Friday, January 25, 2013

Event 19: Poker Is A Game Of Skill

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Lawrence DiCristina - Vindication

Thanks to Lawrence DiCristina the debate over whether poker is a game of chance or skill has been settled law (at least for now).

In August 2012 DiCristina was vindicated over charges he was illegally running a poker room in NY.

With the charges being dropped based on poker being a game of skill, Lawrence just got back from a family vaction / poker trip to the Bahamas where he played in the PokerStars Carribean Adventures.

Fresh off of that trip, he's now at Borgata to mix it up in this series.

Lawrence has been called an "Anonymous Hero" for the fight he's endured on behalf of poker and the poker community.  For all the home game, weekend warriors out there, we thank you!

Currently he's short stack, looking to survive the bubble and make some moves.

Event 18: Typing Time

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 12 - Blinds: 800/1600/ 200 ante

We've got 50 players left.  Average stack is 103,200.  Here are some more tweets from the past hour:

Michael Dentale ‏@Mikunbelievable
Card dead in the 6 max. Pick up Ak on the button and shove. @BeL0WaB0Ve was so scared he tanked with KK and almost folded, thought I had AA

Tim Reilly ‏@TimReillyPoker
Real card dead with 15bbs after nothing going my way for past 2 hours. Less the 50 left, 36 get paid 82k to first. #MyBird

Josh Templeton ‏@the_dude_3
58 left. Avg is 88k. Got around 245k

Steve Scales ‏@SteveScales
Around 160k at bb1200, 58 or so left, paying 36. Ton of good players left #BWPO

Edward Pham ‏@EdwardPhamPoker
80kish going in 1600 BB in 1K 6 max

Kevin Saul ‏@BeL0WaB0Ve
80k after level 11 in the 1k 6max

Event: 19: Snowing Ouside, Sonny Inside

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Sonny Chau - Playing Hookie

Sonny Chau took the day off of work to jump into Event 19.

"I read BorgataPokerBlog at work every day and it makes me want to be here playing" said Sonny who works in IT computer networking.

Chau has some bubble worries as we're 9 away and his stack is moving in the wrong direction.  Since his last table change, Sonny went from 295,000 to 240,000.

"This table's crazy - the worst hand in wins every time" laughed Sonny.

72 remain - Top 63 get paid.

Event 18: Groundhog Day...

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 12 - Blinds: 800/1600/ 200 ante

We're all in pre-flop and we find the J J of Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) up against the AK of Joshua Mancuso (Mandeville, LA).

The board comes out 6A43A and Mancuso wins the race, making trip aces by the river to cripple Affleck.

Mancuso now has around 105K.

The very next hand Affleck goes all-in again and is looked up by 1 player.

Affleck: JJ
Opponent: 99

Board runs out K525A and Affleck wins this time with the same hand, pocket Jacks...albeit for a much smaller pot.

Here's a recent tweet from chip leader Josh Templeton while I was putting this entry in:

Josh Templeton ‏@the_dude_3
Ya. Just lost a race to Matt affleck. But only 50k pot QQ <AK

Event 19: Titanic Hits Finberg

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Richard Finberg - 550,000

Richard Finberg (Pittsburgh, PA) doubles up to 550,000 after his pocket Aces hold vs. Dave. G's 88's.

Clean board ran: J-10-10-7-Q

Dave was a good sport telling Richard, "Hey, you took all my chips it's not fair...nice hand".

The very next hand Dave G. got his last 100,000 into the middle after two players jammed in front.

J-J vs. K-K vs. K♠10♠

Flop brought Dave some hope 10 9♠ 5♠.

But he whiffed the turn 5 and river 8.

That gave Ray Gormley (Little Egg Harbour, NJ) the double knock-out and scoop with KK.

Ray's up to 310,000 after coming to the table with only 25,000.

Event 18: Gimme a Break!

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 12 - Blinds: 800/1600/ 200 ante

Players are coming back from break, coming back to play Level 12.  60 left, playing on 10 tables.  Average stack is 86K.  Our chip leader in Event 18 is Josh Templeton (Montreal, CAN) with just around 250K or so.

Here's his latest tweet:

Josh Templeton ‏@the_dude_3
@the_dude_3 heater still on. 64 left

Event 19: Good Spike For Mike

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Mike Madera - 475,000

The biggest stack in the room belongs to Mike Madera (New York, NY).  Wasn't too long ago this kid was a major shortie then seemed to be on the right side of every coin-flip.

"I ran hotter than God for the past hour" said Madera.

The ball got rolling when Mike was down to 45,000 then tripled up when his AQ held against A4 and AJ.

Mike, who works as a college recruiter in NY realizes that being the chip leader this early doesn't always mean a lot.  Only time will tell.

Event 19: Chatman Chipping

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Chris Chatman - 340,000

Big hand for technology consultant Chris Chatman (Stoneridge, VA) who goes from 150,000 to 250,000 after hitting runner, runner for a flush.

"I had A-10 and was behind then got really lucky when I needed it" explained Chatman.

A♠10♠ vs. AQ 

Board: A♣ J 8♠ 2♠ 9♠ 

Chris is currently the second biggest stack in the room.  Still a lot of poker left of course.

Top 63 make the cake.  Min pay is $783 and first place takes home $55,260.

Event 18: Three for Couden

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 11 - Blinds: 600/1200/ 200 ante

Hand 1:  The player in seat 6 puts out a bet on a 2Q7 flop from the cutoff.  Joseph Couden (Blacklick, OH) is in the big blind and re-pops it to 6700.

The cutoff player then puts in a four bet min-raise of another ~6K.  Couden then mulls it over a few moments before placing out a fifth bet of ~12K into the middle.  At that point the player in the cutoff says "if I call this, I wouldn't know what to do on the turn..." and hesitantly pushes his cards in.  Couden takes the pot.

Hand 2:  Matt Affleck raises to 2700 from the cutoff.  Couden then three bets to 5800 from the small blind.  Affleck mulls it over a few seconds before releasing his hand.

Hand 3:  Couden puts in a small raise on the button.  The big blind shoves, Couden makes the call.
Big Blind:  55
Couden:  A8

We're off to the races, but an Ace hits right on the flop.  Couden's pair of Aces on the flop holds up, besting the pocket fives of his opponent, eliminating him from the tournament.  Couden wins 3 consecutive pots, eliminates 1 player, and has over 150K to his stack.


Event 18: Chugging Along...


$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 11 - Blinds: 600/1200/ 200 ante

69 players left, with an average of 74,782.  We have about 15 minutes left to this level.  Again, top 36 pay with the top prize being $81,754 for the champ.  

Event 19: Ibraimovic Movin On Up

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Ibra Ibraimovic - 300,000

Top three stack for Ibra Ibraimovic (Brooklyn, NY) who rose to the top after hitting three aces, a straight, and a big hand with cowboys.

115 Players remain on 12 tables with an average stack at 147,391.


Event 19: Break Talk

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Break Holdovers - Rabbit Everson & Mike Ryan

Players are on a ten minute color-up break.  Two tablemates swap poker stories a couple minutes into the break.

Rabit (Atlantic City, NJ) has been grinding a short stack the entire day and didn't get paid off with QQ before the break.

Mike Ryan (Gettysburg, PA) came in for the Championship but made a bet with five of his friends, TN, Chris, Jay, Paul, & Gary.  Whoever runs deepest in this tournament has to pay for everyone elses Borgata hotel tab - and Mike's staying in the Waterclub.

Mike enters the Open with 3 cashes in a row, one as an HPT runner-up at the Palms.

Event 19: Power Play

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 


Level 15 - Blinds: 2K/4K/ 400 ante

A player shoves 24,500 from late position.  Action folds to Rich Finberg (Pittsburgh, PA) under the gun, and   he re-raises to 30k after having limped.  The other players get out of the way and we see:

Finberg:  5 5
Opponent:  A5

51010J8 and Finberg locks it up right on the flop with a full house fives full of tens to knock out his adversary.  He is sitting on around 250K now.   

Across the table from him is Jordan Ludwick (Cherry Hill, NJ), who mentioned that he could use a little luck in this tournament.  He cashed in the 1st event here at the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open, and would like to repeat the success he had in the 2012 Borgata Summer Poker Open.  In that series last June Ludwick won Event 7, another $350 + $50 buy-in, for over $58K.  Good luck Jordan!     

Event 19: Hollywood plays at Borgata

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 


Level 15 - Blinds: 2K/4K/ 400 ante

                                                    Samm Levine - "Hollywooding"

Samm Levine (Chicago, IL) is one of those "where have I seen him before?" recognizable faces from TV and the big screen.  You know you've seen him before, but can't remember where.

Per Google: "He is known for his portrayal of Neal Schweiber on NBC's short-lived Freaks and Geeks and PFC Hirschberg in the hit 2009 film Inglourious Basterds."  He is also known for his feature role in "Not Another Teen Movie" among many others.

Samm has been playing poker for over 20 years, whenever he has downtime from his busy Hollywood schedule.  He is currently sitting on around 75K and having a good time at the tables.

Event 17 Recap

 $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

In a series full have veteran performances it was a couple of Omaha "newbies" that took center stage
at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT) picked up his first Borgata cash when he defeated David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ), who was playing in his first Omaha tournament.  On the final hand Scofield's Q 9  2♠ 7♣ hit a full a house against Rotches: A♠ 9♠ 4 4.

"I'm happy," said Scofield, who earned $14,973 for the win. "I only came (to Borgata) to play this. I literally only have $200 in my bank account."

Scofield not only dominated the final table, but dominated all of Day 2 as he was the chip leader from start to finish. He had nearly 1/3 of the chips in play with 14 players left and Scofield had 1 million chips four handed, while the other three players combined for only 750k.

"I play more loosely and have a wider range than most players," said Scofield. "I think players generally play tighter in tournaments."

Scofield said he ran up his stack early on Day 1 playing that way, but the style almost cost him at the final table.  At one point he bled chips from 600k to 300k and was forced to regroup with eight players left.

"I was definitely nervous and thinking how could I blow this huge lead, but that's when I tightened up and started hitting some flops."

After that it was a steady exodus beginning with WSOP bracelet holder Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX) in 8th place. He was followed by Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ) in 7th and Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ) in 6th, with Scofield getting both knockouts.

Jesse Patrylak (Springfield, PA), who finished fourth, eliminated Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV) in 5th place, but the chips were too little, too late as Scofield regained his commanding lead.

"He was definitely raising a lot with less than premium hands," said Patrylak, "but there was nothing I could do about it." 

After Patrylak was knocked out 4th, Scofield took care of Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY) in third place before finishing up against Rotches.

"I think I did pretty good," said the 75-year-old Rotches, who usually plays NL Hold'em, but was "tired of getting garbage cards" and liked the change of pace.

One hundred forty-seven players put up $51,450 of total buy-ins and Day 2 began with 24 players, seven from the money.  Pam Jamison (Phoenixville, PA) was the unfortunate bubble girl with her 19th place finish.

Those making the money included two Borgata trophy holders in Tim D'Alessandro (17th) and Ilya Dyment (11th). Dyment's elimination set the final table where Ron Fast (Pompton, NJ) finished 10th and the last woman standing E-Tay Taylor-Brady (Havertown, PA) came in 9th.

Scofield's win is a change to what we've seen at the Borgata Winter Poker Open over the last week.

Familiar faces Allen Kessler (H.O.R.S.E) and Jeff Papola ($1,500 Mix-Max) each won their second Borgata trophies, while Mike Linster (PLO & Black Chip Bounty) won two titles in four days.

But Scofield's performance was just as important to him as it was to any of the previous winners.

"I'll put some of it (winnings) into poker," said the CPA, "but can definitely take care of a few things."

Final Table Results
1st Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT) $14,973
2nd David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ) $8,235
3rd Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY) $4,741
4th Jesse Patrylak (Springfield, PA) $3,993
5th Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV) $2,994
6th Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ) $2,495
7th Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ) $1,996
8th Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX) $1,497
9th E-Tay Taylor-Brady (Havertown, PA) $1,123
10th Ron Fast (Pompton, NJ) $998

FINAL RESULTS

Event 17 Winner - Scofield

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT)
$14,973

Limits 30k/60k

On a board of 7♠ Q♠ A Q the last of David Rotches chips are in the middle and he's drawing dead against Bob Scofield.

Scofield: 9 Q 2♠ 7♣ (full house)
Rotches: A♠ 9♠ 4 4♠

The meaningless J♣ on the river ends the tournament with Scofield winning the title.

"I'm happy," says Scofield who really needs a bankroll booster. "I only came to play this. I literally only have $200 in my bank account. I'll put some of it into poker, but can definitely take care of a few things."

Scofield is a CPA who picks up his first career Borgata cash.

Event 17: 2nd Place - Rotches

 $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ) 
$8,235

David Rotches is drawing dead on the turn against Bob Scofield's full house and he settles for runner-up.

"I think I did pretty good," says the 75-year-old Rotches, who was playing in his first 
Omaha tournament.

"If you look up Omaha in the dictionary," says Scofield, "you'll see a picture of how Q 9 2 7 beats A 9 4 4.

The board of 7 Q A Q J gives Scofield the winning full house.

Rotches is a retired businessman and Borgata regular who usually plays NL hold'em.

"I got tired of getting garbage cards so I figured I'd give this game a try," he laughs, "I figured with my luck I'd have a chance."

Event 18: Twitter-verses

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Here's a couple of tweets from the field since the break:

Tim Reilly ‏@TimReillyPoker Just lost a big pot where I dbled my friend @nevermissmassey. His flush/gut vs my top pair. Down to 21k at 1k, time to pick spots #MyBird

Tim Reilly ‏@TimReillyPoker Just back from dinner with 42k at 500/1000/100 with 102 of 370 left in the 1k 6max @BorgataPoker #MyBird

Chris Bourassa ‏@BoringAssa 61.5k/48 with 108/344 left coming back from dinner to 1k/100a #BWPO18

brock parker ‏@brock_parker Coming back from dinner in 1k 6max, 2nd in chips, chipleader on my right. 100 ppl left

Event 17: 3rd Place - Judge

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY) 
$4,741

Limits 30k/60k

Mike Judge is forced to fold to the river bet of Bob Scofield and he's left with less than 100k.

Judge is out a few hands later when Scofield gets the scoop.

"I played a lot of good hands three-handed, but it didn't work out," says Judge. "That's poker."

Judge, who's an operating engineer, finishes in third place.

Scofield is up to 1.3 million and has a 4 to 1 chip lead over David Rotches as they begin heads up play.

Event 18: O' Canada

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 10 - Blinds: 500/1000/ 100 ante

Our chip leader over on Table 10 Seat 6 is Nickolaos Alafogiannis (Toronto, CAN) with about 170K in chips.

One of the first hands after dinner break, and Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo raises to 2K from early position.  Alafogiannis flats from late.

The flop comes 10710.  Mazzeo bets out 2100.  Alafogiannis says "He who bets, wins"...and mucks his A6 face up.  Mazzeo drags in the pot and is sitting on around 75K.



Brian O'Donoghue - Unparalleled


Brian O'Donoghue Goes Back-to-Back During the 2012 BPO

In September of 2012, Brian O'Donoghue (Bayside, NY) accomplished something no one else has ever done here at Borgata and possibly anywhere else.

He won back to back tournaments on consecutive days.

His odyssey began on Monday, September 10th when he entered event 10, which was a $350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em tournament.  The event carried a $100,000 guarantee and drew 615 entries.  Only 48 of those made the cut to return the next day. "I started off losing a lot, down to 10k early...on the bubble, I had 180k and went up to 1 million by the end of day one" O'Donoghue explained.

On day two, Tuesday, September 11th, he began as the chip leader with over 1.3 million chips when the average stack was a mere 320k.  It was almost midnight when Brian had all 15 million chips in play and his first Borgata Open trophy.  He collected $50,132 for the win.

In his post-game interview, O'Donoghue was asked if he would be playing the next day and he replied that he was going to take a day off and relax.  As he was leaving the Event Center, however, some friends convinced him he should register for the next day's event that night since a large crowd and long line was expected the next morning.  O'Donoghue got in line and was the last person to register before registration closed Tuesday night.

After spending some time chilling with friends, Brian tried to get some sleep, but a snoring roommate and muscles that were restless from sitting all day conspired to keep him up.  After sleeping for only an hour and a half, he gave up and took his computer to Borgata's Living Room.

On Wednesday, September 12th, O'Donoghue was in his seat in the Event Center promptly at 11am for the start of play, less than 12 hours after his win in event 10.

Event 15, the $200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em event, also carried a $100,000 guarantee.  It was a one day event, meaning they would play until a winner was determined.  As expected, the turnout was huge and registration line was long.  When the numbers were finalized, there were 1,237 entries in the event, more than double the entries in event 10.  Play continued through the night and into the morning of Thursday, September 13th.

It was after 8am when the final hand was dealt and Brian O'Donoghue had won his second Borgata Poker Open event, along with $51,588.  "I'm speechless" he said after it was over.  "The table was ludicrous.  I had to be very patient but I had the perfect seat position.  With the way the table was playing, I had to just stay patient and wait for my spots."

Now, more than four months later, it still seems unreal.  His life hasn't changed much "other than getting recognized around here a hell of a lot more".  When asked to reflect on his accomplishment, he said "Endurance was the key". 

Brian O'Donoghue started playing poker in 2003 in college and honed his skills online, using training sites like PokerXFactor.  He gravitated to sit-and-gos because they meshed better with his classes and part-time work schedule than multi-table tournaments.  Growing up and going to college in New York, it was natural for him to hit the Atlantic City casinos when he turned 21.  He tried his hand at the regular $100 tournaments, but when he found a backer is when his tournament game opened up.

"The first time I played a $1,000 buy-in tournament I was really nervous" he said. In Spring of 2005, at the ripe old age of 21, O'Donoghue was introduced to his first Borgata Poker Open series, but it wasn't until Summer of 2008 when he had his first breakthrough in a live tournament.  It was the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack NLH event ($2,000 buy-in) right here at Borgata.  He finished sixth for over $90,000.  He was still in college and went on to get his degree in Political Science, but he knew his future was in poker and he played tournaments whenever his schedule would permit.

O'Donoghue is one of the most mild-mannered poker players you'll ever meet. When on the felt, he doesn't hide behind sunglasses or under hoodies.  He doesn't erupt when he takes a bad beat.  He just takes it all in stride.

Event 17: Table for Three

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The final three players are on dinner break.

Play resumes at 8:30 pm with blinds going to 15k/30k, limits 30k/60k

Name-Chip Count

Bob Scofield 1 million (17 big bets)
David Rotches 400k (7 bb)
Mike Judge 360k (6 bb)

Remaining Prize Pool

1st $14,973
2nd $8,235
3rd $4,741

Event 18: Dinner Time

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The remaining 102 players have taken off for a 70-minute dinner break.

Play will resume at about 8:40 pm.

The two biggest stacks in the room are both on table 10.

Brock Parker is one of them with about 160k.

His opponent in the six seat has him covered by about 5k (165k).

Average stack is about 51k.

Event 15: 4th Place - Patrylak

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Jesse Patrylak (Springfield, PA) 
$3,993

On the hand before elimination, Jesse Patrylak is crippled when Rotches hits a miracle river for 3/4 of the pot.

"I had an unbreakable low," says Patrylak, "but somehow he got there."

Patrylak finishes in 4th place and says he liked the later start on Day 1 (4 pm) so that neither day was terribly long.

Event 19: Yumm

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 14 - Blinds: 1500/3000/ 400

Players are currently on their dinner break.  We'll be coming back at 8:27PM to Level 14 of play.

About 205 players remain in today's $350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) $100K guarantee.  

Enjoy folks!

Event 18: Dinner bells

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 9 - Blinds: 400/800/ 75 ante

108 grinders left in the 6-max.  Average stack is 47,777.  Players will be going on their 60 minute dinner break in another 10 minutes or so.

Event 17: Three Against One

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Scofield (left) Facing (r-l) Rotches, Patrylak & Judge

With 1 million chips, Bob Scofield has the other three players covered as they combine for the remaining 764k in play.

Mike Judge, Jesse Patrylak and David Rotches have an average of 255k which is only five big bets.

Blinds are 12k/24k, the forced bets 24k/48k.

Remaining Prize Pool

1st $14,973
2nd $8,235
3rd $4,741
4th $3,993

Event 19: Hunger Games...

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 13 - Limits: 1200/2400/ 300 ante

We have an all-in and a call preflop and we see the following cards tabled:

Jack Lichaa (Staten Island, NY) - TT
Opponent     -   99

The board comes King high and Lichaa knocks out his opponent...bringing us one person closer to the money.  Lichaa now has about 68K.  

In 23 minutes all players in Event 19 will be going on their 60 minute dinner break.

Hang on til you get those vouchers people!!    




Event 19 - Payouts


Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 19:  $350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
January 25, 2013

Entries:  678
Total Buy-In:  $237,300

PAYOUTS:
1:            $55,260
2:            $31,074
3:            $19,565
4:            $15,882
5:            $12,660
6:            $10,473
7:              $8,402
8:              $6,330
9:              $4,373
10-12:       $2,992
13-15:       $2,187
16-18:       $1,611
19-27:       $1,266
28-36:       $1,128
37-45:       $1,013
46-54:          $898
55-63:          $783

Event 17: 5th Place - Wells

 $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
 Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV) 
$2,994

Terry Wells misses all his draws for the high and Jesse Patrylak gets the scoop with a pair of aces and A 6 for the low.

Wells finish in 5th place.

Event 18: Tweetin' Time

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 9 - Blinds: 400/800/ 75 ante

Players are on break, coming back to Level 9 Blinds.  Here are some recent Twitter updates from the players in this field:

Joe McKeehen ‏@dude904
48675 going to 800 bb

Chris Bourassa ‏@BoringAssa
48k/40k ave with 126/344 left coming back to 800/100a in the 6-max #BWPO18

Vinny Pahuja ‏@vinpahuja
Made a terrible call w ATss to 11bb shove UTG & lost to AK then b/f OTR w/ AT on Q86A5 after flop and turn checked thru 3 ways. 21k at 800

Kevin Saul ‏@BeL0WaB0Ve
Clicked some buttons pre w 64ss, AJo flatted my 4b oop and open jammed 345dd flop. I doubled up. 65k after level 8 #aurora

Chris Bourassa ‏@BoringAssa
Board says 132/344 left on the @BorgataPoker $1k 6-max with 9 minutes left at 600/75a. 36 get paid

Event 18 - Payouts


Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 18:  $1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em
January 25-26, 2013

Entries:  344
Total Buy-In:  $344,000

PAYOUTS:
1:         $81,754
2:         $50,052
3:         $38,040
4:         $30,865
5:         $23,858
6:         $17,185
7:         $12,513
8:           $8,342
9:           $5,005
10-12:   $4,004
13-18:   $3,170
19-24:   $2,336
25-30:   $1,835
31-36:   $1,668

Event 15 - Recap

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA) bested a field of 277 entrants to claim the top prize of $37,619 and his second Borgata Open Trophy.  Ryan D'Angelo (Brooklyn, NY) finished second, earning $22,167.

Lemke began day two second in chips and claimed the chip lead when they got to the final table of ten.  Ryan D'Angelo overtook Lemke for the chip lead when he busted Kevin McColgan (Douglasville, PA) in 5th place (McColgan started the day as chip leader).

Heads up play began with D'Angelo holding a slight lead over Lemke.  D'Angelo was growing his stack, then Lemke turned the tables on him.  Lemke reclaimed the lead and didn't stop until he had all 3.3 million chips in play.

This event turned out 277 entries and piled up $138,500 in total buy-ins.  Only the final 27 players earned a payday and only 13 of those made it to day two.

One notable player cashing on day one was Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) who finished 16th for $1,343.  Dannenmann was runner-up in the WSOP Main Event in 2005 ($4.25 million).

Brian Lemke is best known for the WSOP bracelet he won in 2009, along with over $692,000, in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event.  He's amassed more than $1.1 million in career tournament earnings and now has two Borgata titles and trophies to go with his bracelet.


Final Table Results
1.  Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA)  $37,619
2.  Ryan D'Angelo (Brooklyn, NY)  $22,167
3.  Mike Garaufis (Bayside, NY)  $12,763
4.  Bob Panitch (Northbrook, IL)  $10,345
5.  Kevin McColgan (Douglasville, PA)  $8,061
6.  Travis Williams (Reading, PA)  $6,717
7.  Kyle Bowker (Walton, NY)  $5,374
8.   Sam Taylor (New York, NY)  $4,030 
9. Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY) $2,687
10. Ira 'Jay' Mensh (Ocean City, MD)  $1,746

FINAL RESULTS

Event 18: Bullets for Brock

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 8 - Blinds: 300/600/ 75ante

We have an all-in preflop and a call.

Brock Parker (Silver Spring, MD) - AA 
Opponent   -  KK

Board:  9♠ Q 5 6♥ 5 

Parker rakes in the money with his pocket Kings holding up.  With that pot, Parker is up to 140K.

135 players remain on 23 tables.  Average stack is 38,222.

Event 17: 6th Place - Zhang

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

No Picture
(Camera Shy)

Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ) 
$2,495

With only 5 big bets coming back from break, Zhang goes from 199k to the rail very quickly.

There's no low on his final hand and chip leader Bob Scofield wins the high with a straight.

Zhang is out in 6th place.

Event 19: Break it up!

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Players are on a 15 minute break.  When they return it will be Level 12 Blinds: 1k/2k/ 300 ante.


Event 17: 7th Place - Mainssof

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ) 
$1,996

Yoram Mainssof, the short stack coming back from break, is out when his two pair is beaten on the river by Bob Scofield's higher two pair.

Mike Judge gets the low on the hand and Mainssof is out in 7th place.

Event 17: Chip Counts

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The average stack is 221k which is 6 big bets.

Blinds are up to 10k/20k and the big bets are 20k/40k.

Name-Chip Count

Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT) 527k
David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ) 318k
Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY) 317k
Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV) 224k
Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ) 199k
Jesse Patrylak (Springfield, PA) 134k
Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ) 42k

Event 19: Ride Em Cowboys

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 10 - Limits: 600/1200/ 200 ante

The player under the gun makes it 3200 to go.  Ron Laduca (Cherry Hill, NJ) is 2 to his left and makes it a smooth 8K.  Action folds back around to the original bettor, who merely calls.

Flop comes 649.  The player first to act checks.  Laduca then slides out 16K.  His opponent then puts the rest of his ~40K stack in the middle and Laduca calls.

Laduca:  KK
Opponent:  QQ

The 10♣ 10 turn and river change nothing and Laduca scoops the pot and busts his opponent with pocket Kings.  Laduca now has ~110K.  

                                                                  Ron Laduca

Event 18: Lucky Ocho

$1000 + $90 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 8 - Blinds: 300/600/ 75 ante

Blinds have just gone up in Event 18 to Level 8 of play.  We have 29 tables of 6 players each at last count...so about 174 or so players remain.

Unofficially 344 entries in this event.  Payouts will be forthcoming.  

Event 17: 8th Place - Schwartz

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX) 
$1,497

Ylon Schwartz agonizes before making the 32k crying call on the river, but gets no piece of the pot.
Kelvin Zhang has the low and two pair to scoop.

Schwartz is left with only 30k and busts the next hand when Mike Judge scoops the last of his chips.

Schwartz, a WSOP bracelet holder, finishes in 8th place.

Event 19: Going Up!

$350 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 10 - Limits: 600/1200/ 200 ante

Blinds have just gone up, we're at Level 10 for the next 30 minutes.  Unofficially we have 678.  Official count and payouts to come soon.  


Event 15: 1st Place - Lemke

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA)
$37,619

After pairing his Queen on the turn, Brian Lemke took the lead on the hand over Ryan D'Angelo's pocket 9s.  He moved in on the river and got Ryan to call off his stack.

It was over and Brian Lemke has won his second Borgata Open Trophy, along with first place prize money of $37,619.

Brian won his first Borgata title during the 2012 Spring Poker Open in the $500 NLH event, beating a field of over 1,000 entrants and collecting $111,076.

Event 15: 2nd Place - D'Angelo

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Ryan D'Angelo (Brooklyn, NY)
$22,167

Brian Lemke was chipping away at Ryan D'Angelo's stack and had carved out a 2:1 chip lead with 2.2 million to Ryan's 1.1 million.

Then Brian raised to 70k from the button.

Ryan 3-bet to 175k.

Brian called.

The flop came A♣T7.

Ryan bet 120k and Brian called.

Turn was the Q♣.

Ryan checked, Brian bet 200k and Ryan called.

River was the 3♣.

Ryan checked, Brian announced all-in.  Ryan gave it some thought, then called.

Brian had Q♠5♠ for a pair of Queens.  Ryan held pocket 9s which were no good.

Ryan finished 2nd for $22,167.   Ryan has over $1.2 million in lifetime earnings, but hasn't been playing as much lately.  He's gone back to school to be a nutritionist.

Event 17: Things Tightening Up

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Chip leader Bob Scofield has been bleeding chips the last level and now has less 400k after shipping a double-up to Yoram Mainssof when he scoops Scofield who check-calls every street.

David Rotches and Kelvin Zhang both have more than 300k and are closing the gap on Schofield.

The average stack is 196k which is 8 big bets; the forced bets are now 12k/24k.

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard (Update 1/25)

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 events: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)


737.738:  MICHAEL LINSTER
504.000:  JOSEPH STIERS
418.390:  MICHAEL DENTALE
414.888:  GARY LUCCI
382.200:  TANIOS ABI-YAGHI
374.575:  BEZHAN HAMDARD
372.675:  TOMISLAV DOBRILOVIC
358.665:  TOMASZ GLINIECKI
354.325:  BARUCH THALER
354.250:  PEARCE-CHRISTIAN ARNOLD
352.488:  SAMUEL TAYLOR
350.650:  IVERSON SNUFFER
349.275:  AARON MASSEY
346.568:  MUKUL PAHUJA
344.050:  ROBERT MIDGETTE
341.423:  ALAN KRAUT
339.478:  NICHOLAS PALMA
330.358:  H MICHAEL BOROVETZ
326.300:  IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC
318.525:  LAURENCE WOLF
318.463:  GORDON ENG
317.263:  JEFFREY PAPOLA
315.650:  RYAN ERIQUEZZO

Event 15: Reversal of Fortunes

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

 Keeping their eye on the Prize

Level 25:  Blinds 15k/30k with 4k ante.

Brian Lemke has retaken the chip lead.  He's up to ~1.9 million (63 big blinds).

Ryan D'Angelo is down to ~1.4 million (47 big blinds).

This heads-up battle could go on for a while.

Event 17: 9th Place - Taylor-Brady

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

E-Tay Taylor-Brady (Havertown, PA) 
$1,123

Taylor-Brady is down to 36k and doesn't connect on a low with 2 3 5 6. Chip leader Bob Scofield gets the knockout to send our last woman sitting to the rail in 9th place.

Event 15: D'Angelo Advancing

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

On the turn with a board of A K 2 T,  Brian Lemke checked.

Ryan D'Angelo (button) bet 145k.

Brian called.

River was a 3. 

Brian checked; Ryan fired 415k. 

After some thought, Brian called.

Ryan showed KT for two pair.  Brian mucked.

Brian dropped to ~1.3 million.  Ryan was up to ~2 million.

Heads-up play continues.

Event 17: 10th Place - Fast

 $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Ron Fast (Pompton, NJ) 
$998

Ron fast takes his last stand with A 3 8♠ 5♠ in a four way pot to the river.

Mike Judge takes the high with Broadway, while David Rotches grabs the low to knockout Fast in 10th place.

Event 17: Top 10 List

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Final Table

Seat-Name

1 Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX)
2 Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV)
3 Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY)
4 Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ)
5 Jesse Patrylak (Springfield, PA)
6 David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ)
7 Ron Fast (Pompton, NJ)
8 Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ)
9 E-Tay Taylor-Brady (Havertown, PA)
10 Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT)

Event 15: 3rd Place - Garaufis

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Mike Garaufis (Bayside, NY)
$12,763

Mike Garaufis got his last 300k in holding A2, but ran into the pocket Kings of Brian Lemke.

The Kings held and Mike was busted in 3rd place.  He'll pick up $12,763.

Brian is up to ~1.6 million and almost even with Ryan D'Angelo, who has ~1.7 million.

Mike is just a casual player and decided to take some time off from his job tending bar to come play some poker.  He just got his Masters Degree and hasn't yet decided what he's going to do with it.

Blinds up!

Level 23:  Blinds 12k/24k with 3k ante.

Event 15: 4th Place - Panitch

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Bob Panitch (Northbrook, IL)
$10,345

Bob Panitch got his last 142k in good with pocket Kings.

Ryan D'Angelo had pocket 4s, but by the river had made a straight.

Bob busted out in 4th place, earning $10,345.

Event 17: 11th Place - Dyment

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Ilya Dyment (Brooklyn, NY)
$998

Event 17: 12th Place - Renner

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Robert Renner (Plainsboro, NJ)
$998

Event 15: 5th Place - McColgan

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Kevin McColgan (Douglasville, PA)
$8,061

Kevin McColgan got all-in for ~300k utg and Ryan D'Angelo called.

Kevin was ahead with A5 suited.  Ryan had KQ of the same suit.

A Queen on the board sent the pot to Ryan and sent Kevin to the rail.

He finished 5th for $8,061.

Event 17: 13th Place - Fox

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
 

 Dave Fox (Coram, NY)
$973

Event 17: 14th Place - Wagner

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Dennis Wagner (Silver Spring, MD)
$873

Event 15: 6th Place - Williams

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Travis Williams (Reading, PA) 
$6,717

Travis Williams moved in for 261k and after getting the count, Ryan D'Angelo moved in over the top.

Everyone else got out of the way.

Travis had the AQ of spades.  Ryan had AT offsuit.

The board ran out K J 8 5 Q with four clubs and Ryan had the Ten of clubs for the flush.  He chipped up to ~1 million.

Travis finished 6th for $6,717.

Event 15: Break Time Chip Counts

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

End of level and players took a break.  They're back now for

Level 23:  Blinds 10k/20k with 3k ante.

Here are the approximate chip counts:

Brian Lemke - 1.37 million
Ryan D'Angelo - 675k
Mike Garaufis - 460k
Kevin McColgan - 400k
Travis Williams - 222k
Bob Panitch - 195k

Event 15: 7th Place - Bowker

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Kyle Bowker (Walton, NY)
$5,374

Kyle Bowker got his stack in the middle against Ryan D'Angelo.

Kyle - AK
Ryan - 55

The board came K 6 2 4 5 and Kyle took the lead on the flop, but Ryan rivered the set to take the pot.

Kyle finishing 7th, taking $5,374.

Event 17: Scofield's "Tournament to Lose"

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Schofield Stretches the Chip Lead

Robert Renner (Plainsboro, NJ) is putting the pressure on chip leader Ronnie Schofield (Statford, CT) saying it's "his tournament to lose."

Schofield has 514k which is nearly 1/3 of the chips in play (1.764 million total) with 14 players remaining.

The average stack is 126k (8 big bets) as limits are now 8k/16k.

Event 17: 15th Place - Kaslov

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Ronnie Kaslov (Weekhawken, NJ) busts in 15th place when Robert Renner makes quad 7s with no low.

Kaslov says he was having a "bad hair" day and asked not to be photographed.

The remaining 14 players are on a 15 minute color-up break as the purple (500) chips are removed from play.

Event 15: 8th Place - Taylor

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Sam Taylor (New York, NY)
$4,030

Mike Garaufis was all-in for ~220k and called by Sam Taylor.

Mike - AA
Sam - A2

The Aces held up and Mike doubled up to ~460k.

Sam was left short-stacked and got his chips in with 76 off against Kyle Bowker's AK.

The board brought no help for Sam and he was toast, finishing 8th for $4,030.

Event 17: 16-18th Places ($749)

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Joseph Brand (Fairlawn, NJ)
16th Place

Tim D'Alessandro (Boothwyn, PA)
17th Place 

 Nimer Ltaif (Ottawa, Canada)
18th Place

Online Contest Winner

CONGRATULATIONS

ERLANI  ANGLERO

Winner of a seat into the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship Event!

Event 15: 9th Place - Sinishtaj

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY)
$2,687

After action folded to him in the small blind, Tony Sinishtaj shoved for ~160k.

Ryan D'Angelo (bb) looked him up with A2.

Tony was ahead with AK.

Then a deuce came on the flop giving Ryan a pair and the lead.  That's all he needed.

Tony finished in 9th place earning $2,687.

Event 15: Lemke Clearly Leads

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Bob Panitch raised pre-flop and got calls from Sam Taylor (hijack) and Brian Lemke (button).

The flop fell 6♣5♠4♠.  Bob bet 150k.  Sam called.

Then Brian moved all-in for 429k.

Bob called fairly quickly, having Brian covered.  Sam tanked for about 3.5 minutes before folding.

Bob had pocket Queens.

Brian had 9♣7♣ an open-ender.

Turn was the 3, completing the straight for Brian; Bob was drawing dead.  River was the irrelevant 3♣.

After shipping the double to Brian, Bob was left with ~160k.

Brian is now over 1 million in chips and the clear chip leader.

Event 17: Final Two Tables - In the $$$

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

Table 1

Dave Fox (Coram, NY)
Dennis Wagner (Silver Spring, MD)
Robert Renner (Plainsboro, NJ)
David Rotches (Ventnor, NJ)
Yoram Mainssof (Pennsauken, NJ)
Kelvin Zhang (Randolph, NJ)
Ronnie Kaslov (Weekhawken, NJ)
Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT)
Joseph Brand (Fairlawn, NJ)

Table 2

Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX)
Jesse Patrylak (Springield, PA)
Ilya Dyment (Brooklyn, NY)
Ron Fast (Pompton, NJ)
Nimer Ltaif (Ottawa, Canada)
E-Tay Taylor-Brady (Havertown, PA)
Mike Judge (New Hyde Park, NY)
Tim T'Alessandro (Boothwyn, PA)
Terry Wells (Kearneysville, WV)

Event 17: Bubble Breaks

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Pam Jamison (Phoenxville, PA) is the unfortunate bubble girl when she's knocked out by Dave Fox.
Gloria LoRusso (Brigantine, NJ) and Monty Dennis (Tucker, GA) also miss the cut.

With Jamison and LoRusso on the rail, E-Tay Taylor-Brady is the only woman remaining.

The final 18 players are in the money with a min cash of $749 and an eye on the $14,973 top prize.

Event 15: Shifting Chips

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

The final nine are just pushing chips around the felt.

Chip lead is really too close to call at this point.

Looks like WSOP bracelet holder Brian Lemke is in the lead with ~520k.

Kevin McColgan just pulled a pot and chipped up to ~515k.

Both Bob Panitch and Sam Taylor are right around 500k.

Average stack is 369.

Blinds up!

Level 22:  Blinds 8k/16k with 2k ante.

Event 15: Final Table Lineup

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 21:  Blinds 6k/12k with 2k ante.

Here are the final nine players with their new seat assignments:

  1. Tony Sinishtaj
  2. Ryan D'Angelo
  3. Kyle Bowker
  4. Mike Garaufis
  5. Bob Panitch
  6. Sam Taylor
  7. Kevin McColgan
  8. Brian Lemke
  9. Travis Williams

Event 15: 10th Place - Mensh

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Ira 'Jay' Mensh (Ocean City, MD)
$1,746

The final ten drew for seats and moved to a single table.

Then a very short-stacked Jay Mensh moved in.  Ryan D'Angelo moved in to isolate.

Jay's A5 off was dominated by Ryan's AK suited.

The board fell J 6 3 4 Q and despite picking up an open-ender on the turn, Jay whiffed the river.

He finished 10th for $1,746.

Event 17: 3 Down, 3 from the Money

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

LoRusso & Jamison

The eliminations of Donald Rossi (Smithtown, NY), Andrew Chapman (Westerly, RI) and
Ryan Paluf (Highland Hts., OH) sets the field at 21.

18 get paid and two of the three ladies Gloria LoRusso (Brigantine, NJ) and Pam Jamison (Phoenxville, PA) are side-by-side and hanging on with short stacks.  While E-Tay Taylor (Havertown, PA) is sitting comfortably as they approach the bubble.

Blinds moving up to 3k/6k which means the forced bets, 6k/12k are making life difficult for the shorties.

Event 15: 12th - Anderson; 11th - Snuffer

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

James Anderson (12th) & Cotton Snuffer (11th)

James Anderson (Wooster, OH) was next to depart in 12th place.

Iverson 'Cotton' Snuffer (Milton, WV) tangled with Bob Panitch and Bob put him to the test.  Cotton had top pair, but Bob had Kings-up to take the pot.

The stacks were very close, but Bob had Cotton by just a few chips.

Cotton finished 11th.

Both players earned $1,746.

Event 17: Trophy Chasers

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

24 players return for their chance at their Borgata Winter Poker Open trophy in Omaha, but only 18 make the money.

Robert Scofield (Stratford, CT) returns as the chip leader with 218k with the forced bets at 5k/10k.

The stack field features a couple of Borgata trophy holders in Tim D'Alessandro (Boothwyn, PA) and
Ila Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) and WSOP bracelet holder Ylon Schwartz (Austin, TX).

The average stack is 74k (7 big bets).

Here's a look at what they're playing for as cards are in the air.

Prize Pool

1st $14,973
2nd $8,235
3rd $4,741
4th $3,993
5th $2,994
6th $2,495
7th $1,996
8th $1,497
9th $1,123
10-12 $998
13-15 $873
16-18 $749

Event 15: 13th Place - Vusanjin

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Edin Vusanjin (Yonkers, NY)
$1,478

Thirteen players returned for day two.  They're back on the felt with

Level 20:  Blinds 5k/10k with 1k ante.

In early action, Edin Vusanjin was eliminated.  He finished 13th for $1,478.