Event 7 Recap

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Easter Sunday at Borgata brought the first Deep Stack Semi-Turbo of the Borgata Spring Poker Open series. The unconventional format and fast-paced structure was a huge success, drawing a field of 193 entries. Homegame heroes and recognizable pros showed up to fight for their share of the $50,180 Prizepool.

Borgata tournament staff did a great job accommodating the players on a national Holiday. Players were allowed to re-enter during the first 8 levels (2 hours of play), the extended Late Registration (and re-entry) was a nice touch for those attending Easter services.

Some of the familiar faces included two World Poker Tour Champions, Dwyte Pilgrim and Raj Patel. The Borgata regulars and local favorites were lead by Howard Wolper, Eric Siegel and Eric Miller while "young guns" Jason Warriner and John Allan "Bistro" Hinds rounded out the rest of the field.

2010 WPT Borgata Poker Open Champion, Dwyte Pilgrim, headlined a Final Table that included one lucky lady and a medical doctor from New York. In the end, it was a New Jersey native with an anonymous face that took down the 1st place prize.

Waheed Guirguis (Monmouth, NJ) refused the request for a winners photo before walking

away with $14,601 and the crystal trophy.

Our newest Borgata Spring Poker Open winner politely refused the photo, stating "I'm here for the poker, not the publicity". Another great day of poker in the books, Happy Easter from Borgata.

Final Table Results

1. Waheed Guirguis (Monmouth, NJ) - $14,601

2. Joshua Jordan (New York, NY) - $8,031

3. Anna Dikker (Morganville, NJ) - $4,624

4. Dr. Gregory Oselkin (New York, NY) - $3,894

5. Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY) - $2,921

6. Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA) - $2,434

7. Jeremiah McKenna (Norwalk, CT) - $1,947

8. Alex Smith (Highland Park, NJ) -$1,460

9. Dave Gutfreund (Chicago, IL) - $1,095

10. Vinny Elkallaf (Astoria, NY) - $974

Event 7: 1st Place - Guirguis

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Waheed Guirguis (Monmouth, NJ)

$14,601

Our Deep Stack Semi-Turbo winner was a force on the green felt, but camera shy after his first career Borgata victory.

"I'm here for the poker, not the publicity," said the newly crowned Spring Open Champion.

Guirguis played fast and aggressive after the Dinner Break, his strategy worked to the tune of $14,601 and the engraved Borgata trophy.

Event 7: 2nd Place - Jordan

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Joshua Jordan (New York, NY)

$8,031

The New Yorker cruised to a 2nd place finish after eliminating Dwyte Pilgrim. Jordan collects a nice 4-figure score for his deep run in Event #7.

Event 7: 3rd Place - Dikker

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Anna Dikker (Morganville, NJ)

$4,624

The last lady standing was impressive from start to finish, a solid showing for the only female at the Final Table.

Event 7: 4th Place - Oselkin

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Dr Gregory Oselkin (New York, NY)

$3,894

The New Yorker walks away happy with the structure and his 4th place finish.

"I enjoy the structure, don't have to play for 15 hours".

Event 5 Recap

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

A player requesting to be known as "Karthik" not only knocked out the seemingly invincible Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA), but used that momentum to win the highest buy-in to date of the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Karthik (Alexandria, VA) defeated Justin Burton (New York, NY) heads up to take the title, the trophy, and the $32,998 first prize.  "I was on a bit of a rush," says Karhik about his play over the last hour. "I played very, very tight until I had chips. But in the end I got lucky."

Karthik's run began when he knocked out Nguyen in 4th place to end his spectacular play the last few days.  After winning Event 2 ($30,159) Thursday, Nguyen had the chip lead with six players left, but was unable to win his third career Borgata trophy.

"I'm disappointed that it's not first (place)," says Nguyen who earned $8,800.  "I'm definitely playing well and winning the races I have to win."

After Karthik trimmed the field to three, he got a much needed double-up through Wooyang Lin (Morristown, NJ) before eventually knocking Lin out in third place ($10,450).  Karthnik had a 2 to 1 chip lead when heads up play began before eventually hitting a pair of 7s to win with A♠ 7♠ vs Burton's A♣ K♠.

"I'm pretty thrilled," says Burton, who earned $18,150 as runner-up, "It's by far my biggest score."

Eighteen players returned for Day 2 which had an international flavor and featured chip leader Jaeik Cho (Tokyo, Japan) and the last woman standing Yueqi 'Lisa' Wang (Brookfield, WI via Shanghai, China).

Cho's luck turned when he was crippled by pocket kings and eventually busted in 11th place.  Wang was right behind him in 10th as the first final table casualty; both players earned $2,200.

The tournament began with 162 entries and featured a total buy-in of $113,400.  In addition to Nguyen, Borgata regulars Michael Shasho (Ramsey, NJ) - 5th, Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ) - 8th, and Joe Liberta (Berlin, NJ) - 9th, all made the final table.

Notables who failed to advance to Day 2 and into the money included Lee Childs, Dwyte Pilgrim, Barry Levy, Mark Sykes and Jason Young.

Karthik, a software engineer, prefers to play in the bigger buy-in events and is looking forward to the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship Event (April 15-19).


Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Karthik (Alexandria, VA) $32,998
2nd Justin Burton (New York, NY) $18,150
3rd Wooyang Lin (Morristown, NJ) $10,450
4th Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA) $8,800
5th Michael Shasho (Ramsey, NJ) $6,600
6th Jonathan Werz (Melville, NY) $5,500
7th Soheb Porbandarwala (Stamford, CT) $4,400
8th Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ) $3,300
9th Joe Liberta (Berlin, NJ) $2,475
10th Yueqi 'Lisa' Wang (Brookfield, WI) $2,200

Event 5: 1st Place - Karthik

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Karthik (Alexandria, VA) 

$32,998

 

Karthik wins the tournament by beating Justin Burton heads up.

Final Hand

Karthik: A♠ 7♠

Justin Burton: A♣ K♠

Flop: J♥ 4♠ 7♣ (Karthik pair of 7s)

Turn: 4♣

River: 9♦

"I hit a lot of hands the last hour," says Karthik, a software engineer, "I was on a bit of a rush."

With the win, Karthik takes home $32,998 and the Borgata Spring Poker Open trophy.

Event 5: 2nd Place - Burton

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Justin Burton (New York, NY) 

$18,150

Justin Burton is ahead of Karthik pre flop A♣ K♠ vs A♠ 7♠, but when a 7 hits the flop Burton finishes in second place.

"Like anyone who gets this far, I'm a little bummed," says the credit risk manager, who plays poker as a hobby. "I got it in good ace-king against ace-seven, but it didn't work out.

Justin Burton takes home $18,150 as runner-up.

Event 5: 3rd Place - Lin

 $700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Wooyang Lin (Morristown, NJ)

$10,450

Wooyang Lin's tournament ends when his A8 is beaten by the AQ of Karthik. "I played well down to the final table," says Lin who missed a chance to be heads up with Justin Burton earlier in three-handed play.  "I feel awful because I couldn't get a hand.

Lin's big chance came while holding AK against Karthik's pocket 3s, which held and gave Karthik a much needed double-up.

Wooyang Lin, who's a Borgata diehard regular, takes home $10,450 for his third place finish.

Event 7: Stack Sizes

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entrants: 193
Players remaining: 4

Blinds: 20,000/40,000/4,000a

Waheed Guirgis - 1,900,000
Joshua Jordan - 1,350,000
Dr Gregory Oselkin - 580,000
Anna Dikker - 735,000

Event 7: 5th Place - Pilgrim

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY)

$2,921

The former Borgata Champion busts, tells the table "Good Luck", throws on the hoodie and looks for a cash-game table.

Event 7: 6th Place - Nguyen

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA)

$2,434

Instead of a standard exit interview, our 6th place finisher gives credit to the friends that helped shape his poker game. A special thanks to these guys:

Lucas Michael
Phong "VIP" Nguyen
David Tran
Jimmy Chan
Huey "Donkey"
David "Clownfish" Hoang

Event 7: 7th Place - McKenna

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jeremiah McKenna (Norwalk, CT)

$1,947

The East Coast grinder built his bankroll playing $5/10 cash games, he recently made the transition to the tournament world. He found success early in Borgata's first Turbo Event of the Spring Open.

Event 5: 4th Place - Nguyen

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA)

$8,800

Blinds 10k/20k, 3k ante

Manh Nguyen's shot of winning his second 2012 Borgata Spring Poker Open title is squashed in a blind vs blind hand.  From the small blind Karthik raises to 40k, Nguyen moves all in for 350k from the big and Karthik calls.

Karthik: A Q

Nguyen: K J

Flop: Q Q K (Karthik trip queens)

Turn: 8

River: 7

Karthik wins the hand to take his stack to 975k, sending the most dangerous player at the final table player to the rail.

"I'm disappointed that it's not first," says Nguyen who won Event 2 ($30,159). "I'm definitely playing well and winning the races I have to win.  I feel like that if I have chips I have a chance."

Manh Nguyen finishes in 4th place and earns $8,800.

Event 7: AQ > KQ

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Short Stack double-up...

Dwyte Pilgrim K♣Q♣ vs Dr Gregory Oselkin A♥Q♦

All the money goes in on the flop: Q♠5♠3♥

The best hand holds, Dwyte loses 100k, the Doc doubles up.

Event 7: Back from Dinner

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

The Deep Stack Turbo field is back from Dinner,
the Final Table grind continues with 7 players left.

Seat - Name - Chip-Count
Seat 1 - Dwyte Pilgrim - 805,000
Seat 2 - Waheed Guirgis - 735,000
Seat 3 - OPEN
Seat 4 - Joshua Jordan - 1,070,000
Seat 5 - OPEN
Seat 6 - Dr Gregory Oselkin - 370,000
Seat 7 - Anna Dikker - 957,000
Seat 8 - OPEN
Seat 9 - Jeremiah McKenna - 386,000
Seat 10 - Hoa Nguyen - 338,000

Dinner Break Pic

Peter Cottontail stopped by during the Dinner Break,

Happy Easter from Borgata.

Event 7: Dinner Break

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Dinner Break, play resumes in 1-hour.

Number of Entrants: 193
Players remaining: 7
Total Prizepool: $50,180

PAYOUTS:
1st $14,601
2nd $8,031
3rd $4,624
4th $3,894
5th $2,921
6th $2,434
7th $1,947
8th $1,460
9th $1,095
10-12 $974
13-15 $852
16-18 $730

Event 7: 8th Place - Smith

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Alex Smith (Highland Park, NJ)

$1,460

Event 7: 9th Place - Gutfreund

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Dave Gutfreund (Chicago, IL)

$1,095

Event 7: 10th Place - Elkallaf

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Vinny Elkallaf (Astoria, NY)

$974

Event 5: Dinner Break Chip Counts

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

End of level and the final four have taken off for an abbreviated (30 minute) dinner break.

Play will resume at about 8pm.

Here are the rough chip counts:

Justin Burton - 930k
Manh Nguyen - 580k
Wooyang Lin - 565k
Karthik - 405k

Event 7: Recent Busts/Payouts

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

The Final Table Bubble...

Recent Eliminations include Borgata regular Barry Leventhal
and former WPT Champion Raj Patel.

Prize Money - $974
11th - Matthew Kerewski
12th - Gerald Sosler

Prize Money - $852
13th - Sandor Gaziev
14th - Barry Leventhal
15th - John Whiting

Prize Money - $730
16th - Nicholas David
17th - Raj Patel
18th - Casey Keith

Event 5: Lin Chipping Up

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Blinds: 8k/16k, 2k ante

On the turn with a board of K T 7 K, Manh Nguyen (sb) bet 93k.

Wooyang Lin (bb) gave it some thought, then announced he was all-in (214k on top).

Manh tanked for a couple of minutes, then decided to let it go.

Wooyang flashed a King as he collected the pot.  He chipped up to ~550k.

Still four players.

Event 6 Recap

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

While it's not unprecedented, it's very rare that one player can win two events in the same Borgata series. But Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY) did just that by winning the Omaha high-low just two days after taking down the H.O.R.S.E. tournament.

"I have an aggressive style," said Guo who took home $6,417 and the trophy for the win, "but in any tournament you have to get lucky."

Guo had a 5-to-1 chip lead over George Gillis (Glen Burnie, MD) and dispatched him quickly in heads up play.  "When he has 80 to 85% of the chips in play, it's hard to overcome that," said Gillis, who earned $3,483 as runner-up. "It's more about chips than cards at that point."

Guo was 5th in chips when Day 2 began with 22 players returning for their shot at the title.

Ron Schiffman (Cherry Hill, NJ) was the chip leader, but as the blinds and limits climbed he missed an open ended straight draw and was done for the day.  Guo knocked out Schiffman in 6th place ($1,100) which kick started his run to back-to-back titles.

On his way to the win, Guo took out Borgata regular Bo Toft in third place ($2,200), who is impressed with Guo as both a person and player.  "He's very confident at this game," said Toft.  "He's very aggressive and doesn't let up. He likes to see a lot of flops." He added, "and he's a great guy."

The field had two WSOP bracelet holders in Chris Reslock and "Miami" John Cernuto. Both missed the money with Cernuto (11th) coming within two spots of a pay day.

The field also featured 2009 WPT World Poker Finals O8B Champion Claudangelo Beaudouin and former Borgata trophy winner Tim D'Allesandro, but neither cashed in this event.

In the end nobody was going to derail Guo who's been on fire in 2012 with three cashes and two wins in only four tournaments played.

His Borgata run is a carbon copy of what Barry Levy (Brookly, NY) did in the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open when he won the same two events.  Guo, Levy and Mark Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ) are the only players to win multiple events in the same Borgata series.

Final Table Results

Place-Name-Amount

1st Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY) $6,417
2nd George Gillis (Glen Burnie, MD) $3,483
3rd Bo Toft (Yardley, PA) $2,200
4th Monty Dennis (Tucker, GA) $1,650
5th Jonathan Levy (Plainview, NY)$1,283
6th Ron Schiffman (Cherry Hill, NJ) $1,100
7th Gene Paulen (Pleasantville, NY) $917
8th Christian Vizcaino (S. Plainfield, NJ)$733
9th Arthur Mitchell (Pasadena, TX) $550

Event 6: 1st Place - Guo

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY)

$6,417

Holding 3 6 6 8, Yuebin Guo hits a straight on the turn to win his second Borgata Spring Poker Open event in two days.  Guo beats George Gillis heads up who flops a set of jacks, but doesn't boat on the river.

"I've been running good and catching cards," says Guo who just won Event 3, the HORSE tournament ($10,863).

"I'm not afraid to put my chips in the middle," says the soft spoken native of Cantun, China. "I'm playing for first place and I'm not afraid to get knocked out."

Guo is a computer consultant who's focusing on playing more poker because business is down. So far so good as he's played four tournaments in 2012, cashing three times, including back-to-back Borgata titles. 

Guo has now won more than $17,000 in two events as he takes the Omaha H/L 8B for $6,417.

Event 6: 2nd Place - Gillis

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 2nd George Gillis (Glen Burnie, MD)

$3,483

"It was a roller coaster," says George Gillis, who's unable to overcome a 5 to 1 chip heads up deficit and finishes runner-up to Yuebin Guo. "It's more about chips than cards at that point."

On the final hand Gillis flops a set of jacks, but Guo hits a straight on the turn to end Gillis' run.  

Gillis had an up and down day and has another payday to go along with his 4th place finish in the PLO event of the 2009 Borgata Summer Poker Open.  

His second place finish earns Gillis $3,483.

Event 6: 3rd Place - Toft

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Bo Toft (Yardley, PA)

$2,200

Bo Toft took his stack from 32k, and in the middle of the pack, to one of the big stacks at 225k before finally finishing in third place.  "I'm really disappointed," says the Borgata regular, "but I had a lot of fun, this is a great tournament."

Toft says he ran into three heart flushes and three straights during the last hour of the tournament that cost him 50k-70k each time.  "You're playing 100k pots, but I'm not complaining," he says. "That's just the way it is."

Bo Toft takes home $2,200 for his third place finish.

Event 7: Final Table

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

The Final Table

Seat - Name - Chip-Count
Seat 1 - Dwyte Pilgrim - 350,000
Seat 2 - Waheed Guirgis - 1,420,000
Seat 3 - Vinny Elkallaf - 150,500
Seat 4 - Joshua Jordan - 200,000
Seat 5 - Dave Gutfreund - 500,000
Seat 6 - Dr Gregory Oselkin 150,000
Seat 7 - Anna Dikker - 295,000
Seat 8 - Alex Smith - 465,000
Seat 9 - Jeremiah McKenna - 602,000
Seat 10 - Hoa Nguyen - 205,500

Event 5: 5th Place - Shasho

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Michael Shasho (Ramsey, NJ)

$6,600

Blinds: 8k/16k, 2k ante

After Justin Burton opened, Michael Shasho moved in for his last ~300k.

Justin called, showing the boss pair, pocket Aces.  Michael was way behind with AT suited.  He caught a Ten on the flop for a glimmer of hope, but couldn't catch up.

Michael Shasho finished in 5th place for $6,600.

Justin is now the clear chip leader, approaching 1.1 million.

Event 7: Pilgrim Doubles Through Gutfreund

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

This tournament is buzzing through the field and is down to only 12 players.  Dwyte Pilgrim (Bronx, NY) gets a huge river card to stay alive against Dave Gutfreund (Chicago, IL).

Holding pocket jacks Gutfreund raises Pilgrims big blind from the cutoff.  On a flop of 9 8 4, Pilgrim moves all in for 179k and Gutfreund snap calls.  Pilgrim shows Q 10 and after bricking the turn, hits a queen on the river to stay alive.

Gutfreund drops to 410k, but is well behind chip leader Waheed Guirgis (Monmouth Junction, NJ) who's up to 1.3 million.

Event 5: New Chip Leader

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

Blinds are up to 8k/16k with 2k antes.

Manh Nguyen has surrendered the chip lead.  He's got about 600k.

Justin Burton is the new chip leader with about 700k. 

Manh summed it up well in his Tweet:

Just doubled up 2 short stacks. AT > KT then very next hand this guy shoves 9BB and I call with A4. He has AJ. We are 5 handed. #BSO2012

Event 5: 6th Place - Werz

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Jonathan Werz (Melville, NY)

$5,500

Blinds: 6k/12k, 2k ante

After Manh Nguyen opened, Jonathan 'Promo' Werz shoved for ~240k (bb).

Manh looked him up with KJ.  Promo was ahead with A7, but Manh caught a Jack on the board to take the pot.  He is now the definitive chip leader with about 1 million chips.

Promo will take $5,500 for his 6th place finish.

Event 6: 4th Place - Dennis

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Monty Dennis (Tucker, GA)

$1,650 

"He finally got me," says Monty Dennis after losing his last 30k to chip leader Yuebin Guo.  "I had 9 lives, but I didn't have a 10th," he laughs after surviving multiple all ins before finally losing his last 30k.

Dennis plays poker full time and is sticking with the nickname "Money" that he got accidentally.  After one tournament he was listed in the results as Money instead of Monty and he's now keeping the moniker.  

"You always want to finish in first place," he says, "but I just didn't get the cards."

Monty "Money" Dennis finishes in 4th place and earns $1,650.

Event 5: Still Six in the Mix

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Blinds: 6k/12k, 2k ante

The final six are moving blinds and antes around the felt. 

The next player to depart will earn $5,500 -- not a bad payday -- but no one wants to be that guy.

Manh Nguyen is the only player among this final six that has won a Borgata Open event -- and he has won two, the second of which was only a few days ago:

2011 Borgata Poker Open $500 No Limit ($39,941)
2012 Borgata Spring Open $350 Black Chip Bounty NL ($30,159)

A victory today would make Manh one of only a handful of players to have three Open titles and one of only three to win two titles during one Open series.

Event 5: Break Time Chip Counts

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Break time means time to count the chips.  Here are some estimates:

Manh Nguyen - 600k
Michael Shasho - 505k
Wooyang Lin - 500k
Justin Burton - 370k
John Werz - 270k
Karthik - 219k

Play resumed with blinds of 6k/12k with 2k antes.

Event 6: 5th Place - Levy

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Jonathan Levy (Plainview, NY)

$1,283

Two pairs (kings up) are no good for Jonathan Levy who's ousted by chip leader George Gillis who has trip jacks to scoop the pot.  "I feel terrible," says Levy, "I was card dead at the final table, I had nothing."

Levy is a CPA who stressed that he's an auditor, who's doesn't need to sweat the tax season. He'll look to play more weekend events during the Borgata Spring Poker Open, but really likes Omaha.

"It takes the most skill and I can out play these guys," says Levy, who takes home $1,283 for his 5th place finish.

Event 5: Shasho Scoops

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Blinds: 5k/10k, 1k ante

Justin Burton opened for 25k and got called by both blinds.

The flop came K Q 5 with two hearts.  The blinds checked it over to Justin, who fired 45k.

The small blind folded, but Michael Shasho (bb) raised a whole bunch of gray chips (about 100k on top).  Justin gave it up.

Michael is up to ~500k and might be the chip leader, but they are all pretty close.

Event 6: Chip Counts

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Players are back from a 10 minute break as the limits are now 8k/16k

Seat-Name-Chip Count

1.
2. Monty Dennis (Tucker, GA) 89k
3.
4. George Gillis (Glen Burnie, MD) 91k
5. Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY) 185k
6. Bo Toft (Yardley, PA) 228k
7.
8. Jonathan Levy (Plainview, NY) 55k
9.

Event 5: 7th Place - Porbandarwala

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Soheb Porbandarwala (Stamford, CT)

$4,400

 Blinds: 5k/10k, 1k ante

Manh Nguyen opened for 23k and Soheb Porbandarwala moved all-in from the small blind.

Manh called, showing AK off.  Soheb had QT suited.

Soheb picked up a flush draw on the flop of K 7 6 with two clubs.  Manh improved to top pair.  The last two came offsuit 9 T and Manh took the pot.  He chipped up to ~500k, good for the chip lead.

Soheb Porbandarwala busted in 7th place, earning $4,400.

Six players remain.  Average is 405k.

Event 6: 6th Place - Schiffman

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Ron Schiffman (Cherry Hill, NJ)

 $1,100

Ron Schiffman is a classic example of how quickly things can change in Omaha.  He goes from chip leader to 6th place finisher in just a few hands.  "The blinds get so high that you can lose your entire stack in one or two hands," says the Borgata regular.  "If you miss your hand you're crippled and can't come back."

Schiffman's case in point comes on his final hand. While holding 5 6 J J double suited, he flops an open ended straight draw on a board of 4 7 Q.  Schiffman bricks the turn and river and is knocked out by Yuebin Guo (low) and George Gillis (high) who split Schiffman's 50k.

The businessman says, "it's back to work at World Wide Jets," before playing the upcoming PLO and Championship Events in the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Event 7: Payouts

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Entries: 193
Total Buy-In: $50,180

Place - Amount

1st $14,601
2nd $8,031
3rd $4,624
4th $3,894
5th $2,921
6th $2,434
7th $1,947
8th $1,460
9th $1,095
10-12 $974
13-15 $852
16-18 $730

Event 5: 8th Place - Borrero

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ)

$3,300

 Blinds: 4k/8k, 1k ante

Miguel Borrero had been patient all day, working his short-stack.  He finally got his chips in good, holding pocket Kings pre-flop.  Justin Burton looked him up with J9.

The board ran out 9 8 8 7 9 and the river shipped the pot to Justin with 9s-full.

Miguel will pick up $3,300 for his 8th place finish.

Blinds are up to 5k/10k with 1k antes.  Seven players remain.  Average stack is 347k (~35 big blinds).

Event 6: 7th Place - Paulen

Event 6: $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Gene Paulen (Pleasantville, NY) 

$917

Holding K5xx Gene Paulen is thrilled to see the flop of K 5 5 for a full house. That is until George Gillis tables KK88 for a higher full house.  "I thought I was home and cruising," he says with disappointment. 

Paulen is a residential developer who makes it to Borgata periodically throughout the year.  He likes playing Omaha and No Limit and the timing was right for him to play in this tournament.

Gene Paulen finishes in 7th place and takes home $917.

Event 5: 9th Place - Liberta

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Joe Liberta (Berlin, NJ)

$2,475

Blinds: 4k/8k, 1k ante

Justin Burton opened for 17k.

Soheb Porbandarwala flatted.

Joe Liberta (button) moved in for 106k straight.

Karthik (sb) moved in for 112k straight.

Justin folded and Soheb called.  The hands were tabled:

Joe: 88
Karthik: A♠K♠
Soheb: K♣J♣

The board came Q♠4♠3♥T♦2♠ and Karthik nutted-up on the river to scoop both main and side pots.

Joe Liberta was busted in 9th place ($2,474).

Event 7: Pilgrim Holding On

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)  

Of the 193 entrants in this event, only 35 remain.

Among those 35 are
Dwyte Pilgrim
Barry Levinthal
Hoa Nguyen
Nick David

Event 6: 8th Place - Vizcaino

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Christian Vizcaino (S. Plainfield, NJ)

$733

Christian Vizcaino is down to 18k and busts when Bo Toft and Johnathan Levy split the pot.  "I only had a pair," says the 22 year old struggling pro, "I had to stick it in there."

Vizcaino says he went on a big rush during Day 1, but it was a slow bleed after the restart. "I'm disappointed, but it's better than not cashing."

Christian Vizcaino finishes in 8th place good for $733.

Event 6: 9th Place - Mitchell

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

 Arthur Mitchell (Pasadena, TX) 

$550

Arthur Miller's 9th place finish is bittersweet as he entered the day third in chips, but with rising limits and big swings was a short stack with 14 players left.  "Disappointed, but happy to cash," says Mitchell, who is also an avid Foosball player and one of the game's head referees.  "The glass is half full or half empty, I'll say it's half full."

Mitchell was poised to get some breathing room shortly before his elimination, but Ron Schiffman split a pot with him on the river.  Mitchell had the low locked up with 8 K A 2, but a 3 on the river gave Schiffman the high with a full house to trump Mitchell's two pairs.

The missed scoop for Mitchell cost him 20k and a chance to finish deeper in the money.

Mitchell, who finished 4th in this event in the 2010 Borgata Spring Poker Open ($3,000), says Omaha is his game of choice and this is the only event he'll be playing in the series.

Arthur Mitchell finishes in 9th place, earning $550.

Event 5: 10th Place - Wang

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Yueqi 'Lisa' Wang (Brookfield, WI)

$2,200

Blinds: 4k/8k, 1k ante

Soheb Porbandarwala opened for 18k on the button and Lisa Wang called from the big blind.

The flop came 8 7 3 rainbow and Lisa checked.  Soheb fired 21k, Lisa check-raised to 50k, and Soheb called.  Turn was an Ace.  Lisa bet more than half her stack and Soheb came over the top enough to cover her.  She called all-in, showing T9 offsuit for the open-ended draw.

Soheb held pocket Kings.  River was another 7 and Soheb took the pot, chipping up to ~470k, good for the chip lead.

Lisa Wang finished in 10th place, earning $2,200.  She was the last woman sitting in this event, so it is all testosterone from here on.

Event 6: No "Sach" Out for Ramrakhani

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Sach Ramrakhani

Bubble Boy

Sach Ramrakhani mucks his cards and is the bubble boy with his 10th place finish.  Ramrakhani is beaten by Christian Vizcaino's nut low and Yuebin Guo's two pairs (kings & 10s).

The final nine players are in the money and guaranteed at least $550, as they play for the first place prize of $6,417.

Event 5: Break Time Chip Counts

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

They completed level 18 and took off for a 15 minute break, so I took the opportunity to get some chip count estimates:

John 'Promo' Werz - 380k
Justin Burton - 372k
Michael Shasho - 350k
Wooyang Lin - 305k
Soheb Porbandarwala - 285k
Manh Nguyen - 230k
Lisa Wang - 180k
Joe Liberta - 170k
Karthik - 155k
Miguel Borrero - 55k

After the break, the blinds will be 4k/8k with 1k antes.

Event 5: Final Table Lineup & Chip Counts

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here are the final ten players with their new seat assignments and some rough chips counts, shortly after final-table play began:

Seat - Player Chips
1 - Joe Liberta - 200k
2 - Karthik - 130k
3 - Michael Shasho - 180k
4 - Manh Nguyen - 300k
5 - Wooyang Lin - 340k
6 - Justin Burton - 275k
7 - Miguel Borrero - 60k
8 - Soheb Porbandarwala - 330k
9 - John 'Promo' Werz - 290k
10 - Lisa Wang - 170k

Event 5: 11th Place - Cho

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Jaeik Cho (Tokyo, Japan)

$2,200

Blinds: 3k/6k, 500 ante

Jaiek Cho came into day two as the chip leader, but his luck turned.  He ran his AQ into Joe Liberta's pocket Kings for most of his chips and the rest was lost soon after.

Jaiek finished in 11th place, picking up $2,200.

The final ten drew for seats and moved to the final table.

Event 6: Final Table

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Limits 5k/10k

Seat-Name-Chip Counts

1. Gene Paulen (Pleasantville, NY) 31k
2. Monty Dennis (Tucker, GA) 64k
3. Arthur Mitchell (Pasadena, TX) 23.5k (2 big bets)
4. George Gillis (Glen Burnie, MD) 81k
5. Yuebin Guo (Brooklyn, NY) 56k
6. Bo Toft (Yardley, PA) 112k
7. Christian Vizcaino (S. Plainfield, NJ) 57.5k
8. Jonathan Levy (Plainview, NY) 103.5k (10 big bets)
9. Ron Schiffman (Cherry Hill, NJ) 95k
10. Sachin Ramrakhani (Fort Lee, NJ) 24.5k

Event 6: No Win for Hiep

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Hiep Nguyen (Falls Church, VA) is out in 11th place which sends the remaining 10 players to the final table. The next person out is the money bubble as the final nine get paid.

Event 6: Miami John Beached

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Miami John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV)

Miami John Cernuto was shooting for his second cash this week, but came up short.  He got his last chips in good with AAxx against KKxx, but a King on the turn crashed his rockets.

He busted out in 12th place, just three short of the money.

Yo!  Eleven players remain.  Average stack is 59k.

Event 5: 12th Place - Lipsky

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Miles Lipsky (Philadelphia, PA)

$2,200

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

Wooyang Lin opened for a raise and Miles Lipsky moved in.

Wooyang called, showing pocket Kings.  Miles was in bad shape with pocket 9s.

The board changed nothing and Wooyang took the pot, chipping up to ~330k.

Yo!  Eleven players remain.  Average stack is 221k.

Blinds are up to 3k/6k with 500 antes.

Event 5: 13th Place - Dentale

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY)

$1,925

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

Action folded to Mike Dentale in the hijack, who moved his short-stack all-in.

Lisa Wang (cutoff) moved in over the top, effectively isolating.

Mike rolled over 87 suited in clubs and saw that Lisa had him crushed with AK, also suited in clubs.

The board came Q J 9 3 5 and Lisa took the pot with nut-no-pair.

Mike will take $1,925 for 13th place.

Down to a Dozen.

Event 5: 14th Place - Hoover

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Gerry Hoover (Middle River Ba, MD)

$1,925

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

Gerry Hoover got his last ~60k in utg and action folded around to Manh Nguyen in the big blind.

Manh called, tabling AQ.  He was dominating Gerry's AT.  The board bricked out and Manh took the pot with AQ-high.

13 players remain.

Event 6: An Even Dozen

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Play resumed after the break with level 15, limits 3k/6k.

Russell Bamberger (Egg Harbor Twp, NJ) and Jordan Cutter (Las Vegas, NV) have been bounced out of this event.

 Goners:  Bamberger, Cutter, & Loguidice

Bo Toft rivered trip Tens to scoop and bust Joe Loguidice, (Atlantic City, NJ) who was all-in.  

12 players remain.  Average is 54k (9 big bets).

Event 5: Break Time Chip Leaders

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

They completed the level with no additional bustages so the final 14 are getting a break.

Justin Burton is the big stack with 410k.

Jaeik Cho is second with 320k.

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and 500 antes.

With 14 players, the average stack is 174k (35 big blinds).

Event 5: 15th Place - Vizirov

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Leonid Vizirov (Chalfont, PA)

$1,925

Leonid Vizirov flopped a straight-draw, flush-draw, and straight-flush-draw and got all his chips in the middle against Michael Shasho, who had pocket 6s.

Somehow Leonid whiffed all his outs and was busted.  Michael chipped up to ~240k.

Event 6: Three More Out The Door

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Shortly after moving to two tables, Kelvin 'CK the Great' Goode (Barnwell, SC) busted out.

Also gone is Claudangelo 'Hazardous88' Beaudouin (S Ozone Park, NY).

Following him was Sergio Vargas (Norwich, CT).

 Goners:  Goode, Beaudouin, & Vargas

15 players remain.  Average stack is 43k.

They've completed level 16 and are taking a break.

Event 5: 16th Place - Simeone

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Salvatore Simeone (Florham Park, NJ)

$1,650

Salvatore Simeone was next to go.  He'll collect $1,650 for 16th place.

15 players remain.  Average stack is 162k.

Event 5: 17th Place - Borovetz

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
 

Michael Borovetz (Pittsburgh, PA)

$1,650

After Miguel Borrero opened for 7k, Michael Borovetz called in position.  On the Ten high flop, Miguel moved all in.  Michael called, showing AT for top/top.   Miguel had pocket Jacks to double up.

Michael was crippled and moved in with pocket Tens on the next hand, unfortunately running into pocket Jacks again.

Michael Borovetz finished 17th ($1,650).

Blinds are up to 2k/4k with 400 antes.

Event 6: Four Down

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Mark Ashley (Jim Thorpe, PA) was the first to depart.

Jeff Hunter (Bronx, NY) arrived late and has since also reported to the rail.

Also gone are Kevin Farry (Pearl River, NY) and Damon Sita (Alexandria, VA).

18 players remain...only 9 get paid.

Table three has broken and they're down to the final two.

Average stack is 36k. 

Limits are up to 2k/4k.

Event 5: 18th Place - Cohen

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

 Jesse Cohen (Ardmore, PA)

$1,650

The first player to be dispatched was Jesse Cohen.  He will pick up $1,650 for 18th place.

I missed the hand, but Jesse summed it up well in his Tweet:

 Snap busted, reshoved ATo otb over aggro hj opener, bb woke up with kings

Lisa Wang opened for 8k utg, got one caller, then Mike Dentale (bb) moved all-in for 36,800.  Lisa called and the other player opted out.

Mike had pocket Kings.  Lisa had AQ off.  The board came 5 4 2 9 K and Mike improved to a set.  He more than doubled up on that hand.

Event 5: Payout Reminder

  $700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here's a reminder of what's at stake for these 18 players:

1st $32,998
2nd $18,150
3rd $10,450
4th $8,800
5th $6,600
6th $5,500
7th $4,400
8th $3,300
9th $2,475
10-12 $2,200
13-15 $1,925
16-18 $1,650

Event 6: Payouts

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Entries: 54
Total Buy-In: $18,900

Place - Amount

1st $6,417
2nd $3,483
3rd $2,200
4th $1,650
5th $1,283
6th $1,100
7th $917
8th $733
9th $550

Event 6: Omaha-lics Return

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Three tables of Omaha Hi/Lo players are getting underway here in the back of the Poker Room.  22 players have returned to split and scoop pots here on Easter Sunday.

Only the final 9 will get a piece of the $18,333 pie, with a min-cash being worth $550.

They all have their eyes on the top payout of $6,417, but it will take them a while to get there.

Play resumed with limits of 1,500/3,000 (level 13).

Event 5: Action Resumes

$700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

18 Players have returned to continue the battle for the top prize of $32,998.

All are in the money and guaranteed to leave with at least $1,650.

Play continued with blinds of 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes.  44 minutes remain in this level.

Event 7: "Two Seats Open"

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry) 

I hear a dealer call out "Two Seats Open" and rush over to see what happened.  I found Sardot Gaziev (N Brunswick, NJ) stacking a pile of chips.

 Sardot Gaziev - early chip leader

When I inquired how he accumulated ~75k chips (triple the starting stack) so early, he said "I got very lucky".  He made a straight earlier and just flopped a set to bust these two.

Event 7: More Familiar Faces

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Table 13 is up and running as more familiar faces arrive and settle in.

Among these lastest arrivals are
John Hinds
Hoa Nguyen
Raj Patel
Vladimir Peck

Event 7: Early Birds

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Twelve tables are already in action with a modest line at the registration window.

Late registration (and re-entry) will be allowed through level 8 (until about 1:15pm) so there's still time for folks to make it here after attending Easter services.

Already in action are some very familiar faces:

Dwyte Pilgrim
Howard Wolper
Eric Siegel
Jason Warriner
Nick David
Thomas Hoglund
Eric Miller

Event 7: Underway!

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Happy Easter!!

Quite a few players have turned up for the Easter Sunday Deep Stack Semi-Turbo event.  All events are in the Poker Room today (the Signature Room is not being used).

Players began with 25,000 chips and 15 minute levels (1-15).  Beginning with level 16, they are 30 minutes long for the duration of the tournament.

Players who bust out during the first 8 levels (2 hours of play) may chose to re-enter as many times as they like.

Level 1 blinds are 25/50.

The hunt for Easter goodies has begun!

Event 6 Chip Counts -Day 2

Borgata Spring Poker Open
Event 6 - $350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
April 7-8, 2012

Entries:  54
Total Buy-In:  $18,900

START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T1 | S1 - MONTY DENNIS (TUCKER, GA):  28,400

T1 | S2 - ARTHUR MITCHELL (PASADENA, TX):  45,000

T1 | S3 - HIEP NGUYEN (FALLS CHURCH, VA):  27,000

T1 | S4 - EUGENE PAULEN (PLEASANTVILLE, NY):  42,500

T1 | S5 - JOHN CERNUTO (LAS VEGAS, NV):  37,200

T1 | S6 - GEORGE GILLIS (GLEN BURNIE, MD):  35,500

T1 | S7 - JORDAN CUTTER (LAS VEGAS, NV):  44,600

T2 | S1 - ROBERT TOFT (YARDLEY, PA):  32,000

T2 | S2 - KEVIN FARRY (PEARL RIVER, NY):  22,000

T2 | S3 - SERGIO VARGAS (NORWICH, CT):  18,900

T2 | S4 - JOHN HUNTER (BRONX, NY):  13,100

T2 | S5 - CHRISTIAN VIZCAINO (SO PLAINFIELD, NJ):  39,900

T2 | S6 - YUEBIN GUO (BROOKLYN, NY):  43,000

T2 | S7 - KELVIN GOODE (BARNWELL, SC):  30,700

T2 | S8 - JOSEPH LOGUIDICE (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ):  19,200

T3 | S1 - CLAUDANGELO BEAUDOUIN (SO OZONE PARK, NY):  2,400

T3 | S2 - MARK ASHLEY (JIM THORPE, PA):  4,800

T3 | S3 - JONATHAN LEVY (PLAINVIEW, NY):  57,200

T3 | S4 - DAMON SITA (ALEXANDRIA, VA):  11,100

T3 | S5 - SACHIN RAMRAKHANI (FORT LEE, NJ):  10,000

T3 | S6 - RON SCHIFFMAN (CHERRY HILL, NJ):  64,000

T3 | S7 - RUSSELL BAMBERGER (EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ):  13,200

Event 5 Chip Counts -Day 2

Borgata Spring Poker Open
Event 5 - $700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em
April 7-8, 2012

Entries:  162
Total Buy-In:  $113,400

START OF DAY 2 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:

T1 | S1 - H MICHAEL BOROVETZ (PITTSBURGH, PA):  114,200

T1 | S2 - KARTHIK PANDRA (HOUSTON, TX):  90,300

T1 | S3 - MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY):  42,000

T1 | S4 - YUEQI WANG (BROOKFIELD, WI):  131,100

T1 | S5 - SALVATORE SIMEONE (FLORHAM PARK, NJ):  93,800

T1 | S6 - MILES LIPSKY (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  52,500

T1 | S7 - MIGUEL BORRERO (JERSEY CITY, NJ):  127,200

T1 | S8 - WOOYANG LIN (MORRISTOWN, NJ):  236,500

T1 | S9 - JUSTIN BURTON (NEW YORK, NY):  353,500

T2 | S1 - SOHEB PORBANDARWALA (STAMFORD, CT):  94,500

T2 | S2 - LEONID VIZIROV (CHALFONT, PA):  121,600

T2 | S3 - MICHAEL SHASHO (RAMSEY, NJ):  141,800

T2 | S4 - MANH NGUYEN (MUNHALL, PA):  221,200

T2 | S5 - GERRY PAUL HOOVER (MIDDLE RIVER BA, MD):  39,300

T2 | S6 - JESSE ALEXIS COHEN (ARDMORE, PA):  44,500

T2 | S7 - JOSEPH LIBERTA (BERLIN, NJ):  110,300

T2 | S8 - JAE CHO (SEOUL, KOR):  357,500

T2 | S9 - JONATHAN WERZ (MELVILLE, NY):  56,000

Sunday, April 8

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


11AM: Event 7 - $260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 15 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 30 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

3 PM:  Event 27 - $170 + $30 Six-Max Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 15 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 30 minutes each
• Players that "bust" within the first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

7 PM:  Event 28 - $100 + $20 + $25 Green 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

Log Off

Signing off from the Poker Room, the Borgata Poker Blog will be back bright and early with LIVE coverage of the 2012 Spring Poker Open.

Goodnight poker fans, thanks for following.