Event 16 Recap

$1000 + $90 Six-Max NL (Re-Entry)

For the second straight tournament it's a heads up marathon session to determine a winner at the Borgata Spring Poker Open.  This time it's Mickey Woll who outlasted Mike Leah to take home the title, the trophy and the $42,373 first prize.

"I've been playing the best poker of my life," said Woll after 2 1/2 hours of heads up play. "I've been running great and playing great."

Woll overcame a 2 to 1 chip lead heads up and won the tournament
with 9♣ 9♦.

The long dual comes on the heels of Vinny Pahuja's 4 hour heads up session against Alex Rocha on his way to the Event 14 ($1,000 + $90) title.

Day 2 started with all 18 returning players in the money as the field was quickly thinned.

Notables who cashed included the early exits of Travis Greenawalt (18th), Jamie Kerstetter (17th) and David Kim (16th) who all earned $1,513.  Two others Borgata regulars, Ted Geier (12th/$2,118) and Harry Korotki (8th/$4,540), were knocked out before the final table.

Leah and Woll were joined at the final by WSOP Main Event runner-up Steve Dannenmann, who finished second to Joe Hachem in 2005. Dannenmann was cruising until his 10 10 was beaten by Leah's set of 8s, propelling Leah into the final two, while Dannenmann finished 6th for $8,323.

Early in the one-on-one battle, Leah had Woll on the ropes, but a chopped pot kept Woll alive. Woll then used a better kicker to win a more than one million chip pot that flipped the chip lead into his favor.

Heads up was set up when the final two tagged teamed third place finisher Lenny Lerner, as Leah crippled the Borgata regular, who earned $19,293, and Woll finished him off.

Anthony Maio, another Borgata regular, began Day 2 with the chip lead, but settled for 5th place and $11,727.  Also at the final table were Brian Schmidt (7th/$6,431) and Richard Corley (4th/$15,132).

The tournament started with 156 players for a total buy-in of $156,000.

Recognizable names that failed to cash included Event 8 Winner Mike Dentale ($31,716), the last two Borgata Spring Poker Open Champions in Russell Crane (2011/$277,000) and Alex Queen (2010/$355,000), and three-time Borgata trophy winner Bill Blanda.

And after playing this marathon, there's no rest for the weary as both Leah and Woll are headed into Day 1B of the Championship Event later this morning.

Final Table Results
1st Mickey Woll (Manahawkin, NJ)$42,373
2nd Mike Leah (Las Vegas, NV) $25,043
3rd Lenny Lerner (Brooklyn, NY) $19,293
4th Richard Corley (Brooklyn, NY) $15,132
5th Anthony Maio (Jamison, PA) $11,727
6th Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) $6,431
7th Brian Schmidt (Philadelphia, PA) $6,431