Event 4: Big Pots; Still Ten Handed

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

Blinds: 12k/24k, 3k ante

Jerry Callahan opened for 51k from the cutoff, then Edwin Lau (button) 3-bet to 127k straight.

Action folded back to Jerry, who announced he was all-in. 

Edwin gave it some thought, then folded, leaving himself with about 200k. 

Jerry chipped up to 910k, good for the chip lead.

Mark Wahba opened for 54k from the cutoff, then Hoa Nguyen re-popped to 154k. 

Mark shoved (245k on top) and after some though, Hoa called.

Mark had pocket Jacks.  Hoa had KT suited. 

Board came T 9 7 Q K giving Hoa two pair, but giving Mark the straight.  He doubled up to ~880k.  Hoa was left with ~130k.

Event 5: Payouts

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

Entries: 162
Total Buy-In: $113,400

Place - Amount

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 4: Stuck At Ten

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

Blinds Up: 12k/24k, 3k ante

Final table is still stuck at ten players.  Here are some rough chip counts:

Alex Rocha - 900k
Jerry Callahan - 590k
Hoa Nguyen - 510k
Mohammed Hakim - 450k
Fedor Khrapatin - 440k
Phong Nguyen - 420k
Edwin Lau - 360k
Mark Wahba - 340k
Oren Taylor - 320k
Mario Dragone - 135k

Event 4: Double; Double

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

Blinds: 10k/20k, 3k ante

Oren Taylor was all-in pre-flop again, this time against Mario Dragone, for 189k.

Oren's pocket Tens were racing against Mario's KQ off.

The board came J 6 4 7 3 and Mario doubled up, again, to over 400k.

Then it was Mario's (sb) turn to be all-in against Mohammed Hakim (bb).  Mario's A9 off was dominating Mohammed's 96 suited.

The board came K Q J K Q and Mario's Ace-kicker played.  He doubled to ~140k.

Event 6: Omahalics

$350 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The first Omaha tournament of the Borgata Spring Poker Open is underway.  Players start with 12k in chips and levels are 45 minutes long.

Familiar Faces

Chris Reslock
Tim D'Allesandro
Bo Toft
"Miami" John Cernuto

This is a two-day tournament and cards are in the air!

Event 4: Final Table Lineup

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

Just before moving to the final table, Alex Rocha's pocket Aces held up and he doubled up to nearly 900k, good for the chip lead (keep those Tweets coming: #BSO2012).

The final ten drew seat and moved to the final table.  Starting in the one seat:

Alex Rocha
Fedor Khrapatin
Mark Wahba
Hoa Nguyen
Oren Taylor
Mario Dragone
Mohammed Hakim
Phong 'VIP' Nguyen
Jerry Callahan
Edwin Lau

Shortly after play resumed, Oren Taylor was all-in and Jerry Callahan (bb) made the call with Q6.  Oren was ahead with KJ suited, then flopped a flush draw.

A Queen on the turn gave Jerry the lead, but Oren hit his flush on the river to double up to nearly 200k.  Jerry was left with about 490k.

Event 4: 11th Place - Matusow

 $400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

 Donald Matusow (Bryn Mawr, PA)

$1,554

Blinds: 10k/20k, 3k ante

Don Matusow got his short-stack all-in and called in two spots, by Alex Rocha and Phong 'VIP' Nguyen.

They checked down the board of J 8 2 4 8.

Don had A5 for Ace-high.  Alex had A6 for a better kicker.  VIP had A9 for an even better kicker to claim the pot.

Don Matusow finished in 11th place ($1,554).

Event 4: 12th Place - Behbahani

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

 Kambiz 'Tony' Behbahani (Fairfax Station, VA)  

$1,554

Blinds: 10k/20k, 3k ante

On the turn with a board of 6 x x 6, all the chip went in the middle.

Tony Behbahani was all in with pocket Kings, but Mark Wahba (sb) had 86 suited for trips.

Tony was busted in 12th place ($1,554).

Event 4: Break Time Chip Counts

 $400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

End of level and time for a break. 

Here are the estimated chip counts:

Jerry Callahan - 674k (33.7 big blinds)
Mohammed Hakim - 580k
Don Matusow - 450k
Hoa Nguyen - 450k
Phong 'VIP' Nguyen - 385k
Mark Wahba - 380k
Alex Rocha - 370k
Edwin Lau - 330k
Fedor Khrapatin - 265k
Mario Dragone - 260k
Tony Behbahani - 205k
Oren Taylor - 185k (9 big blinds)

Twelve players remain.  Average stack is 385k (19 big blinds). 

Play resumed with blinds of 10k/20k and 3k antes. 

Event 4: 13th Place - Brown

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

Rob Brown (Milford, NH)

$1,195

 Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante

Rob Brown moves all in from the SB with K 6 and is called by Phong Nguyen in the BB with K 10. Nguyen wins the hand with a pair of 10s and takes his stack to 370k. 

Brown finishes in 13th place for $1,195. 

Event 4: 14th Place - Dimaya

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

Hamilton Dimaya (Saddle Brook, NJ)

$1,195

Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante

Jerry Callahan (UTG) makes it 35k
Tony Behbahani (MP) calls
Hamilton Dimaya (BB) is all in for 130k and at risk
Callahan reshoves
Behbahani folds and shows A♠ Q♠

Dimaya: 8♥ 8♦
Callahan: 10♣ 10♦

Flop: 6♣ 7♣ 2♠ 

Turn: 5♥ (Dimaya open ended straight draw)

River J♥

River Dimaya's tournament comes to an end in 14th place earning him $1,195.  Callahan is now the chip leader with 650k.

Event 4: 15th Place - Cohen

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

 Rob Cohen (Chappaqua, NY)

$1,195 

Rob Cohen (cutoff) moves all in for 95k and is at risk

Alex Rocha (SB) calls

Cohen: K 10

Rocha: AK

Flop: J Q J (Cohen open ended)

Turn: 8

River: 2 

Cohen doesn't connect and is out in 15th place and earns the pay jump of $1,195.

Rocha is now up to 340k.

Event 4: 16th Place - Del Rossi

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

John Del Rossi (Mantua, NJ)

$1,016

Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante

John Del Rossi (MP) moves all in for 108k
Mohammed Hakim (button) calls

Del Rossi: A♠ K♥
Hakim: 5♣ 5♥

Flop: Q♣ 8♣ 7♠

Turn: 3♦

River: 6♠

Del Rossi loses the coin flip and is out in 16th place for $1,016.

"I can't win the other side of the race," says Del Rossi, after losing back to back races with pocket 9s.  "If there's a silver lining, maybe I can make a run in the $770."

The Borgata regular is taking his profit and rolling it over into Event 5, which still has open registration.

Event 4: Nines Unkind to Rossi

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Blinds 6k/12k/2k

John Del Rossi goes from 370k to 125k when his pocket 9s fail to hold twice.

Del Rossi first doubles-up Oren Taylor who's holding AK and spikes a king on the river to more than double his 88k.

A few hands later it's 9♥ 9♠ again for Del Rossi against the Q♣ 10♣ of Rob Cohen who's all in for 85k.

Flop: 5♦ 6♣ 2♣ (Cohen flush draw)

Turn: 8♣ (Cohen flush)

River: J♦

Cohen doubles up while Del Rossi drops to 125k.

Event 4: 17th Place - Warriner

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

Jason Warriner (Absecon, NJ)

$1,015

Blinds 8k/16/2k ante

Jason Warriner (MP) opens to 33k
John Del Rossi (Button) moves all in
Warriner calls and is at risk for 120k total

Warriner: Q♠ 10♣
Del Rossi: K♦ Q♥

Flop: 6♠ 7♠ 8♠
(Warriner has flush and gutshot straight draws, 50/50 to win the hand)

Turn: Q♣ (Del Rossi still leads with pair of queens, better kicker)

River: 7♣

Del Rossi wins the hand and knocks Warriner out in 17th place for $1,015.  Del Rossi now has more than 300k.

Event 4: 18th Place - Gorman

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

Erik Gorman (Matthews, NC)

$1,016

Blinds 5k/10k/1k ante

Gorman opens from under the gun to 26k
Hamilton Dimaya tank shoves 130k total
Gorman snap calls and is at risk

Gorman: J J
Dimaya: 8 8

Flop: A 8 4 (Dimaya set of 8s)

Turn: 9

River: 9

Dimaya's full house is the winner, knocking Gorman out in 18th place for $1,016.  Dimaya has been on a roll since returning as the short stack. After doubling through Gorman to start the day and then knocking him out, Dimaya is now an average stack with 260k.

Event 4: What's at Stake

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

The final 18 players are all in the money and are guaranteed at least $1,016.  Tony Behbahani has arrived and begins the day with a below average stack of 186k, but chip leader Hoa Nguyen is still MIA.

*****Update*****

Nguyen arrives at 12:17 pm and says, "I was having lunch."

****************

Short stack Hamilton Dimaya (Saddle Brook, NJ) doubles through Erik Gorman in a blind vs blind scenario.  Dimaya now has 80k.

Remaining Prize Pool

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

Event 4: Play Resumes

$400 + $50 Big Stack NLH 

As the final 18 players take their seats, two players are conspicuously absent.  Tony Behbahani (Fairfax Station, VA) and chip leaer Hoa Nguyen (Fairfax, VA).

The average stack 257k (26 BB) as play resumes with blinds at 5k/10k/1k ante.

Cards are in the air!

Event 5: Strong Field

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

Recognizable Faces in the Crowd

Dwyte Pilgrim
Lee Childs
Barry Levy
Paul Leon
Mike Dentale
Josh Cranfill
Eric Doerr
Bob Haavind
Vyacheslav Eyzerovich
Eric Siegel
Abe Korotki
John Allan Hinds
Roman Valerstein
Mark Sykes
Jason Young

Event 5: Double Trouble

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

DP Doubles-Up

Giving the chip lead to Dwyte Pilgrim, a former WPT Borgata Poker Open Champion, is one thing, but a double stack on the first hand of the tournament is ridiculous.

Holding J 10, Pilgrim and his opponent see a flop of 10 5 2 and Pilgrim calls a flop bet.  The turn brings another 10 and Pilgrim calls with trips.  The river is another 2 and when his opponent moves all in Pilgrim snap calls and shows the winning full house.

"My hand just kept getting better," says Pilgrim, who won his title in 2010 for $734,000. "Top pair, trips and a full house on the river."

Pilgrim, who now has 30k, is catching some good-natured ribbing from the other players at the table.

"I want my money back," says Ken Silverstein (Edison, NJ).  "His range is 3-7 and higher and now he has a double stack."

Also at the table is Mike Borovetz (Pittsburgh, PA) who's fresh off his second place finish in Event 2 for $16,754.

Event 5: Rock & Roll

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

The highest buy-in to date of the Borgata Spring Poker Open is underway. The $770 means a high caliber of play and a great prize pool.

Players love the 15k in starting chips and 40 minute levels (Levels 11+/50 min.). Unlimited re-entry is available for the first 4 levels, so those looking to fire multiple bullets are going to be aggressive early.

Blinds start 25/50 and the cards are in the air!

Saturday, April 7

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


11AM: Event 5 - $700 + $70 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

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

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

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips
• Levels will last 45 minutes each
• 2-Day event

7 PM:  Event 26 - $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 4 - Start of Day 2

Borgata Spring Poker Open
Event 4: $400 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em
April 6 - 7, 2012

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

START OF DAY 2 SEAT ASSIGNMENTS:
T1 | S1 - MARK WAHBA (CLEVELAND, OH):  305,000

T1 | S2 - FEDOR KHRAPATIN (BROOKLYN, NY):  373,000

T1 | S3 - KAMBIZ BEHBAHANI (FAIRFAX STATION, VA):  186,000

T1 | S4 - ROBERT BROWN (MILFORD, NH):  123,000

T1 | S5 - MARIO DRAGONE (TOTOWA, NJ):  266,000

T1 | S6 - EDWIN LAU (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  368,000

T1 | S7 - HAMILTON DIMAYA (SADDLE BROOK, NJ):  39,000

T1 | S8 - ERIK GORMAN (MATTHEWS, NC):  187,000

T1 | S9 - JEREMIAH CALLAHAN (OYSTER BAY, NY):  420,000

T2 | S1 - ALEXANDER ROCHA (S SETAUKET, NY):  265,000

T2 | S2 - JOHN DELROSSI (MANTUA, NJ):  299,000

T2 | S3 - OREN TAYLOR (BRIDGETON, NJ):  269,000

T2 | S4 - MOHAMMED HAKIM (PARSIPANNY, NJ):  357,000

T2 | S5 - HOA MINH NGUYEN (FAIRFAX, VA):  574,000

T2 | S6 - ALFRED WARRINER (ABSECON, NJ):  135,000

T2 | S7 - PHONG THAN NGUYEN (BRISTOW, VA):  100,000

T2 | S8 - ROBERT COHEN (CHAPPAQUA, NY):  107,000

T2 | S9 - DONALD MATUSOW (BRYN MAWR, PA):  229,000

Event 4: Top Two

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

The remaining 18 players return tomorrow at 12pm to fight for their share of the $123,200 Prizepool and coveted Borgata trophy. Top two big stacks pictured below.

CHIPLEADER

Hoa Nguyen - 574,000

2nd in Chips

Jerry Callahan - 420,000

Event 4: End of Day Stacks

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

Number of Entrants: 308
Players remaining: 18
Total Prizepool: $123,200

Chip-Counts for Day 2:

1 - Hoa Nguyen - 574,000
2 - Jerry Callahan - 420,000
3 - Fedor Kurapam - 373,000
4 - Edwin Lau - 368,000
5 - Mohammed Hakim - 357,000
6 - Mark Wahba - 305,000
7 - John Del Rossi Jr - 299,000
8 - Oren Taylor - 269,000
9 - Mario Dragone - 266,000
10 - Alex Rocha - 265,000
11 - Don Matusow - 229,000
12 - Erik Gorman - 187,000
13 - Kambiz Behbahani - 186,000
14 - Jason Warriner - 135,000
15 - Robert Brown - 123,000
16 - Rob Cohen - 109,000
17 - Phong Nguyen - 100,000
18 - Hamilton Dimaya - 39,000