Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Championship: 46th-54th Places

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

Place-Name (Earning $10,287)

46 Matthew Burntiz (Bear, DE)
47 Mandeep Chahal (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)
48 Richard Tatalovich (Scottsdale, AZ)
49 Sameer Aljanedi (Marina Del Rey, CA)
50 Roman Valerstein (Philadelphia, PA)
51 Ravi Raghavan (Northbrook, IL)
52 Harry Korotki (Owings Mills, MD)
53 Tim Reilly (Natick, MA)
54 Kevin Stammen (Cold Water, OH)

Championship: Vegas In The House

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

Mark Ketteringham & Railbirds

Mark Ketteringham (Los Vegas, NY) is rooted on by Bill Shanks & Oddie Dardon.  All three came out to Borgata together.  Oddie still feeling the sting from his finish here which fell just short of the cash.

Mark has played and cashed in the WSOP Main Event.  He currently has 500,000.  Mark is at an interesting table that includes Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ), Tom Dobrilovic (West Nyack, NY), and Dan Buzgon (Marton, NJ).

Tom took down Event 2 winning $67,546 and is looking to double up his short stack when the opportunity arises.

Championship: Tsinis Busts Burnitz

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

Arkadiy Tsinis (Las Vegas, NV) and Matt Burnitz (Bear, DE) are all in preflop with Burnitz at risk.

Tsinis: K K
Burnitz: A♣ K♣

The kings hold for Tsinis who gets a near double-up and after a close count (386k to 340k) Burnitz finishes in 46th place for $10,287.

Championship: This Ain't Monopoly Money

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

Mike Gogliormella - 1,000,000

With a field of so many established pros we also wanted to give coverage to the amateurs and weekend warriors making names for themselves. 

Meet Mike Gogliormella.  This is his second shot playing in the Championship and he's having the time of his life looking down at 1 million chips.

His biggest hand of the day came when he flopped a set of tens vs. Opponent's 8-8.

48 Players remain with an average stack at 651,250.

Championship: Crane Still Leads, Hwang Second

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

 Yung Hwang

Russell Crane (Howell, NJ) continues to lead the way and is up to 1.8 million, while Yung Hwang (Sugar Land, TX) is second at 1.4 million.

A handful of other players inching their way past the one million chip mark including Joe Serock (Albuquerque, NM) who is up to 1.3 million.

Event 23: Clown Fish Eats Muffin Crumbs

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Eric "Clownfish" Doerr - 678,000

Borgata regular, Eric "Clownfish" Doerr (Newark, DE) is the chipleader with 678,000 after busting out Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo.

Matt shoved UTG with Q 10 causing Eric to tank with A K in the big blind.  "I had 500,000 at the time and wasn't sure if I wanted to risk it" said Doerr.  He ended up calling.

Muffins hit a ten on the flop but Eric hit runner runner for both a wheel, and a flush.

Board: 10 2 4♣ 5 3

Championship: 4 Down, Level Up

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

Four players bust right before the end of the last level.   After a 10 minute break play resumes with blinds moving up to 6k/12k/1k ante.

Place-Name (Earning $10,287)

51 Ravi Raghavan (Northbrook, IL)
52 Harry Korotki (Owings Mills, MD)
53 Tim Reilly (Natick, MA)
54 Kevin Stammen (Cold Water, OH)

Championship: Three Way All In

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

Frank Athey (Mineral Wells, WV)

Three way all in develops between Frank Athey, Patrick Chan, & Kevin Stammen (Celina, OH).

Kevin is at risk and has the worst hand with pocket nines.  Patrick has everyone covered holding QQ.  But it's Frank Athey's KK that holds up on a board running 6-4-7-2-4.

Frank raked in the 900,000 pot, adding 500,000 to his stack.

Kevin Stammen gathers his things, collects $10,287 for his 54th Place finish then heads for the exits.

Average stack is 601,153

Championship: 55th-63rd Places

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

Place - Player (earning $9,292)

55 Edward Pham (Lansdale, PA)
56 David Fox (Coram, NY)
57 Nicholas Ricciardi (Palm Beach, FL)
58 Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL)
59 Ian Palomo (New York, NY)
60 Scott Matte (Syosset, NY)
61 Irving Pimentel (Roslindale, MA)
62 Nicholas Alafogiannis (Toronto, Canada)
63 Eugene Todd (Roslyn, NY)

Championship: Media Favs Hit the Rail

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

Fox (56th) & Nicholas Ricciardi (57th)

The quick succession of bustouts have some of the fan and media favorites waiting in line for their payouts.

The list includes Ian Palomo (New York, NY), David Fox (Coram, NY) and Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL).

"Pocket queens let me down twice," says Wolak, "there was nothing I can do. I'll be back."

"Yeah, we keep coming back for the torture," quips Palomo.

Another table is down as we're now at 54 players with the average stack of 579k (58 bb) as Level 21 (5k/10k/1k ante) is winding down.

 Marsha Wolak - 58th Place

Championship: 64th-72nd Places

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

Place - Player (earning $7,632)

64 Andrew Glauberg (Tenafly, NY)
65 Joshua Kay (West Bloomfield, MI)
66 Kostantinos Koufalis (Bronx, NY)
67 Saro Sarkuni (Cranberry, NJ)
68 Nicholas Muraca (East Syracuse, NY)
69 Jeffrey Einsidler (Bedford, NY)
70 Allen Kessler (Las Vegas, NV)
71 Eugeni Fabio (Pergugia, Italy)
72 Jonathan Little (Las Vegas, NV)

Championship: Bang, Bang, Bang!!!

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

On the first hands dealt after dinner break there are three quick eliminations and we're now down to seven tables.

Place-Name-Amount

63 Eugene Todd (Roslyn, NY) $9,292
64 Andrew Glauberg (Tenafly, NY) $8,296
65 Joshua Kay (West Bloomfield, MI) $8,296

Event 23: 11 am Dinner Break

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

120 players remain with an average stack of 130k (22 bb) with blinds going to 3k/6k/500 ante.

Play resumes at 8:40 PM

Championship: Dinner Time!

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

After an extended level 20 finally ran out, players were sent on dinner break.

65 players remain.  Average stack is ~481k.

Play will resume at about 9:15pm.

Championship: 70th Place - Kessler

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

Kessler & Druckman

Allen Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) gets the last of chips all in with A5 vs the AQ of Jeremy Druckman (Portland, OR).

Druckman follows that hand with the elimination of Jeffrey Einsidler (Bedford, NY) in 69th place with K 3 vs Einsidler's 7 3.

The two pots takes Druckman up to 1.2 million and is one of the big stacks heading towards dinner break.

Championship: 72nd Place - Little

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

In a battle of the blinds, Jonathan Little (Las Vegas, NV) was the big blind and all-in with pocket Queens.

 Hung Truong (standing), Jonathan Litte, and Matt Salsberg

Hung Truong (Freehold, NJ) was the small blind and held pocket Kings.

The Kings held up and Jonathan was eliminated in 72nd place.  He earned $8,296, which doesn't quite cover his three entries.

Jonathan is a two-time WPT Champion and has over $4.8 million in reported tournament earnings.

Championship: In The Money Action

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

On a flop of T 3 2 rainbow, Jeremy Stein got all-in against Matt Burnitz.

Jeremy - JJ
Matt - T9

The last two came 4 7 and Jeremy doubled up to ~600k.


On the river with a board of Q J 4 3 T (back-door diamonds), Anthony Zinno bet 40k.

Joe Pombriant raised to 120k. 

After giving it some thought, Anthony raised to 230k. 

Joe called, showing AK off for Broadway.

Anthony showed A5 of diamonds for the nut flush to take the pot.

Joe was left short and busted out soon after in 79th place.

Championship: Million Chip Club

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

Russell Crane

The two big stacks continue to be Russell Crane (Howell, NJ) and Joe Serock (Albuquerque, NM) who are the only two players with more than one million chips.

74 players remain with an average stack of 422k (53 bb) with blinds at 4k/8k/500.

45 minutes remain on this level before players break for dinner.

Championship: 73rd - 81st Places

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

Place - Player (earning $7,632)
73 - Natalie Bereznyak (Rumson, NJ)
74 - Russ Dukshteyn (Staten Island, NY)
75 - Jay Sharon (Fresh Meadows, NY)
76 - Tom Hu (Ashburn, VA)
77- Matt Matros (Brooklyn, NY)
78 - Sach Ramrakhani (Fort Lee, NJ)
79 - Joseph Pombriant (Portsmouth, NH)
80 - Jonathan Roy (Busherville, CAN)
81 - Anthony Bassani (Centereach, NY)

Championship: 82nd-90th Places

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

Place - Player (earning $6,969)

82 Andrew Badecker (Vernon, CT)
83 Sarko Sarkuni (Cranberry, NJ)
84 Travell Thomas (Orchard Park, NY)
85 Anthony Polychronopoulos (East Hampton, NY)
86 Lawrence DiCristinia (Matawan, NJ)
87 Maruti Yarlapati (Pine Brook, NJ)
88 Ryan DeAngelo (Brooklyn, NY)
89 Justin Zaki (Tierra Verde, FL)
90 Anthony Hulbert (Reston, VA)

Championship: 91st - 100th Places

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

As expected, the pace of play has picked up considerably since the bubble burst. 

The first ten players have already hit the rail, and here they are:

Place - Player (earning $6,637)
91 - Nick Mitchell (Webster, NY)
92 - Tony Cousineau (Daytona Beach, FL)
93 - Antonio Walker (Willingboro, NJ)
94 - Scott Herz (Austin, TX)
95 - Cherish Andrews (Chambersburg, PA)
96 - Milan Dobrilovic (WestNyack, NY)
97 - Carl Restifo (Waretown, NJ)
98 - Suresh Prabhu (Atlanta, GA)
99 - Tony Behbahani (Fairfax Station, VA)
100 - Jerry Burgess (Louisburg, NC)

Championship: Bubblelicious

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

Event 23: 11 am Payouts

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Entries: 782
Total Buy-In: $156,400

Place - Amount

1st $35,199
2nd $20,481
3rd $12,516
4th $10,316
5th $8,344
6th $6,827
7th $5,461
8th $4,172
9th $2,882
10-12 $1,896
13-15 $1,365
16-18 $941
19-27 $804
28-36 $713
37-45 $637
46-54 $561
55-63 $501
64-72 $440

Championship: Break Time Tweets

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

Play has resumed after the break.  Time has been added back to the clock to compensate for the extended bubble.

Still in level 20 with 4k/8k/500 ante for about one hour and 50 minutes.

Here are some Tweets from the break:

Jonathan Little ‏@JonathanLittle
We are itm. I had QT vs KQ bvb on QJ88J to lose 100k then lost more hands. At 200k playing 4k/8k-500. Hand for hand took 2 hours.

Matt Glantz ‏@MattGlantz
2hrs 14mins. Finally the bubble has burst.

Jonathan Roy ‏@jonathanroy70
ITM after a 2h bubble... 348k couldnt get anything going during bubble time @wptliveupdates Borgata #playeroftheyearhaunting

Nick Mitchell ‏@agriffrod
Finally itm after marathon bubble. Short. 100k at 4k-8k

g0lfa ‏@g0lfa
And we're in the money finally after 2.5 hours! 143k at 4/8 @bor

Taylor Paur ‏@taypaur
After ridiculous bubble that took well over 2hrs we are finally itm. 595k when we come back. 8k bb.

Justin Zaki ‏@Justin_Zaki
3rd straight Borgata main event cash. Let's see if I can win somethin for once

Marsha Wolak ‏@marshawolak
Finally bubble burst! ITM!!! First time for me major WPT. Wooo hooo

Daniel Buzgon ‏@WiLDmAn_75
Itm 210k at 4k/8k. Bubble cost me a lot with a pretty bad seat. Oh well. Time to get it back. #wptborgata

Denis Gnidash ‏@DenisGnidash
Finally in the money after 2 hr 15 min. Have 400k

Matt Matros ‏@Matt_Matros
@borgatapoker Hand for hand went 2h 15min, during which I lost most of my chips. 71k now. All-in soon. #wpt

 Adam Cook ‏@AdamNCook
~540k just inside the money. I think they're gonna add some clock time back for the 4k/8k 500a. #wptborgata #zzZzz

Event 23: 11 am Rolls On

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

About 1/3 of the field remains with 265 of 782 entries still playing.

The average stack is 59k (25 bb) with blinds at 1,200/2,400/300 ante.

Championship: Finally!

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

The bubble has finally burst after more than two hours of hand-for-hand play.

Paul Volpe (West Chester, PA) earned the title of Bubble Boy when chip leader Russell Crane took his last ~25k in chips.

Russell is over 1.1 million in chips.

The 100 surviving players are now enjoying a long overdue break.

Championship: Irish Poker, Dublin' Up

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

 Maneep Chahal Can't Watch His Fate

The last four players who have been all in have doubled-up.

The fortunate survivors: Gene Todd (Roslyn, NY), Scott Matte (Syosset, NY), Iriving Pimentel (Roslindale, MA) and Maneep Chahal (Brampton, Ontario, Canada)

Chahal survives his hand with pocket queens vs A 3.

And hand-for-hand play continues.

Championship: Unbreakable

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

On an A 8 3 flop, Ryan D'Angelo (Brooklyn, NY) was all-in against Andrew Badecker (Vernon, CT).

Ryan - AQ
Andrew - A5

The last two were A T and Ryan survived the bubble, doubling up to ~125k.

That's the way this interminable bubble play has been going.

Hand-for-hand play continues.

Championship: Blinds Up; Still on the Bubble

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

Level 20:  Blinds 4k/8k with 500 ante.

No break for the players as the hand-for-hand play has already consumed an entire 90 minute level.

The blinds are up and they will continue play until the bubble bursts.

Still 101 players...

Championship: Never-Ending Bubble

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

Still playing hand-for-hand on the bubble.  This has been going on for over an hours.  

Here's what's buzzing around the Twitter-verse from the field:

g0lfa ‏@g0lfa
59k on the money bubble. Been folding for hours.

sachin ramrakhani ‏@Sachpoker
Just got owned on the stone cold bubble... 120k at 3/6k. 1 away from money #wptborgata

Roman Valerstein ‏@GrimeRat420
200k still on bubble playing 3k-6k. Lost qq<a6 and kq<10-9 on qjx8xsss

Marsha Wolak ‏@marshawolak
Still on bubble- over an hour already...

Matt Glantz ‏@MattGlantz
1hr 12mins so far hand for hand on the bubble. How can 101 players last this long? #NitCentral

Championship: Still Hand-for-Hand

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

Since the difference between 101st place and 100th place is $6,637, no one wants to bust out and be the bubble boy. 

In hand-for-hand play, all tables play one hand and stop until all tables have completed the hand.

If no one busts out, then they do it all over again.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Until someone busts out.

This could take a while.

Championship: Chip Chirps

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

2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champions Russell Crane (Howell, NJ) is the chip leader with ~1.1 million.

Here are the chip counts from the break, via Twitter:

Adam Cook - 535k
Matt Salsberg - 462k
Taylor Paur - 385k
Josh Templeton - 370k
Dennis Gnidash - 360k
Jonathan Roy - 355k
Jonathan Little - 350k
Tim Reilly - 300k
Dan Buzgon - 298k
Roman Valerstein - 235k
Matt Matros - 189k
Ryan D'Angelo - 85k

Championship: Bubble Time

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

During the break, the black 100 chips were removed from play so now the stacks are somewhat easier to count.

Before the break, these players were eliminated:

Arthur Brown
Chris Barnes
Mark Herm
John Spadavecchia, Jr.

101 players remain, making it bubble-time.   They are playing hand-for-hand now until one more is eliminated.

Level 19:  3k/6k with 500 ante.

Championship: Two More Out the Door

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

Travis Williams (Reading, PA) got his last ~130k in with pocket 8s, but ran into pocket Aces.  Travis was toast.

On a flop of J T 5, David Inselberg (Long Beach, NY) was all-in against Joe Serock.

David - AA (overpair)
Joe - JT (two pair)

The last two came 2 K and were no help to David.  He was busted.

Down to 12 tables now with 108 players still in the hunt.  Average stack is 289k.

Only a couple more to go to reach the money!

End of level and time for a break.

Championship: Quartomy's Queens Quacked

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

After Joe Serock opened for 10,400, Ray Quartomy (Sugar Land, TX) moved in from the button for 62,300.

David Inselberg tanked for a bit, then folded (later said pocket Tens).

After a little thought, Joe made the call, showing A7 suited.

Ray had pocket Queens and was ahead.

Then the board ran out 7 4 3 2 5 and Joe made a wheel on the river to take the pot, sending Ray to the rail.

Also gone:

Blake Purvis
Edgar Lemus-Argueta
Shawn Yesko
Robert Tepper
Eric Seigel

Championship: Goners

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

Bobby Suer (Dana Point, CA) got his chips in good with pocket Aces, but his opponent hit a set with his pocket 5s.  Bobby hit the rail.

Also gone:

Anthony Gargano, Jr.
Alex Bolotin
Gabriel Andrade
David Fuss
David Eilers
Natale Kuey

114 players remain.  Average is 274k.

Championship: New Chip Leader

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

David Saunders (Mount Laurel, NJ) was all-in with AK against Travell Thomas' pocket Jacks.  The Jacks held up and David was busted.

Ory Hen (Cooper City, FL) was all-in with AK on a K Q 9 flop.  Matt Haugen had him well covered and crushed with JT from the flopped straight.

The last two changed nothing and Ory was busted.  Matt chipped up to ~900k and is currently the chip leader.

Yung Hwang is second in chips with about 800k.

Championship: More Out the Door

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

Latest departures:

Len Vizirov
Devin Christie
Attilio Bitondo
Ari Eiblum
Kenny Nguyen
Bobby Wisiak
Jason Koon

Championship: Break Time Tweets

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

Level 18:  Blinds 2,500/5,000 with 400 ante.

Play has resumed.  Here are some tweets from the break:

David inselberg ‏@TheColdStone
Hugh hand with jkoons 335k

Jonathan Little ‏@JonathanLittle
At 220k going to 2500/500-500. I lost AJ vs AQ bb vs button for 20bbs 4 hands in then hung out for a while.

g0lfa ‏@g0lfa
Just lost aces vs kings for 220k pot :( still have 160

Jamie Kerstetter ‏@JamieKerstetter
68k on break going to 2500/5k. What a #grind 30 people from the money Could use a hand please?

Jonathan Roy ‏@jonathanroy70
182k after first level of day 3 @wptliveupdates Borgata 132 left, 100 makes money #effetmito

Travis T Williams ‏@OnAFoldDraw
183K/237K on break in #BWOmain - come back to 90 mins of 5K/400 in HiJ 9-handed w/ ~35 BBs. 132(1,042) remain |100pd| http://lockerz.com/s/280383693

Josh Templeton ‏@the_dude_3
First break 445k

Justin Zaki ‏@Justin_Zaki
280k goin 2500-5k. 130 left. #borgata

matt salsberg ‏@msalsberg
203k on first break going to 5k. Annoying first level but we lost about 30 players so around 30 left til the money.

Adam Cook ‏@AdamNCook
Anyway, we've got 521k on break. Playin 2.5k/5k 400a next. #wptborgata

Daniel Buzgon ‏@WiLDmAn_75
203k going to 2500/5000 400. Avg is 237k. 132 left. 100 pay. #wptborgata

Matt Matros ‏@Matt_Matros
@borgatapoker Day Three, first break. 215k. Average is 237k with 132 players left. 100 get paid. #wpt

Championship: Wolak Leads

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

Marsha Wolak picked off a huge bluff on the river and has chipped up to ~620k and possibly the chip lead.

More players out the door:

Allie Prescott
Todd Terry
William Klevitz
Vasilios Hrisafinis
Osmin Dardon

135 players remain.  Average stack is 231k.

End of level 17 and time for a break.

Championship: Tweet-Outs

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

Parting Shots, via Twitter:

Dan Howe ‏@Mister_Head
Busto Borgata main. GL to the good guys remaining.

Jordan Young ‏@Jymaster11
Had 200k, utg opens to 9k, sb flats, imake it 32k with AQo and utg flats sb folds. Flop A45ss and I lose to 67ss all in on flop, geeg

Jared Hamby ‏@TWKftw
Busto. If I wasn't up on blackjack and sports on this trip I'd be on raging tilt lol. Nothing until LAPC in a month

Championship: Queens Good & Not Good

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

Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) got her chips in with pocket Queens against AJ.  The Ladies held up for Marsha and she's chipped up to ~470k.

Patrick Ricci (Saratoga Springs, NY) was not so lucky.  His pocket Queens were also up against AJ and an Ace hit the flop.  Patrick has reported to the rail.

Championship: More Departures

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

More players reporting to the rail:

Yaakov Melen
Allan Vrooman
Narendra Banwari
Sam Bernstein
Igor Zektser
Robert Quigley
Salvatore Attina
David Paredes
Brian Morgan
Jared Hamby
Jordan Young
Esther 'E-Tay' Taylor-Brady

About 140 players remain.  Average stack is ~223k.

Championship: Early Departures

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

Early action has seen the departure of four players:

Christian Harder (on the first hand) 
Stan Jablonski
Mohsin Charania
Gary Beller

Still a long way to go to reach the money (100 players) and the end of day three play (27 players).

Championship: Day Three Underway

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

Level 17:  Blinds 2k/4k with 400 ante.

Levels are 90 minutes long today, so there's still a long way to go to reach the money.  Sixty player will leave empty-handed.

Cards are in the air!

Championship: Beginning Momentarily

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

160 players have made the cut on day three, but only 100 get paid.  The survivors are unbagging and stacking their chips in preparation for the start of play, which will begin shortly.

Here's a reminder what's at stake:

Place - Amount

1st     $730,053
2nd   $438,698
3rd    $265,475
4th    $222,336
5th    $182,514
6th    $147,671
7th    $117,805
8th      $89,598
9th      $61,391
10-12  $39,821
13-15  $28,207
16-18  $18,251
19-27  $14,933
28-36  $12,942
37-45  $11,615
46-54  $10,287
55-63   $9,292
64-72   $8,296
73-81   $7,632
82-90   $6,969
91-100 $6,637

Event 23: Too Cute For Words

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 2:  Blinds 50/100.

Steve Ryan (New York, NY) has busted out of the main event, but is back today playing in this post-lim event.

Steve Ryan and Rachel Dubridge

Also playing today is Steve's girlfriend, Rachel Dubridge.  This is only Rachel's second tournament ever and according to Steve, she busted out in the first level in the first tournament she played.

Wishing them both well in this event today because, well, they're just too cute together and they have the cutest little dog traveling with them.

Event 23: Familiar Faces

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Lots of Borgata regulars and familiar faces are among the sea of faces that turned out for this event.

Among those in early action:

Walter Muller
Paul Spitzberg
Wendy Freedman
Lana O'Brien
Steve Eyzerovich
Anthony Licastro
Greg Glassman
Matt McElwee
AJ DeNicco
Don Brown
David Heck
Mike Lydon
Byung Yoo
Eric Miller
Scott Wardell
Ray Brennan
Michael Forca
Howard Wolper
Mickey Woll
Katie Elliott
Jedial Pires
John Koliner
Mike Summers
Frank Ingardia
Nancy Birbbaum

Event 23: Underway

$200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
             $75,000 GUARANTEED

Today's post-lim main event is another Big Stack No Limit Hold'em tournament.

Players like starting with the super-sized 20k starting stack.  There's also a $75,000 guarantee on total buy-ins.

Levels 1 through 8 are 25 minutes long and during this time players who bust out may chose to re-enter.  Starting with level 9, levels are 30 minutes long.

Late registration is also open through level 8 (about 2:50 pm).

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

This is a one day event, so they'll play all night until a winner is determined.

Shuffle Up & Deal!

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 21: WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship NLH
January 27 - February 1, 2013

Entries:  1,042
Total Buy-In:  $3,438,600

Players Remaining: 160
Average Chip Stack:  195,400

START OF DAY 3 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T01 | S01 -   JOSEPH BRATTOLE (PARSIPPIANY, NJ):  194,200
T01 | S02 -   ANTHONY COUSINEAU (DAYTONA BCH, FL):  50,400
T01 | S03 -   YAAKOV MELEN (CEDARHURST, NY):  66,600
T01 | S04 -   ADAM COOK (PASADENA, MD):  290,000
T01 | S05 -   MARSHA WOLAK (SARASOTA, FL):  211,500
T01 | S06 -   RICHARD TATALOVICH (SCOTTSDALE, AZ):  262,600
T01 | S07 -   STAN JABLONSKI (FORT MOHAVE, AZ):  108,600
T01 | S08 -   DEVIN CHRISTIE (CHICORA, PA):  270,000
T01 | S09 -   DAVID PAREDES (NEW YORK, NY):  104,500

T02 | S01 -   NATALIE BEREZNYAK (RUMSON, NJ):  190,000
T02 | S02 -   THEODOROS KARIDIS (NORWALK, CT):  53,000
T02 | S03 -   ROBERT TEPPER (KIRKLAND, WA):  437,200
T02 | S04 -   MATTHEW GLANTZ (LAFAYETTE HILL, PA):  384,000
T02 | S05 -   TOM HU (ASHBURN, VA):  378,800
T02 | S06 -   NATHAN TUTHILL (FREDERICKSBURG, VA):  211,100
T02 | S07 -   ATTILIO BITONDO (GREAT NECK, NY):  130,500
T02 | S08 -   EMMANUIL DIGILOV (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  158,100
T02 | S09 -   PATRICK RICCI (SARATOGA SPGS, NY):  59,600

T03 | S01 -   DAVID EILERS (ROCKY MOUNT, NC):  57,700
T03 | S02 -   ALLAN VROOMAN (GREENVILLE, NC):  118,500
T03 | S03 -   JOSEPH DIMARTINO (ANSONIA, CT):  517,100
T03 | S04 -   KEVEN STAMMEN (COLD WATER, OH):  345,800
T03 | S05 -   ERIC SIEGEL (BELLMORE, NY):  290,000
T03 | S06 -   DAVID FOX (CORAM, NY):  300,000
T03 | S07 -   SURESH PRABHU (ATLANTA, GA):  138,000
T03 | S08 -   CHRISTOPHER BARNES (RAYNHAM, MA):  169,600  

T04 | S01 -   ANTHONY ZINNO (CRANSTON, RI):  213,000
T04 | S02 -   ANDREW BADECKER (VERNON, CT):  201,700
T04 | S03 -   ELAN BRANAS (FOREST HILLS, NY):  55,800
T04 | S04 -   JEFFREY EINSIDLER (BEDFORD, NY):  237,500
T04 | S05 -   NARENDRA BANWARI (CHARLOTTE, NC):  168,500
T04 | S06 -   MARK HERM (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  231,900
T04 | S07 -   SAMUEL BERNSTEIN (ENGLEWOOD, NJ):  201,900
T04 | S08 -   RYAN DANGELO (BROOKLYN, NY):  86,000
T04 | S09 -   MARK KETTERINGHAM (LOS VEGAS, NV):  208,000

T05 | S01 -   DONALD HIMPELE (MAHWAH, NJ):  152,800
T05 | S02 -   MILAN DOBRILOVIC (WEST NYACK, NY):  102,800
T05 | S03 -   NICOLAS ALAFOGIANNIS (TORONTO, CAN):  209,000
T05 | S04 -   ARI EIBLUM (ELDERSBURG, MD):  94,000
T05 | S05 -   JAY SHARON (FRESH MEADOWS, NY):  113,500
T05 | S06 -   TAYLOR PAUR (EL DORADO HILLS, CA):  291,600
T05 | S07 -   JARED HAMBY (DENTON, TX):  78,900
T05 | S08 -   NICHOLAS MURACA (EAST SYRACUSE, NY):  251,400
T05 | S09 -   CARL RESTIFO (WARETOWN, NJ):  85,500

T06 | S01 -   GARY HORN (SUGAR LAND, TX):  306,000
T06 | S02 -   JERRY BURGESS (LOUISBURG, NC):  57,400
T06 | S03 -   SHAWN YESKO (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  255,300
T06 | S04 -   TIMOTHY REILLY (NATICK, MA):  455,500
T06 | S05 -   MICHAEL SHKLOVER (STAMFORD, CT):  259,300
T06 | S06 -   MOHSIN CHARANIA (DES PLAINES, IL):  55,600
T06 | S07 -   HARRY KOROTKI (OWINGS MILLS, MD):  127,800
T06 | S08 -   SARKO SARKUNI (CRANBURY, NJ):  205,100
T06 | S09 -   SACHIN RAMRAKHANI (FORT LEE, NJ):  43,000

T07 | S01 -   MATTHEW HAUGEN (CHICAGO, IL):  338,600
T07 | S02 -   RUSSELL CRANE (HOWELL, NJ):  467,500
T07 | S03 -   VASILLIOS HRISAFINIS (BRICK, NJ):  80,400
T07 | S04 -   WILLIAM KLEVITZ (GREENWICH, CT):  47,400
T07 | S05 -   CHERISH ANDREWS (CHAMBERSBURG, PA):  231,900
T07 | S06 -   ORY HEN (COOPER CITY, FL):  213,600
T07 | S07 -   EDGAR LEMUS-ARGUETA (ORTLEY BEACH, NJ):  153,300
T07 | S08 -   ESTHER TAYLOR (HAVERTOWN, PA):  43,700
T07 | S09 -   PATRICK CHAN (BROOKLYN, NY):  494,900

T08 | S01 -   SARO SARKUNI (CRANBURY, NJ):  102,000
T08 | S02 -   IGOR ZEKTSER (LOS ANGELES, CA):  59,200
T08 | S03 -   SAMUEL TAYLOR (NEW YORK, NY):  464,500
T08 | S04 -   TERRY GRIMES (NEW ROCHELLE, NY):  123,500
T08 | S05 -   KENNY NGUYEN (LYNWOOD, IL):  87,200
T08 | S06 -   DANIEL HOWE (BRIGANTINE, NJ):  78,600
T08 | S07 -   BRIAN MORGAN (WILTON, NY):  124,500
T08 | S08 -   RICHARD RICE (FORT LAUDERDALE, FL):  190,000
T08 | S09 -   FRANK ATHEY (MINERAL WELLS, WV):  329,800

T09 | S01 -   DEREK CHISHOLM (GREENLAW, GB):  42,600
T09 | S02 -   GARY BELLER (DEERFIELD, IL):  38,800
T09 | S03 -   ANTONIO WALKER (WILLINGBORO, NJ):  50,500
T09 | S04 -   NICHOLAS MANFREDO (LEVITTOWN, NY):  166,100
T09 | S05 -   ANTHONY BASSANI (CENTEREACH, NY):  59,500
T09 | S06 -   GEORGE LAMPERT (NAPLES, FL):  190,100
T09 | S07 -   OSMIN DARDON (WEST COVINA, CA):  155,000
T09 | S08 -   TRAVIS WILLIAMS (READING, PA):  361,700
T09 | S09 -   ALEKSANDR BOLOTIN (BROOKLYN, NY):  148,400

T10 | S01 -   RUSLAN DYKSHTEYN (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  122,500
T10 | S02 -   MIKE MESKIN (BELMONT, MA):  298,900
T10 | S03 -   ARTHUR BROWN (BROOKLYN, NY):  320,000
T10 | S04 -   IRVING PIMENTEL (ROSLINDALE, MA):  176,200
T10 | S05 -   ROBERT SUER (DANA POINT, CA):  238,200
T10 | S06 -   ALLEN KESSLER (LAS VEGAS, NV):  196,900
T10 | S07 -   JAMES ANDERSON (WOOSTER, OH):  351,600
T10 | S08 -   DANIEL BUZGON (MARLTON, NJ):  193,700
T10 | S09 -   JORDANCHARLES YOUNG (TWIN LAKE, MI):  266,000

T11 | S01 -   NATALE KUEY (BRONX, NY):  105,400
T11 | S02 -   CHRISTIAN HARDER (ANNAPOLIS, MD):  47,900
T11 | S03 -   RYAN PALUF (HIGHLAND HTS, OH):  161,000
T11 | S04 -   BRYN KENNEY (LONG BEACH, NY):  205,000
T11 | S05 -   JAMES GILBERT (BENSALEM, PA):  202,700
T11 | S06 -   SCOTT HERZ (AUSTIN, TX):  519,300
T11 | S07 -   RAVI RAGHAVAN (NORTHBROOK, IL):  46,000
T11 | S08 -   CORRINE PRANEVICH (FINLEYVILLE, PA):  95,700

T12 | S01 -   MATTHEW MATROS (BROOKLYN, NY):  257,600
T12 | S02 -   JEREMY DRUCKMAN (PORTLAND, OR):  344,100
T12 | S03 -   CHRIS RESLOCK (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ):  271,500
T12 | S04 -   ROBERT WISIAK (FRESH MEADOWS, NY):  92,500
T12 | S05 -   GABRIEL ANDRADE (HOUSTON, TX):  157,200
T12 | S06 -   ANA MARQUEZ ESTEBAN (BETHESDA, MD):  255,500
T12 | S07 -   CUONG PHUNG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ):  298,000
T12 | S08 -   SAMEER ALJANEDI (MARINA DEL REY, CA):  245,000
T12 | S09 -   MANDEEP CHAHAL (BRAMPTON, ON, CAN):  146,500

T13 | S01 -   PAUL VOLPE (WEST CHESTER, PA):  99,300
T13 | S02 -   JASON KOON (PITTSBURG, PA):  71,900
T13 | S03 -   RAY QARTOMY (SUGAR LAND, TX):  185,500
T13 | S04 -   MARUTI YARLAPATI (PINE BROOK, NJ):  182,000
T13 | S05 -   BLAKELY PURVIS (MONTGOMERY, AL):  75,200
T13 | S06 -   DAVID INSELBERG (LONG BEACH, NY):  193,300
T13 | S07 -   JONATHAN LITTLE (LAS VEGAS, NV):  318,200
T13 | S08 -   SCOTT MATTE (SYOSSET, NY):  155,500
T13 | S09 -   JOSEPH SEROCK (ALBUQUERQUE, NM):  222,000

T14 | S01 -   KONSTANTINOS KOUFALIS (BRONX, NY):  123,400
T14 | S02 -   FABIO EUGENI (PERUGIA, ITA):  229,600
T14 | S03 -   ALLIE PRESCOTT (MEMPHIS, TN):  191,200
T14 | S04 -   JAMIE KERSTETTER (MONROE TWP, NJ):  87,100
T14 | S05 -   MIKE GOGLIORMELLA (YONKERS, NY):  220,400
T14 | S06 -   TODD TERRY (HOBOKEN, NJ):  95,300
T14 | S07 -   TRAVELL THOMAS (ORCHARD PARK, NY):  170,200
T14 | S08 -   EUGENE TODD (ROSLYN, NY):  262,500
T14 | S09 -   LAWRENCE DICRISTINA (MATAWAN, NJ):  157,600

T15 | S01 -   ARKADIY TSINIS (LAS VEGAS, NV):  360,000
T15 | S02 -   MATTHEW SALSBERG (STUDIO CITY, CA):  236,000
T15 | S03 -   JOSHUA TEMPLETON (CHATTANOOGA, TN):  405,500
T15 | S04 -   ATHANASIOS POLYCHRONOPOULOS (EAST HAMPTON, NY):  108,600
T15 | S05 -   ANTHONY HULBERT (RESTON, VA):  235,500
T15 | S06 -   ANTHONY GARGANO JR (STERLING HEIGHTS, MI):  68,200
T15 | S07 -   MARK WAHBA (CLEVELAND, OH):  345,400
T15 | S08 -   IAN PALOMO (NEW YORK, NY):  190,300
T15 | S09 -   JEREMY STEIN (WASHINGTON, DC):  275,900

T16 | S01 -   JUSTIN ZAKI (TIERRA VERDE, FL):  283,300
T16 | S02 -   JOSEPH POMBRIANT (PORTSMOUTH, NH):  163,900
T16 | S03 -   MATTHEW DIEHL (FLEMINGTON, NJ):  80,800
T16 | S04 -   KAMBIZ BEHBAHANI (FAIRFAX STATION, VA):  83,400
T16 | S05 -   EDWARD PHAM (LANSDALE, PA):  172,000
T16 | S06 -   GABRIEL NEGRON (NEW BRITAN, CT):  41,700
T16 | S07 -   DAVID SANDERS (MOUNT LAUREL, NJ):  206,300
T16 | S08 -   MARK SYKES (MARGATE, NJ):  364,300
T16 | S09 -   ANDREW GLAUBERG (TENAFLY, NJ):  385,400

T17 | S01 -   JOSHUA KAY (WESTBLOOMFIELD, MI):  237,400
T17 | S02 -   RYAN MILLER (LANGHORNE, PA):  36,600
T17 | S03 -   DENIS GNIDASH (FAIRLAWN, NJ):  173,000
T17 | S04 -   JOHN SPADAVECCHIA JR (MOORESVILLE, NC):  265,300
T17 | S05 -   MATTHEW BURNITZ (BEAR, DE):  349,600
T17 | S06 -   TOMISLAV DOBRILOVIC (WEST NYACK, NY):  120,500
T17 | S07 -   DERRICK HUANG (NEW YORK, NY):  77,100
T17 | S08 -   NICHOLAS RICCIARDI (PALM BEACH, FL):  269,800
T17 | S09 -   NICHOLAS MITCHELL (WEBSTER, NY):  444,700

T18 | S01 -   ROBERT QUIGLEY (PITTSBURGH, PA):  55,700
T18 | S02 -   ROMAN VALERSTEIN (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  114,000
T18 | S03 -   DAVID FUSS (WASHINGTON, DC):  150,400
T18 | S04 -   SALVATORE ATTINA (HARTSDALE, NY):  82,000
T18 | S05 -   YUNG HWANG (SUGAR LAND, TX):  498,900
T18 | S06 -   JONATHAN ROY (BUSHERVILLE, CAN):  115,600
T18 | S07 -   HUNG TRUONG (FREEHOLD, NJ):  235,900
T18 | S08 -   LEONID VIZIROV (CHALFONT, PA):  155,100
T18 | S09 -   EUGENE STONE (TAMPA, FL):  132,800

Wednesday, January 30

TODAY'S EVENTS (Event Center) 

11AM: Event 23 - $200 + $30 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
             $75,000 GUARANTEED
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-8: will last 25 minutes each | Levels 9+: will last 30 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 8 
  • 1-Day event 

12PM: Event 21 - WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship - Day 3 
  • Day 3 Levels will last 90 minutes each
  • 5-Day event

6 PM: Event 54 - $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry) 
  • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
  • This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on table in order to remain active in tournament
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • 1-Day event

Event 22 Recap

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Borgata Winter Poker Open event 22 is in the books with Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA) edging out George Cain (Kings Park, NY) in a quick heads-up match lasting only 6 hands.  Tony takes home the $450 No Limit Hold'em title, trophy, and $25,093 first place prize.

His hand of the tournament was when his new favorite hand, 4-5, flopped a full-house after he jammed his last 65,000 pre-flop from the big blind and was called down by Joe Wagner's (Zebulon, NC) A-4.

"I was short for most of the final table but once I ran it down I kept the lead" explained poker professional Tony Ruberto.

The tournament kicked off in the Event Center at 11AM and was held adjacent to the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event all day long.  Of the participants in this event were many that had been eliminated from the Championship earlier, including our winner.  "I busted the Championship then came in here to blow off some steam," explained Ruberto.  It apparently worked because he grabbed an early chip lead and was one of the first to 60,000.

Amongst the 231 entries was a field of familiar faces including David Heck, Chris Farley, Shaun Cunix, Cotton Snuffer, Andrew Klein (22nd $807), Kevin McColgan (11th $1,165) and 3 time Borgata Poker Open title holder Howard Wolper (26th $807). The last woman standing went to Dawn Lucarelli, as she cashed in 25th place for $807.

Players started with 15,000 chips and battled the felt vying for a slice of the $92,400 prize pool.

But once again when the dust finally settled, it was Tony Ruberto who was king of the mountain and took home the $25,093 first prize, his largest Borgata cash to date.  Not bad for one day's work. 

Place - Name - Location - Prize Won
1. Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA) - $25,093
2. George Cain (Kings Park, NY) - $14,789
3. Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL) - $8,515
4. Abraham Mevorah (Staten Island, NY) - $6,901
5. John Iraj (Garden City, NY) - $5,378
6. Gary Wong (New York, NY) - $4,481
7. Scott "Zeke" McCurdy (Charlotte, NC) - $3,585
8. Greg Kolo (Rocky River, OH) - $2,689
9. Andrew Gilenl (Bronx, NY) - $1,793
10. Daniel Gordon (Brick, NJ) - $1,165

FINAL RESULTS

Event 22: 1st Place - Ruberto

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Tony Ruberto - (Boston, MA)
$25,093

Great final table and finish for our Event 22 Champion Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA).

This one felt good for Tony who said Borgata had previously been his Kryptonyte.

He caught cards when necessary and did the lion's share of the dirty work at the final table by calling down the short stacks, holding only average or below average starting hands.  This proved profitable for Tony as he knock-out player after player going from an average FT stack to the chip leader.

After knocking out 2nd in chips, Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL) with K-6, he quickly took care of George Cain (Kings Park, NY) winning a 99 vs. A-K coin flip heads-up.

I know he wanted to win the Championship, but after busting out and channeling his anger/frustration into Event 22, he took her down to the tune of $25,093. 

Nice haul for the Florida and Boston and Borgata Poker Pro.

Event 22: 2nd Place - Cain

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

George Cain - (Kings Park, NY)
$14,789

George double up once during heads-up play against Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA) then lost a coin-flip for all his chips.

Final hand of the tournament: George A-K vs. Tony 99.  All the action got in pre-flop.

Board: 3-8-7-4-Q.

George thought he was out the door in spots 18 or 19 but kept moving up pay levels protecting and working his short stack.  At the final table he had KK three times and doubled three times thru Tony Antonious.

"I actually had KK 6 times today and A-K a bunch" said the man we nicknamed King George (from King's Park).  Ironically the only time he lost with A-K all day was during the last hand.

No complaints from Advertising Sales Associate George Cain who chipped up all day and takes home an impressive $14,789 for his 2nd Place finish.


Event 22: 3rd Place - Antonious

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Tony Antonious - (Redington Shores, FL)
$14,789

Tony won a similar Texas hold-em Event at the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open for $24,904 but will settle for $14,789 for his 3rd Place finish today.

After doubling up George Cain (Kings Park, NY) three times, Tony impressively built back to be second in chips.

Earlier at the FT, he folded A-Q once pre-flop and was patiently waiting for the right spot.  He thought he found it three-handed when chip-leader Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA) jammed his 1.4 million in with K-6 suited and Antonious woke up to JJ.  Of course Tony Antonious quickly called, just hoping not to see a K or spades.

Board ran out with not one, but two kings - 7-Q-K-9-K sending Tony A. home in 3rd Place.

Always fun at the table and a force to be worried about, Borgata Regular Tony Antonious once again goes deep.


Event 22: Threemendous

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Three Handed Marathon

These guys really have gotten to know each others games.  All have seemed to make the right folds at the right times.

Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL) doubled George Cain (Kings Park, NY) up three times and each time George had KK.  We're now calling him King George III.

Tony Robert predicts, "Somebody's gonna make a mistake sooner or later...and it might be me".

Event 22: 4th Place - Mevorah

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Abraham Mevorah - (Staten Island, NY)
$6,901

This time multi-comedy club owner Abraham Mevorah does not get the last laugh, however, he still takes home a nice prize of $6,901 for his 4th Place finish.

Abraham shipped his last 333,000 on the button with 6-8 suited and was called by Tony Ruberto's (Boston, MA) A-6 from the small blind.

Mevorah did not improve on a board of: 3-K-Q-5-4

Championship: Day 2 Wrap / Day 3 Preview

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

Scott Herz
Chip Leader - 519k

Scott Herz (Austin, TX) quietly worked his way to the top of the chip counts and has the chip lead after Day 2 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open.  Herz bagged 519k (130 bb), just ahead of Joe DiMartino (Ansonia, CT), who finished with 517k.

"I went on a sick rush," said DiMartino who added that he was down to 28k on the dinner break.  "I double-up with kings and flopped a set," said DiMartino as he and Herz are the only two players with more than 500k.

160 finished the night and return for Day 3 as they continue their quest for the $730,053 first prize.

Familiar faces still alive include Russell Crane, the 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion who's fifth overall with 468k.  The list also includes three-time Borgata trophy winner Chris Reslock (271k), three-time WSOP bracelet winner Matt Matros (258k), and two time WPT winner Jonathan Little (318k).

Play resumes 12 pm Wednesday with all eyes on the money bubble. The top 100 players are guaranteed a min cash of $6,637 and play is scheduled to conclude with 27 players.

The average returning stack is 195k (49 bb) with blinds resuming at 2k/4k/400.

Top 5 Stacks

Scott Herz 519,300
Joe DiMartino 517,100
Yung Hwang 498,900
Patrick Chan 494,900
Russell Crane 467,500 

Event 22: 5th Place - Iraj

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

John Iraj - (Garden City, NY)
$5,378

John's a radiologist and had a meeting set in Queens for 7am.  He was a little concerned that this tournament might go later than expected.  The good news is he'll make his meeting.  The bad news is he didn't reach his 1st Place goal.

Still a good cash for John who had a ton of hope on the turn only to be felted on the river.

John was all in pre-flop with K-4 up against K-8 of Tony Ruberto (Boston, MA)

Board ran: 6-7-5-3-4

John hit his straight on the turn but Tony hit a bigger straight on the river.

Final Four are on a five minute break.

Event 22: 6th Place - Wong

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Gary Wong - (New York, NY)
$4,481

Gary got it in good with A-Q vs. Opponent's A-10 only to feel the pain of a ten spiking the river.

Gary skillfully moved up a few pay levels as he rode his final table short stack to 6th Place for a $4,481 payday.

Event 22: 7th Place - McCurdy

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Scott McCurdy - (Charlotte, NC)
$3,585

Scott had A-J suited in the cut-off so he shipped his last 206,000.  Unfortunately, Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL) woke up with 99 in the big blind.

Nines held up on a clean board and Scott McCurdy will have to drive 9 1/2 hours back to North Carolina.

In the last 5 Borgata tournaments he's played in, Scott has cashed 4 out of 5 times (he busted in the Championship).  Scott usually drives up once a month to play in Borgata deepstack tournaments.

"Hello to all the Donkeys at The Recreation Station" said McCurdy, referring to the poker house he plays in, in Charlotte.

Event 22: 8th Place - Kolo

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Greg Kolo - (Rocky River, OH)
$2,689

Kolo couldn't seem to survive his table change then kept doubling up the short stacks at the final table.  He was slightly ahead on his final had which had him racing his 5-5 vs. Scott McCurdy's A-K.

Board ran: Q-A-10-8-7.

Greg will be back tomorrow and wishes he ran better in the Championship.

When he's not playing poker, Greg does a little bit of stock trading.

8th Place gives Greg $2,689 for his efforts today.

Championship: End of Night Big Stacks / Twitter Counts

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

Big Stacks

Scott Herz 519,300
Joe DiMartino 517,100
Yung Hwang 498,900
Patrick Chan 494,900
Russell Crane 467,500
Sam Taylor 464,500
Tim Reilly 455,500
Nick Mitchell 444,700
Rob Trepper 437,200
Josh Templeton 405,300

Tweet Counts

Travis Williams 361,700
Justin Zaki 283,300
Matt Matros 257,600
Jonathan Little 318,200
Jordan Young 266,000
Matt Matros 257,600
Mark Herm 231,900
Daniel Buzgon 193,000
Marsha Wolak 190,000
Edward Pham 172,000
Travell Thomas 172,000
Jonathan Roy 115,600
Roman Valerstein 114,000
Todd Terry 95,300
Jamie Kerstetter 87,000
Ryan DeAngelo 86,000
Jared Hamby 79,000
Patrick Ricci 59,600
Christian Harder 47,900

Busted

Lee Childs
Jake Toole

Event 22: Double Trouble

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Two shorties at the table just doubled up in back to back hands.

First, Gary Wong has Q-Q and it holds up against Greg Kolo's A-K on a board of 5-3-8-J-9.

Greg started the hand with 280,000 so is still in as Wong was the short stack at risk.  Wong now has 250,000.

In the very next hand, John Iraj gets it in with J-7 vs. George Cain's 4-4.

John hits a seven on the flop to stay alive with double the chips.

Board: 10-7-8-3-3

Event 22 is playing right next to the Championship tournament who are bagging and tagging.

Soon our Event will be the only game in town, or at least The Event Center.

Championship: Winding Down

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


Event Center

Tournament officials stop the clock with 10 minutes to play and announce each table will play four more hands.  When the hands are finished, players can bag and tag for the night.

All remaining players will be back for Day 3 to continue their quest for the $730,053 top prize.

Event 22: Cain Now Able

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

George Cain (Kings Park, NY) just scores a much needed double up againt John Iraj (Garden City, NY).

George held 4-5 suited vs. John's J-J.

George jammed a flop of 5-4-7 and Iraj snapped, tabling J-J.

No jack came nor did the board pair so Cain's two pair held up.  Dealer counted out 237,000, the amount John had to count out and deliver to George.