Saturday, January 26, 2013

Event 20: Outta Here

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

It's been some pretty quick exits for our short stacks.  Seems like every shorti is busting out.

13 - Martin Matranca (Miami, FL) - $1,688
14 - Seth Cohen (New York, NY) - $1,688
15 - Frank Athey (Mineral Wells, WV) - $1,688
16 - Jason LaTourette (Manassas, VA) - $1,435
17 - Rory Singer (Roslyn Heights, NY) - $1,435
18 - xxxxxx - $1,435
19 - Robert Scofield (Stratford, CT) - $1,266

Martin Matranca's raised from the bb with 8-8 and was called by Opponent holding K-J suited.

Board ran: K-5-2-J-A

13th Place for Matranca who pockets $1,688

Event 20: Jason Jacked

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Jason LaTourette (Manassas, VA)
16th Place - $1,435

Jason was down to his last 100,000 and shipped UTG with K-J only to be called by A-J.

Both guys flopped a J but Jason did not improve.

Board: J-6-2-A-10

LaTourette's 2nd tournament in the series and his first cash.  Look for Jason in the Championship.

When he's not playing poker, Jason is an IT consultant.

Congratulations on your $1,435 haul.

Event 18: Three Handed

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

With limited action for the first 90 minutes after dinner break, the last hour has been fast and furious to set our final three who are vying for the big money and the trophy.

Blinds 10k/20k/3k ante

Tim Bryan (Centerville, VA) 2 million (100 bb)
Vimy Ha (Brooklyn, NY) 1.7 million (85 bb)
Seth Berger (Woodbury, NY) 1.5 million (75 bb)

Remaining Prize Pool

1st         $81,754
2nd         $50,052
3rd         $38,040

Event 18: 4th Place - Parker

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


 Brock Parker (Silver Spring, MD) 
$30,865

Brock Parker's run from big stack to the rail happens in the span of three critical hands.

The first one happens on the last hand of the 8k/16k/2k ante level.

With the board showing 9 8 2 10 J, Seth Berger moves all in for 450k and Parker calls.

Berger tabled K Q for the rivered straight which cut Parker down to 950k.

At the start of the next level (10k/20k/3k ante), Parker turned two pairs against Tim Bryan's bottom set.

Bryan then finishes the job.
Bryan: 10 10
Parker: A 9

There's no help on the board and Parker finishes a disappointing 4th.

"Very frustrating," says Parker, "Oh well, main tomorrow."

Parker, who won the Borgata Fall Poker Open for $373,000, returns Sunday for Day 1A of the Winter Open Championship event.

Bryan's new found chips gives him the chip lead three-handed.

Event 18: 5th Place - Longo

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



Troy Longo (North Haledon, NJ)
$23,858

The happiest player left in the tournament is Troy Longo who says, "I picked up 11-grand just sitting here." 

That's the pay difference between 5th ($23,858) and 7th ($12,513) places after Longo was left with < 200k after his pocket queens were crippled by Will Tonking earlier in the level.

Blinds 8k/16k/2k ante

The action folds to Longo in the SB who says, "I'm all in blind."

After looking at one card Seth Berger calls from the BB.

Longo: 8 4
Berger: A♠ 8

Longo doesn't pick up any help and hits the rail.

"I have to thank my wife Tammy," says Longo who finishes in 5th place, "without her support I couldn't be here."

Event 20: Final Two Tables

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Table 1:
S-1 - Rommy Lipman
S-2 - Spiro Markatos (Dix Hills, NY)
S-3 - Rory Singer (Mineola, NY)
S-4 - Karl Held (Forrest Hills, NY)
S-5 - Jason LaTourette (Manassas, VA)
S-6 - Jason Andrews (Pittsburgh, PA)
S-7 - Elan Branas
S-8 - Tommy Castellano (Staten Island, NY)
S-9 -

Table 2:
S-1 - Vitor Coelho
S-2 - Michael Bonita
S-3 - Haim Nagar
S-4 - Anthoney Bocchino
S-5 - Frank Athey
S-6 - Zachary Schwartz
S-7 - Paul Antzoulis
S-8 - Martin Matranca
S-9 - Laing Paul Rogers (Woodbridge, VA) - Out in 18th Place

Congrats to our final two tables all vying for the $45,564 top prize.

Blinds Up - 12,000 / 24,000 with 3000 antes

Event 18: 6th Place - Frey

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

 Kyle Frey (New Haven, CT) 
$17,185

Blinds 8k/16k/2k ante

The action folds to Kyle Frey in the SB who completes the action.  Tim Bryan raises to 40k, Frey moves all in for 390k and Bryan calls.

Frey: A♣ 3
Bryan: 10♠ 10♣

The board runs out 7 7 6 5 8 and Bryan's 10s are good.

Frey finishes in 6th place.

Event 20: Jason Jumps Ahead All

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Huge hand in The Event Center that sends former chip leader, Tommy Laviano (Brooklyn, NY) to the rail and makes Jason Andrews our first Million Dollar Man.

First Jason scooped a bunch of chips with AK then in the very next hand woke up with KK.

Jason's K-K vs. Tommy's A-Q

All the action got in pre-flop and Tommy Laviano, unbelievably was at risk after being amongst the chip leaders for several hours.

Board ran: 10-7-K-2-10

Once Jason hit his set, Tommy thought he was drawing dead but was reminded he still had a gutterball of hope, looking for a Jack.

Tommy Laviano out in 20th Place earning $1,266.

Jason Andrews - Chip Leader - 1,000,000

Event 18: 7th Place - Tonking

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

Will Tonking (Flemington, NJ) 
$12,513

Will Tonking's roller coaster comes to an end in 7th place at the hands of Vimy Ha.

Blinds 8k/16k/2k ante 

Tonking (UTG+1) raises to 32k, Ha calls from the button

Flop: 66♣ 3

Tonking bets 50k, Ha calls

Turn: K

Ha bets 80k, Tonking calls

River: 10

Ha moves all in, Tonking calls with his last 300k.

Ha shows A♣ A♠, and with Tonking mucking, his pocket aces are good.

Ha now has the chip lead with 1.8 million, just ahead of Brock Parker.

Event 20: Lakatosh Out

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

End of the road for Borgata regular John Lakatosh whose 910 loses to Opponent's A 6 against a board of 8A Q♠ 45♣.

John busts in 22nd Place earning $1,266.

John called the flop instead of jamming his remaining 107,000 on top, a play he regretted as the hand concluded.

Average chip stack is 331,428.

Event 18: Longo Doubles Through Tonking

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

After tangling with Vimy Ha, Will Tonking gets a much needed double-up through Troy Longo.

Tonking has AK against Longo's pocket queens.  Tonking turns an ace and doubles 225k which cripples Longo.

Event 20: Jason Andrews On Course

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Jason Andrews - 320,000

Earlier the entire table appeared shocked when Jason Andrews failed to play 5 hands in a row.  Guess this guy likes to enter a lot of pots.

In his last hand, Andrews shoved with 10-10 and was called by Opponent's 9-9.

Board up to the river fell: 5-A-J-J

Opponent calls out for an Ace.  "Put out and Ace".

On cue, dealer peels off another Ace which gives Jason the pot.

Opponent quickly realizes "I asked for it...I'm so stupid" as the Ace did not produce a chop and Andrew's 10 kicker played.

Nice double-up for Jason Andrews who cashed in 19th Place during the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open Event 1.

Blinds are up 8000 / 16,000 with 200 antes.

Event 18: Trading Chips

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

Players have been trading the chips the last 90 minutes, blinds are now 8k/16k/2k ante.

One of the more notable hands is between Vimy Ha and Will Tonking.

Troy Longo (UTG) opens the action to 40k
Tonking calls from the cutoff
Ha calls from the BB

Flop: 6♣ 3 Q♠

Ha & Longo check, Tonking bets 50k, Ha & Long call

Turn: 2♣

Ha bets 71k, Longo folds, Tonking calls

River: 9♠

Ha bets 130k, Tonking snap calls

Ha: 4♠ 5♠ (straight)
Tonking mucks and is left with 250k
Ha is up to 1.1 million

Event 20: Singer On Stage

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Rory Singer - 510,000

There are two massive chip stacks in the room.  One belongs to Tommy Laviano (Brooklyn, NY) right around 500,000 and the other is Rory Singer (Mineola, NY) with 510,000.

Rory's been to 5 different tables throughout the tournament and his biggest hand came as the countdown to dinner clock ticked down to zero.

When the dust settled, Singer's AA held vs. Opponent's KK for a 200,000 double.

Rory does heavy road work for Paulie The Roofer back in Mineola.  He'll have no problem lifting the trophy at the end of the night if his chip lead continues.

Event 20: On Ice

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

The following Players have exited the tournament in the money.

26. Johannes Mueller (Pittsford, NY) - $1,266
27. Chii Ching Sun (Merrick, NY) - $1,266
28. Benedetto Bianco (Franklin Sqare, NY) - $1,013
29. Vasillios Hrisafinis (Brick, NJ) - $1,013
30. Raul Fernandez (Toms River, NJ) - $1,013
31. Frederick Berdon (Purchase, NY) - $1,013

The remaining 25 Players are all vying for a big slice of the $174,000 Total Buy-In.

First place hauls home $45,564.

Event 20: Antzoulis Zooming

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Paul Antzoulis Doubles Up

After scooping the pot Paul Antzoulis admits, "That was a tilt raise".

Paul moved in with Q-J and ran down Opponent's 4-4.

Board ran: 10-7-K-A-Q

Another play that worked earlier for Paul was when he flatted with AA causing Opponent to push with AJ.

With Paul's recent double up, he's ready to make some moves up the pay scale.

4 Tables with 30 Players left.  Average chip stack - 232,000.


Event 18: Six-Max Features Seven

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

Lucky Seven

The Six-Max has seven players at the final table for one reason: So that neither table will be down to three players if they stayed on two tables.

So this is the the only time the tournament is a Seven-Max!

Event 20: Spiro Rolling

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Spiro Markatos (Dix Hills, NY) is just south of the average stack (224,516) after knocking out Ross Myers (Stow, OH) in 32nd Place.  Ross jammed with A-Q and Spiro called holding J-J.

Jack on the turn gave the hand to Spiro and sent Myers packing.

Blinds are 5000 / 10,000 with 1000 antes.

Event 18: Final Table

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

Seat-Name

1 Brock Parker (Silver Spring, MD)
2 Will Tonking (Flemington, NJ)
3 Kyle Frey (New Haven, CT)
4 Tim Bryan (Centerville, VA)
5 Vimy Ha (Brooklyn, NY)
6 Troy Longo (North Haledon, NJ)
7 Seth Berger (Woodbury, NY)

Remaining Payouts

1:         $81,754
2:         $50,052
3:         $38,040
4:         $30,865
5:         $23,858
6:         $17,185
7:         $12,513

Event 20: Sun Shines On Grace

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Grace Sun - Last Woman Standing

Just gave Grace Sun the news she is the Last Woman Standing in the tournament.  She cheered that victory and wants to garner some good luck to go all the way and be the Last Person Standing by the end of the night.

Grace is a Borgata regular who is at the top of her game.  The other Players at the table were joking with Grace and really seem to enjoy playing with her.

"I want to win" said Grace who is a little short stacked around 100,000.

Event 18: 8th Place - Ladlow

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

Darrell Ladlow (Lititz, PA)
$8,342

Darrell Ladlow is all in with pocket 2s for 160k and is in a race against the AQ of Vimy Ha.

Ladlow sees an ace on the flop and his day ends in 8th place.

The remaining seven players are drawing for their final table seats.

Event 18: 9th Place - Jaffee

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

 Jared Jaffee
$5,005

Jared Jaffee's puts the last of chips in with AK, but doesn't connect vs the pocket queens of Troy Longo, who hits a queen on the flop.

Jaffee finishes in 9th place.


Event 20: Rapid Fire Bubble Burst

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Bob Scofield Busts Bubble

The remaining 36 Players applaud Bob Scofield (Stratford, CT) as his AA just destroyed Jack Schanbacher's K-J suited.

Board fell 3-4-6-7-A.

Bob is just over 300,000 after that bubble bust-out.  Scofield already won Event 17 Ohama H/L for
$14,973 and he's cashed again today.  Can he score Back to Back Event victories?

Event 18: Back in Action

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

The final nine players are back from dinner. Blinds are up to 6k/12k/2k ante.

Short stack Jared Jaffee tweeted on break:

Jared Jaffee ‏@jaredjaffee21

Managed to bluff off half my tiny stack hand before dinner... Coming back in an hr with 15 bbs... #notgivingup

Event 18: Numbers Game

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

Number of Entries: 344
Players Remaining: 9
Chips in Play: 5.16 million

Big Stack:  1.3 million (108 bb)
Average Stack:  573k (48 bb)

Next Blinds: 6k/12k/2k ante

Total Buy-In: $344,000

Remaining Prize Pool:

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

Event 18: Dinner Break Chip Counts

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

Troy Longo is enjoying the dinner break after a double-up through Brock Parker, but Parker is still the chip leader with 1.3 million.

Players are on a one hour dinner break and resume play at 8:30 pm.

Table 1

Brock Parker 1.3 million
Jared Jaffee 185k
Troy Longo 301k
Darrell Ladlow 392k
Vimy Ha  1.1 million

Table 2

Seth Berger 393k
Will Tonking  420k
"Tim B" Bryan 615k
Kyle Frey 435k

Event 20: Dinner Time

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)             

On the last hand of the level, Ravi 'Rags' Raghavan busted out.

That left 42 players heading out for a one hour dinner break.  Average is about 170k.

Only 36 get paid.  Six more will leave with nothing.

Play will resume at about 8:30 pm.

Event 18: 10th Place - Scales

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

Steve Scales (Red Bank, NJ)
$4,004

Blinds 5k/10k/1k ante

Steve Scales is all in for 94k with AK against the pocket 9s of  Kyle Frey.  There's no help on the board and Frey boats on the river for the knockout.

Scales finishes in 10th place for $4,004.

Event 20: New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)             

Level 18:  Blinds 3k/6k with 500 ante.

Down to 49 players and they're getting restless. 

It was announced that they will finish this level, then take a dinner break. 

But with the bubble approaching...?

Tommy Laviano

New chip leader is Tommy Laviano (Brooklyn, NY) with about 300k.

Event 18: 11th Place - Pham

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

Ed "Fast Eddie" Pham (Lansdale, PA)
$4,004
  
Blinds 5k/10k/1k ante

Vimy Ha raises the button to 22k
Ed Pham makes it 50k from the Button
Ha 4-bets to 140k
Pham moves all in for 300k
Ha calls

Pham: A K 
Ha: K 10

Flop: K 10 x (Ha two pair)

Turn: 10 (Ha full house)

River: x
Pham misses his draw to a chop and finishes in 11th place for $4,004

Ha is now up to 1 million chips.

Event 20: More Goners

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)            

Players are taking a 10 minute break while the black 100 chips are colored up.

These players are taking an extended break, since they've busted out:

James Governa
Gary Ackerman
Ylon Schwartz
James Tedrow
David Jones
James St. Hilaire
Tom Dobrilovic
Frank Ingardia
Travis Greenawalt
Travis Williams
Cotton Snuffer
Vinny Pahuja
Bob Panitch
Tony Campagna
Thomas Hoglund
Greg Ostrander
Brian O'Donoghue
Tony Sinishtaj
Maruti Yarlapati
Eric Baldwin

Event 18: 12th Place - Chan; Two Tables Remain

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

Before Table 3 breaks, Kirron Chan (Yonkers, NY) is the first out on the next pay jump.

He finishes in 12th place for  $4,004.

Here's a look at the final two tables and the remaining payouts:

Table 1

Seat-Name

1 Brock Parker
2 Ed Pham
3 Jared jaffee
4 Troy Longo
5 Darrell Ladlow
6 Vimy Ha

Table 2

1 Seth Berger
2 William Tonking
3 Tim Bryan
4 Steve Scales
5  -EMPTY-
6 Kyle Frey

Remaining Prize Pool

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

Event 18: 13th-18th Places ($3,170)

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

13 Greg Katragis (Merick, NY)
14 Matt Affleck (Seattle
15 Mike Linster (Island Park, NY)
16 Ryan Tongen (Minnapolis, MN)
17 Max Digilov (Staten Island, NY)
18 John Dibella (Eastchester, NY)

Event 18: 13th Place - Katragis

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

Greg Katragis (Merick, NY) moves in his last 71k with 5♠ 7♠ and has live cards against the pocket 9s of Tim Bryan.

The board is no help to Katragis who picks up $3,170 for his 13th place finish.

Event 20: Goners

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)            

Level 17:  Blinds 2,500/5,000 with 500 ante.

Seven nine-handed tables remain (63 or fewer players).

These folks are out the door:

Dave Sanders
Gordon Eng
Will 'the Thrill' Failla
Alan Vrooman
Russ Dykshteyn
Roman Valerstein
Rob Brown
Paul Vacchio
Ray Shackelford
Sam Taylor

Event 18: 14th Place - Affleck

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

Blinds 4k/8k/1k ante

Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) opens to 17k from the button
Jared Jaffee makes it 35k from the SB
Affleck shoves for 200k
Jaffee calls

Affleck: J♣ 10♣
Jaffee: QQ

Affleck flops a flush draw, but bricks the turn and river to finish in 14th place for $3,170.

Jaffee is now up to 530k.

Event 20: Falling Fast

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)           

Level 16:  Blinds 2k/4k with 400 ante.

Ernesto Caban continues to lead the field.  He's grown his stack to about 350k.

Eight tables remain and they've gone to nine-handed play.

68 players remain.  Average is about 105k.

Event 18: Chip Leaders Side-by-Side

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

Ha & Parker

With the recent eliminations, the tables have shuffled and the two chip leaders are now side-by-side.

Chip leader Brock Parker has position on Vimy Ha on Table 1 and Parker is on Ha's left.

Event 20 - Payouts

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 20:  $500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em
Saturday, January 26, 2013

Entries:  348
Total Buy-In:  $174,000

PAYOUTS:
1:               $45,564
2:               $25,317
3:               $15,697
4:               $12,659
5:               $9,789
6:               $8,270
7:               $6,667
8:               $4,979
9:               $3,376
10 - 12:       $2,194
13 - 15:       $1,688
16 - 18:       $1,435
19 - 27:       $1,266
28 - 36:       $1,013

Event 18: 15th - Linster, 16th - Tongen

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

Mike Linster (Island Park, NY) shows he's human with a 15th place finish.  This after two wins and a second place in the last week.

Linster is crippled twice by Troy Longo who hits a three on the river on two separate hands.  "I'm going to have nightmares about that," says Linster as he awaits his fate on the next hand.

Linster sends the last of his chips to Brock Parker on the ensuing hand.

Just before Linster's elimination, Ryan Tongen (Minnapolis, MN) busts in 16th place.

Both players take home $3,170, with Linster earning his 5th cash of the series and continues to dominate the Borgata Winter Open Leaderboard.

Event 20: Tournaments by Twitter

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)          

Tyler Patterson was playing this event and sweating Matt Affleck (@mcmattopoker) in day two of the $1k Six Max.

Tyler's twitter feed sums up his experience today:

 Just watched @mcmattopoker lose a 200k pot AK<A7

60k going to 800-1600. @mcmattopoker recovered nicely

40k 1500/3000. 90 left from 350. Pays 36

Busted AQ<QQ

Event 18: Parker Leads, Vimy Ha Second

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

Brock Parker is up to 730k (91 bb) and has the chip lead, with Vimy Ha second at more than 500k.

16 players remain with an average stack of 323k (40 bb) and blinds moving up to 4k8/8k/1k ante.

Event 20: Back From Break

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)          

Level 15: Blinds 1,500/3,000 with 400 ante.

Table ten has broken, so 9 tables remain with 90 players.

Average stack is ~80k.

Players have returned from a break and resumed play.

Only 36 get paid, so there's still a long way to go.

Event 18: 17th Place - Digilov

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

Just after the redraw Max Digilov (Staten Island, NY) finishes in 17th place for $3,170.

The last of his chips go to Troy Longo.


Players are now on a color-up break as the purple (500) chips are removed from play.

Event 18: Three Tables - 17 Left

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

Table 1

-Empty-
Ed Pham
Max Digilov
Troy Longo
Mike Linster
Vimy Ha

Table 2

Seth Berger
William Tonking
Tim Bryan
Steve Scales
Greg Katragis
Brock Parker

Table 3

Jared jaffee
Kyle Frey
Kirron Chan
Ryan Tongen
Darrell Ladlow
Matt Affleck

Event 18: 19th - 24th Places ($2,336)

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

19 Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA)
20 Norman Cohen (Akron, OH)
21 Larry Kostelac (Mechanisburg, PA)
22 Nick Alafogiannis (North York, Canada)
23 Steve Eyzerovich (Staten Island, NY)
24 Daniel Chan (Yonkers, NY)

Event 20: Another New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)         

 Ernesto Caban

While I watched, Ernesto Caban (Long Island, NY) pulled another pot.

After stacking those chips, it looks like he's up to ~320k and easily the chip leader.

Event 18: 18th Place - Dibella

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

Before the final 18 players can redraw for new seats, John Dibella (Eastchester, NY) busts against Ed Pham.

DiBella rivers two pairs, but it's not enough against Pham who turns a straight.

Despite not getting a new seat, DiBella is happy that he jumps up one pay level and takes home $2,336.

The remaining 17 players are now relocating.

Event 18: Queen, Cohen & Kostalec...Gone

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

Blinds 3k/6k/500 ante

Matt Affleck raises to 13,500
Alex Queen moves all in for ~100k
Kyle Frey attempts to isolate with an all-in bet that covers Affleck, who tank folds

Queen: KQ
Frey: 88

Frey turns a set of 8s and knocks Queen out in 19th place.

Prior to that Norman Cohen (Akron, OH) finished 20th and Larry Kostelac (Mechanisburg, PA) was 21st.

All three players earn $2,336.

Event 20: Tweet-Outs

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)         

Level 14:  Blinds 1,200/2,400 with 300 ante.

Already down to 11 tables with 110 or fewer players.  Average stack is ~65k.

A couple of folks have tweeted their demise:

jacob bazeley ‏@bazeman11
Busted the turbo #worsttweetofday

Kevin McColgan ‏@Buk101Poker
Lost 88 to govshark AQ then 88 to AK aipf to get back to 45k busto.... main event tomorrow

Event 20: Shasho Caught Bluffing

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)        

The player in seat 5 opened for 4k.

Action folded around to Mike 'Mad Dog' Shasho in the small blind.

Mike moved in.

The player in the big blind asked for a count, then made the call.  The opener folded.

"I was bluffing"  Mike said as his opponent rolled over pocket Jacks.

Mike held J9 suited and was in bad shape.

The board changed nothing and Mad Dog was put down.

Event 18: Start of Day Chip Leader Busts

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

Nick Alafogiannis (North York (Toronto), Canada) began the day as the chip leader but finishes in 22nd place.

"Tough day," he says pointing to a 200k chip pot when over played AK as his downfall.

Alafogiannis takes home $2,336 and is looking forward to playing in Day 1A of the Borgata Winter Open Championship event.

Event 20: New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)        

Elan Branas

Apparently Elan Branas (Hadera, Israel) has overtaken Dave Sanders for the chip lead.

Elan is up to ~180k.

Event 18: Chan & Alphabet Soup Bust

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

Daniel Chan (New York, NY) is out in 24th place and is quickly followed by one of our fan favorites
Steve Eyzerovich (Staten Island, NY) in 23rd.

Eyzerovich is affectionately called "Alphabet Soup" because of the tough spelling of his full name Vyacheslav Eyzerovich.

Both players are into the next pay jump and take home $2,336, allowing Eyzerovich to buy a vowel
the next time he fills out official paper work.

Event 18: 25th - 30th Places ($1,835)

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

25 Tyler Kenney (Long Beach, NY)
26 Josh Templeton (Chattanooga, TN)
27 Jerry Payne (Centerville, OH)
28 Craig Feldherr (Merrick, NY)
29 Alex Rocha (S. Setauket, NY)
30 Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ)

Event 20: Early Chip Leader

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)       

Dave Sanders (Mt. Laurel, NJ)

Dave Sanders appears to be the early chip leader with ~150k. 

After level 11, they took a 10 minute color-up break.

160 players remain in the hunt.  Average stack is 45k.

Not among them are:

Sirous Jamshidi
Nancy Todd
Bobby "Ima Professional" Cheung

Play resumed with

Level 12:  Blinds 800/1,600 with 200 ante.

Event 18: Kenney Loses Coin Flip to Fast Eddy

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

Tyler Kenney (Long Beach, NY) is all in for 75k with Q 10 against the pocket 4s of Ed Pham.

"I don't want any publicity," says Pham, "tell them Brock knocked him out. Actually tell them 'Fast Eddy' did it, the guy who's going to win all the money."

Kenney takes home $1,835 for finishing 25th.

Event 18: Parker Leads with 25 Left

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

Brock Parker
Chip Leader

 With 560k (112 bb), Brock Parker (Silver Spring, MD) is the chip leader with 25 players remaining.

Parker won the Borgata Fall Poker Open in November for $373,000 and has more than $2 million in career tournament earnings.

The chip average is 206k (41 bb) with blinds moving up to 2,500/5k/500 ante.

The black (100) chips are off the table as players return from their 15 minute color-up break.

Event 20: Williams Walking

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

Montel Williams has busted out (again) and is gone from this event for good this time.

He's in good company as the field has already dropped to 17 tables (170 players).  

Event 18: Payne & Templeton Gone

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

 Templeton (left) Pushes the Last of His Chips to Berger

With the clock winding down on Level 16 (2k/4k/400 ante) we have two more eliminations.

Jerry Payne (Centerville, OH) finishes in 27th place, while Josh Templeton (Chattanooga, TN) is 26th.

Templeton sends the last of his chips to Seth Berger with KJ against Berger's pocket jacks.

Payne and Templeton both take home $1,835.

Event 20: Frank 'n' Faces

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

Frank Reina got his chips in good with top pair, but his opponent had a flush draw.  He whiffed the flush draw, instead going back-door for the straight.

Frank was busted after registration closed, so he's gone for good from this event.

Appearing in the crowd:

Miguel Borrero
Gordon Eng
Nick Palma
Ari Engel

Level 11:  Blinds 600/1,200 with 200 ante.

Levels are now 30 minutes long for the duration of the tournament.

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard Update (1/26)

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 
                     Secondary events: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)

760.138:  MICHAEL LINSTER
504.000:  JOSEPH STIERS
444.370:  ROBERT MIDGETTE
433.725:  GARY LUCCI
429.590:  MICHAEL DENTALE
408.303:  TOMASZ GLINIECKI
405.013:  BEZHAN HAMDARD
395.075:  TOMISLAV DOBRILOVIC
388.113:  SAMUEL TAYLOR
386.863:  IVERSON SNUFFER
382.875:  AARON MASSEY
382.200:  TANIOS ABI-YAGHI
380.168:  MUKUL PAHUJA
374.338:  ROBERT PANITCH
364.223:  ALAN KRAUT
363.958:  H MICHAEL BOROVETZ
360.500:  IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC
354.325:  BARUCH THALER
354.250:  PEARCE-CHRISTIAN ARNOLD
350.878:  NICHOLAS PALMA
350.520:  ROBERT QUIGLEY III
339.663:  JEFFREY PAPOLA
337.663:  GORDON ENG
326.850:  RYAN ERIQUEZZO

Event 20: Maher & Feldherr Bust

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

As Alex Rocha was getting coolered for a 29th place finish, he was sandwiched by two other eliminations.

Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) is out in 30th place and Craig Feldherr (Merrick, NY) in 28th.

All three players take home $1,835.

Event 20: Basebaldy Building

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

Level 10:  Blinds 500/1,000 with 100 ante. 

This is the last 20 minute level.

Someone I overlooked on previous passes through the field:  Eric 'Basebaldy' Baldwin.

Eric won his WSOP bracelet in 2009 and has amassed over $3.6 million in reported lifetime tournament earnings.

He's already doubled his starting stack here today.


Event 18: Set Over Set, Rocha Hits Rail

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

The hand of the day between Brock Parker and Alex Rocha draws a crowd on Table 4.

The board is 9 8 3 4 and the slow deliberate betting goes back and forth for several minutes, before Rocha 5-bet shoves and Parker calls.

Parker has top set of 9s against Rocha's turned set of 4s.

Parker gets a double-up to more than 500k, while Rocha drops to 80k and sends the last of those chips to Ed Pham on the next hand.

"I had big plans for you guys today," says Rocha as he heads to the rail in 29th place.

Event 18: 5 Alive

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

Table 1
Steve Scales
Kirron Chan
Vimy Ha
Lawrence Kostelac
Timothy Bryan
Jared jaffee

Table 2

Jerry Payne
Matt Affleck
Darrell Ladlow
Daniel Chan
Craig Feldherr
William Tonking

Table 3

Jerry Maher
Ryan Tongen
Gregory Katragis
Steve Eyzerovich
Joshua Templeton
Seth Berger

Table 4

Brock Parker
Norman Cohen
Alex Rocha
John DiBella
Ed Pham
Tyler Kenney

Table 5

Nikolaos Alafogiannis
Troy Longo
Kyle Frey
Max Digilov
Alex Queen
Mike Linster

Eevnt 20: Time To Check The Tweets

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Level 9: Blinds 400/800 with 75 ante.

No more entries or re-entries. 

A few Tweets from the break:

James St. Hilaire ‏@JamesStHilaire
End of re entry with slightly above a start stack.

Mike Ory ‏@findmorypoker
32k/20ss #BWO20

Tyler Patterson ‏@TylerPoker
2nd break 30k from 20k going to 400-800. Just watched @mcmattopoker lose a 200k pot AK<A7


Keep those Tweets coming!  #BWPO

Event 18: 31st - 36th Places ($1,668)

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

31 Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL)
32 Aaron Massey (Chicago, IL)
33 Allie Prescott (Memphis, TN)
34 Orson Young (Oceanport, NJ)
35 Kevin Saul (Warrenville, IL)              
36 Chris Molica (Rochester, NY) 

Event 18: Yamron Out, 5 Tables Remain

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

Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL) is out in 31st place and we're now down to 5 tables of 6.

As Table 6 breaks, Craig Feldherr gets a 106k double up with A♣ 7♣ against Matt Affleck, while Alex Queen gets a double through Kyle Frey, so the field remains at 30 players.

Blinds continue at 2k/4k/400 ante.

Event 20: Late Reg Table

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

Another table has opened up with late arrivals.

Currently seated there is Jeff Papola who won event 14 ($1,500 Mix-max NLH) just a couple of days ago.  That's his second Borgata Poker Open title to go with his WSOP bracelet.

Also seated there is John Hinds.

Some tables have broken while others were opened.  23 non-consecutive tables are in action.

Well, they were in action, then the clock ran out on level 8.

Now players are taking a break.  Registration will close at the end of this break (about 2:10 pm).

Event 18: Allie & Massey Bust

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

Allie Prescott (Memphis, TN) is out in 33rd place, followed to the pay window by Aaron Massey (Chicago, IL) in 32nd.

Massey is all in with JJ against Darrell Ladow's A 10. The flop is A J Q giving Massey a set, but a river K gives Ladlow the winning straight.

Prescott and Massey both take home $1,668.

Blinds moving up to 2k/4k/400 ante.

Event 20: Out & In Again

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 8:  Blinds 300/600 with 75 ante.  This is the last level for late registration and re-entry.

These folks have busted out and come back again for another try:

Elan Branas
Gary Ackerman
Roland Israelashvili


More late arrivals:

Ravi Raghavan
Harry Korotki
Terry Grimes

Event 20: The Thrill is Back

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 7: Blinds 250/500 with 50 ante.

Will 'the Thrill' Failla is back and in the field today, fresh from his first appearance in the NBC Heads-up Championship, where he fell victim in the first round to Scott Seiver.

Also turning up late:

Roman Valerstein
Russ Dykshteyn
Alan Vrooman
Ray Quartomy

Event 18: Early Bustage

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

On the first hand back from play Orson Young (Oceanport, NJ) is on the rail. The returning short stack was down to 8 bigs, but leaves with $1,668 for his 34th place finish.

Late arrivals include Alex Rocha and William Tonking who missed the first few hands.

Event 18: Day Two Underway

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

Level 15:  Blinds 1,500/3,000 with 400 ante.

Thirty-four Sixmaxers are back for day two.

All are in the money and here's what they're playing for

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
31-34:   $1,668

Event 20: More Frequent Fliers

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 5:  Blinds 150/300 with 25 ante.

Still more familiar faces popping up:

John Lakatosh
Sam Taylor
Ray Shackelford
Paul Vacchio
Rob Brown

Couple of minutes remain in this level, then they're going up!

Event 20: Break Time

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

They finished level four and took a 15 minute break.

During level 4, Montel Williams was felted when his pocket Tens were beat by 53 offsuit.  The board was 7 6 5 Q 3 making two pair.

Montel has re-entered and landed at a new table just before the break.

More familiars turning up:

Nancy Todd
Mike 'Mad Dog' Shasho
Samm Levine
Roland Israelashvili
Cuong Phung
Grace Sun

Event 20: Shuffling In

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Talk show host Montel Williams is back again today.  He played yesterday in event 18, the $1k Sixmax, but did not make the money.

More familiar Faces have turned up:

Frank Reina
Travis Greenawalt
Travis Williams
Cotton Snuffer
Vinny Pahuja
Bob Panitch
Tony Campagna
Thomas Hoglund
Ben Bianco
Greg Ostrander
Brian O'Donoghue
Tony Sinishtaj
Maruti Yarlapati

Just a few minutes remain in level 4, (blinds 100/200) then going to take a break.

Satellite Saturday

Today's the day for Satellites here at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Those players looking for seat in the Championship event at a discount have three options today:

12pm $350 + $50 Championship Qualifier where ~1 in 10 get a seat.

3pm $700 + $50 Championship Qualifier where ~1 in 5 get a seat.

7pm  $350 + $50 Championship Qualifier with Re-Entries where ~1 in 10 get a seat.

Three more satellites will take place on Sunday, so there's plenty of time to win your way into the Championship event!

Event 20: Checking In Via Twitter

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

These folks have clocked in via Twitter:

 Nick Machalani ‏@NickMach1
Just got to AC for @BorgataPoker Open event 20...got my good luck charm, new shades on and fingers crossed #ladyluck #mytimetoshine

Kevin McColgan ‏@Buk101Poker
$560 re-entry semi turbo today

jack schanbacher ‏@jackschanbacher
Just got in this 560$ turbo event at borgata. #fortheloveofturbos


Keep those Tweets coming!   #BWPO

Blinds going up in a couple of minutes.

Level 3:  Blinds 75/150.


Event 20: Familiar Faces

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

These familiar faces have turned out early today:

James Governa
Bobby 'Ima Professional' Cheung
Gary Ackerman
Ylon Schwartz
Joe DeGeorge
Sirous Jamshidi
James Tedrow
Matt Deluca
Tyler Patterson
David Jones
Elan Branas
Len Vizirov
James St. Hilaire
Frank Ingardia
Tom Dobrilovic

Blinds about to go up!

Level 2:  Blinds 50/100.

Event 20: Final Prelim Underway

$500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Today's main event is the final preliminary main event of the Borgata Winter Open Series, since the Championship event begins Sunday.

It's a Big Stack, which means players get 20,000 chips to start.

It's a Semi-Turbo, which means levels 1-10 are only 20 minutes long (then they go to 30 minutes).

It's a Re-Entry, which means players who bust out during the first eight levels may re-enter as many times as they like (until about 2:10 pm).

And it's a one-day event, which means they'll play all night until a winner is determined.

Level 1: Blinds 25/50.

Shuffle Up & Deal!

Event 19 Recap

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

Congratulations to our Event 19 winner, Diana Shamshoum (Montreal, Canada) who just beat out Richard Finberg (Pittsburgh, PA) heads-up to take home $55,260 and the coveted Borgata trophy.

A key hand to victory came at the final table when Diana called with the nut-flush draw and hit her flush on the river.  She took 2,000,000 chips off the chip leader Robert Midgette and never looked back.

"I really wanted that trophy" said Diana whose only been playing poker for 3 years thanks to training from husband George and brother Richard.

678 player entered the felt at noon and received a deep stack of 25,000 chips to work with.  Those that busted had the option to Re-Enter (through level 8).  As luck would have it, Diana and her husband were actually seated at the same table from the get-go.  The prize pool exceeded the $100,000 Guarantee, as the top 63 players split the $237,300 prize pool.

Many familiar Borgata faces, including Gordon Eng, Howard Wolper, Steve Dannenmann, Alan Kraut, Andrew Interdonato, Gil Sacks, Christine Brewer, Roland Israelashvili (46th - $898) & Bill Brindise (23rd - $1,2660) battled it out in the Event Center.

Included in the field was WSOP bracelet winner Greg Ostrander, who played near perfect poker today only to flop a wheel and get flushed out on the turn.  12th Place for Ostrander earning $2,992.

The final table was set after Jim Governa busted in 11th Place.  Jim's has been on quite a tear as he took 3rd the previous night in the Seniors event.

But once again our big winner and champion was our Canadian friend from the North, Diana Shashoum who won all 16,950,000 chips in play earning her $55,260, the trophy, and the Borgata Winter Poker Open Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em title.

Position - Name - Amount Won
1. Diana Shashoum - (Montreal, Canada) - $55,260
2. Richard Finberg - (Pittsburg, PA) - $31,074
3. Roie Perez - (Brooklyn, NY) - $19,565
4. Robert Midgette - (Plainview, NY) - $15,882
5. Pavel Krapivin - (Zaivsk) - $12,660
6. Michael Nygard - (Ballston Spa, NY) - $10,473
7. Michael Tauman - (Metuchen, NJ) - $8,402
8. Robert Quigley - (Pittsburgh, PA) - $6,330
9. Wendy Freedman - (Las Vegas) - $4,373
10. Kenneth Jacoby - (Roslyn Heights) - $2,992

FINAL RESULTS

Event 18 - Table Assignments


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

Players Remaining: 34
Average Chip Stack:  152,000

START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T1 | S1 -  STEPHEN SCALES (RED BANK, NJ):  110,700
T1 | S2 -  KIRRON CHAN (YONKERS, NY):  111,700
T1 | S3 -  VIMY HA (BROOKLYN, NY):  91,300
T1 | S4 -  LAWRENCE KOSTELAC (MECHANICSBURG, PA):  142,300
T1 | S5 -  TIMOTHY BRYAN (CENTERVILLE, VA):  265,000
T1 | S6 -  JARED JAFFEE (BROOKLYN, NY):  392,800

T2 | S1 -  JERRY PAYNE (CENTERVILLE, OH):  86,400
T2 | S2 -  MATTHEW AFFLECK (SEATTLE, WA):  165,700
T2 | S3 -  ORSON YOUNG (OCEANPORT, NJ):  17,500
T2 | S4 -  DANIEL CHAN (NEW YORK, NY):  226,300
T2 | S5 -  CRAIG FELDHERR (MERRICK, NY):  127,100

T3 | S1 -  JEREMY MAHER (WARREN, NJ):  101,300
T3 | S2 -  RYAN TONGEN (MINNEAPOLIS, MN):  134,400
T3 | S3 -  GREGORY KATRAGIS (MERICK, NY):  170,400
T3 | S4 -  VYACHESLAV EYZEROVICH (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  113,700
T3 | S5 -  JOSHUA TEMPLETON (CHATTANOOGA, TN):  316,400

T4 | S1 -  JOHN PARKER (SILER SPRING, MD):  176,000
T4 | S2 -  NORMAN COHEN (AKRON, OH):  138,100
T4 | S3 -  ALEXANDER ROCHA (SOUTH SETAUKET, NY):  240,100
T4 | S4 -  BRUCE YAMRON (NAPLES, FL):  125,000
T4 | S5 -  EDWARD PHAM (LANSDALE, PA):  151,800
T4 | S6 -  SETH BERGER (WOODBURY, NY):  132,300

T5 | S1 -  NIKOLAOS ALAFOGIANNIS (NORTH YORK, CAN):  397,000
T5 | S2 -  TROY LONGO (NORTH HALEDON, NJ):  131,900
T5 | S3 -  KYLE FREY (NEW HAVEN, CT):  281,700
T5 | S4 -  DARRELL LADOW (LITITZ, PA):  40,200
T5 | S5 -  ALEXANDER QUEEN (BETHLEHEM, PA):  50,700
T5 | S6 -  MICHAEL LINSTER (ISLAND PARK, NY):  177,700

T6 | S1 -  EMMANUIL DIGILOV (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  49,700
T6 | S2 -  AARON MASSEY (ELMWOOD PARK, IL):  120,200
T6 | S3 -  ALLIE PRESCOTT (MEMPHIS, TN):  41,400
T6 | S4 -  TYLER KENNEY (LONG BEACH, NY):  40,600
T6 | S5 -  WILLIAM TONKING (FLEMINGTON, NJ):  140,700
T6 | S6 -  JOHN DIBELLA (EASTCHESTER, NY):  167,500

Event 19: 1st Place - Shamshoum

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

Diana Shamshoum - (Montreal, Canada)
$55,260

Big win for Diana Shamshoum who is not only the Last Woman Standing, but the Last Person Standing.  Diana wins 1st Place and takes home the Borgata trophy plus $55,260.

She was very excited about winning the trophy and taking down her first win ever at Borgata.

Diana's husband, George was on the rail rooting faithfully.  Ironically, George and Diana were seated at the same table when the tournament started a mere 21 hours ago.  Diana thanked her hubby for being a great poker mentor.  She also thanked her brother Richard who's teaching and training was most important to her poker growth and success.

"I was down to 9,000 and came back by making some crazy calls that somehow worked out" said Diana.  Aces at the final table also helped when she knocked out Robert Midgette (Long Island) in 4th Place.

Diana says hi to the Playground Poker Club and Snakes Poker Club, both in Montreal.  Other cashes for Diana include: 34th in the WPT Montreal Event and 2nd in a Playground Poker Club Event.

Pretty good for having only been playing poker for 3 years.

Tonight was ladies night and it was Diana Shamshoum's night.  Congratulations once again!

George & Diana

Event 19: 2nd Place - Finberg

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

Richard Finberg - (Pittsburgh, PA)
$31,074

You're not gonna believe this.  Richard Finberg had heart surgery back in March.  He's been rehabbing ever since and has built up enough stamina to play in the entire 21 hour tournament.

His daughter Jessica is with him at Borgata and his son is a card dealer.  Richard didn't forget to thank his wife Marilyn who also plays poker.

This is Richard's biggest Borgata cash to date.  When he's not playing poker, he works as a lawyer.

"I kept moving up the ranks all day and felt like I was gonna win this thing" said Richard.

It was a friendly final table and you felt like if Richard and Diana Shamshoum could have shared 1st Place and the trophy, they would have.

Diana had Richard 5 to 1 when heads up started.

Congrats again to Richard Finberg from Pittsburgh who locks up $31,074 for his lucky and skillful poker playing today at Borgata.

George & Diana Shamshoum & Richard Finberg




Saturday, January 26

TODAY'S EVENTS (Event Center) 

11AM: Event 20 - $500 + $60 Big Stack Semi-Turbo No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-10: will last 20 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 30 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 8 
  • 1-Day event

12PM: Event 45 - $350 + $50 Championship Qualifier No Limit Hold'em
  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips
  • Levels will last 25 minutes each
  • Approximately 1 in 10 will win entry into WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event (Jan 27 - Feb 1)
  • 1-Day event

3 PM: Event 46 - $700 + $50 Championship Qualifier No Limit Hold'em 
  • Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-10: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each
  • Approximately 1 in 5 will win entry into WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event (Jan 27 - Feb 1)
  • 1-Day event

7 PM: Event 47 - $350 + $50 Championship Qualifier NLH (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 25 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 6 
  • Approximately 1 in 10 will win entry into WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event (Jan 27 - Feb 1)
  • 1-Day event

Event 19: 3rd Place - Roie

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

Perez Roie - (Brooklyn, NY)
$19,565

End of the road for Perez Roie.  He survived an all in three-handed when his J-10 suited found two more jacks on the board to beat Diana's K-3.

A couple hands later Perez shipped again - this time his 8-5 suited did not fair well.

Perez 8-5 vs. Richard Finberg's K-3

Board: 3-7-2-7-A

This was the first tournament Perez ever played.  Not bad for the rookie who is in real estate.

Event 19: 4th Place - Midgette

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

Robert Midgette - (Long Island, NY)
$15,882

Not a good time for Robert Midgette to run into Aces.

Robert jammed all in holding A-J and saw the bad news when Diana Shamshoum tabled AA.

Board ran clean: 9-2-6-4-7

Robert never recovered when Diana called all her chips on a flush draw and beat his flopped trips.

Robert & Diana

Event 19: 5th Place - Krapivin

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

Paul Krapivin - (Brooklyn, NY)
$12,660

The dream is over for Paul Krapivin who's 10-J turned an open ended draw but whiffed the river.

Paul's 10-J vs. A-K

Board: K-7-7-Q-8

Krapivin takes home $12,660 for his hard day's work.

Event 19: 6th Place - Nygard

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

Mike Nygard - (Ballston Spa, NY)
$10,473

Mike got his last chips in good holding A-10 vs. A-7.

A seven on the flop was enough to felt Nygard in 6th Place for $10,473.

Mike says Hi to Erica who is following on BorgataPokerBlog back home.

Event 19: 7th Place - Tauman

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

Mike Tauman - (Metuchen, NJ)
$8,402

The CPA from New Jersey played great all day but couldn't win his last flip of the night.

Mike raised with K-Q and was called by the button holding 10-8.

Mike jammed a flop of J-10-2 and was surprised he got called.

Turn was a disastrous 8 giving his Opponent two pair.  Q on the river was not enough help for Mike.

Tauman adds $8,402 to his Borgata bankroll.  Congratulations!

Wife Jennie suported Mike from the rail.  If Mike wakes up in time tomorrow, he's gonna play another Event.

Event 19: 8th Place - Quigley

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

End of the road for Robert Quigley who had a chance to win his second tournament of the Borgata Winter Poker Open but ended up in 8th Place for $6,330.  He already won Event-3.

Good friends, Nick and Manh rooted from the rail during the final table.

His final hand was J-4 suited in the small blind.  Robert jammed and was called by Opponent's A-10.

Turn gave Robert a gutterball but he bricked the river.

Q-7-5-8-10

"Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug" said the Allegheny County Government Worker.

Quigley is looking forward to taking down the Championship Event - for now he'll have to settle for $6,330 and 8th Place.

Event 19: 9th Place - Freedman

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

Wendy Freedman tripled up in the big blind holding 3-5 off.  She shoved her short stack all in and was up against Mike Tauman's QQ.

When the dust settled, Wendy filled her gaps and ended up with a straight.

She folded a few more orbits - taking a hit when her A-10 lost to a set of deuces.

The last hand was epic.  Wendy was all in again, this time holding Q♣ J♣.

Robert Midgett (Long Island) called, as did the other female at the table, Diana Shamshoum (Montreal).

Midgett jams the flop of 9♣ 7♣ 9♠ sending Diana into a tank.  She tanked so long she actually called a clock on herself.  As time was winding down, she said, "I've been playing for 24 hours...I call".

She tabled A♣ 5♣ and Robert flipped 10 9.

Turn 3 ♠ ♣ 

River 6♣ 

Wendy is out in 9th Place earning $4,373 while Robert is seriously crippled.

Look out for Wendy in the Championship Event.

Event 19: 10th Place - Jacoby

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

Kenneth Jacoby - (Roslyn Heights, NY)
$2,992

The hand that crippled Kenneth was when his A-K suited ran into QQ and failed to improve.

His final-hand, short-stack-shove was an A-7 vs. Q-4 race and unfortunately his Opponent hit two pair.

When Kenneth Jacoby isn't playing poker, he owns an insurance company.

Congrats on making the final table and on your $2,992 Borgata cash.

Event 19: Final Table Set

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

Final Table Starts At 5:30 AM - Call Guinness

Seat - Name - Location - Chips
1. Richard Finberg (Pittsburgh, PA) - 635,000
2. Perez Roie (Brooklyn, NY) - 2,500,000
3. Mike Nygard (New York, NY) - 1,400,000
4. Mike Tauman (Metuchen, NJ) - 1,450,000
5. Kenneth Jacoby (Roslyn Heights, NY) - 1,300,000
6. Robert Quigley - 1,180,000
7. Robert Midgette (Long Island, NY) - 3,200,000
8. Diana Shamshoum (Montreal, Canada) - 2,850,000
9. Pavel Krapivin (Brooklyn, NY) - 700,000
10. Wendy Freedman (Las Vegas) - 1,500,000

Jim Governa busted out in 11th Place when his AQ could not improve up against Opponent's 55.  Jim was disappointed but still takes home $2,992 for his efforts.  With Jim's exit, the Final Table is set.

Playing until we have a winner who will haul home $55,260.

Event 19: Ostrander Strangled

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

Sic ending for Greg Ostrander (Webster, NY).

Greg raised from the button with 3 4♠ and was called by the small blind.

Fireworks went off when Greg saw a flop of A♣ 2♣ 5 giving him the absolute nuts.

Greg bet his wheel and Opponent shipped holding nut flush draw K♣ 2♣.

Turn was 10♣ and Greg was drawing dead.

If he wins that 3,000,000 pot he would have been the leader at his table, instead, Ostrander is out the door in 12th Place earning $2,992.

Event 19: Rob Gets Robbed

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

Rob Klafter (Roslyn, NY) who was down to less than one big blind turned it into over 1 million chips.

Event though he didn't win, Rob's comeback is very inspiring and impressive.  Not to mention he got it in great for his final hand.

Rob JJ in big blind vs. Opponent open shoving with 7-5 suited.

Flush on the river - 'nuff said.

Rob Klafter (Roslyn, NY) - 13th Place - $2,187

Event 19: Sankaan Sunk

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

Krishna Sankaran - (Flushing, NY)
14th Place - $2,187

That's all she wrote for Krishna Sankaran who received wired eights only to run them into jacks.

Just to rub it in, a meaningless jack hit the river.

When Krishna's not working his 9-5 job, he's here at Borgata playing tournaments and cash games.

Also busted:

14th Place - Michael Madera (New York, NY)