Event 5: Spielberg Hits 333 Outter

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

 Bryan "Spielberg" Lustig (S-7) & Greg Katragis (S-9)

Table 1 is on fire!  Other tournament players along with the floor gathered around to see the aftermath of Bryan Lustig (Long Island, NY) flopping quads.  "I can't even remember the last time I saw quads" said the man they call "Spielberg".

Lustig's A-3 vs. Greg Katragis' 10-10.

Bing, Bang, Boom - The flop found three three's for quadzilla and the much needed double up as Lustig now sits at 200,000.

As poker redemption would have it, Greg Katragis got it in good the very next hand and this time was rewarded when his AA held up vs. Opponent's QQ.

Chips are definitely flying at Table 1.

Event 6: 60 is the new 50

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

Level 11 Blinds: 600/1200/ 200 ante

Blinds have gone up, as well as the length of the levels.  From here on out blind levels will be 60 minutes instead of 50 minutes.

Here's a few chip counts:

Will "The Thrill" Failla (Smithtown, NY) -  60k
Allie Prescott (Memphis, TN) -  137k
Jake Neff (Philadelphia, PA)  -  230k      

Event 5: Dropping Like Flies

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

With the bubble out of the way we dropped from 100 Players down to 76 in The Event Center.

Average stack is 306,478.

Blinds 6K / 12K with 2K antes.

$81,182 goes out to whoever takes down this Borgata Winter Poker Open $100,000 Guaranteed Main Event.

Event 5: Maltz Shop Still Open

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

James Maltz (Allen Park, NY)

James Maltz has been below 10 bigs all day.  "I just did the standard 3-bigs ship from UTG and it paid off" said Maltz.

With blinds at 6K / 12K, Maltz turned his 41,000 into 215,000 when four other Opponents tried to felt him.  James had the last laugh when his K-5 off hit a 6 high runner, runner straight.

James has put in his time at the tables and was rewarded with a bunch of cashes as he continues to climb the ranks.


 

Event 6: MILES Away

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


Level 10 Blinds: 500/1000/ 100 ante

NFL player and Dallas Cowboys starting wide receiver Miles Austin (Summit, NJ) makes it 2k from under the gun.  Carter Philips, sitting directly to Austin's left (UTG +1) makes it 6k to go.  Action folds around back to Miles Austin who shoves his remaining ~30k.  Philips calls.

Philips tables QQ while Austin shows AQ.  Flop comes J high and 4th and 5th street brick out for the pro athlete.  Carter Philips now has around 92k in chips after busting the NFL pro.

After he busted, Will "The Thrill" Failla mentioned that he had the chance to chat with Austin during dinner and that he was really a very nice guy.

Good game Miles, even though I happen to be a NY Giants fan...better luck in the next one!   :)

Event 5: I-R-8 Bubble Busto

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

Martino Scaturro - Bubblelicious

A standard move for Martino Scaturro (Wesville, NJ) who shipped his 48,000 short stack into the midle with 88 and was called by Opponent's QJ suited.

Board ran out 5-K-6-K-Q and this time Event 5 bubble was confirmed.

Martino was a little Ir8 since his eights failed to hold.  But he got over his disappointment very quickly and even posed for the blog.  After all, sooner or later being the bubble happens to all poker players.

By the reaction of the Player behind Martino in the photo, the field is very happy to share in the $380,450 Total Buy-In.  My man is grinning from ear to ear.

Remaining 100 are in for at least $738.

Event 5: Kicking Some Asher

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

 Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY) -  580,000

During hand for hand bubble play, Asher Conniff knocks out Maruti Yarlapati (Pinebrook, NJ).  Maruti dwindled down to 50,000 and shipped with wired tens.  Asher snapped with AK.

Board fell 6-9-6-4 followed by a King on the river, handing Asher the pot and the knock-out.

Everyone thought Maruto was the bubble, but after an accurate count he was not and play continued for the remaining 101.

The big hand of the day for the Brooklyn Baller was when his pocket 5's reached a straight vs. Opponent's A-J (after flopping an ace).

Event 6: Earning his Miles - NFL Star Receiver still grinding!!

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


Level 10 Blinds: 500/1000/ 100 ante

I'm sure he'd rather be playing in the NFL Conference Championships tomorrow, but Dallas Cowboys starting wide receiver Miles Austin is having fun and hanging in there in today's $1k buy-in here at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.  He is sitting on 34k in chips, good for 34 Big Blinds as we return from break.

Here are some other notable chip counts:

Chris Shumate (Indiana) - 230k
Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY) - 175k
Mark "Dipthrong" Herm (Royersford, PA) - ~36k

Average chip count is 48,442.    61 remain, vying for the $57k first place prize.  

Event 5: Set Gold Mine

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

Guyana Petrossian (Brooklyn, NY) is up around 140,000 after flopping not one, but two sets and getting paid off on both.  She's excited because not too long ago she was down below 7K.

Guyana works at AIG when she's not playing poker and will be hitting Borgata felt for duration of the Winter Poker Open.

We're trying to get a picture up but she's a little camera shy.  However, if she makes the final table Guyana has agreed to a photo shoot.

Average chip stack is 196,036.

Getting closer to the bubble.

Event 5 is a one-day tournament and we'll be giving it full coverage the rest of the night/morning.

Event 6: Ram'd Out

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

Level 9 Blinds: 400/800/ 75 ante

We have an all-in pre-flop and a call as Tom Ram (Bayshore, NY) tables A♠Q♠ vs. his opponent's A♥K♠. 

By the time the river is dealt, a third spade appears to complete Ram's flush and send his opponent to the rail.  Ram is now sitting on about 88k in chips.

Event 5: McGlynnsanity

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

Dennis McGlynn (Beltsville, MD)

With 111 players remaining, Dennis McGlynn is among the chip leaders with 541,000.  He was down to a measly 7,000 back at Level 9.

The key hand that turned his stack into monster status: Dennis' AK found an all in against AQ and AJ.  A board of Q-J-4-Q-10 gave McGlynn river broadway.

Dennis drove up from Maryland last night and will head back when the tournament is over.

Event 6: Show Me The MONEYYYY!!!

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

Level 9 Blinds: 400/800/ 75 ante

The remaining 69 players of the 197 that entered this tournament have 28 minutes left in level 9.  Fresh off the presses are the payouts with the top 18 players splitting a prize pool of $191,090.  The eventual champion of Event 6 will get a whopping $57,326 for his efforts, along with the beautiful 2013 Borgata Winter Open trophy.  16th-18th place mincashes for $2,866.  Average stack according to the clock is 42,826.

Some notable faces and approximate chip counts that remain:

Sharon Levin  -  160k
Vinny Pahuja  -  28k
Ryan Eriquezzo  - 45k
Roland Israelashvili  - 40k

Event 5: Chippies!

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


Level 17 Blinds: 3000/6000/ 500 ante

Blind level increase has just been announced, and we'll be at level 17 for the next 30 minutes.  Our chip leader from the dinner break is John Arcuri (Staten Island, NY) with ~500K at this moment.  Sitting nearby in proximity and in chip count is Chris Rich (North Massapequa, NY) with around 400K.

                                                           John Arcuri (Staten Island, NY)

                                                         Chris Rich (North Massapequa, NY)
                                                 

Event 6: And We're Back

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

Level 8 Blinds: 300/600/ 75 ante

Players have just come back from break to play Level 8 (50 minute lvls).  We had a total of 197 players, with approximately 90 players left.  The remaining grinders will be going to 9 handed play at each table.

After a stroll around the room during break, it appears the big stack in this tournament has about 100K (166 BBs).    

Event 5: Chow Time

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

The 187 remaining players in Event 5 are also on a 60 minute dinner break.  Players are slowing trickling back into the Event Center, where they will come back to Level 16 Blinds: 2500/5000/ 500 ante.

After a stroll around the tables, it appears the big stack has around 520K in chips, with the second place in chips so far having around 330K.

HHPT to Co-Host Ladies Event Tomorrow

High Heels Poker Tour (HHPT)

The Borgata is proud to join forces with the High Heels Poker Tour this Sunday, January 20th, co-hosting the Ladies Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em event. This marks HHPT's first event at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa as part of the Winter Poker Open and the first of many to come.

The Ladies Event begins at noon Sunday and is a one day event.  For the $260 + $40 buy-in, Ladies will get 25,000 chips to start.  The first six levels last 20 minutes, then increase to 30 minutes for the duration.  This is a one-day event, so they'll play until one Lady has all the chips and earns the HHPT Ladies Event Winter Poker Open trophy.

Lauren Failla started HHPT on the East coast in 2007, as an outlet for ladies who want to change the ever growing world of poker by empowering women to become champions.

HHPT provides the best competitive environment where women can explore, develop and continue growing and learning top strategies and their "A" game. Women in poker are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with and the High Heels Poker Tour is a part of that phenomenon.

Event 4 Recap

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)
Mike Linster (Island Park, NY) built a huge stack early on day one, then lost a really tough hand to a two outer, sending him back to grind mode.  The professional poker player finished day one seventh out of the ten remaining players and was short-stacked most of day two, but he didn't let that deter him.  He held on and caught some hands when he needed them.  His patience paid off with a win, $28,225, and his first Borgata Poker Open trophy.

Runner-up was Ken Ruderman, (New York, NY) who was playing in his second live tournament ever.  Ken makes his living from real estate, but proved he can hold his own on the green felt.  He began day two as chip leader and came close to a win, finishing second for $15,525.

Including re-entries, a total of 194 entries built total buy-ins to $97,000.  The final 18 players earned a payday of at least $1,411.

Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL) won this event during the 2012 Borgata Fall Poker Open and was trying to repeat the win, but was left short after Ken Ruderman picked off a bluff.  Bruce wound up finishing 9th for $2,117.

Some big names gave this event a try, including WSOP bracelet holders Miami John Cernuto and Chris Reslock, but there were eliminated on day one short of the money.

When not playing poker, Mike Linster is after another kind of fish.  He's an avid fisherman and says "I use my poker money to buy boats".  When asked which event will be his next, he says he's going to play "all of them...This will pay for the rest of my buy-ins."


Final Table Results

1. Mike Linster (Island Park, NY)  $28,225

2. Ken Ruderman (New York, NY)  $15,525

3. Shaun Bennani (Ridgefield, NJ)  $8,939

4. Joseph Mancuso (Staten Island, NY)  $7,527

5. Greg Donatelli (Glenside, PA)  $5,645

6. Marvin Rosen (Woodbury, NY)  $4,705

7. Ray Brennan (Verona, PA)  $3,764

8. Anthony Zinno (Cranston, RI)  $2,823

9. Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL)  $2,117

10. Patrick Halter (Narberth, PA)  $1,882

FINAL RESULTS

Event 6: Food for Thought

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

Level 7: 250/500/ 50 ante

2012 $10K WSOP National Champion and WSOP Caesars Atlantic City Circuit winner Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT) is in good spirits after earning his 4th dinner voucher of the series.  He is sitting on around 22K in chips.  Other faces still in include Vinny Pahuja, Will "The Thrill" Failla, James Salters, and Mike Dentale.  

Players are now on a 60 minute dinner break and will come back to Level 8 Blinds 300/600/ 75 ante.    

Event 5: Hunger pains

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

Level 15: 2000/4000/ 400 ante

About 220 players remain in today's $100K guarantee.  17 minutes left until dinner break before players can feed their empty stomachs while trading their bad beat stories.

Event 6: Blinds Up

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

Players are now back from their 10 min break and blinds have gone up to Level 7: 250/500/ 50 ante.  Approximately 102 players remain out of the tentative total of 193 entries in the tournament.  47 minutes remain in this level.    

Event 3 Recap

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

Rob Quigley (Pittsburgh, PA) was kicking himself for the call he didn't make, but he overcame the hand to win Event 3 ($560 NL) of the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Quigley beat Tim "Ace" Eller (High Point, NC) heads up, the same player he folded to earlier in the day.

"I'm really happy and really relieved," says Eller. "I've had a couple of cashes and a final table here (at Borgata), so I really wanted to win."

Quigley wins the tournament with 9♥ 9♠, but it's the AQ he folded to Eller that was hard to shake off.

"I don't believe he folded what he said," Eller said. "I think if he had that he would have called."

There were 17 players remaining when Eller and Quigley saw a flop of A♠ 7♣ 4♦ with Luke Edwards (Mansfield, OH) all in. After Quigley checked, Eller moved all in into a dry side pot.

After Quigley reluctantly folded, Eller turned over pocket kings to knockout Edwards.

"He's the only guy I fold to," said Quigley, who, had he stayed in the hand, would have eliminated both Edwards and Eller with a pair of aces.  "He was the tightest player yesterday. I only saw him open with aces and kings."

Quigley said it took him thirty minutes to get over the hand as he and Eller made their way to the final table.

Eller took advantage of Quigley's misstep and took the chip lead with three straight knockouts. He picked off Borgata trophy winners Kevin Saul (Chicago, IL) and Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) in 7th and 6th places respectively, followed by Shawn Yesko (Toms River, NJ) in 5th.

Then it was Quigley's turn to take the lead (2.7 million to 2 million) when he knocked out Elie "Tete" Joseph (Lexington, MA) in 4th place and Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) in third.

Heads up didn't last long and ironically it was Eller who held AQ, the hand Quigley folded, when he was eliminated against pocket 9s.

"This is the highlight of my poker career to date and I've been playing since I was 16," said Eller the 52-year-old businessman who earned $28,809 for his largest career cash.

The tournament began with 396 entries for a total buy-in of $198,000.

Recognizable names making the money included WSOP bracelet holder Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) who made the final table and finished 10th for $2,497. She was knocked out just before Jerry Maher (9th) and Michael Caruso (8th).

Other familiar faces in the money included 2x WPT title holder Cornel Cimpan (24th), and Borgata trophy winners Amanda Musumeci (29th) and Howard Wolper (30th).

This is Quigley's largest career cash. He's a 31-year-old part time poker player who works for Allegheny County in Pittsburgh.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Rob Quigley (Pittsburgh, PA) $51,860
2nd Tim "Ace" Eller (High Point, NC) $28,809
3rd Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) $17,862
4th Elie "Tete" Joseph (Lexington, MA) $14,405
5th Shawn Yesko (Toms River, NJ) $11,139
6th Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) $9,411
7th Kevin Saul (Chicago, IL) $7,586
8th Michael Caruso (Flourtown, PA) $5,666
9th Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) $3,841
10th Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) $2,497

FINAL RESULTS

Event 3 Winner - Quigley

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

 Rob Quigley (Pittsburgh, PA) 

$51,860

Heads up doesn't last long as Rob Quigley and Tim Ace Eller are willing to put all their chips in preflop with each having more than 50 big blinds.

Blinds: 20k/40k/4k ante

Eller (2 million) bets 125k

Quigley (2.7 million) raises to 400k

Eller all in, Quigley calls

Eller: A♦ Q♠

Quigley: 9♥ 9♠

Flop: 2♥ 5♠ 4♦ (Quigley still leads)

Turn: J♣ (no change)

River: 6♥

Quigley's pocket 9s win the coin flip and he wins the tournament and the trophy.

"I'm really happy and really relieved," says the 31-year-old part time player. "I've had a couple of cashes and a final tables here (at Borgata), so I really wanted to win."

Quigley gives credit to his girlfriend Amanda who arrived from Pittsburgh last night and was on the rail the rest of the way.  "I didn't win a flip until she got here. She's my good luck charm."

This is Quigley's first live tournament win and biggest career cash, including online.  He's looking forward to returning for the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event at the end of the month.

Rob Celebrates with Good Luck Charm Amanda

Event 3: 2nd Place - Eller

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

 Tim Ace Eller (High Point, NC) 

$28,809

Tim Ace Eller pushes 50 bb all in with A♦ Q♠ and is in a coin flip against Rob Quigley's 9♥ 9♠.

Eller loses the race and finishes runner-up.

"This is the highlight of my poker career to date and I've been playing since I was 16," says the 52-year-old businessman after earning his largest cash.

Eller says he'll return to North Carolina to work, but expects to return for the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event (Jan. 27 - Feb. 1).

 Quigley (left) Celebrates as Eller Offers Congratulations

Event 6: Button Bully

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

Level 6: 200/400/ 50 ante

At this newly opened table full of re-entries, Kevin Saul opens to 900 from early position.  The player in the cutoff flats the 900.  Gary Schwartz then three bets to 3K on the button.  The blinds fold.  Kevin Saul tanks for a few seconds before releasing his hand.  The player in the cutoff tanks for more than a few seconds before hesitantly saying aloud "I guess I'll fold my A 10".  Schwartz rakes in the pot...and has just about 18k in chips (3k above the 15k starting stack).  

Event 4: 1st Place - Linster

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

Mike Linster (Island Park, NY)

$28,225

On the final hand, Mike Linster's set of sixes was good against Ken Ruderman's two pair.  All the chips went in on the flop and Mike faded the two outs that would give Ken the win.

Mike takes home $28,225 for the win.

Mike won the inaugural All In or Fold tournament here last summer, but that was not a main event, so no trophy was awarded.  This is the professional poker player's first Borgata Open trophy.

Event 4: 2nd Place - Ruderman

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

Ken Ruderman (New York, NY)

$15,525

On a flop of 8 6 3 with two hearts, Ken Ruderman got all 850k of his chips in against Mike Linster.

Ken - A853 for two pair
Mike - JT66 for a set of 6s

Ken needed an 8 to survive, but the last two were J 2.

Ken Ruderman finished in 2nd place earning $15,525.

This is only Ken's second live tournament ever, so his second-place finish is quite an accomplishment.  He began day two as chip leader and played hard, but came up just short of the win.  Now its back to Real Estate for Ken.

Event 5: Level Up!

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

Blind Level has just gone up.  It is now Level 14: 1500 Small Blind, 3000 Big Blind with a 400 ante.  26 minutes remain to the level.  

Event 3: 3rd Place - Schiano

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

Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) 

$17,862

Antonio Schiano's day comes to an end when his K 10 doesn't connect against the A 3 of Rob Quigley.

Schiano finishes in third place after losing his last 500k.

Quigley has picked up 1.2 million the last two eliminations and now has the chip lead (3 million to 1.7) as he begins heads up play with Tim Ace Eller.

Event 6: Another quickie

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

Level 6:  Blinds - 200/400/ 50 ante

Around 185 people entered today's $1k, with 113 players still remaining.  Re-entry is still available, so the final tally is still to be determined.  About 30 minutes remain in the level.

A quick scan around the tables showed a few notable faces remaining:

Kevin Saul (winner of 2007 WPT Bellagio Cup 3)
Vinny Pahuja
Jimmy "Suits" Salters
Todd Terry
Will "The Thrill" Failla (winner of 2011 WPT Legends of Poker)
Mike Dentale
Allen Carter (winner of 2009 WPT Southern Poker Championship)

Event 3: 4th Place - Joseph

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

Elie "Tete" Joseph (Lexington, MA) 

$14,405

Blinds 20k/40k/4k ante

Joseph is all in preflop for 750k with A5 against Rob Quigley's AQ.  The board is no help and Joseph is out in 4th place.

Event 3: Final Four Chip Counts

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

Blinds 20k/40k/4k ante

Tim Ace Eller (High Point, NC) 2.2 million
Rob Quigley (Pittsburgh, PA) 1.1 million
Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) 550k
Elie "Tete" Joseph (Lexington, MA) 870k

Event 4: Linster Wearing Down Ruderman

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)    

Blinds up:  30k/60k.

With 360 in the pot and a flop of K 6 4 rainbow, Mike checked, Ken bet 260k, and Mike re-potted, putting Ken to the test for his tournament life.

Ken opted to fold.  Mike chipped up to almost 3 million, leaving only 880k for Ken.

Event 5: Quick Update

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

Level 13: Blinds 1200/2400/300 ante

Players have just returned from break. 330 players are left from the 1,087 that started, still scratching and clawing their way towards the $81,182 1st place prize.  Shuffle up and deal!  

Event 3: 5th Place - Yesko

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

Shawn Yesko (Toms River, NJ) 

$11,139

Shawn Yesko is down to 140k and moves all in with Q3, but doesn't improve against the KJ of

Tim Ace Eller.

Yesko finishes in 5th place while Eller is up to 2 million chips.

Event 4: 3rd Place - Bennani

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

Shaun Bennani (Ridgefield, NJ)

$8,939

Shaun Bennani opened for 125k on the button and Mike Linster called from the big blind.

On the flop of J 9 3, all the chips went in the middle.

Shaun - A K K 6 for an overpair
Mike - Q 9 9 4 for trip 9s

The last two fell 7 Q and Mike doubled up to ~1.3 million.

Shaun was left with ~875k.

Soon after, the same two players got to the turn with a board of Q 8 3 9.  All the chips went in and the hands were tabled:

Mike - T998 for a set of 9s
Shaun - T988 for a set of 8s

River was a 4 and Mike's set was good.  He's up to ~2 million.

After being crippled down to only 50k when the blinds were 20k/40k with five players remaining, Shaun was working on a miracle comeback, but it was cut short.  Shaun busted in 3rd place, earning $8,939. 

Event 5 - Payouts

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 5:  $350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em
Saturday, January 19, 2013

Entries:  1,087
Total Buy-In:  $380,450

PAYOUTS:
1:               $81,182
2:               $48,787
3:               $29,523
4:               $24,725
5:               $20,297
6:               $16,422
7:               $13,101
8:               $9,964
9:               $6,827
10 - 12:       $4,428
13 - 15:       $3,137
16 - 18:       $2,030
19 - 27:       $1,661
28 - 36:       $1,439
37 - 45:       $1,292
46 - 54:       $1,144
55 - 63:       $1,033
64 - 72:       $923
73 - 81:       $849
82 - 90:       $775
91 - 100:      $738

*unofficial numbers

Event 3: 6th Place - Nguyen

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

Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) 

$9,411

Nguyen moves all in UTG for 300k with 6♠ 7♠ and is up against Tim Ace Eller's pocket 9s.

Flop: 10♠ 8♠ 4♣

Nguyen picks up a flush draw and double belly buster, but bricks the turn and river to finish in 6th place.  The Borgata trophy holder's roller coaster day ends with a $9,411 payday.

Event 4: Final Three Chip Counts

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)  

The final three are back in action following the break.

Blinds: 30k/60k

Rough chip counts from the break:

Ken Ruderman - 1.8 million
Shaun Bennani - 1.4 million
Mike Linster - 600k

Event 3: 7th Place - Saul

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

 Kevin Saul (Chicago, IL) 

$7,586

Kevin Saul ships 10 BB with A9 and Tim Ace Eller calls from the BB with pocket 10s.  Saul doesn't connect on the three-outer and sends his last 150k across the table.

Saul finishes in 7th place and tweets that he's now jumping into the $1k (Event 6) where registration remains open until ~6:30 pm.

Event 4: 4th Place - Mancuso

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)  

Joseph Mancuso (Staten Island, NY)

$7,527

Somehow Shaun Bennani rebuilt his stack from 50k to enough to cover Joseph Mancuso.


Then Joseph got all-in pre-flop against Shaun.  When the cards ran out, Shaun had a higher flush than Joseph to take the pot.  He's now back up to 1.4 million.

Joseph busted out in 4th place, earning $7,527.

End of level and the final three are taking a break.

Event 3: 8th Place - Caruso

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

Michael Caruso (Flourtown, PA)

$5,666

 Blinds 12k/24k/3k ante

Michael Caruso moves all in from the button for 230k with A8 and Hoa Nguyen looks him up from the BB with pocket 9s.

There's no help on the board of 3 3 K 5 7 and Caruso finishes in 8th place.

Event 3: 9th Place - Maher

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

Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) 

$3,841

Blinds 12k/24k/3k ante

Jerry Maher moves his last 13 BB all in with pocket jacks and is up against the AK of Rob Quigley.

A river king and close chip count ends Maher's day.  He's barely covered 333k to 317k to finish in 9th plac3.

Maher is a Borgata good guy and sends a shout out to his wife Terri and the in-laws Jim and Judy.

Event 4: 5th Place - Donatelli

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)

Greg Donatelli (Glenside, PA)

$5,645

Greg Donatelli was short-stacked and got all-in pre-flop against Mike Linster.

Greg - QQ65
Mike - AAA3

The board fell J J 9 9 4 and Mike's Aces held up.  He's up to almost 700k.

Greg busted out in 5th place, earning $5,645.

Event 3: 10th Place - Wolak

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

Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) 

$2,497

Marsha Wolak is all in for 85k with pocket 2s against the A 10 of Antonio Schiano.

The board runs out A 4 8 A 10 and Schiano wins it with a full house to eliminate Wolak in 10th place.

Event 3: Break Time

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

The nine remaining players are on break with blinds mvoing up to 12k/24k/3k ante.

The big stacks are Elie "Tete" Joseph and Antonio Schiano who both have 1.1 million.

Event 4: Monster Swings

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry) 

Joseph Mancuso doubled up through Shaun Bennani.  Joseph was up to 880k, but Shaun was still in good shape with ~1.3 million.

Then Shaun and Ken Rudernman got to the river with a board of T T 3 K 5.  Shaun bet 150k and Ken shoved for 615k.

After some thought, Shaun folded, showing a Ten (trips).

Ken showed on the A9 of clubs (busted flush draw) as he scooped the pot.  He still claims he only had two pair (pocket Aces to go with the Tens on board).

Then Shaun and Ken tangled again.

On a flop of K 8 7 rainbow, Shaun checked, Ken bet pot (90k), Shaun check-raised-pot for 270k on top.  Ken called.  Turn was a T and Shaun shoved.  Ken snap-called all-in.

Shaun: KKQ2 - top set
Ken: QJT9 - straight and monster wrap

Ken needed to avoid the board pairing on the river.  When a 3 came, Ken doubled up to over 2.3 million.

Shaun was left with only 50k.  He got all-in and doubled up, then picked up another small pot, so he's back to about 200k.

Blinds Up:  25k/50k.

Event 4: 6th Place - Rosen

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry) 

Marvin Rosen (Woodbury, NY)

$4,705

Marvin Rosen was short-stacked and got his chips in pre-flop against Shaun Bennani.

When the board ran out, Shaun made two pair to take the pot.

Marvin took 6th place and $4,705.

Event 3: Nguyen Folds in Monster Pot

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

Blinds 10k/20k/3k

Former Borgata trophy winner Hoa Nguyen is in a huge pot with Elie "Tete" Joseph.

On a flop of J♦ 6♥ 6♠, Nguyen bets 64k, Joseph makes it 154k, Nguyen 3-bets to 314k, and Joseph moves all in for 178k more.

With 810k in the pot, Nguyen folds and Joseph can't believe it.

Joseph is now up to 985k, while Nguyen is left with 400k.

Event 5: Tweet Time

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

The re-entry period is over and players are back in action after their second break of the day.

Level 9:  Blinds 500/1,000 with 100 ante.

Time to check the Tweets:

Christine Brewer ‏@CBrewer_09
Made it threw the re entry the first time this series lol playing the 100k guarantee 400 at borgata

Norman Michalek ‏@norm_michalek
In for $1200 in the $400 reentry. Heart #ihaveit

dave gutfreund ‏@afkam
Avoided re-entry again, 26k at break returning to 500-1000 @BorgataPoker...time to run it up

Robert Hwang ‏@ActionBobNJ
Second break 13,400. Looking to double up soon or late reg the 1k.

Steve Scales ‏@SteveScales
13k or so on break, can't get much going, should turn around soon.

Jerry Payne ‏@sandler1860
just because @borgatapoker asked, got 52.1k in the $400 re entry going to 500 1k.

Alan Kraut ‏@AlanKrautPoker
Reentry's over. 1 bullet. Coming back to 500/1000 with 60k. #BWPO

Tony Sinishtaj ‏@ToNiSiNz
Just late reged the $400 with 20bbs. Gl all

Eli Loewenthal ‏@Eli_Loewenthal
Second break of Borgata limpfest and I have starting stack still (20bb) #challah #bread

Roman Valerstein ‏@GrimeRat420
Anyone i know need a room for tonight or tomorrow at the borgata? Lmk. Playing the $400 today, 41.8k going to 500-1k

Ryan Eriquezzo ‏@RyanEriquezzo
Busto 400 100k guar. #onlyonebullettho

Michael Marder ‏@MMarder86
30.6k/20kss coming back to 500/1k/100. End of reentry. #BWPO5

Event 4: Three Way Chop

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

On a flop of Q J T with two spades, three players got all their chips in the middle.  The cards were rolled over:

Marvin Rosen - AKxx spades for nut straight, nut flush draw and royal draw.

Ken Ruderman - AKTT for same nut straight and bottom set.

Joseph Mancuso - AKJT for same nut straight.

The last two came offsuit A 8 and changed nothing, so all three players chopped the pot.

Blinds Up:  15k/30k.

Event 3: Top Ten Chip Counts

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

Final Table

The average stack is 475k (25 bb) with blinds at 10k/20k/3k ante.

Seat-Name-Chip Count

1 Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) 850k
2 Rob Quigley(Pittsburgh, PA) 280k
3 Tim Ace Eller (High Point, NC) 445k
4 Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) 925k (46 bb)
5 Kevin Saul (Chicago, IL) 316k
6 Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) 330k
7 Elie "Tete" Joseph (Lexington, MA) 625k
8 Michael Caruso (Flourtown, PA) 450k
9 Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) 215k (11 bb)
10 Shawn Yesko (Toms River, NJ) 320k

Event 4: 7th Place - Brennen

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

Ray Brennan (Verona, PA)

$3,764

Ray Brennan got his short-stack in pre-flop with two callers, who checked down the board.

Ken Ruderman made a flush to scoop the pot, busting Ray in 7th place ($3,764).

Ray is on fire this series, with two final tables and a 59th place finish (out of 3,871 entries) in the opener.

Event 3: 11th Place - Catalano

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

John Catalano (Woodstown, NJ)
$2,497

On a flop of K Q 10, John Catalano puts his last 100k all in and is at risk vs Elie "Tete" Joseph.

Catalano: J8 (open ended straight draw)

Joseph: AA (pair, gutshot straight draw)

Catalano misses the turn and river to finish in 11th place.

Event 3: 12th Place - Sinishtaj

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

Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY)
$2,497

Tony Sinishtaj makes his last stand with pocket 2s, but is crushed by Antonio Schiano's pocket queens.

A set of the queens for Schiano ends Sinishtaj day in 12th place.

Event 4: Break Time Chip Counts

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)  

End of level and time for a break.

Here are the approximate chip counts for the final seven:

Shaun Bennani - 1.15 million
Ken Ruderman - 900k
Joseph Mancuso - 610k
Mike Linster - 515k
---------------  Average Stack - 554k
Marvin Rosen - 420k
Greg Donatelli - 200k
Ray Brennan - 95k

Play resumed with

Level 21:  Blinds 10k/20k.

Event 3: 13th Place - Dardon

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

Osmin Dardon (West Covina, CA)

$1,921

Osmin Dardon is all in for his last 43k with Q6 against the A8 of Antonio Schiano, who hits an 8 on the turn.

Dardon finishes in 13th place.

Event 4: 8th Place - Zinno

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)   

Anthony Zinno (Cranston, RI)

$2,823

Anthony Zinno got short-stacked and shoved with AKQ5 double suited.  He was up against Shaun Bennani's KKxx.

Anthony flopped a flush draw, but whiffed the last two and was busted.  He finished in 8th place for $2,823.

Event 3: 14th Place - Scellato

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

Mark Scellato (Jackson, NJ)
$1,921

Blinds 6k/12k/2k ante

On a flop of A♠ J♣ 7♠, Antonio Schiano bets 29k and Mark Scellato calls.

Turn: K♥

Schiano bets 65k, Scellato moves all in for 165k total and Schiano calls.

Schiano: K♣ 9♣ (pair of kings)

Scellato: A♦ 10♥ (pair of aces)

River: K♠

Trips on the river gives Schiano the pot and knocks Scellato out in 14th place.

Event 6: Familiar Faces

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

Quite few Borgata regulars opted for the loftier $1k event today.  Here are the familiar faces I spotted over there:

Manh Nguyen
Roland Israelashvili
Russell Crane
Austen Johnson
Jason Rivkin
Todd Terry
Cherish Andrews
Grace Sun
David Inselberg
Nick Palma
Thomas Hoglund
James 'Suits' Salters
Kyle Bowker
Mike Borovetz
Karthik
Max Amjadi
Ben Bianco
Peter Ippolito
Travell Thomas
Miles Austin
Edward Pham
Will Failla
Mike Shasho

Event 3: 15th Place - Parker

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

Bill Parker (Princeton, NJ)

$1,921

On a flop of A 10 8, Bill Parker and Tim Eller are all in with Parker at risk for his last 120k

Parker: A 8 (two pair)
Eller: 8 8 (set)

Parker doesn't improve on the turn and river and is out in 15th place.

Event 4: Zinno Pots & Scoops

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)  

Blinds Up:  8k/16k

Ken Ruderman opened for 35k, Shaun Bennani (Ridgefield, NJ) called, then Anthony Zinno (Cranston, RI) moved all his chips in the middle.

He had just a few chips more than a pot sixed raise, but was effectively all-in.

After giving it some thought, both opponents folded.

Eight players remain. 

Event 3: 16th Place - Michalek

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

Norman Michalek (Westfield, NJ)

$1,633

Tony Sinishtaj moves all in from the button with pocket 7s and Norman Michalek calls with A 10.

The 7s hold, and after the count, both players each have 127k, giving Sinishtaj the double-up and Michalek a 16th place finish.

Event 3: 17th Place - Edwards

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

Luke Edwards (Mansfield, OH)

$1,663

Luke Edwards is all in for 27k preflop and is against Rob Quigley and Tim Ace Eller.  

On the flop of A♠ 7♣ 4♦, Quigley checks and Eller moves all in into a dry side pot.

Quigley goes in the tank and eventually folds.

Eller: K♠ K♥

Edwards: 8♣ 6♣ (gutshot straight, backdoor flush draws)

The board bricks out for Edwards and is out in 17th place.

"He's the only guy I fold to," says a mildly annoyed Quigley in reference to Eller's all in bet.

Event 4: 9th Place - Yamron

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry) 

Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL)

$2,117

Blinds Up:  6k/12k.

On the a flop of Q♠T♠5♣, Ken Ruderman (sb) checked, Bruce Yamron (hijack) bet pot (90k).

After some thought, Ken called.

Turn was the 8♥ and both checked.

River was the 9♥ and Ken checked.  Bruce bet the pot (270k).

Ken asked to see what Bruce had left (about 150k), asked if he had Bruce covered (he did), stood up, walked around his chair, sat down, an announced he was all-in.  

Bruce folded.  Ken pounded the table, saying "I knew it".  He wouldn't show his hand, but claimed he didn't have the nuts, only the bottom end of the straight.

"I'm a huge Hollywooder" Ken said.

Bruce was left short stacked and busted out soon after.  He got it in pre-flop against Mike Linster, who had KKQJ.  Bruce was drawing with AQJ7 and came up short.  He finished 9th for $2,117.

Event 3: 18th Place - Kloc

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

Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT)

$1,633

Andrew Kloc is all in for 162k with pocket jacks against Jerry Maher's pocket 2s.  Maher spikes a deuce on the river to knock out Kloc.

Event 4: 10th Place - Halter

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)

Patrick Halter (Narberth, PA)

$1,882

Joseph Mancuso (Staten Island, NY) opened for 30k, then Patrick Halter shoved for about 82k.

Joseph called, showing KKQQ.

Patrick held AJT7 (hearts).

The board came A Q 2 3 A (with no hearts) giving Joseph Queens-full and the pot.

Patrick busted out in 10th place, earning $1,882.

Event 3: Dealer Drops a Deuce, 16 remain

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

The first two eliminations happen very quickly and we're down to 16 players.

On the first hand of the day (blinds 4k/8k/1k) Andrew Kloc (Naugatuck, CT) moves all in for 162k and Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) calls putting Klock at risk.

Kloc: JJ
Maher: 22

The board is clean until the 2♣ on the river gives Maher the winning set. Kloc finishes in 18th place.

A few hands later Luke Edwards (Mansfield, OH) is on the rail in 17th place when his 8♣ 6♣ doesn't improve against the K♠ K♥ of Tim Eller (High Point, NC).

Both players earn $1,633.

Event 6: 1K Underway

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

Today's second main event is slightly more exclusive.  The $1,000 buy-in narrows the field a good bit.

Players who bust out during the first six levels may re-enter as many times as they like (or that their bankroll allows). 

The first 10 levels are 50 minutes, then they go to 60 minutes for the remainder of the tournament.  That means registration will close at about 6:30pm.

Players began with 15,000 chips.

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

Shuffle Up & Deal!

Event 4: Day Two Off and Running

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)

Ten Omahalics have returned for day two out of 194 entries.

Play has resumed with 19.5 minutes remaining in level 18, Blinds 5k/1k.

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

1:          $28,225
2:          $15,525
3:            $8,939
4:            $7,527
5:            $5,645
6:            $4,705
7:            $3,764
8:            $2,823
9:            $2,117
10:          $1,882

Event 3: Back in Action/Remaining Prize Pool

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

The final two tables are back in the Event Center to play for the money and the cash.

Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) is the chip leader with 791k as blinds resume with a few minutes left on 4k/8k/1k ante.

Here's what's left in the prize pool

Entries:  396
Total Buy-In:  $198,000

PAYOUTS:
1:           $51,860
2:           $28,809
3:           $17,862
4:           $14,405
5:           $11,139
6:             $9,411
7:             $7,586
8:             $5,666
9:             $3,841
10 - 12:   $2,497
13 - 15:   $1,921
16 - 18:   $1,633

Event 5: More Familiar Faces

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

The Event Center is bursting at the seams as they try to avoid overflowing into the Poker Room.

With three tables set aside for the two day twos and 12 tables set aside for the $1k that starts at 1pm, that only leaves 75 tables for this event.  They're all in use and alternates are being seated as soon as seats open up.

Here are some more of our frequent fliers:

Martha Patella
Mike Dentale
Ylon Schwartz
VIP Nguyen
Amnon Filippe
Cotton Snuffer
Alex Smith
Tony Antonious
Action Bob Hwang
Adel Shakerian
Guyana Petrossian
Paul Spitzberg
Mario Rodriguez
Vinny Teutonico

Event 5: "I'm A Professional!"

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

This Borgata regular has a well-known modus operandi.

'Ima Professional'

Every time he wins a pot he stands up and yells "I'm a professional".

So that's what we'll call him.  He also gets the award for best dressed.  In a room full of T-shirts and hoodies, he's wearing a suit and tie.

Event 5: More Faces

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

Level 3:  Blinds 75/150.

More familiar faces in the crowd:

Roman Valerstein
Len Vizirov
Frank Reina
Joe Wertz
Mike Lydon
Ibra Ibraimovic
Ruslan Shamal
Amanada Musumeci
Patricia Barsanti-Chou
Jerry Callahan
Jordan Ludwick
Frank Dire
Monte Hoover
Steve Scales
James Tedrow
Beth Russo
Ryan Eriquezzo

Event 5: Must Be a Trend

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

Found another player with ears on his hat.  Is this a new fashion trend?  If so, it is all Mickey Mouse's fault.  He's been doing it for more than 50 years.

Ralph Villela

Ralph Villela (Valley Stream, NY) is sporting hat with ears, to go along with his highly reflective and distinctive yellow safety jacket.

Event 5: Familiar Faces

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

Level 2:  Blinds 50/100.

Players are still arriving and taking their seats (and a few have already busted out and departed their seats).

These are the die-hards I spotted early today:

Bob Haavind
Lance Funston
David Gutfreund
Brandon Guss
Chris Farley
Ellen Lambeth
Michael Marder
Mike Holm
Brian O'Donoghue
Joe Demone
Mickey Woll
Miguel Borrero
Chris Edwards
Javier Fernandez
James Boyle
John Zoldak
Cathy Dever
Christine Brewer
Alan Kraut
David Kim
Steve Eyzerovich

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard Update (1/19)

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

Below are the top scores for the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard*

(Final Results from events: 1, 2, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)


504.000:  JOSEPH STIERS
352.800:  TANIOS ABI-YAGHI
277.200:  TOMISLAV DOBRILOVIC
277.200:  SAMUEL TAYLOR
274.250:  ROBERT MIDGETTE
252.000:  RUSLAN DYKSHTEYN
251.550:  MICHAEL DENTALE
247.250:  GARY LUCCI
240.500:  BARRY LEVENTHAL
240.200:  KEITH FOURNIER
222.300:  PATRICIA CAHILL
221.760:  MARK SYKES
220.050:  IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC
211.400:  PHILLIP REED
208.900:  TERRY GRIMES
207.900:  CHRISTIAN GORIS
205.100:  SHELDON GROSS
201.600:  FRANK VULPIS
201.600:  DANIEL WACH
196.400:  RYAN ERIQUEZZO

Event 5: Must Be Cold Outside

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

Lots of heavy coats hanging on chairs here in the Event Center today, so it must be cold outside.

Michael Shults

Then I thought I saw a bear, but bears are supposed to hibernate this time of year (aside from the fact that bears are not native to Atlantic City).

Turns out it wasn't a bear.  It was Michael Shults (Watchung, NJ).  He's sporting most of some kind of furry critter on his head today, keeping himself warm.

If you're that cold, you can order up some coffee or hot chocolate from one of the Borgata Babes serving drinks.

Event 5: Big Stack Begins

$350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
             $100,000 Guaranteed

The first of today's two main events is Big Stack No Limit -- a very popular event.  That combined with the $100,000 guarantee on total buy-ins will bring out a big crowd.

This is also a re-entry event, so players who bust out during the first eight levels may chose to re-enter as many times as they like.  Late registration is also available through level 8.

All levels are 30 minutes long, which means registration will close at about 3:30pm.

Players began with a big stack of 20,000 chips.

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

Get 'em in the air, guys!

Event 4 - Day 2 Seat Assignment

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 4: $500 + $60 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High
January 18-19, 2013

Entries: 194
Total Buy-In:  $97,000

Players Remaining:  10
Average Chip Count:  388,000


START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T1 | S1 -  MARVIN ROSEN (WOODBURY, NY):  154,000
T1 | S2 -  BRUCE YAMRON (NAPLES, FL):  526,000
T1 | S3 -  ANTHONY ZINNO (CRANSTON, RI):  354,000
T1 | S4 -  RAYMOND BRENNAN (VERONA, PA):  209,000
T1 | S5 -  KENNETH RUDERMAN (NEW YORK, NY):  690,000
T1 | S6 -  JOSEPH MANCUSO (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  548,000
T1 | S7 -  MICHAEL LINSTER (ISLAND PARK, NY):  337,000
T1 | S8 -  NAJIB BENNANI (RIDGEFIELD, NJ):  563,000
T1 | S9 -  PATRICK HALTER (NARBERTH, PA):  142,000
T1 | S10 -  GREGORY DONATELLI (GLENSIDE, PA):  357,000

Event 3 - Day 2 Table Assignments

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 3: $500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em
January 18-19, 2013

Entries: 396
Total Buy-In:  $198,000

Players Remaining:  18
Average Chip Count:  440,000


START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T1 | S1 -  TONY SINISHTAJ (FLUSHING, NY):  124,000
T1 | S2 -  NORMAN MICHALEK (WESTFIELD, NJ):  179,000
T1 | S3 -  MARK SCELLATO (JACKSON, NJ):  336,000
T1 | S4 -  OSMIN DARDON (WEST COVINA, CA):  144,000
T1 | S5 -  SHAWN YESKO (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  178,000
T1 | S6 -  ANTONIO SCHIANO (BAYVILLE, NJ):  325,000
T1 | S7 -  MICHAEL CARUSO (FLOURTOWN, PA):  300,000
T1 | S8 -  HOA MINH NGUYEN (FAIRFAX, VA):  791,000
T1 | S9 -  JOHN CATALANO (WOODSTOWN, NJ):  144,000

T2 | S1 -  ANDREW KLOC (NAUGATUCK, CT):  162,000
T2 | S2 -  WILLIAM PARKER (PRINCETON, NJ):  110,000
T2 | S3 -  LUKE EDWARDS (MANSFIELD, OH):  34,000
T2 | S4 -  JEREMY MAHER (WARREN, NJ):  458,000
T2 | S5 -  ROBERT QUIGLEY,III (PITTSBURGH, PA):  158,000
T2 | S6 -  MARSHA WOLAK (SARASOTA, FL):  247,000
T2 | S7 -  TIMOTHY ELLER (HIGH POINT, NC):  189,000
T2 | S8 -  JEAN ELIE JOSEPH (LEXINGTON, MA):  522,000
T2 | S9 -  KEVIN SAUL (WARRENVILLE, IL):  354,000

Saturday, January 19, 2013

TODAY'S EVENTS (Event Center) 

11AM: Event 5 - $350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
             $100,000 Guaranteed

• Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels will last 30 minutes each 
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 8 
• 1-Day event

12PM: Event 6 - $1000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-10: will last 50 minutes each  | Levels 11+: will last 60 minutes each
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 6 
• 2-Day event

4 PM: Event 32 - $400 + $50 SURVIVOR 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 10 will win $4,000 CASH
• 1-Day event

7 PM: Event 33 - $150 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on table in order to remain active in the tournament.
• Levels will last 20 minutes each 
• 1-Day event

Event 3: 18 Remain for Nearly $52,000

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

 Hoa Nguyen

NL Chip Leader

Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) is the chip leader with 791k (99 bb) as the final 18 players bag and tag for the night.

Nguyen picked up pocket aces late in the night to win a 150k pot to get him to 500k before he finished strong.  He's now in position to win his second Borgata trophy after he won $32,000 in a NL event during the September, 2012 Borgata Poker Open.

The remaining players are guaranteed $1,633 as they chase the $51,860 top prize.

Play resumes 1 pm Saturday with the average stack at 264k (33 bb) and blinds continuing at 4k/8k/1k ante.

Remaining Players

Name-Chip Count

Hoa Nguyen 791k (99 bb)
Jean Elie Joseph 522k
Jerry Maher 458k
Kevin Saul 354k
Mark Scellato 336k
A. Schiano 325k
Michael Caruso 300k
AVERAGE STACK 264K (33 bb)
Marsha Wolack 247k
Tim Eller 189k
Norman Michalek 179k
Shawn Yesko 178k
Rob Quigley 158k
Andrew Kloc 162k
Osmin "Oddie" Dardon 144k
John Catalano 144k
Tony Sinishtaj 124k
William Parker 110k
Luke Edwards 34k (4 bb)

Event 4: Final Table Bag & Tag

$500 + $60 Big Stack PLO - High (Re-Entry)

Ken Ruderman

PLO Chip Leader

Ken Ruderman (Short Hills, NJ) extends his chip lead when he eliminates Jason Berligen (Spring, TX) in 11th place and sends the final 10 player home for the night.

"Bed time," is Ruderman's sign off as players bag and tag before returning for Saturday's final table.

Ruderman, who says he's playing in just his second live tournament, hit a straight on the turn and fades Berligen's full house draw to add 175k to finish the day with 690k.

Several recognizable names are in the mix for the $28,225 first prize and the trophy including, Bruce Yamron (Naples, FL), who won this event in the 2012 Borgata Fall Poker Open.

Play resumes 1 pm Saturday with the average stack at 388k (39 bb) and blinds at 5k/10k

Final Table

Name-Chip Count

Ken Ruderman 690k (69 bb)
N. Shaun Bennani 563k
Joe Mancuso 549k
Bruce Yamron 526k
Greg Donatelli 357k
Anthony Zinno 354k
Mike Linster 337k
Raymond Brennan 209k
Marvin Rosen 154k
Patrick Halter 142k (14 bb)