Sunday, February 3, 2013

Championship Recap

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Yung "Andy" Hwang (Houston, TX) admitted he didn't play his best poker at the final table, but he didn't have to.  The soft spoken 27-year old let his chips do the talking early in the tournament and when he got heads up he defeated James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA) to win the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event.

"It's unbelievable," said Hwang who earned $730,053, "I'm at a loss for words."

Hwang had A♠ 6♠ and made a flush on the final hand to secure his largest career payday.

"He's a tough player heads up," said Anderson, who earned $438,698 as runner-up. "I made a pretty light call in the big pot and probably will be thinking about that one for a while."

Three hands before his elimination, Anderson was deep in the tank on a board of  K♣ 7 5♠ 3 2♣ and faced a 4 million bet on the river.  Anderson called and mucked when Hwang showed a winning pair of kings.

"I didn't particularly play that great," said Anderson who was crippled after the 16 million chip pot, "but I don't think I made any mistakes. I just got hands in the right spots and started eliminating people and that's how we got heads up."

Anderson was on a roll when the final six resumed play on Day 5 as he had four straight knockouts.

He first took care of short stack Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA), a former WPT winner, in 6th place.  Anderson then eliminated Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR), Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL) and Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY) in 5th, 4th and 3rd places respectively.

"He did do most of the dirty work most of the day for me," said Hwang, who said he found himself in some "sticky" spots and struggled to start the day. But that wasn't the case on Days 2-4.

Hwang returned for Day 2 as a short stack, but got an early double-up and went on a rush after the dinner break. He went from 60k to 500k and was third overall in chips when Day 2 play ended.

"Day 3 was cruise control from 500(k) to 3 million," said Hwang, "and yesterday (Day 4) was about the same." Hwang held the chip lead for all of Days 3 and 4 and had it most of the way at the final table.

The tournament began with 1,042 total entries and buy-ins reached $3,438,600 to crush the $2 million guaranteed prize pool.

Mark Ketteringham (Las Vegas, NV) had the chip lead after two starting days and not only grabbed the $5,000 bonus as the Day 1B chip leader, but parlayed his big stack into a 29th place finish.

Scott Herz (Austin, TX) had the chip lead after Day 2, slightly ahead of Hwang, but struggled to make the money in 94th place.

In fact reaching the money was a struggle for everyone as hand-for-hand bubble play lasted more than two hours. Paul Volpe (West Chester, PA) was the bubble boy and missed the $6,637 min cash for 100th place.

Recognizable names who made the money included:

36th Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hill, PA) 16 Borgata cashes
70th Allen Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) - 3x Borgata trophy winner
72nd Jonathan Little (Las Vegas, NV) - 2x WPT winner
77th Matt Matros (Brooklyn, NY) - 3x WSOP bracelet winner
82nd Andrew Badecker (Vernon, CT) 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open Champion

Familiar faces who made deep runs included:

7th Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) - June 2012 Borgata Leaderboard winner 
16th Russell Crane (Howell, NJ)  - 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion
22nd Jamie Kerstetter (Monroe Twp., NJ) - 16 Borgata cashes
26th Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ) - 3x Borgata trophy winner

In the end it was Hwang who navigated the quality field and took advantage of the deep stacks (30k starting chips) and long levels (75+ minutes) to earn his biggest career win.

"The structure of the tournament is unbelievable," said Hwang who was playing in his first Borgata event. "I hope to be back, we'll see how the schedule goes."
  
Final Table Results

1st Andy Hwang (Houston, TX) $730,053
2nd James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA) $438,698
3rd Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY) $265,475 
4th Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL) $222,336 (JA)
5th Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR) $182,514 
6th Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA)  $147,671 
7th Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) $117,805
8th Jeremy Stein (Washington, DC) $89,598
9th Kevin Truong (Freehold, NJ) $61,391
10th Adam Cook (Pasadena, MD) $39,821

FINAL RESULTS

Championship: 1st Place - Hwang

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Yung 'Andy' Hwang (Houston, TX)
$730,053

Andy Hwang is a professional poker players and is usually playing the WSOP Circuit events, but had heard good things about Borgata, so he came out to play the Six Max and the WPT Championship events.

He entered and played day 1A, but busted out, so he entered again on day 1B.  He only bagged 20k, less that the starting stack, but came back on day 2 and turned it all around.

Now he's won his first WPT Championship!

Championship: 2nd Place - Anderson

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA)
$438,698

Blinds up!

Level 36:  Blinds 150k/300k with 50k ante.

James Anderson shoved and Andy called.

James - T8 off
Andy - A6 of spades

The board ran out K J 6 5 4 with back-door spades to give Andy a flush and all the chips.

James Anderson was eliminated in second place, earning $438,698.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Event 25 Recap

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The final Event of the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open has concluded with Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) beating Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) heads-up and taking home $16,567 along with the Borgata engraved trophy.

The biggest hand of the tournament for Robert came early on when he called a Player's bluff and scooped a life-saving pot.  "The board came 7-7-3-3 and all I had was A-Q but I knew I was good.  I knew he had nothing so I called and survived," said Zybura.

"Poker is new to me.  This is only the 4th live-action tournament I've ever played in," said Zybura.  The other three came during the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open series.

Event 25 kicked off at 11:00 AM in the Poker Room and allowed the 372 entrants a generous starting deep stack of 25,000 chips and a chance to Re-Enter.

Some of the Borgata regulars taking a shot at the $63,240 prize pool included Paul Spitzberg, Gil Sacks, Andrew Klein, Grace Son, Mark Zotti, Leanne Rosenblatt, Eric "Clownfish" Doerr, Howard Wolper, and Adam Gerber.  Jason Min ironically min cashed for $368 in 29th Place along with Andrew Interdonato who grabbed 28th Place for $368.

Expected mother-to-be, Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY) was the Last Woman Standing and finished 9th at the final table for $1,227.  Mike Purcher (Mt. Sinai, NY) is engaged to marry Brittany's cousin and finished 10th for $797.

A couple of brothers from Staten Island, Joseph & Nick Iacoviello , were both among the 36 players who cashed.

But once again, the person who captured all 9,300,000 chips was avid snowboarder and MMA fighter Robert Zybura who wrapped up the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open in style to the tune of $16,567.

Final Table Results:
1. Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) - $16,567
2. Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) - $9,201
3. Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) - $5,705
4. Iverson "Cotton" Snuffer (Milton, WV) - $4,601
5. Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) - $3,558
6. Chris C. (New York, NY) - $3,006
7. Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) - $2,423
8. Scott Finkel (Commack, NY) - $1,810
9. Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY) - $1,227
10. Mike Purcher (Mt. Sinai, NY) - $797

FINAL RESULTS

Event 25: 1st Place - Zybura

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Robert Zybura - (Catskills, NY)
$16,567

Congratulations to Robert Zybura who just won his first brick and motar tournament ever.  He's only been playing live action for 6 months.  "I started out playing on-line then tried out limit games, then cash" explained Zybura.

Robert Zybura is currently in between jobs and says, "Poker is always hiring".  He played in three other 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open Events but the fourth time was a charm.

He's going to use some of his prize money to bankroll future poker tournaments and opportunities.  "Poker is my passion" said Zybura who predicts he's the one to watch and is going to fulfill a promise he made to himself - to become the next up and coming star in the world of poker.

Robert knows about winning and competing as he snowboards almost every day and used to battle in Mixed Martial Arts.

Congratulations on your first Borgata win and on taking down $16,567.

Event 25: 2nd Place - Schmude

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Schmude - (Hawthorne, NJ)
$9,201

Mike had his share of lucky runs and miracle rivers today that propelled him to the final table.  
When he's not playing poker, Mike manages a liquor store.  Schmude and Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) only played 4 hands heads-up.

Zybura had the monster chip advantage along with A-K on the winning hand.

Schmude Q-10 vs. Zybura A-K

Board: 5-4-7-A-9

Although Mike picked up a heart draw on the flop, he bricked out the turn and river.

Congrats on your 2nd Place finish and $9,201 prize.

Event 25: 3rd Place - Boyko

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Robert Boyko - (Yonkers, NY)
$5,705

Police Officer Robert Boyko books $5,705 for his 3rd Place finish.  He played the player, not the cards, and his reads brought him to the final table where he gave himself a good chance to win.

Boyko played three tournaments and was happy to take down his first cash of the series.

Event 25: 4th Place - Snuffer

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Cotton Snuffer - (Milton, WV)
$4,601

Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) takes out two birds with one stone.  Zybura has AA vs. Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) who has 10-10 and Iverson "Cotton" Snuffer who has A-K.  All three are all in pre-flop but Zybura has everyone covered.

Players stand and watch the board fall 5-Q-9-Q-5

Zybura cheers his double knock-out.  Cotton started the hand with less chips than Boyko and thus takes 4th Place.

Cotton says hi and thanks to his wife Jamie and his children.  "I'd also like to thank my Lord Jesus Christ for allowing me to play, and for watching over me and my family" said Cotton.

Check out Cotton on TV the weeks of Feb. 14th and 21st as he finished 4th on the Heartland Poker Tour Main Event which will be televised.  Hmmm, also 4th here tonight.

He's also working on his autobiography and screenplay which documents his true-life story as one of the best poker cheaters and sleight of hand men in the world (back when poker was poker).

Cotton played a bunch of Event during the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open and was running into a rash of bad beats at bad times.  He said to himself he didn't want to leave Borgata on a bad note and so gave himself one more fighting chance in today's tournament, determined to go deep.

"I'm a fighter" said Cotton who takes home $4,601 for his 4th Place finish.  Congratulations!

Event 25: 5th Place - Weinfeld

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Marty Weinfeld - (Brooklyn, NY)
$3,558

End of the road for Marty Weinfeld who said he was happy with 5th Place after riding the short stack for so long.

Marty's exit hand was A-8.  He hit an eight on the flop (top pair) and lead out.  Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) jammed with JJ and they held up.

Board: 2-8-3-6-9

After a count Marty had less than one big blind left and was out the very next hand.

But congratulations on earning $3,558 for your efforts today and 5th Place finish.

Event 25: 7th Place - Kloc

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Andrew Kloc - (Naugatuck, CT)
$2,423

Andrew Kloc was explaining how for a few weeks now over and over he'll hit the card he needs on the flop then watch his Opponent get there on the turn or river.  Earlier I watched him hit top pair only for his Opponent to river a set.  "It's torture" said Kloc.

In back to back hands, Andrew lost all his chips.  First he jammed with K-6 suited and ran into Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) who ended up with three eights.

That left Kloc with 500,000.  He shipped with K-J and was called by two players each holding Ace rag.  As if on cue, Andrew flopped his King only to watch an Ace spike the river and his Opponents chop up his chips.

Board: 3-K-3-6-A

4th Place last night for Andrew in Event 24 and 7th Place today.  He wanted to improve off of yesterday's finish but back to back final tables is very impressive.

Event 25: 8th Place - Finkel

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Scott Finkel - (Commack, NY)
$1,810

Scott Finkel was very short on the big blind so took a shot with Q-9.  He got three callers and saw a flop of J-7-3.

Chris C. leads out and isolates the hand heads-up.  Chris tables 7-6.

6 on the turn and 6 on the river gives Chris a boat and sends Finkel to the cleaners.

"I checked out this morning then figured I'd play one more Event" said Scott who is glad he played and final tabled today.

Congrats on your $1,810 score for 8th Place.


 

Event 25: 9th Place - Havern

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Brittany Havern - (Long Island, NY)
$1,227

Brittany Havern was The Last Woman Standing and said she had a great time playing in the tournament.

She went down swinging with A-Q vs. Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) holding 10-10.

Brittany hit her Queen on the flop but Mike was open ended.  The chips got in the middle and Schmude turned his straight.

Board: 9-J-Q-K-3

Brittany takes home $1,227 for her 9th Place finish.  I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her (or less of her once she has her baby boy).

Event 25: 10th Place - Purcher

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Purcher - (Mt. Sinai, NY)
$797

Mike says hello to his fiance Melissa and his kids Tony & Bella.  "Dad will be home soon and I miss you" said Purcher who just busted out of Event 25.

Mike was all in pre with K-6 and was called by Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) and Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY).

Side pot grew on the turn 8-5-10-7... as Zybura re-raised all in causing Boyko to finally fold.

Zybura rolled over 6-9 for a straight, Boyko mucked 7-8 for two pair, and Mike Purcher did not catch a 9 for a chop.  River was an Ace.

So 10th Place for Mike Purcher who takes home $797.

Event 25: Leave Brittany Alone

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Cards and chips are flying at the final table still looking for their first bust-out.

Looked like it might be Brittany Havern (Long Island) who pushed in her last 110,000 pre-flop and got two callers.

Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) and Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) build up a monster side pot on a flop of 7-2-2.

With Brittany already all in at-risk, Marty goes all in and Robert calls.

Brittany tables J-J.
Robert tables 10-10.
Marty tables 9-9,

Turncard Q and River 3 gives Brittany the triple up to 350,000 and Robert the monster double-up to 1,800,000 and the chiplead.

Marty shakes his head and has to re-build his now short stack of 200,000.

Guys and Brittany are on a ten minute break while 1000 Orange are crushed off the table.

Event 25: Final Table Set

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Final Table of Ten

Seat - Name - Location - Chips
1. Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ) - 675,000
2. Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) - 1,100,000
3. Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) - 350,000
4. Mike Purcher (Mt. Sinai, NY) - 200,000
5. Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY) - 450,000
6. Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) - 1,100,000
7. Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) - 1,400,000
8. Cotton Snuffer (Milton, WV) - 1,600,000
9. Scott Finkel (Commack, NY) 280,000

Cotton has the chiplead, looking to pick off some players.


Event 25: Peace Out For Reese

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Billy Reese - (Kingsville, MD)
11th Place - $797

That's it for Billy Reese who goes out as the Final Table bubble.  His chips went into the middle pre-flop with Q-J off and was called by Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) who held A-10.

Board ran: 7-6-10-7-K

Billy Reese takes home $797 for his 11th Place finish today at Borgata.


 

Event 25: 12th Place - Young

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Robert Young - (Port Monmouth, NJ)
$797

Robert was down on chips so got it in all after hitting middle pair on a flop of 2-J-3.

He zigged when he should have zagged because Marty Weinfeld quickly called
 and tabled AA.  Although Robert had outs, he bricked out the turn and river.

Robert 3-4 vs. Marty A-A

Board: 2-J-3-6-10

Event 25: 14th Place - Phelps

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) raises to 100,000 causing Joseph Phelps (Diamondhead, MI) to ship it in with A-K.  Unfortunately for Phelps, Chris C. calls and tables A-A.

Board ran: Q-2-4-Q-J giving Chris C. the 1.5 million pot and felting Phelps.

Kloc couldn't believe he would have hit trips along with the monster chip lead had he called instead of folded.

When he's not working in the casino industry, Joseph plays the circuit.  In fact, last year he was 113th in the country and has a couple WSOP circuit rings.

"I always go for the win" said Joseph Phelps who earns $613 for his 14th Place finish.

Event 25: Gone Baby Gone

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following Players have left the building, or at least the tournament.

14 - Joseph Phelps (Diamondhead, Miss) - $613
15 - Armando Then (New York, NY) - $613
16 - Anthony Hulbert (Reston, VA) - $521
17 - Francis Destefano (Spring Lake Hgt. NJ) - $521
18 - John Ernst (Oakhurst, NJ) - $521
19 - Paul Tarulli (Jamesburg, NJ) - $460
20 - Terence Rivada (Teaneck, NJ) - $460
21 - Joseph Iacoviello (Staten Island, NY) - $460
22 - Sean Fagan (Roanoke, VA) - $460
23 - Joseph Spillane Jr. (Westampton, NJ) - $460
24 - Richard Greenberg (Wynewood, PA) - $460
25 - Paul Villella (Oceanside, NY) - $460
26 - Glenn Wilkins (Freehold, NJ) - $460
27 - Fran Dire (Colombus, NJ) - $460

Players are on a ten minute break.

Blinds are 1,200 / 2,400 with 300 antes.

Event 25: Final Two Tables

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Down to two tables in the Poker Room.

Table 1:
1. Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT)
2. Scott Finkel (Commack, NY)
3. Joseph Phelps (Diamondhead, MI)
4. Tony Hulbert (Reston, VA) - 16th Place
5. Chris C.
6. Cotton Snuffer (Milton, WV)
7. Armando Then (New York, NY)
8. Mike Purcher (Mt. Sinai, NY)

Table 2:
1. Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY)
2. Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY)
3. Robert Young (Port Monmouth, NJ)
4. Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY)
5. Mike Schmude (Hawthorne, NJ)
6. Billy Reese (Kingsville, MD)
7. Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY)
8. Nick Iacoviello (Staten Island, NY)

Interesting sidenote: Mike Purcher is engaged to Brittany Havern's cousin.  The two are still on separate tables.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Event 25: Double Dutch

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

At the point in the tournament where for a lot of short stacks it's double up time or time to go home.

Nick Iacoviello doubles up to 240,000 after his KK takes down Opponent's 44.  His brother Joseph goes out in 21st Place when his suited 6-7 hits two pair but loses to A-7 who also hit two pair.

Robert Zybura (Catskills, NY) doubles up when his A-5 beats Opponent's A-4.  Funny thing was both players hit their man on the flop.  Dealer even started pushing chips away from Robert who reminded that he won the pot and double-up.

Board: 2-5-4-K-Q

Zybura now has 310,000.

Event 25: Rivada Rivered

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Thanks Mom & Dad

Terence Rivada (Teaneck, NJ) has nada but goes down swinging with his last 19,000.  He gets it in good with A-K and Opponent calls with A-Q.  Rivada feeling good until a Queen spikes the river sending him to the rail in 20th Place.

Board: 3-4-3-10-Q

Terence earns $460 for his showing today.

Event 25: Marty Party

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Marty Weinfeld - 900,000

Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) has the largest stack at his table and the 2nd largest stack in the room.

He took down a 700,000 pot after his A-K held up vs. A-Q and A-Q.  Weinfeld felted one player on the hand.

"Other than that pot, I've just been grinding away" said Marty.

25 Players remain on three tables.

Average stack is 372,000

Blinds 10,000 / 20,000 with 3,000 antes.

Event 25: Min Cashers

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following Players each earned $368 for their finish in today's tournament:

28 - Andrew Interdonato (Washington, DC)
29 - Jason Min (Flushing, NY)
30 - Ramona Kullman (Graenstrabe, Germany)
31 - Joseph Villella (Oceanside, NY)
32 - Sazan Lusha (Staten Island, NY)
33 - Joseph Isabella (Egg Harbor Twp.)
34 - Todor Blazevski (Wayne, NJ)
35 - Eric Doerr (Newark, DE)
36 - Brian Reilly (North Haledon, NJ)

Congratulations to cashing in Event 25.

Event 25: Oh Boyko - New Chipleader

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Robert Boyko Looking To Repeat

Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) won Event 25 in the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open and he's looking to defend his championship title today.

"It was just over one year ago on January 31st when I won" said Boyko.

Since the bubble broke he's padded his stack to be the first Player to 1,000,000.  Scored a big pot with J-J holding up vs. 10-10.  Then took down 200,000 after his A-J suited flopped an Ace.

Fireworks may explode as Robert is sitting next to Andrew Kloc who is also amongst the chipleaders in the room.

Event 25: Germany Representing

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Gregor Braun & Ramona Kullmann

Ramona Kullmann (Germany) looked down at A-Q and shipped her short stack in only to be called by Opponent's A-K.  Kullmann turned a flush draw for some added hope but whiffed the river.

This was Gregor and Ramona's first tournament and visit to Borgata Hotel & Spa.  They enjoyed their stay and are glad they made the trip in from Germany.

Ramona Kullmann takes 30th Place earning $368.  Gregor also played in the tournament but did not cash.

With Ramona's exit, that makes Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY) our Last Woman Standing.

Event 25: There Are Kloc's In Casinos

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Andrew Kloc - 700,000
Chipleader

Andew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) finished 4th this morning in Event-24 earning $3,515.  His exit came around 4;30AM but he was so wired that he couldn't sleep.

He jumped into today's 11 am literally on no sleep.  "I think I'm starting to make mistakes" says Kloc who is the tournament chipleader.  Guess he's not making that many mistakes.

30 remain on four tables.

Blinds 6000 / 12,000 with 2000 antes.

Event 25: My Bro Bubbled Your Butt

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Brothers Nick & Joseph Iacoveillo

At the same table sits two brothers from Hoboken and Staten Island.  Nick & Joseph Iacoveillo playing side by side and now have both safely in the cash.

Everyone celebrates as Joseph Iacoviello (Hoboken, NJ) sends Craig Mason (Astoria, NY) out the door as the bubble boy and the remaining 36 Players into the money.

Joseph A-A vs. Craig K-J. 

Guys were both all in pre-flop during hand for hand.  A crowd gathered around to watch the action.

Board: 10-4-9-6-3

36th Place will receive $368 but 37th Place got some pizza dough collectively from almost all of the generous players prior to the hand.

Craig Mason - From Chipleader To Bubble

Event 25: Snuff Said

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Cotton Snuffer - 380,000

Cotton Snuffer (Milton, WV) has played in a ton of Events during the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open.  He's had his share of bad beats but is looking for gold in this last Event before he heads home.

Great fold earlier for Cotton who flopped top two with 8-7 then correctly folded after realizing his Opponent flopped a straight.  "I would have been out the door if I made that call" explained Cotton.

He just knocked out the double bubble in an A-K vs. J-J race.  Cotton raised pre and Opponent jammed with Jacks.

Board ran out 9-8-2-A-2

Event 25: Quadfish Flushed Down Toilet

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Every so often there's hand or a moment that reminds us why we love poker.  4 Players away from the bubble, a Player shoves 106,000 all in and chip leader Tony Hulbert (Reston, VA) calls.

That causes Eric "Clownfish" Doerr to fold pocket 77's.

2nd in tournament chips announces "all-in".  Tony Hulbert tanks.  If he calls we'd have a 1 million chip monster chip leader.  Tony folded.

Chris C. (2nd in chips) tables A-K vs. Opponent's K-Q

Flop comes 6-7-2 bringing a moan from Clownfish.

Turncard is another 7 sending Eric into a tilty frenzy.

"I folded quads sevens" announced Eric.

River 5 sent the pot to Chris C. who is the chip leader with 720,000.

Chris is incognito and wants to remain anonymous.

Event 25: Tot Committed

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Expecting A Baby, & To Win Tournament

Three women remain in Event 25 but Brittany Havern (Long Island, NY) is leading the girls with 280,000.  "No monster hands, just grinding" said Brittany.

Brittany has never played against Grace Sun before, who is also alive but down to 90,000.

Havern happy to have a workable stack after stuck short stack for what felt like an eternity.

Brittany's husband Anthony also bought into this Event but Brittany is the Last Havern Standing.  Anthony is now rooting from the rail.

Congratulations to Anthony and Brittany who's baby's delivery is scheduled in two months.

45 Players remain - 36 get paid.

Event 25: Brian Boycotts Boyko

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Brian Reilly - 400,000

One of the largest stacks on dinner break belongs to Brian Reilly (Dumont, NJ) who earlier flopped quad Jacks with a Donk betting into him on every street.  "I had pocket jacks and saw two more jacks on the flop" said Brian.  Reilly says hi to his brother checking out the blog from home.

He recently took a slight hit allowing Robert Boyko (Yonkers, NY) to catch runner, runner for a straight and thus crack his Kings.

Robert had A-J and the board read: Q-10-6-8-9.

Robert Boyko - 260,000

51 Players remain out of 372 entrants.
 

Event 25: Back In Business

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The boys are back in town (and a few ladies we'll meet soon) ready to fight it out on the felt until we have a winner tonight in the Poker Room.

Average chip stack is 178,846 with 9,300,000 total chips in play.

6 tables remain.  Levels lasting 30 minutes.

Event 25: Dinner Bell Rings

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Andrew Interdonato (S-1) & Howard Wolper (S-7)

Remaining 52 Players received dinner vouchers and will take a 1 hour break to decompress and eat.
Game on at 8:50 PM where the top 36 get some cake for dessert.

When play resumes blinds will be 4000 / 8000 with 1000 antes.

Event 25: Emdur Done

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Brad Emdur - (Cherry Hill, NJ)

Brad Emdur calls it a day after running his last 128,000 and K-10 into Opponent's AA.

Brad flopped a King but didn't improve on a board reading, K-8-Q-J-7.

"I love the blog and enjoy following it when I'm not here playing at Borgata" said a fellow worker from a company in the casino industry.

As for today, Brad was card dead and waiting to get his stack in for a much needed double up.

He's bounced out in 55th place with the top 36 getting paid.

Brad bookends Event 1 and Event 25 in the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open.  "Event 1 had great value and I loved playing in it" said Emdur.

Event 25: McGuinnes Drinking It All In

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Nice hand for Mike McGuinnes (Toms River, NJ) who picks up pocket Queens and has an Opponent open shove his last 59,000 pre-flop.  Mike called and Opponent tabled 10-10.

Board ran 7-3-3-6-Q giving Mike unnecessary trips on the river and a stack around 120,000.

Another player acting after Mike claimed to fold JJ.  With that bust-out Dealer shouts, "Seat Open" as we've now shrunk down to 63 players.

Level 16 Blinds: 2500 / 5000 with 500 antes.

Event 25: Hulbert Hauling Chips

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Tony Hulbert - 600,000

Tony Hulbert (Reston, VA) has one of, if not the largest stacks in the room.  He felted the Player to his left after both gentlemen flopped set over set in a 500,000 pot.  "He jammed into me and I insta-called" explained Hulbert.

Tony flopped three Kings and Opponent flopped three Threes.  With that double Tony is now sitting on 600,000 chips.

Event 25: Breaking Bad.....

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

....and by bad we mean good!

Another table is down to set the field at 80 players

The average stack is 120k (40 bb) with blinds at 2,500/5k/500 ante.

Championship Recap

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Yung "Andy" Hwang (Houston, TX) admitted he didn't play his best poker at the final table, but he didn't have to.  The soft spoken 27-year old let his chips do the talking early in the tournament and when he got heads up he defeated James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA) to win the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event.

"It's unbelievable," said Hwang who earned $730,053, "I'm at a loss for words."

Hwang had A♠ 6♠ and made a flush on the final hand to secure his largest career payday.

"He's a tough player heads up," said Anderson, who earned $438,698 as runner-up. "I made a pretty light call in the big pot and probably will be thinking about that one for a while."

Three hands before his elimination, Anderson was deep in the tank on a board of  K♣ 7 5♠ 3 2♣ and faced a 4 million bet on the river.  Anderson called and mucked when Hwang showed a winning pair of kings.

"I didn't particularly play that great," said Anderson who was crippled after the 16 million chip pot, "but I don't think I made any mistakes. I just got hands in the right spots and started eliminating people and that's how we got heads up."

Anderson was on a roll when the final six resumed play on Day 5 as he had four straight knockouts.

He first took care of short stack Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA), a former WPT winner, in 6th place.  Anderson then eliminated Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR), Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL) and Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY) in 5th, 4th and 3rd places respectively.

"He did do most of the dirty work most of the day for me," said Hwang, who said he found himself in some "sticky" spots and struggled to start the day. But that wasn't the case on Days 2-4.

Hwang returned for Day 2 as a short stack, but got an early double-up and went on a rush after the dinner break. He went from 60k to 500k and was third overall in chips when Day 2 play ended.

"Day 3 was cruise control from 500(k) to 3 million," said Hwang, "and yesterday (Day 4) was about the same." Hwang held the chip lead for all of Days 3 and 4 and had it most of the way at the final table.

The tournament began with 1,042 total entries and buy-ins reached $3,438,600 to crush the $2 million guaranteed prize pool.

Mark Ketteringham (Las Vegas, NV) had the chip lead after two starting days and not only grabbed the $5,000 bonus as the Day 1B chip leader, but parlayed his big stack into a 29th place finish.

Scott Herz (Austin, TX) had the chip lead after Day 2, slightly ahead of Hwang, but struggled to make the money in 94th place.

In fact reaching the money was a struggle for everyone as hand-for-hand bubble play lasted more than two hours. Paul Volpe (West Chester, PA) was the bubble boy and missed the $6,637 min cash for 100th place.

Recognizable names who made the money included:

36th Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hill, PA) 16 Borgata cashes
70th Allen Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) - 3x Borgata trophy winner
72nd Jonathan Little (Las Vegas, NV) - 2x WPT winner
77th Matt Matros (Brooklyn, NY) - 3x WSOP bracelet winner
82nd Andrew Badecker (Vernon, CT) 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open Champion

Familiar faces who made deep runs included:

7th Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) - June 2012 Borgata Leaderboard winner 
16th Russell Crane (Howell, NJ)  - 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion
22nd Jamie Kerstetter (Monroe Twp., NJ) - 16 Borgata cashes
26th Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ) - 3x Borgata trophy winner

In the end it was Hwang who navigated the quality field and took advantage of the deep stacks (30k starting chips) and long levels (75+ minutes) to earn his biggest career win.

"The structure of the tournament is unbelievable," said Hwang who was playing in his first Borgata event. "I hope to be back, we'll see how the schedule goes."
  
Final Table Results

1st Andy Hwang (Houston, TX) $730,053
2nd James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA) $438,698
3rd Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY) $265,475 
4th Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL) $222,336 (JA)
5th Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR) $182,514 
6th Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA)  $147,671 
7th Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) $117,805
8th Jeremy Stein (Washington, DC) $89,598
9th Kevin Truong (Freehold, NJ) $61,391
10th Adam Cook (Pasadena, MD) $39,821

Championship: 1st Place - Hwang

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Yung 'Andy' Hwang (Houston, TX)
$730,053

Andy Hwang is a professional poker players and is usually playing the WSOP Circuit events, but had heard good things about Borgata, so he came out to play the Six Max and the WPT Championship events.

He entered and played day 1A, but busted out, so he entered again on day 1B.  He only bagged 20k, less that the starting stack, but came back on day 2 and turned it all around.

Now he's won his first WPT Championship!

Championship: 2nd Place - Anderson

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

James Anderson (Pittsburgh, PA)
$438,698

Blinds up!

Level 36:  Blinds 150k/300k with 50k ante.

James Anderson shoved and Andy called.

James - T8 off
Andy - A6 of spades

The board ran out K J 6 5 4 with back-door spades to give Andy a flush and all the chips.

James Anderson was eliminated in second place, earning $438,698.

Event 25: Mason Rebuilds

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Just minutes after watching Craig Mason (Astoria, NY) lose 70k he gets it back and more.

On the last hand of the level a player makes it 9k (blinds 1,500/3k/400 ante) and Mason 3-bets to 45k and his opponent calls.

The flop is 10 high, Mason bets 20k and his opponent calls.  On the turn, Mason moves all in and his opponent tank calls, then mucks when Mason shows top set with pocket 10s.

Mason is up to 450k and one of the big stacks with 81 players remaining.

"I thought you were bad luck for me," laughs Mason who clearly avoids the blogger curse.

The average stack is 115k (29 bb) with blinds at 2k/4k/400.

The schedule is to play three more levels before taking a 1 hour dinner break at 7:45 pm

Championship: Hwang Takes Massive Lead

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

The final two pushed pots back and forth for a while, then...

Andy Hwang raised to 500k on the button.

James Anderson re-raised to 1.025 million and Andy called.

The flop came K 7 5 rainbow.

James fired 1.15 million and Andy called.

Turn was a 3.  James fired 1.95 million and Andy called.

River was a 2.  James checked.  Andy fired 4.075 million.

James tanked for a few minutes, then called.

Andy showed K8 for a pair of Kings.  Jim mucked and was down to less than 5 million.

Andy chipped up to ~26 million.

Event 25: Mason Builds Solid Foundation

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Craig Mason

We're down to less than 100 players and Craig Mason (Astoria, NY) has his stack to 370k which allows him to withstand sending a 56k double-up.

Blinds 1,500/3k/400 ante

Mason raises from early position to 6,500, Marty Weinfeld (Brooklyn, NY) 3-bets to 15k and Mason calls.

Flop: 3 4 10

Mason checks, Weinfeld moves all in for 56k and Mason calls.

Weinfeld: A 10 (pair of 10s)
Mason: 7 7

The turn and river are clean for Weinfeld who doubles up to 140k.

Mason is still healthy at 300k.

Level 14 (1,500/3k/400 ante) is winding down.

Championship: Heads Up Underway

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Heads up play began with James holding a slight chip lead:

James Anderson - 16.4 million
Andy Hwang - 14.6 million

Blinds up!

Level 35:   Blinds 125k/250k with 25 ante.

Championship: 3rd Place - Gogliormella

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY)
$265,475

In a battle of the blinds, James Anderson raised from the small and Mike Gogliormella shoved from the big.  James called.

James - AJ
Mike - K3

The board ran out 8 4 4 T A and James took the pot.

Mike finished in 3rd place, earning $265,475.

This is Mike's first WPT event and largest cash ever.  He works full time in brokerage operations.

Championship: 4th Place - Haugen

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL)
$222,336

Matt Haugen move his last 2.55 million in and got called by James Anderson.

Matt had QJ offsuit.  James had KQ suited.

The board fell 8 5 2 2 8 and James took the pot with his King kicker.

Matt was eliminated in 4th place, earning $222,336.

Matt's been playing poker professionally for four years and this is only his second WPT event.  This is also the largest cash of his poker career.

Event 25: Early Day for W.J.

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

After a deep run in Event 24 (3rd place / $4,423), W.J. Vincent II (Eau Claire, WI) sees his tournament end prematurely.

Vincent loses his last 100k to Armando Then (Washington Heights, NY) who has AK vs Vincent's AQ.  "If it's not my day, it's not my day," says Vincent, who couldn't help but talk about last night's finish.

"I had those guys shoving on me and getting lucky," says Vincent, who is disappointed that he didn't win the trophy and the $13,000 first place prize.

Armando has himself in position to make a deep run in this event as he's up to 275k and Vincent's elimination breaks the table.  Armando gives a shout out to his daughter Amanda, but slips in a hello to his "friend" Stacey.

We're down to 11 tables and 110 players wtih an average stack of 85k (35 bb) with blinds at 1,200/2,400/300 ante.

Championship: Hwang Doubles

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH 

In a battle of the blinds, Andy Hwang opened for 450k from the small and Matt Haugen called from the big.

On the flop of Q J 2 with two clubs, Andy bet 325k, Matt raised to 900k, Andy re-raised to 2.26 million, Andy shoved, and Matt called.

Andy - QT of diamonds (top pair)
Matt - T4 of clubs (flush draw).

The last two came offsuit 6 A and Andy took the pot, doubling up.

Championship: 5th Place - Druckman

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR)
$182,514

Jeremy Druckman got all his chips in the middle pre-flop against James Anderson.

Jeremy - AT
James - KK

The board came K 8 4 5 2 giving James a set and the pot. 

Jeremy busted out in 5th place, earning $182,514.

Jeremy is only 22 years old, but says he's been playing poker professionally for three years.

This is his first WPT event and he's made quite a showing, claiming the biggest tournament cash of his short career.

Event 25: Faces Still Fishing

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Some of the sharks who are still going after the less experienced fish include:

Andrew Interdonato
Eric "Clownfish" Doerr
Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo
Grace Sun
Howard Wolper
Cotton Snuffer

Championship: Gogliormella Doubles

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

On the first hand of the new level, Mike Gogliormella got all-in for 1.725 million pre-flop against James Anderson.

Mike - AT
James - K7

The board ran out T 8 7 8 6 and Mike doubled up to ~3.5 million.

Championship: Break Time Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Level 34:  Blinds 100k/200k, with 25 ante.   Play has resumed.

Chip counts as of the break, in millions:

James Anderson - 10.075
Andy Hwang - 7.775
Matt Haugen - 5.825
Jeremy Druckman - 5.725
Mike Gogliormella - 1.750

Event 25: "Set"ting the Pace

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

No Average Joe - Chip Leader

Joe Isabella (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ) is the chip leader with 240k.

"Hit a couple of nice," says Isabella, "it's been nice."

130 players remain with an average stack of 72k (36 bb) with blinds 1k/2k/300 ante.

Championship: Anderson Nabs One

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

In a battle of the blinds, Matt Haugen opened for 450k from the small.

James Anderson called from the big.

On the flop of J T 6 rainbow, Matt fired 500k.  James called.

Turn was a King.  Matt fired 1 million.  James raised to 2.2 million.

After about a minute, Matt let it go and James took the pot.


That's a wrap on the level and time for a break.

Event 25: Thinning the 11 am Herd

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Nearly 2/3 of the field as gone as 140 players of 372 entries remain.

The average chip stack is 66k (41 bb) with blinds at 800/1,600/200 ante.

The top 36 players make the money (min cash $368) as they go after the final trophy of the Borgata Winter Poker Open and the $16,566 top prize.

Championship: 6th Place - Salsberg

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH  

Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA)
$147,671

Matt Salsberg shoved his last ~1.5 million and got called by James Anderson.

Matt - 66
James - A9

The board came J J 9 Q 9 and gave James a full house.

Matt Salsberg busted out in 6th place, earning $147,671.

Championship: Druckman Doubles

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Andy Hwang opened for 300k utg, then Jeremy Druckman moved all-in for 2.78 million.

Action folded back to Andy, who called.

Andy - AJ
Jeremy - 66

The board came Q 8 3 8 4 and Jeremy doubled up to over 5.5 million.

Championship: Gogliormella Gets Another

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

On the river with a board of K 8 2 A A, Mike Gogliormella shoved his last 615k.

Matt Haugen folded and Mike took the pot.

Except for the chopped pot, we have yet to get to showdown in this level.

Championship: Another Chop

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH 

Matt Haugen opened for 300k on the button.

Mike Gogliormella moved all in from the big blind for 1.7 million.

Matt called, showing A9 suited.

Mike had A7 offsuit.

The board ran out A 8 8 Q 3 and resulted in another split pot!

Championship: Action? Not So Much

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH 

The action seems to have fizzled out as most hands are resolved pre-flop.

There was another hand between James Anderson and Mike Gogliormella that resulted in a chop.

Andy Hwang picked up a another small pot from Matt Haugen when Matt raised his big blind and Andy defended.

Level 33:  Blinds 75k/150k with 20k ante.  Play continued.

Championship: Gogliormella Chops, Chips Up

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Mike Gogliormella moved in for 1.47 million.

Jeremy Sruckman moved in for 2.66 million.

Everyone else got out of the way.

Both players tabled AK offsuit.

Jeremy picked up a flush draw on the turn so there was a sweat, but the river bricked and they split the pot.

 A few hands later, Jeremy opened for 250k.

Mike moved in for 1.57 million.

Jeremy let it go.  Mike showed pocket Jacks as he collected the pot.

Championship: Hwang Gets Some Back

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Andy Hwang opened for 240k and got a call from Matt Haugen (sb).

The flop came K 9 8 rainbow.

Matt checked, Andy fired 230k, and Matt called.

Turn was a 2.  Matt checked, Andy fired 370k, and Matt called.

River was a Jack.  Matt checked, Andy fired 415k and after some thought, Matt called.

Andy showed JT for a pair of Jacks.  Matt mucked.

Championship: Break Time Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH 

Level 32:  Blinds  60k/120k with 10k ante.

Here are the chip counts, in millions:

Matt Haugen - 10.450
James Anderson - 7.540
Andy Hwang - 5.565
Matt Salsberg - 3.010
Jeremy Druckman - 2.630
Mike Gogliormella - 1.945

Championship: Anderson Takes One

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

On the turn with a board of T 4 3 K, Matt Haugen bet 850k and James Anderson fired 1.7 million. 

After giving it some thought, Matt folded.

End of level and players are taking a break.

Championship: Big Pot for Haugen

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

On the river with a board of 8 7 4 5 K, Jeremy Druckman bet 1.95 million.

After giving it some thought, Matt Haugen called.

Jeremy showed pocket 9s.

Matt showed pocket Queens to take the pot.  He chipped up to ~11 million, good for the chip lead.

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard Update (2/1)

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Winter Poker Open event (January 15 - February 1, 2013), players earn points based upon the Borgata Winter Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard*
(Final Results from Main Events: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24 
 Secondary events: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47,48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)

885.850:  MICHAEL LINSTER
594.665:  MICHAEL DENTALE
551.813:  NASHAAT ANTONIOUS
543.788:  SHERVIN GOLBARI
540.875:  TOMISLAV DOBRILOVIC
530.525:  JOSEPH STIERS
524.350:  IVERSON SNUFFER
504.965:  TOMASZ GLINIECKI
483.663:  SAMUEL TAYLOR
479.325:  GARY LUCCI
456.175:  BARUCH THALER
455.163:  BEZHAN HAMDARD
449.775:  ELAN BRANAS
444.638:  ROBERT PANITCH
444.370:  ROBERT MIDGETTE
441.213:  JEFFREY EINSIDLER
427.195:  ROBERT QUIGLEY
421.475:  AARON MASSEY
415.675:  LAURENCE WOLF
400.758:  H MICHAEL BOROVETZ
398.568:  MUKUL PAHUJA
393.388:  COLLIN WHYTE
388.813:  ALEXANDER ROCHA
385.700:  ANTHONY RUBERTO
382.200:  TANIOS ABI-YAGHI
379.278:  NICHOLAS PALMA
375.613:  GORDON ENG
372.650:  PEARCE-CHRISTIAN ARNOLD
368.625:  IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC
368.063:  JEFFREY PAPOLA
364.388:  MATTHEW MAZZEO

Championship: Early Action

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH 

Matt Haugen came out of the gate firing today, playing aggressively and winning five of the first six hands. 

Then after Matt Salsberg doubled up, he seemed to settle down a bit -- or the other players kicked it up a notch.


Mike Gogliormella opened for 250k, Andy Hwang 3-bet to 480k, then Jeremy Druckman made it ~1.3 million to go.

Both opponents folded and Jeremy took the pot without a fight.

Championship: Salsberg Doubles

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Matt Salsberg - WPT Grand Prix de Paris Champion

Matt Salsberg was all-in pre-flop for 1.7 milion against James Anderson.

Matt - A9
James - AJ

The board came A Q 7 9 8 and Matt made two pair to double up to ~3.5 million.

Championship: Final Table Underway

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Level 31:  Blinds 50k/100k with 10k ante.

The final table is underway here in the event center.

This is being streamed live (with ~30 minute delay) on the internet, with hole cards and commentary.  You can watch the live stream here:

http://www.worldpokertour.com/Live_Streaming/index.aspx

Event 25: Break Time

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

After four levels, players were rewarded with a 15 minute break.

Late registration and re-entry are still available through level 8.

Players are now back in action with

Level 5: Blinds 150/300 with 25 ante.

Event 25: The Black Cat Gets Lucky

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Joe 'The Black Cat' Lopes got all in pre-flop for just under 25k holding pocket Queens.

Unfortunately for Joe, his opponent had pocket Kings.

Unfortunately for his opponent, a Queen came on the turn, giving Joe a set.

Joe doubled up to about 50 k.

That's why you should never cross the path of a black cat!

Event 25: Growing Field

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 4: Blinds 100/200.

27 tables are in action now and it looks like the flood of players has turned into a trickle.

Joining the field:

Jason Min
Pasquale Boffice
Jinglen Chen
Mark Zotti
Eric Doerr

Also, wishing a happy birthday to Joyce from her son, T.J!

Event 25: More Players, More Tables

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 3: Blinds 75/150. 

Table 25 is up and running with

Neville Darrell
Kate Elliott

Table 26 is about to start up as the players keep coming.

Event 25: More Faces

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 2: Blinds 50/100.

Joining the field today are:

Paul Spitzberg
Adam Gerber
Gil Sacks
Elliott Zaydman
Leanne Rosenblatt

Tables 22 - 24 are running with more players coming.

Event 25: Familiar Faces

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

There is a line to register for this event that extends out the poker room and reaches down to Wolfgang Puck's.

These familiar faces are already seated and in action early today:

Andrew Klein
Howard Wolper
Andrew Interdonato
Michael Forca

21 tables are active with room for more!

Event 25: Underway

$170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Today's final post-lim event is a popular Deep Stack.  Players began with a juicy 25k stack for lots of play.

The first six levels are 25 minutes long, then levels increase to 30 minutes for the rest of this one day tournament.

Players who bust out during the first eight levels may re-enter as many ties as they like. 

Level 1: Blinds 25/50. 

Cards are in the air!

Friday, February 1

TODAY'S EVENTS (POKER ROOM

11AM: Event 25 - $170 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-6: will last 25 minutes each | Levels 7+: will last 30 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 8 
  • 1-Day event 

6 PM: Event 56 - $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry) 
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on table in order to remain active in tournament
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
  • 1-Day event

TODAY'S EVENTS (EVENT CENTER
1 PM: Event 21 - WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship - Day 5

Championship: End of Day 4 / Final Table Preview

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH
 

Andy Hwang 
Chip Leader

Andy Hwang (Sugar Land, TX) ended Day 4 where he began it, with the chip lead at the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open.  He's now 1 of 6 players still in the running for the $730,053 top prize.

"Overall it was a good day," said Hwang who finished with 9.55 million. "I wish I hadn't blown 3 million in the last five minutes, but I feel good."

Hwang shipped a double-up to James Anderson (Wooster, OH) when he bluffed all in with 3♠ 6♠ against Anderson's A♣ A which vaulted Anderson to 7.83 million and second overall.

Also in the mix for the big money is WPT title holder Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA) who returns as the short stack with 1.920 million.  The other remaining players are Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR), Matt Haugen (Chicago, IL) and Mike Gogliormella (Yonkers, NY) who are third, fourth and fifth in chips respectively.

"I'm going to keep doing the same thing," said the 22-year old Druckman. "Stay focused, take things slowly and stay patient."

The day began with 28 players, but many of the big names failed to reach the final table.  Three-time Borgata trophy winner Chris Reslock (26th) and last woman standing Jamie Kerstetter (22nd) were knocked out early in the day.

Midway through the session, Russell Crane, the 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion, ran into the pocket kings of Hwang to end his day in 16th place. Play was stopped when Cuong Phung, the June 2012 Borgata Leaderboard winner, busted in 7th place after losing a coin flip with pocket 10s to Matt Haugen's AK.

Play resumes 1 pm Friday in the Event Center. The average remaining stack is 5.2 million (52 bb) with blinds continuing at 50k/100k/10k ante.

Name - Chip Count

Andy Hwang 9.55 million (96 bb)
James Anderson 7.83 million (78 bb)
Jeremy Druckman 6.170 million (62 bb)
Matt Haugen 3.235 million (32 bb)
Mike Gogliormella 2.255 (23 bb)
Matt Salsberg 1.920 million (19 bb)

Remaining Prize Pool

Place - Amount

1st $730,053
2nd $438,698
3rd $265,475
4th $222,336
5th $182,514

Final Table Results

7th Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) $117,805
8th Jeremy Stein (Washington, DC) $89,598
9th Kevin Truong (Freehold, NJ) $61,391
10th Adam Cook (Pasadena, MD) $39,821

Championship: Final Table Chip Counts

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Players have bagged and tagged for the night and will resume their final table 1 pm Friday in the Event Center.

The average stack is 5.2 million (52 bb) with blinds at 50k/100k/10k ante.

Here are the end of night chip counts and remaining prize pool.

Name - Chip Count

 Andy Hwang 9.55 million (96 bb)
 James Anderson 7.83 million (78 bb)
 Jeremy Druckman 6.170 million (62 bb)
 Matt Haugen 3.235 million (32 bb)
 Mike Gogliormella 2.255 (23 bb)
 Matt Salsberg 1.920 million (19 bb)
 
Remaining Prize Pool

Place - Amount

1st $730,053
2nd $438,698
3rd $265,475
4th $222,336
5th $182,514
6th $147,671

Championship: 7th Place - Phung

$3300 + $200 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH

Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ) 
$117,805 

Blinds 50k/100k/10k ante
 
Cuong Phung is all in for 970k with 10♣ 10♠ vs the A♣ K of Matt Haugen.

Flop: K♠ 4 5 (Haugen pair of kings)

Turn: 3

River 2♠

"Good luck everyone," says Phung as he heads to the pay window in 7th place for $117,805.

Play is stopped with 71 minutes remaining on the level and the final 6 players bag and tag for the night.  Play resumes 1 pm Friday in the Event Center as they play for the trophy and $730,053 top prize.

Event 24 Recap

$200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Borgata Winter Poker Open main event #24 is officially in the books after Dr. William J. O'Brien III (Philadelphia, PA) felted Carpenter Anthony Wing (Dover, DE)  heads-up for $13,038 to win the coveted Borgata Winter Poker Open champion trophy.

After one re-entry, the first hand William was dealt was KK, bringing him a double-up.  And as fate would have it, his final hand of the tournament again was KK.  "Whenever I see KK I think of my Grandfather Dave who died in 1988 and sends them to me...My Grandmother, she sends me Aces," explained William.

The big hand of the tournament came a few hands into a deadlock heads-up battle.  From the 2.88 million chips in play, O'Brien was out-chipped by only 80,000.  He had A 4 and saw a flop of 5 K Q.  William Wing called the flop with the nut-flush draw, then hit an A♠ on the turn.  O'Brien jammed all in and Wing called tabling K 6.  A few hands later Wing lost his remaining micro-stack and $100 bounty chip to O'Brien.

Tables were filled with familiar faces such as David Heck, Andrew Klein, Eric Seigel, Marella Keene, Marsha Wolak, Howard Wolper, and Sheree Bykofsky, all starting with 12,000 chips.  "Miami" John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV) took 16th Place earning $466.

240 Borgata bounty hunters took the felt at 11am all vying for a slice of the $48,000 prize pool.  Alas, only the top 27 made the cash including Paul Spitzberg (Tenafly, NJ) who held the chip lead early on then cashed for $512 in 13th Place. 

Congratulations once again to our champion Dr. William J. O'Brien III who secured a well deserved victory along with $13,038.

Final Table:
1. Dr. William J. Obrien III (Philadelphia, PA) - $13,038
2. Anthony Wing (Dover, DE) - $7,682
3. William "WJ" Vincent (Eau Claire, WI) - $4,423
4. Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) - $3,585
5. Irving Pimentel (Roslindale, MA) - $2,794
6. John Harvilla (Northeast, PA) - $2,328
7. Joshua Ridolfo (Burlington, VT) - $1,862
8. Bob Hutchinson (New York, NY) - $1,397
9. Jimmy Born (Clarksville, MD) - $931
10. Richard Gipstein (New York, NY) - $605

FINAL TABLE