Friday, April 6, 2012

Event 4: Bag & Tag

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

With only 18 players remaining, the "Bag and Tag" circus begins.

Play has ended for the night.

Event 4: Knockouts

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Recent Eliminations receiving $896 in Prize Money:

19th - John Allan Hinds
20th - Ivonne Hernandez
21st - Michael Tasker
22nd -John Sykes
23rd - Matthew Leon
24th - Howard Wolper
25th - Akib Ali
26th - Timoth Hoffman
27th - Michael Bernstein

Event 4: Big Pot

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Akib Ali tanks for close to 5 minutes before telling the table, "sorry guys, I already have 130k in the middle, it's a big decision". Eventually Ali makes a crying call with A♥J♦, his top pair is in trouble with Hoa Nguyen holding 2♥4♥ for the baby flush. The river bricks and Event #4 has a new Chipleader. Nguyen now has over 600k, Ali earns $895 in 25th place.

Event 4: Top Pair

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

All-In preflop, Alex Rocha's A♣Q♣ vs his opponents A9♣...Top pair, Queen kicker holds, Rocha scoops the pot and chips up to 270,000.



Event 4: More Bustouts

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Back from the "Color-Up" break with two bustouts.

Recent Eliminations receiving $717 in Prize Money:

28th - Robert "Action Bob" Hwang
29th - David Russell

Event 4: Color-Up Break

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

All players on a 15-minute "Color Up" break.

Borgata Floor Staff over the loud speaker:

"You are welcome to stay seated and watch the color-up, otherwise we are responsible for coloring up your chips".




Event 4: Tucked Away

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Akib Ali
Princeton, NJ

Tucked behind the hoodie and sunglasses, Akib Ali, is steadily stacking chips. The New jersey local saved his best poker for after the Dinner Break, he's amongst the Chipleaders with 27 players left.

Event 4: 3 Tables Left

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entrants: 308
Players remaining: 27

Blinds: 3,000/6,000/500a

Top Chip-Counts:
Mario Dragone - 418,000
Jerry Callahan - 380,000
Mohammed Hakim - 318,000
Akib Ali - 258,000

Event 4: "Bistro"

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

John Allan "Bistro" Hinds ‏
Greenville, NC

The North Carolina native and East Coast tournament regular keeps the #TeamMurder crew updated on his deep run in Event #4.

@JABistro
Lose 90k flip A10o<44. Then very next hand at risk against same guy, this time KK>AA aipf. 125k now at 2.5k/5k/500 #teammurder

Event 4: Bustouts

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Recent Eliminations receiving $717 in Prize Money:

30th - James Hayduk
31st - William Shropshire
32nd - Randy Pfeifer
33rd - Aaron Belardo
34th - Cuong Phung
35th - Michael Wolf
36th - Barry Leventhal

Event 4: "Oh Yeah" Interview

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Oren "Oh Yeah" Taylor
Bridgestone, NJ

The New Jersey native originally from Jamaica gives the Borgata Poker Blog a candid interiew, 3 questions with "Oh Yeah":

What's your plan?
I'm just gonna' get right.

How's your table draw?
Big stack monsters, but it's OK...I'm Space Jam.

What's your style of play?
Tackle pots with the nuts, anything else is uncivilized.

Event 4: Stack Sizing

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entrants: 308
Players remaining: 35

Blinds: 2,500/5,000/500a

Chip-Counts from recognizable faces:

Jerry Callahan - 219,000
"Action Bob" Hwang - 200,000
Phong "VIP" Nguyen - 161,000
John Allan Hinds - 98,000
Jason Warriner - 91,000
MJ Bernstein - 61,000
Howard Wolper - 52,000

Event 4: Player Tweets

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

#BSO2012 Tweets from the Field:

Jerry Callahan - @callahanja911
ITM. 36 left. Have to come in 18th to profit tho #bso2012

John Allan Hinds - @JABistro
We are itm, I have 88k at 2k/4k/400. Time to run it up #teammurder

Robert Hwang - @ActionBobNJ
In the $$$ with 200k at 2k-4k

Event 4: Bubble Broken

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Post Dinner Break play is fast and loose, it only took 3 hands for the Bubble to officially break. The remaining 36 players are "in the Money".

Place - Amount

1st $32,267
2nd $17,926
3rd $11,114
4th $8,963
5th $6,931
6th $5,856
7th $4,720
8th $3,525
9th $2,390
10-12 $1,554
13-15 $1,195
16-18 $1,016
19-27 $896
28-36 $717

Event 4: New Chipleader

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Hoa Nguyen takes over the top spot as Chipleader of Event #4.

The IT manager and part-time poker player credits the chicken from Panda Express for the new found chips.

CHIPLEADER
Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA)

Event 4: On the Bubble

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

With a couple of quick eliminations after the Dinner Break, Event #4 is hand for hand. Borgata Floor staff instructs all dealers to "deal and stand up after the hand". With 37 players remaining, we're officially on the Bubble.

Event 4: Back from Break

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entrants: 308
Players remaining: 41

Back from Dinner Break, cards are in the air.

Top Chip-Counts:

Akib Ali (Princeton, NJ) - 251,000
Jerry Callahan (Oyster Bay, NY) - 243,000
Mike Tasker (Asbury park, NJ) - 228,000
Mario Dragone (Totowa, NJ) - 190,500
"Action Bob" Hwang (Barnegat, NJ) - 181,000
Dave Russell (Flemington, NJ) - 180,000
Bruce Yamro (Naples, FL) - 178,000

Event 3 Recap

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY) was in the middle of the pack at the start of day two, with slightly more than an average stack.  Just over eight hours later, he had all 1.2 million chips in play, $10,863, and a shiny Borgata Spring Open trophy.  Al Navid, the "Persian Diversian" (Fairfax, VA) had to settle for second place and $5,898 in his first ever live mixed-games tournament.

Guo had a 2-to-1 chip lead at the start of heads-up play and Navid gave it his best shot, but he couldn't overcome Guo's advantage. 

"You always have to get lucky to win one of these"  Guo said.  He was impressed to be playing with legendary poker players like Miami John Cernuto and Chris Reslock.

Chris Reslock, (Atlantic City, NJ) who has one WSOP bracelet and one WSOP Circuit Championship ring, departed in 4th place, earning $2,794.  Not bad, considering the fact that he started day two next-to-last in chips out of the 27 returning players.  He was hoping to repeat his win from the 2012 Borgata Winter Open, where he won this same event and $14,085.

Miami John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV) was short-stacked most of day two and almost bubbled this event, but kept fighting back.  He made the final table before busting out in 8th place ($1,242).  The owner of three WSOP bracelets, Cernuto frequents the high-stakes mixed games here at Borgata, in addition to being a tournament regular. 

The $400 + $50 buy-in for this event attracted 80 players and generated total buy-ins of $32,000.  The final nine players shared the wealth with a min-cash good for $931.

Yuebin Guo won the $350 Omaha Hi/Lo event during the 2011 Borgata Poker Open ($19,252) and now has a second Borgata Open title to add to his resume.  He has almost $300,000 in reported tournament earnings, most of which come from mixed games or non Hold'em (Stud & Omaha) events.

He doesn't consider himself a mixed-games specialist, however, and likes to play all the games equally.  He used to work in the computer industry, but has quit his 'day-job' to play poker.  He's hoping to play a few other events before the Spring Open Championship.


Final Table Results:
1.  Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY)  $10,863
2.  Al Navid (Fairfax, VA)  $5,898
3.  Dan Barlin (New York, NY)  $3,725
4.  Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ)  $2,794
5.  Jeff Paitchell (Clifton, NJ)  $2,173
6.  Tom Savitsky (Absecon, NJ)  $1,862
7.  Lance Brown (Robbinsville, NJ)  $1,552
8.  Miami John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV)  $1,242
9.  Vinny Basilicata (Little Neck, NY)  $931

Event 3: 1st Place - Guo

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY)
$10,863

Yuebin Guo's trip 5s were good to scoop the final hand of 7-Card Stud, leaving Al Navid to settle for 2nd place.  Yuebin collected $10,863 and the beautiful Borgata trophy for his win.

Yuebin won the $350 Omaha Hi/Lo event during the 2011 Borgata Poker Open ($19,252) and now has a second Borgata Open title to add to his resume.  He has almost $300,000 in reported tournament earnings, most of which come from mixed games or non Hold'em (Stud & Omaha) events.

He doesn't consider himself a mixed-games specialist and likes to play all the games equally.  He used to work in the computer industry, but has quit his 'day-job' to play poker.  

Event 3: 2nd Place - Navid

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

 Al Navid (Fairfax, VA)
$5,898
Playing Stud:

All the chips went in and Yuebin Guo came up with trip 5s to take the pot.  Al Navid was busted, finishing second for $5,898.

Al Navid, the "Persian Diversion" won a preliminary WSOP Circuit event last month, along with $30,969.  That was playing No Limit Hold'em. 

Al says this is his first-ever live HORSE tournament, making his second place finish even more extraordinary.  He works as a computer consultant and just plays poker as a hobby.  If he can find a dog-sitter, he may be back to play some other events during the series.

Event 4: Dinner Break

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Event #4 is on a 1-hour Dinner Break, most players scurry to The Cafeteria.
Great food and "options for every set of taste buds".

Villa Pizza - "Goodness by the Slice"

Fatburger - "Made to Order"


Ben & Jerry's - "The Sweet Antidote"

Event 3: Guo Still Leads

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Playing Stud:

Al Navid makes split Tens to beat Yuebin Guo's split 5s.  Al collected the pot, but still trails Yuebin by a large margin.

 Yuebin has reclaimed his 2:1 chip lead.  He's up to ~850k, leaving about 350k for Al.

Event 3: Shifting Chips

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Heads-up play began with Yuebin Guo holding a two-to-one chip lead on Al Navid.

Playing Hold'em:

Al Navid won back-to-back hands with two pair and a set, gaining about 100k from Yuebin Guo.  Yuebin still has the chip lead, however.

Limits are going up to 15k/30k.

Event 3: 3rd Place - Barlin

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Dan Barlin (New York, NY)
$3,725
Playing Stud:

Dan Barlin got his last chips in against Al Navid.  When the cards ran out, Dan had two pair, but Al Navid had trip 7s to take the pot.

Dan will take home $3,725 for his third place finish. He'll definitely be taking it home, since he has to leave to get back to work.  He's a lawyer specializing in airline financing, who only plays poker as a hobby.

Event 4: Last Lady Standing

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Hernandez Hanging Around

Ivonne Hernandez (Holbrook, NY) is the last woman left in the field as 52 players remain.  Hernandez is slightly below the 88k chip average (29 BB) and finished 9th in the Ladies event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Blinds are 1,500/3k/400 ante and this is the last level before the 7:35 pm dinner break. 

Play is now nine handed on the remaining six tables.

Event 3: 4th Place - Resock

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.   

Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ)
$2,794
 
Chris Reslock held on as long as he could, but his last chips went in the middle against Yuebin Guo, who came out with the best hand and the pot.

Chris departed in 4th place, earning $2,794.  Not bad, considering the fact that he started day two next-to-last in chips out of the 27 returning players.

Chris was hoping to repeat his win from the 2012 Borgata Winter Open, where he won this same event and $14,085.  Another win would have made him the only player to have four Borgata Open Titles.  As it is, he is one of only a handful who can lay claim to three titles won during Open events here at the Borgata.

Event 3: 5th Place - Paitchell

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.  

Jeff Paitchell (Clifton, NJ)
$2,173
Playing Hold'em:

Chris Reslock raised and got both blinds to come along.  All three checked the flop, then Chris was all-in for his last 18k on the turn.  Both blinds folded.  Chris was back up to ~75k.

Jeff Paitchell tangled with chip leader Al Navid and on the flop of Q J 7, Jeff (bb) bet and Al called.  Turn was a 3 and again Jeff bet.  This time Al raised and Jeff called.  River was a 4 and Jeff fired again.  Al called.  Jeff said "Jack" for second pair.  Al showed KQ for top pair to take the pot.

Jeff was left with only ~35k.  On the next hand, he was all-in from the small blind against Al in the big.  Jeff's Q4 was dominated by Al's KQ.  The board came T 9 3 2 7 and Al took the pot with King-high.

Jeff will take home $2,173 for 5th place.

Event 3: Reslock Remains

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Playing Stud:

Chris Reslock tangled with chip leader Al Navid.  On 6th street, Al showed A234 and bet.  Chris was showing AKJ3 and gave it some thought, then called the 20k. 
Al fired again on 7th and after checking his card, Chris mucked. 

Al showed AKK (started with pocket Kings and rivered Aces-Up, he said) as he collected the pot.  "Nice hand" Chris said.  He was left with only about 30k.

Playing Stud Hi/Lo:

Chris was all-in against Jeff Paitchell, but they chopped the pot when Chris rivered a flush for the high and Jeff had to settle for half the pot with his wheel.

Chris is still hanging on with about 35k.

Event 4: 200k Club

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Lone Wolf

The first player to crack 200k is Mike Wolf (New York, NY) who's up to 204k.  "Owning people," he says smiling as he describes his recent ascent.

The final 64 players are back from break and playing two more levels before the 7:30 pm dinner break.

The average stack is 73k (30 BB), blinds are 1,200/2,400/300 ante.

Event 3: Chip Counts

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.  

End of level and the final five players are taking a five minute break. 

Here are some approximate chip counts:

Al Navid - 415k
Dan Barlin - 250k
Jeff Paitchell - 210k
Yuebin Guo - 172k
Chris Reslock - 160k

Play resumed after the break with limits of 10k/20k.  Average stack is 240k.

Event 3: 6th Place - Savitsky

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Tom Savitsky (Absecon, NJ)
$1,862
Playing Omaha Hi/Lo:

Tom Savitsky got his last chips in against two players, who chopped up his chips. 

Tom was felted in 6th place, earning $1,862.

Tom had the lead coming into day two, but this HORSE faded before the home stretch.

Event 4: Great Eight

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

With eight table remaining here's a look at recognizable faces still in the field:

Table 1
Russell Crane
Phong Nguyen
Paul Leon

Table 2
John Del Rossi

Table 3
Dao Bui
Mike Wolf
Jerry Callahan

Table 4
Edwin Lau
Ed Kichline
Rich Milburn
Jesse Pulido

Table 5
Tom Pomponio
Hamilton Dimaya
Robert Perkins

Table 6
MJ Bernstein
Howard Wolper
John Allan Hinds
Eric Siegel
Lee Childs

Table 7
Jason Warriner

Table 8
Bob Hwang
Barry Levy

Event 3: 7th Place - Brown

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Lance Brown (Robbinsville, NJ)
$1,552 
Playing Hold'em:

Lance Brown got his last chips in pre-flop against Chris Reslock.  Lance was racing his pocket 3s against Chris' KJ.  Chris caught a King on he flop, a Jack on the turn, and another King on the river to make Kings' full for the overkill.

Lance Brown will collect $1,552 for his 7th place finish.

Event 3: 8th Place - Cernuto

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Miami John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV)
$1,242
Playing Stud Hi/Lo:

Miami John Cernuto rode his short stack as long and as hard as he could, but his last chips went in against Chris Reslock and Yuebin Guo.

Chris made a full house and Yuebin took the low, leaving nothing for John but 8th place.  He'll collect $1,242 on his way back to the barn.

Here's how John summed it up on Twitter:

Was forced to play my last hand with the bring in only 6 k left in stud 8+. Made a pair with 4 clubs and 4 to low. 2 guys beat me each way.

Event 3: 9th Place - Basilicata

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Vinny Basilicata (Little Neck, NY)
$931
 Playing Stud Hi/Lo:

Vincent Basilicata was all-in in a muti-way pot.  At the river, Jeff Paitchell produced the best hand, scooping both main and side pots.  He's up to over 350k.

Vincent Basilicata was scratched in 9th place ($931).

Vinny has two Borgata Open titles on his poker resume.  He won the $400 HOSE event during the 2010 Summer Open (before they were allowed to play Razz here).  He also has a No Limit Hold'em win during the 2011 Winter Open.

Event 3: Final Table Lineup

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. 

Here's the final table lineup, starting in the one seat:

Tom Savitsky
Miami John Cernuto
Dan Barlin
Chris Reslock
Yuebin Guo
Jeff Paitchell
Vinny Basilicata
Al Navid
Lance Brown

They drew for the game and started with Stud.  Miami John won a pot early and is back up to 32k.

Event 4: Two Survive with Chopped Pot

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Ed Not Losing Against Edwin

After seeing thousands of hands over the years, we're skeptical when someone starts describing an interesting hand.  This time it's truly unique as three players are all in preflop:

Edwin Lau (Philadelphia, PA) KK
Rich Milburn (Easton, PA) QQ
Ed Kichline (Alexandria, VA) JJ

Lau is one of the big stacks and in great shape to add 60k until the board runs out: 2 3 4 5 6.

The straight on the board chops the pot, keeping Milburn (25k) and Kichline (30k) alive.

"I would've been cruising," says Lau, who with 110k, is one of the few players with more than 100k.

84 players remain with an average stack of 54k (27 BB) as blinds are 1k/2k/300 ante.

******
Special shoutout to Jesse Pulido (Pembrooke Pines, FL) for alerting us to the hand and to his daughter Jessalyn who's celebrating her 6th birthday!

 Milburn Part of Straight Up Chop

Event 3: Bubble Burst (Finally!)

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Playing Omaha Hi/Lo:

Rich Rubenstein (button) was all-in for his last 11k and got called by both blinds, who checked down the board of J 6 6 7 A.

 Rich Rubinstein - Bubble Boy

Dan Barlin held QTT6 for trips to take the high and Jeff Paitchell took the low.  Rich couldn't pull this one out and became this event's bubble-boy.

The final 9 are now all in the money and guaranteed at least $931.  They drew for seats and moved to the final table.

Event 4: Tough to Stay at 100k

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

 Robert "Robbed" of 30k

Robert Perkins (Las Vegas, NV) has a short lived stay at 101k when he loses a race with JJ vs the AK of Tom Pomponio (Tuckerton, NJ).  Pomponio hits the flop, "ace in the window," yells Perkins as he fills in the details.  "But, I'm still doing alright," he adds after shipping 30k across the table.

Pomponio is looking for his second cash of the series after finishing 21st ($838) in Event 2.

Early chip leader Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) was up over 100k, but has since dropped to 40k.

115 players remain with an average stack of 40k (25 BB) as blinds are 800/1,600/200 ante.

Event 3: Bubble Doubles

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Play resumed with limits of 8k/16k.

Still ten players, still hand-for-hand on the bubble.

Playing Stud Hi/Lo:

Yuebin Guo scooped a pot from Dan Barlin with a well hidden full house.

Chris Reslock had Aces in the hole and made Aces-up to beat Vinny Basilicata's Jacks-up.

Tom Savitsky was all-in in a three-way pot.  He scooped it and left Miami John Cernuto with only 10k.

Then Miami John was all-in against Tom and scooped to double up.

Still ten players, still hand-for-hand on the bubble.

Event 4: Payouts

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Entries: 308
Total Buy-In: $123,200

Place - Amount

1st $32,267
2nd $17,926
3rd $11,114
4th $8,963
5th $6,931
6th $5,856
7th $4,720
8th $3,525
9th $2,390
10-12 $1,554
13-15 $1,195
16-18 $1,016
19-27 $896
28-36 $717

Event 3: Break Time Chip Counts

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

They completed a level and the final ten are now taking a 15 minute break.  Here are some rough chip counts:

Al Navid - 316k
Dan Barlin - 220k
Yuebin Guo - 220k
Jeff Paitchell - 105k
Vinny Basilicata - 100k
Tom Savitsky - 80k
Chris Reslock - 55k
Rich Rubinstein - 45k
Lance Brown - 35k
Miami John Cernuto - 32k

Average stack is 120k.

Event 3: Bubble Trouble

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Miami John Cernuto made the nut flush and second nut low and got paid off by the second nut flush, who raised him on the river.  He's got a little breathing room now.

Playing Razz:

Lance Brown was the short-stack and all-in on third street with  (42) 8.  Rich Rubinstein looked him up with (A5) 7.  When the cards ran out, Lance had made an 87-low and Rich could only come up with a 98-low.  Lance doubled up.

Still ten players, still hand-for-hand on the bubble.

Event 3: Tweets & Eats

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

'Miami' John Cernuto is enjoying a sandwich delivered by his buddy Mike 'Little Man' Sica, who is on the rail rooting him on.

In between playing hands and eating his sandwich, John is also finding time to update the world via Twitter.  Here are his latest Tweets:

John Cernuto ‏ @MiamiJohnC
Horse update. On bubble with ten players left and 99K. Was low when my queens turned into a queen hi flush. Avg stack is 115K

Bad news. All in made a full vs straight and I made 10 s full vs kings full. Makes me short stack on the bubble still.

Event 3: Finberg Fired

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Playing Stud Hi/Lo:

Justin Finberg got all-in starting with AA3.  His opponent started with AAJ.  When the cards ran out, Justin's hand hadn't improved, but his opponent had picked up a second pair.

Justin was dispatched in 11th place.

With ten players remaining, it is bubble time.  Two tables of five players are playing hand-for-hand until one more player is eliminated.

Event 3: Yo Eleven!

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Goners:
Bill Munley
Magpuri Anglo
Antonio Walker
Dave Cardenas
Jason Rivkin

Eleven players remain, two from the money.

Event 4: Maher Leads the Way

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Jerry is Just Fine

With a last name more appropriate for the HORSE tournament, Jerry Maher (Warren, NJ) is the chip leader with 97k as registration is now closed.
 Re-entry is no longer an option as the field of 300+ players are locked and loaded the rest of the way.

Level 7 (300/600/75 ante) continues.


Event 3: Sweet 16

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

 Table 2
 Seat 8: Yuebin Guo (white hat)
Seat 7: Jason Rivkin
Seat 6: Dave Cardenas

The 16 player redraw is complete.  Here's a look at the final two tables:

Table 1

Seat-Name

1 Al Navid
2 Chris Reslock
3 Magpuri Anglo
4 "Miami" John Cernuto
5 Tom Savitsky
6  Lance Brown
7 Vinny Basilicata
8 Bill "Bumpereno" Munley

Table 2

Seat-Name

1 Antonio Walker
2 Rich Rubinstein
3 Justin Finberg
4 Dan Barlin
5 Jeff Paitchell
6 Dave Cardenas
7 Jason Rivkin
8 Yuebin Guo

Bumpereno with a shout out to Gudie, who's following the blog from Spain!

Event 3: Five More Gone

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

The latest elimination is Jeff Jerome (Springfield, PA) who says he was crippled during the 7-card stud round when he didn't believe Lance Brown (Robbinsville, NJ) was holding a jack.  Jerome bet his two pairs, (kings up) on 4th street, but slowed down when Brown hit a second jack on 5th street.

Jerome says he called the rest of the way and dropped to 9k when Brown shows him trip jacks.  Jerome is eventually knocked out in 17th place after making the final table in this event during the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Recent Eliminations:

Jeff Jerome (Springfield, PA)
Bo Toft (Yardley, PA)
Jonathan Bascom (Edison, NJ)
Elia Ahmadian (Chantilly, VA)
Anthony Casalnova (Gaklyn, NJ)

Event 4: Cherish The Moment

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

It was bad enough that Cherish Andrews was down to five big blinds and was in the midst of Killer Corner, but John Allan Hinds makes it worse by hitting a one outer on the river.

Andrews moves all in for 2k with Q 7 and is called by Hinds and his pocket 7s.  Andrews hits a queen on the flop, but the case seven sends her to the re-entry line.

Hinds is now up to 40k and a new faces joins the table in WSOP bracelet holder Jeff Papola

Level 6 is underway, the last level to re-entry the tournament.

Event 3: 21 Gun Salute

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Vinny Basilicata (Little Neck, NY) is now the chip leader with 125k, while Jeff Paitchell (Clifton, NJ) is up to second place with 110k as both players began the day in the top ten.

21 players remain with an average stack of 57k and 9 big bets as the the limits are 3k/6k.


Event 3: Busto

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Early Eliminations:

Dennis Capriglione (Atlantic City, NJ)
Gregory Richard Weyer (Forked River, NJ)
Charles Wey (Hackensack, NJ)
Frank Rasile (Staten Island, NY)
Michael Drabot (Riverside, NJ)
William Handy (Laurel Springs, NJ)

Event 4: Killer Corner

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

(L-R) Sykes, Hinds, Childs, Andrews & Siegel

Table 6 could easily be a final table as five Borgata regulars are in the killer corner of seats 6 through 10.  Mark Sykes, John Allan Hinds, Lee Childs, Cherish Andrews and Eric Siegel are all accomplished players who find themselves side-by-side.

Also at the table is Bob Haavind (Boston, MA) who says he's not ready to implement his "Mad Viking" strategy.  The maniacal style helped him become the first player to cash in the Borgata Spring Poker Open finish with his 100th place finish for $1,010.  

Level 5 (150/300/25 ante) is off and running with more than 250 players in the field as registration is open until 2:15 pm.

Event 3: Shorties Double

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

 Reslock Hangin' Around

Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ) and Frank Rasile (Staten Island, NY) are still alive after the returning short stacks getting early double-ups.

Reslock (7,200) and Rasile (6,900) were 26th and 27th respectively of the 27 returning players.  Once three players bust the tournament will be down to 24 players on three tables.


Event 3: Horses Never Forget

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Here's a reminder of what they're playing for and what the heck does HORSE stand for?

Payouts:

1st - $10,863
2nd - $5,893
3rd - $3, 725
4th - $2,794
5th - $2,173
6th - $1,862
7th - $1,552
8th - $1,242
9th - $931

H.O.R.S.E

H: Hold'em
O: Omaha 8B
R: Razz
S: Stud (High)
E: Eight or better, Seven-card stud (High/Low)

Event 3: HORSE of Course

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

No Doubting Tom

The remaining 27 HORSE players are back for their shot at the $10,863 first prize and the Borgata Spring Poker Open title.  Tom Savistky (Absecon, NJ) has 80k and a slim chip lead over the next five players.

Notables still in the field include WSOP bracelet holders "Miami" John Cernuto and Chris Reslock.  Also still alive: Bill Munley, Bo Toft and Frank Rasile.

Rasile and Reslock have some work to do as they return has the two short stacks.

Cards are in the air.

Borgata Leaderboard Update (4/6)

Borgata Winter Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Spring Poker Open event (April 4-20, 2012), players earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2012 Borgata Spring Poker Open Leaderboard*
(Final Results from events 1, 2, 22, 23, 24)

287.500 PTS:  BRIAN LEMKE (NORRISTOWN, PA)
206.375 PTS:  MANH NGUYEN (MUNHALL, PA)
201.250 PTS:  JOSEPH DADDARIO (HAUPPAUGE, NY)
175.375 PTS:  RATHE MILLER (PHILADELPHIA, PA)
167.125 PTS:  SEAN PERRY (COLUMBIA, MD)
156.413 PTS:  HENRY MICHAEL BOROVETZ (PITTSBURGH, PA)
150.000 PTS:  STEVEN MLENAK (BRANCHBURG, NJ)
143.750 PTS:  PHILIP SAM (SAN JOSE, CA)
136.675 PTS:  ROBERT KOERBER (WATERBURY, CT)
126.500 PTS:  JUSTIN SOUSA (SEABROOK NH, NH)
121.300 PTS:  ELGA VIEIRA (NORWICH, CT)
109.250 PTS:  JONG MAN KIM (SILVER SPRING, MD)
105.000 PTS:  JACK BATTAGLIA (STATEN ISLAND, NY)
103.750 PTS:  SEAN BARRINGER (SAUGERTIES, NY)
100.350 PTS:  JOSEPH CIOMBOR (CAMPBELL HALL, NY)

Event 4: Card Masters

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Callahan Monitoring the Green Jacket

While the Masters is being played in Georgia, Borgata players like Jerry Callahan (Oyster Bay, NY) are keeping track of the green jacket from the green felt.

Callahan's a big golf fan and attended the 2002 U.S. Open that was played in his Long Island backyard of Bethpage Black.  Today's early second round coverage doesn't have a lot of big names, but Callahan's keeping an eye on Rory McIlroy who's starting to climb the leaderboard.

As for Callahan's poker, he's a Borgata regular with multiple cashes including a 2nd place finish in the 2010 Borgata Poker Open Deep Stack Turbo ($16,000).

 Live Coverage

Event 4: Roll Call

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

26 tables are up and running in the Signature Room.  The most common question so far today, "who won Event 1?"

WSOP bracelet holder Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA) takes down Event 1 earning himself $111,076 and the first trophy of the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Lemke hopes to be back for the Championship Event (April 15-19), but in the meantime here's a look at those vying for the next NL title.

Familiar Faces

Dwyte Pilgrim
Lee Childs
John Allen Hinds
Julie Cornelius
Roman Valerstein
Tony Antonious
Sean Knitter
Rick Petroy
Jerry Maher
Jason Warriner
Howard Wolper
Mike Dentale
Paul Leon

Event 4: Good Morning!

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

After two Borgata Spring Poker Open champions were crowned early this morning, the Signature and Poker rooms are buzzing with fresh faces and new hopes on winning a coveted trophy.

Players start with 15k in chips and starting levels are 30 minutes each (Level 11+/40 min.).

Re-entries are back in play as players look to fire multiple bullets in this 2-day event.  Unlimited entries are available to any player who busts during the first six levels.

Cards are in the air!

Friday, April 6

TODAY'S EVENTS (THE SIGNATURE ROOM & POKER ROOM)
REGISTER IN POKER ROOM


11AM: Event 4 - $400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-10: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each
  • Players that bust within the first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
  • 2-Day event


7 PM:  Event 25 - $200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH
  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 20 minutes each
  • This is a Bounty tournament. Players must  have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament.
  • 1-Day event

      Event 2 Recap

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA) continued his winning ways in the first Bounty event of the 2012 Borgata Spring Poker Open. The converted tournament player made the switch from PLO cash games to multi-table tournaments two years ago and never looked back. The career move has served him well, as he takes home $30,159 and the engraved Borgata trophy for his latest triumph.

      Nguyen outlasted a field of 329 entrants that included the likes of Will "the Thrill" Failla, Dwyte Pilgrim and Mike "Little Man" Sica. East Coast tournament regular, Mike Borovetz, put up a fight late in the day, but eventually fell victim to our newest Borgata Champion. Our 2nd place finisher spoke highly of his opponent as he commented, "he plays well, his image was good...he really earned it."

      Borgata regular Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA), was another victim of Nguyen. She earned the title of last lady standing after squeaking into the money with a 36th place finish for $670. Joe Liberta (Berlin, NJ) was poised for another deep run, but went "card dead" late in the day and busted in 18th place for $949. Both have posted stellar results at Borgata , but neither could fade the dominant play from the "Manh," the myth, the legend ... Mr Nguyen.

      Nguyen follows up his September 2011 Borgata Poker Open victory by adding another piece of Borgata hardware to his trophy case. The up and coming poker star plans on playing as many events as possible during this Spring tournament series and to let the "run good" continue.

      Final Table Results:
      1. Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA) - $30,158
      2. Mike Borovetz (Pittsburgh, PA) - $16,754
      3. Mike Ory (Hoboken, NJ) - $10,388
      4. Thomas McCann (Allentown, PA) - $8,377
      5. Bernard Liberati (Cherry Hill, NJ) - $6,478
      6. Ryan Hemmel (Hoboken, NJ) - $5,473
      7. Anthony Stopper (Williamsport, PA) - $4,412
      8. Shane LaBounty (Wateford, NY) - $3,295
      9. Joseph Lauro (E. Northport, NY) - $2,234
      10. Giulio Cifelli (Hopewell, NJ) - $1,452

      Event 2: 1st Place - Manh Nguyen

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      CHAMPION
      Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA)
      $30,158

      Manh Nguyen is back to his winning ways, the converted tournament player finds himself back in the Winners Circle after 20 hours of poker. He defeated a field of 329 players to capture the first place prize.

      Two years ago, Nguyen was primarily a cash-game player, "usually I play PLO cash, tournaments still feel new to me" he tells us.

      The Borgata regular should stick to tournament play, his success here has been unmatched. He follows up a 2011 Winter Open victory by adding another piece of Borgata hardware to his trophy case.

      Event 2: 2nd Place - Mike Borovetz

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


      Michael Borovetz (Pittsburgh, PA)
      $16,754

      Borovetz played good enough to win, he was disappointed with his runner-up finish, but leaves happy with the state of his tournament poker game.

      "I feel like I'm in the zone, my reads are sharp...I'm playing good right now".

      The Pittsburgh native and die-hard Steelers fan tells us he's "putting in lots of volume during the Spring Open", we'll keep an eye out for Mike and his winning ways.

      Event 2: Heads-Up

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      The first Heads-Up confrontation, a typical coinflip.

      Michael Borovetz J7
      vs
      Manh Nguyen 55

      Borovetz flops the world with top pair and a flush draw, he scoops the pot and gives his favorite railbird a high-five.

      Both players on break, play resumes in 10 minutes.

      Event 2: 3rd Place - Mike Ory

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


      Mike Ory (Hoboken, NJ)
      $10, 388

      Manh nguyen continues to run good, the overwhelming Chipleader picked up K♣K♦ to send Mike Ory and his A♣J♣ to the rail.

      During his exit interview, Mike labeled himself the "Ace/King magnet". After picking up Big Slick numerous times in the later levels, he said the hand just kept coming.

      "I doubled up with it and tripled up with it...it was amazing how many times I looked down at AK".

      Event 2: Three's Company

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Number of Entrants: 329
      Players remaining: 3

      Blinds: 25,000/50,000/5,000a

      Michael Borovetz - 1,600,000
      Mike Ory - 1,200,000
      Manh Nguyen - 2,150,000

      Event 2: 4th Place - Tom McCann

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Tom McCann (Allentown, PA)
      $8,377

      Tom McCann fought long and hard, but his day ended when he shoved Q♦9♦ into the K♣10♣ of Michael Borovetz. The "elder statesman" at the Final Table was impressive from start to finish.

      Event 2: The End is Near

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Fatigue has officially set in.

      Lots of yawns and plenty of requests for coffee (cream and sugar) as the remaining 4 players close in on 19 hours of play.

      Tom McCann is nursing a short stack, while Manh Nguyen applies the pressure.

      Event 2: Still Grinding

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      4 players, 1 railbird...

      Chip-Counts:

      Tom McCann - 415,000
      Michael Borovetz - 1,400,000
      Mike Ory - 1,325,000
      Manh Nguyen - 1,505,000

      Event 2: 5th Place - Bernard Liberati

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


      Bernard Liberati (Cherry Hill, NJ)
      $6,478

      "I was short, I shoved my last 250k with J7 and he had the only hand I didn't wanna' see...QJ had me crushed," said our 5th place finisher.

      A solid showing and good day of poker from the New Jersey native.

      Event 2: 6th Place - Ryan Hemmel

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


      Ryan Hemmel (Hoboken, NJ)
      $5,473

      Ryan Hemmel was sent to the rail when his AK was outdrawn by Manh Nguyen holding 44. The flop went bet/call, then both players checked the turn before Nguyen found a lucky 4 on the river to eliminate Hemmel.

      Event 2: Final Table Grind

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Players on a 15-minute break.

      Final Table
      Seat - Name - Chip-Count

      Seat 1 - Tom McCann - 891,000
      Seat 2 - OPEN
      Seat 3 - OPEN
      Seat 4 - Bernard Liberati - 530,000
      Seat 5 - Michael Borovetz - 1,365,000
      Seat 6 - OPEN
      Seat 7 - Mike Ory - 293,000
      Seat 8 - Ryan Hemmel - 660,000
      Seat 9 - OPEN
      Seat 10 - Manh Nguyen - 1,205,000

      Event 2: 7th Place - Anthony Stopper

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Anthony Stopper (Williamsport, NY)
      $4,412


      Anthony Stopper lost a coinflip with JJ to the AQ of Ryan Hemmel that ended his day. His farewell tweet pretty much sums it up.

      @TheMomentPoker
      7th in Event 2... See everyone again soon #BSO2012

      Event 2: 8th Place - Shane LaBounty

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Shane LaBounty (Waterford, NY)
      $3,295


      Shane LaBounty played solid poker all day, but found the "stone cold cooler" late in the day to end his Final Table run. LaBounty was crippled when he ran KK into AA, shortly after he busted.

      Event 2: 9th Place - Joseph Lauro

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

      Joseph Lauro (Northport, NY)
      $2,234


      Joseph Lauro ended his Final Table run when his A9 was busted by QQ, he grinded the short stack all day. A well-deserved and hard fought 9th place finish.

      Event 2: 10th Place - Giulio Cifelli

      $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH


      Giulio Cifelli (Hopewell, NJ)
      $1,452


      Giulio Cifelli shoved his short stack holding J♣J and was called in two spots. Our first Final Table casuality came when Cifelli was outdrawn by Shane LaBounty. The board ran out 7♣A♠269, LaBounty flipped over A2♣ and Event #2 moves on with 9 players.

      Event 1 Recap

      $500 + $60 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)           

      Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA) took charge of this event early on day one and never looked back. Coming out on top of the field of 1,041 players earned him a payday of $111,076.  Runner-up Joe Daddario (Hauppage, NY) didn't have much of a chance, starting heads-up play at a 6-to-1 chip disadvantage.  Plus the cards were just falling Lemke's way.  The final hand saw Daddario's pocket 3s crushed by Lemke's pocket Tens.

      Throughout the tournament, Lemke was catching cards, winning the races when he needed to, and drawing out on the short-stacks when he was behind.  He used his big stack to intimidate and push his opponents around, relentlessly accumulating chips.  He completed day one as the only player with more than 1 million chips (1.33 million) and 464,000 more than the second-largest stack.

      The random nature of table breaking put two bracelet holders next to each other late on day one.  Jeff Papola (Monmouth Beach, NJ) who has both a WSOP bracelet and Borgata Open title to his credit, landed on Lemke's right.  Having to act before the big stack kind of limits your choices, so Jeff struggled through day one, but made it to day two (and the money) with a below average stack (66th of 100).

      Papola's table draws were better at the start of day two, but with 36 players remaining, he landed on the same table with Lemke (again).  Papola still held on, making it all the way to 19th place ($2,272).

      The other WSOP bracelet holder who made day two was Robert Varkonyi, (Great Neck, NY) who won the WSOP main event in 2002 ($2 million).  He was also below average, returning for day two 68th out of 100.  He improved to 58th place where he finished for $1,414.

      1,041 entries at $500 + $60 generated total buy-ins of $520,500, well above the $300,000 guarantee.   The final 100 players earned a piece of the pool with a min-cash good for $1,010.  They played until about 2:30am day one in order to bust the money bubble before the final 100 bagged their chips and called it a night.

      Brian Lemke is best known for the WSOP bracelet he won in 2009, along with over $692,000, in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event.  He's amassed more than $1 million in career tournament earnings and now has a Borgata title and trophy to go with his bracelet.

      Not sure if we'll be seeing him in action again before the main event.  He's got three boys and a few businesses that keep him busy.  "Go Terps!" he said, as one of his sons will be playing Lacrosse tomorrow, which will take him away from poker.  "I'll have to look at the schedule" now that he's got a win under his belt, to see which tournaments he might be able to play.

       
      Final Table Results:
      1. Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA):  $111,076
      2. Joseph Daddario (Hauppauge, NY):  $66,746
      3. Philip Sam (San Jose, CA):  $40,391
      4. Justin Sousa (Seabrook, NH):  $33,827
      5. Jong Man Kim (Silver Spring, MD):  $27,769
      6. Eric Doerr (Newark, DE):  $22,467
      7. Joseph Primavera (Brooklyn, NY):  $17,923
      8. Ramon Hubbard (Brooklyn, NY):  $13,632
      9. Akiva Pearlman (Providence, RI):  $9,340
      10. Thomas Ross (Brooklyn, NY):  $6,059

      Event 1: 1st Place - Lemke

      $500 + $60 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)          

      Brian Lemke (Norristown, PA)
      $111,076

      Brian Lemke dominated this Deep Stack event almost from the beginning.  He was first recognized as the chip leader during level 11 and only surrendered that lead briefly a couple of times on day one.

      He started heads-up play with a more than 6-to-1 chip lead and it only took a few hands.  On the final hand, he was way ahead with pocket Ten versus pocket 3s.  He caught another Ten on the river, which was just overkill.

      He'll be collecting $111,076 for his two-days work here in the 2012 Borgata Spring Open kickoff event.

      Brian is best known for the WSOP bracelet he won in 2009 in the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Event ($692k).  He's racked up over $1 million in reported lifetime tournament earnings and now he's added a Borgata title to his poker resume.

      Brian wrapped up his tournament with a "Go Terps!"  One of his sons plays for Maryland Lacrosse and they have a game tomorrow, which will take Brian's attention away from poker for a bit.  We'll be seeing him again later in the series, though.

      Event 1: 2nd Place - Daddario

      $500 + $60 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)         

      Joe Daddario (Hauppauge, NY)
      $66,746

      At the start of heads-up play, Joe Daddario had about 3.4 million chips.

      Brian Lemke had all the rest (about 22.6 million).

      On the first hand, they were all-in, but both players held A2, resulting in a split pot.

      It was not long before they were all-in again.  This time Brian was way ahead with pocket Tens.

      Joe had pocket 3s.

      The board came A K 2 5 T and Brian had all 26 million chips.

      Joe Daddario will collect $66,746 for his second place finish.

      Joe is a businessman who plays tournament poker a bit more than as a hobby.  Perhaps a serious amateur player.

      "I was short-stacked the whole tournament" he said.  He started day two with 212k, which ranked him 47th out of 100 returning players.  He only entered once, parlaying his $500 buy-in into a $66,746 payday.

      This 51-year-old held his own among a field dominated by twenty-somethings.  He is expecting his fourth grandchild in a couple of weeks -- that must be what's keeping him young.