN (BROOKLYN, NY): $742
24. VERLON WILSON (ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC): $742
25. ALLISON SCHULTZ (NEW YORK, NY): $742
26. DAMON FERRANTE (PARSIPPANY, NJ): $742
27. ANTHONY DALPRA (STONEY CREEK, CAN): $742
28. CLARENCE SENTER (FALLS CHURCH, VA): $594
29. HECTOR JIMENEZ (PASSAIC, NJ): $594
30. PHILIP NEIMAN (FLUSHING, NY): $594
31. JOEL CARTUN (LIVINGSTON, NJ): $594
32. BRIAN ODONOGHUE (BAYSIDE, NY): $594
33. GREGORY KOLO (ROCKY RIVER, OH): $594
34. ALBERTO PESTANA (BARDONIA, NY): $594
35. PETER DELAMOS (LAS VEGAS, NV): $594

Event 8 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 8: $400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
January 23-24, 2011

Entries: 619
Total Buy-In: $247,600

FINAL RESULTS
1. MICHAEL CASTALDO (PALISADES, NY): $57,665
2. HOWARD BROWN (BRIGANTINE, NJ): $32,423
3. CARLESS BOATWRIGHT (WOODBRIDGE, VA): $20,414
4. ANNA DIKKER (MORGANVILLE, NJ): $16,572
5. MATTHEW KALINOWSKI (WESTAMPTON, NJ): $13,209
6. MATTHEW MAZZEO (E WILLISTON, NY): $10,928
7. IAN PALOMO (NEW YORK, NY): $8,766
8. KATHRYN DOUGHERTY (ALLEN, TX): $6,605
9. JORGE RIVERA CARRERO (BROOKLYN, NY): $4,563
10. MATTHEW BUTCH (CLARKSBURG, NJ): $3,122
11. PRALHAD DESHPANDE (TALEIGRO GOA, IND): $3,122
12. DOMINIC TELYMONDE (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $3,122
13. JASON BRAUDA (MATTHEWS, NC): $2,282
14. NOEL DAMICO (OCEANSIDE, NY): $2,282
15. JOSEPH REDDICK (BRONX, NY): $2,282
16. JINHING CHIN (NEW YORK, NY): $1,681
17. ROBERT NGUYEN (W. NEW YORK, NJ): $1,681
18. CHRISTINE NELSON (NORRISTOWN, PA): $1,681
19. MARIA KALANTZI (LONG ISL CITY, NY): $1,320
20. RODNEY ORD (ELKRIDGE, MD): $1,320
21. TERECE JONES (PISCATAWAY, NJ): $1,320
22. RAYMOND BIMSON (FORTUNA, CA): $1,320
23. PAYMAN AZIZOGHLI (FREEHOLD, NJ): $1,320
24. CHRIS EDWARDS (LITTLE SILVER, NJ): $1,320
25. NIKOLAOS FRANGOS (MAYS LANDING, NJ): $1,320
26. MARK WAHBA (CLEVELAND, OH): $1,320
27. RICHARD MAURER (SOMERS POINT, NJ): $1,320
28. OSCAR CASTAGNA JR. (NEW Y0RK, NY): $1,177
29. MICHAEL BIFTU (FORT WASHINGTON, MD): $1,177
30. ANTHONY CAMPAGNA (EAST SETAUKET, NY): $1,177
31. RYAN ARNOLD (HAMPSTEAD, MD): $1,177
32. BASRI VELIU (WYCKOFF, NJ): $1,177
33. RAYMOND DIDONATO (LAUREL SPRINGS, NJ): $1,177
34. FURMAN PEARSALL (SELDEN, NY): $1,177
35. ALDO RUIZ- VALIENTE (ARLINGTON, VA): $1,177
36. CHRISTOPHER GROVE (PASADENA, MD): $1,177
37. GARY FRIEDMAN (BEACHWOOD, OH): $1,057
38. STEVEN TINDLE (HYATTSVILLE, MD): $1,057
39. MICHAEL BONITA (NEW CITY, NY): $1,057
40. HEUNG YOON (WOODBRIDGE, VA): $1,057
41. BRIAN GLEASON (NEWTOWN, PA): $1,057
42. BRETT MILSTEIN (NARBERTH, PA): $1,057
43. DUSTIN BRADLEY (BOCA RATON, FL): $1,057
44. ADRIAN STOCH (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $1,057
45. JOHN SILL (ABERDEEN, NC): $1,057
46. JOHN WESLEY COBB (INDIAN HEAD, MD): $937
47. ROBERT MELO (HOWARD BEACH, NY): $937
48. BRIAN MURRAY (SUNNYSIDE, NY): $937
49. GREGORY RUDOLPH (OCEANSIDE, NY): $937
50. MICHAEL SANTORO (EGG HARBOR, NJ): $937
51. JOHNATHAN PEACOCK (DURAMAM, GB): $937
52. KIN-YARN LEE (TORONTO, TRIN): $937
53. RYANONEIL AGUILA (VALLEY STREAM, NY): $937
54. WILLIAM PATTERSON (NEW KENSINGTON, PA): $937
55. MICHAEL LATOUR (CLAY, NY): $817
56. SHERWIN AGARD (RANDOLPH, MA): $817
57. ROBBY DEVRIES (PATERSON, NJ): $817
58. JAMES GOVERNA (RICHBORO, PA): $817
59. SHERRY RYAN (MASSILLON, OH): $817
60. MARGARET BRUTON (RAHWAY, NJ): $817
61. WOOYANG LIN (MORRISTOWN, NJ): $817
62. NORMAN FIELD (ELIZABETH, NJ): $817
63. JAMES OPDYKE (JACKSON, NJ): $817

Event 10 Recap

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH

The one day Deep Stack Turbo had 340 participants playing in Borgata Event Center and battling for the $98,940 prize pool.

Some Borgata regulars that took a seat this morning at 11:00 am include:

Mike Sica
Sheree Bykofsky
James Boyle
Ted Geier
Alex Bolotin
Leo Gee
Al Riccobono
Adam Lippert
Alex Bolotin
Eric Siegel
Little Joe Wagner
Nicole Rowe
Mike Dentale


Alison Parker was happy to cash and told us, "I'm having more fun than I thought, and I just lost half my chips."

The consensus enjoyed how Borgata structured this tournament.

"It's a deep stack tournament without the tedium of the early levels," says Parker

Jason Young also played well and cashed with 100 players left but didn't make his goal of the
$26,713 first place prize.

That went to our winner Mark Succucci who is an amateur player who credits his win to a World Series of Poker Boot Camp he attended where he watched the November 9 final table live.

"I kept telling myself, don't get emotional, and I didn't." explained Succucci.

Mark came down saying how he's never won a big Borgata tournament and had a feeling today was the day. His winning hand was two black sevens. The mushroom buyer/seller from West Grove, PA thanked his wife Debbie who was following on the blog all day.

Second place prize of $14,840 went to Edwin Lau while third place money ($9,201) went to Bart Seemen.

Event 8 Recap

$400 + $50 Deep Stack NL

This event began at 11:00am on January 23, 2011 with 619 players taking their best shot at a total prize pool of $240,172 with 15,475,000 chips in play.

Some notable names in the field included, James Boyle, Steve Dannenmann, Mike Dentale, Cathy Dever, Rob Nguyen, Mike Sica, and Eric Siegel.

Also in the tournament was NBC 30 Rock TV star, Kevin Brown, who plays a character called Dot Com.

At the end of day one our chip leader was Matthew Butch (Clarksburg, NJ) with $749,000 and our short stack was James Opdyke (Jackson, NJ) with $40,000.

On Day 2, which started at 12pm, Butch held on to his stack and did make the final table of ten that took close to seven hours to complete.

Four PPI players made the final table including: Mike Castaldo, Ian Palomo, Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo, and Kathryn Dougherty.

A ton of people watched all the action surrounding the popular final table.

Matt Mazzeo had several dedicated fans cheering for him. Mazzeo knocked out three players at the final table which otherwise seemed pretty tight and was willing to show hole-cards when they didn't have to.

Top finishers were Matt Kalinowski (5th), Anna Dikker (4th), Carless "Joe" Boatwright (3rd), Howard Brown (2nd), and Michael Castaldo who finished in first place for the Borgata Deep Stack trophy and a $57,665 to fill his deep pockets.

Castaldo is co-creator and stars in Fatty's, a poker reality show that tapes in NY and wanted to thank all the Fatty's members that railed and followed him throughout the tournament.

One fan in particular watched the entire two days.

Michael adds to his PPI point totals as this is his second cash in three BWO tournaments.

So how did he win this thing? How about being dealt AA three times in seven hands which each hand scoring big.

Our Deep Stack Champion is gearing up for the Championship Event next week.

Event 10: Mark Succucci - 1st Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Mark Succucci - 1st Place - $26,713

Event 10 is over and the winner is Mark Succucci from West Grove, PA.

The mushroom buyer/seller won the final hand with two black sevens.

He played fairly tight to get to the final table and showed up late for an event called "turbo".

Overall Succucci had a couple of well timed suck-outs and no major bad beats.
Favorite hand of the day was when his set of fives took down pocket aces.

"I came down saying I never won one of these big tournaments...and had a feeling today was gonna be the day" said Mark who was still very excited and exhausted at the same time.

Wants to thanks his wife Debbie and he'll see her soon.

Congrats to Mark who will take home $26, 713 for his impressive win today.
That will certainly by a lot of shrooms!

Event 10: Edwin Lau - 2nd Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Edwin Lau - 2nd Place - $14,840

Event 10: Bart Seemen - 3rd Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Bart Seemen - 3rd Place - $9,201

Event 10: Robert Chungshui - 4th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Robert Chungshui - 4th Place - $7,421

Robert Chungshui loved a flop of J-5-6 when holding Q-J in a four handed game.

He loved it so much he shoved all in - then was surprised when his Opponent was holding 5-6 off-suit.

Just like that close to 4,000,000 chips gone and Chungshui is out in 4th for $7,421.

Event 10: Monte Hoover, Jr. - 5th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Monte Hoover, Jr. 5th Place $5,739

With only four big blinds left Monte Hoover Jr. felt forced to shove with J-9 of clubs but ran into pocket queens.

The flop was friendly as the he picked up a flush draw, but the ten on the river was spades.

Monte will take home $5,739 to add to his Borgata Bankroll.

Event 10: John Morales 7th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

John Morales 7th Place $3,908

Event 10: Brooks Floyd 8th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Brooks Floyd 8th Place $2,919

Event 10: Michael Collette 9th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

Michael Collette 9th Place $1,979

Event 10: James Boyle 10th Place

$300 + $50 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (2 Re-entry)

James Boyle 10th Place $1,286

Event 8: Michael Castaldo - 1st Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack

Michael Castaldo 1st Place $57,665

Michael Castaldo is the Borgata Winter Poker Open - Event #8 - Deep Stack NL Champion.

So how did Michael survive two days and win every one of the 15,475,000 chips from the 619 starting players?

"Yesterday I got pocket aces three times in seven hands and they held up every time with people betting into me" explained Michael.

Today Castaldo started with 301,000 and grinded it out at the final table of ten for close to seven hours.

Michael will add to his Poker Players Internationl (PPI) BWO total points as he continues to battle with other PPI players for the Main Event buy in first place prize.

This is Castaldo's second cash in the three BWO tournaments he's played in so far.

He loves the deepstack structure, loves Borgata, and will take home $57,665 for his efforts.

Congratulations to our new Deep Stack Champ, Michael Castaldo.

Event 8: Howard Brown 2nd Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack

Howard Brown - 2nd Place - $32,423

Event 11 Recap

$300 + $50 PLO (high)

The second Omaha tournament of the Borgata Winter Poker Open got underway with the Pot Limit (high only) and of the final 18 players a strong list of contenders remain heading into Day 2.

Topping the list is Miami John Cernuto (3 WSOP Bracelets) who is third in chips with 107k. His top contenders are poker coach Bill Seymour who's 4th in chips (101k) and Borgata Summer Open PLO Champion Frank Pugliese (6th - 74k).

Lurking in the middle of the pack is Omaha H/L runner-up from last week Brent Keller (9th - 45k).

The chip leader heading into Day 2 is Dominick Christiano, Jr. (121,500), who knows he still has work to do. "There are still 18 players left and anything can happen."

The field returns 1 pm Tuesday and everyone is guaranteed at least $441 as they chase the top prize of $8,817. 101 players entered the field for a total buy-in $30,300.

Event 8: Carless "Joe" Boatwright 3rd

$400 + $50 Deep Stack

Carless "Joe" Boatwright 3rd $20,414