Event 12: 5th Place - J. Reslock

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

Ming "Joy" Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ) 

$2,607

Game: Omaha H/L 

With the big bets at 25k/50k stacks are going quickly.  Joy Reslock is crippled on a hand against Norman Michalek when she misses her draw for the low and Michalek scoops with a pair of Kings.  Joe Palma knocks her out on the next hand.

Reslock finishes in 5th place for $2,607 and is her fifth Borgata cash and all five have been at final tables.

She finishes ahead of her husband, Chris, who she knocked out in 11th place.

Event 13: Dikker Chipping Up

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

Level 16: Blinds 2,500/5k/500 ante 

This is the last level before dinner break, which will happen at about 7:15pm.

Anna Dikker

Anna Dikker (Marlboro, NJ) is up to 250k and one of bigger stacks.

Anna has two final tables here.  She finished 3rd in the 2012 Spring Open Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH event for $4,624 and 4th in the 2011 Winter Open Deep Stack NLH for $16,572.

She's on table 20, which is the next one to break, so she'll get moved to a new seat somewhere else in the room.

Event 12: Break Time Chip Counts

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

Players are on a short break with limits moving up to 25k/50k
 
Name-Chip Counts

Sal Pipitone 471k (9 big bets)
Norm Michalek 435k
Allen Kessler 310k
Ming Reslock 300k
Joe Palma 285k (6 big bets)

Event 13: Dowling Whacks Wolper

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

Level 15: Blinds 2k/4k/400 ante 

Bart Dowling

Bart Dowling (Bronx, NY) already had a big stack before this hand, where he got involved with Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ).

After Bart opened, Howard jammed for about 40k and Bart called.

Howard:  TT
Bart: A8

An Ace on the flop was all Bart needed to take the pot.  He chipped up to about 450k and the chip lead.  Howard reported to the rail.

Event 13: Have You Had Your Blueberries Today?

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

Level 15: Blinds 2k/4k/400 ante

Edwin Torres

Edwin Torres (Barstow, FL) is up from Florida for work and enjoying some poker to boot.  When I asked about the Laker gear, he said "My wife bought it for me".

He's in the blueberry orchard business and his workers pick blueberries all the way up the east coast.

Blueberries are a superfood and have become very popular lately, but everyone who watches poker on TV remembers Jamie Gold eating blueberries by the bowl-full at the final table of the 2006 WSOP Main Event.

Packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, blueberries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory.

Event 13: Disappearing Like Summer

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

Level 14: Blinds 1,500/3k/400 ante

Unofficial number of entries today is 953.  That puts 23.825 million chips in play.

Tables have been breaking down quickly since registration closed.  Only 28 tables remain active with 280 or fewer players.   That means more than two-thirds of the field is gone.

Average stack is about 85k.

Event 13: Time To Check The Tweets

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

Level 13: Blinds 1,200/2,400/300 ante  

Play has resumed after the break.

Keep those tweets coming!  #BPO

Here's what the players are chirping about:

Patti Haggerty ‏@Patticakespoker 18m
Busto in the 150k gtd. Playing 500 survivor

John Zentner ‏@StanfordCard 16m
3rd break in Event 13 @BorgataPoker. Dropped to 25k when KK < AQ. Now back to 49k going to 1200/2400. 340/953 left.

Kevin McColgan ‏@Bukowski101 11m
We have 104k going to 12/2400

Aaron Pinson ‏@NityByNature 5m
And busted second entry 3b ai ak opener calls with k10 and i don't win

Chris Baud ‏@RealChrisBaud 2m
KOed Matthew Burnitz in the $150k

Frank DiRe ‏@FLD15 23s
60k at break. Back to the action.

Event 12: 6th Place - Alger

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

Frank Alger (Colonial Beach, VA)

$2,173

Game: Omaha H/L

After doubling-up Allen Kessler in the Hold'em round, Frank Alger loses the last of his chips to Ming Reslock.

Alger has 9-9-10-A against Q-Q-J-x on a board of 2-5-5-10-5 and Reslock's full house extends her chip lead to 650k.

"At least I got some of my money back," says Alger who says he's been bricking a lot of Borgata tournaments.  He brings in $2,173 for his 6th place finish.

Event 12: 6 Pack Chip Counts

 $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Seat-Name-Chip Count

1 Norm Michalek 305k
2 Ming Reslock 550k
3 
4
5 Sal Pipitone 320k
6 Allen Kessler 75k
7 Frank Alger 240k
8 
9 Joe Palma 280k

****5: 25 Update****

Kessler doubles in Hold'em when his AK hits two pairs against the JJ of Frank Alger.

Event 13: Early Chip Leader

$260 + $40 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

End of level 12 and time for a break. 

Patricia Cahill

Patricia Cahill (Port Jefferson Station, NY) is up to 273k and an early chip leader in the field.

Patricia's father passed away in 2008 at 89 years old. "He was a real life Archie Bunker," says Cahill, "I really believe playing poker gave him a reason to live and extended his life."

"Now I feel his presence when I'm playing," says the Cahill, who's a grandmother. "I sometimes play cards I think he wants me to play."

She didn't get serious about poker until after her father passed and has since taught the game to the rest of the family, including her grandchildren.  She's amassed over $100,000 in tournament earnings, including a final table here at Borgata during the 2013 Spring Open.

Event 13: Dodging Debts?

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


Level 12: Blinds 1k/2k/300 ante 

Henry Hamiliton

Henry Hamilton (New York, NY) is up to 150k.   "You're not going to put this on the internet, are you?" he said.  "I got people looking for me" he joked. 

"But seriously", he continued, "my bookie won't be happy to see me here". 

Henry continues to keep table 22 entertained.

Event 12: 7th Place - Rosenau

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

David Rosenau (Absecon, NJ)

$1,738

Seven Card Stud

David Rosenau puts the last of his chips in with split kings and watches Allen Kessler, Frank Alger and Joe Palma check the rest of the way.

Palma turns over two pairs to take the pot.

Rosenau quietly walks away to pick up $1,738 for his 7th place finish.

Event 13: Navy Flyover

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

Level 12: Blinds 1k/2k/300 ante 

Jeremy Medlen

Jeremy Medlen (Eugene, OR) is making some noise over on table ten, so I had to go check it out.

He's up to ~130k in early action.

Jeremy is in the Navy and was selected for Officer Candidate School, which is in Rhode Island, so he stopped here on the way to play some poker.

Thank you for your service to our country, Jeremy!

Event 12: 8th Place - Toft

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

Bo Toft (Yardley, PA) 

$1,304

Game: Razz

Bo Toft says, "good tournament, it was fun," after his 9-low ends up making two pairs against the Jack-low of Frank Alger.

Toft takes home $1,304 for his 8th place finish. This is his fourth Borgata HORSE final table to go along with $500,000+ in career tournament earnings.

Event 13: Nguyen Back For More

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

Level 11: Blinds 800/1,600/200 ante

Johnson Nguyen - Winner of Event 8

Johnson Nguyen (Philadelphia, PA) is back for more only a few hours after winning $111,360 and his first Borgata Open trophy in event 8.

Play finished shortly after 4am and in his post-game interview, Johnson said he wouldn't be back until the Championship event.  He's obviously changed his mind, since he's already back on the felt.  Johnson is a poker dealer back home in Philadelphia, but if he makes another deep run, he may decide it's time to move to the other side of the table.

Event 12: 9th Place - Lim

 $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

 Sang "Steven" Lim (Flushing, NY) 

$978

Game: Stud H/L

Steven Lim says, "It's been fun whatever happens," while getting the last of chips in while showing 10-8-6-9 against the 6-7-3-4 of Ming Reslock.

Reslock "squeezes" her 7th street card and says, "sorry I filled up," as she turns over 3-7-7 for a full house.

Lim ends up with two pairs (10s and 9s) with A-10-9 in the hole.

"Not too bad," says Lim, "this is just my third HORSE tournament."

This is Lim's second tournament cash, both at Borgata, after finishing 2nd in April's Spring Poker Open ($450 entry) for $10,000.

Event 12: Final Table

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

Seat-Name

1 Norm Michalek
2 Ming Reslock
3 Steven Lim
4 David Rosenau
5 Sal Pipitone
6 Allen Kessler
7 Frank Alger
8 Bo Toft
9 Joe Palma

Event 13: Birthday Boy

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

Level 10: Blinds 600/1,200/200 ante

Freddy Alesi

Freddy Alesi (Long Island, NY) is celebrating his birthday today playing this event and asked if he could get a "Let's Go Jets!" in the blog.

Only because its your birthday.

Event 12: 10th Place - Sykes

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

 Mark Sykes (Margate, NJ) 

$869

Game: Stud

Mark Sykes is crippled in this round with two pairs against Norm Michalek's three 9s.  Sykes gets a double-up through Allen Kessler, but Michalek eventually gets the knockout.

Sykes takes home $869 for his 10th place finish.

Sykes is a two-time Borgata trophy holder with more than $500,000 in career tournament earnings.

The remaining nine players are redrawing for final table seats.

Event 13: Mad Viking Doubles

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

Level 9: Blinds 500/1,000/100 ante 

Bob 'the Mad Viking' Haavind

Bob 'the Mad Viking' Haavind (Boston, MA) was all-in pre-flop holding pocket 9s.

His opponent held AQ offsuit and it was race-time.

The flop fell 9 3 3 giving Bob a full house and putting a hammer lock on the hand.  Only running Aces or running Queens would bust Bob.

That didn't happen and Bob doubled up to about 26k, just over the starting stack of 25k.  Bob is sharing his patch of green felt with Jamie Kerstetter, Mo Farah, and Abe Korotki.

Event 12: 11th Place - C. Reslock

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.
 

Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ) 

$869

Game: Seven Card Stud

"Don't spread the rumor," says an embarrassed Ming Reslock who just knocked out her husband Chris.

Reslock loses with 9s and 7s against Ming's better two pairs, Kings and 7s.

Chris finishes in 11th place for $869, while Ming takes her stack to 250k.

Chris is a three-time Borgata trophy winner and picks up his second cash of the series after finishing in 4th place in PLO (Event 5) for $3,300.

Event 13: Break Time Tweets

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

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

Players are back from their break and registration is closed.

Keep those Tweets coming!  #BPO

Here's what they were chirping about during the break:

Michael Dentale ‏@Mikunbelievable 4m
I would tweet my monster chip count but too many haters are trolling my account, don't want to jinx myself. Ahh f--k it 130k

Thomas Montalto ‏@ThomasMontalto 20m
28,000 even at the second break of the Borgata Open event 13! #BPO13 @BorgataPoker

Eric Rappaport ‏@Rappy300 14m
22.5k going into 1k bb. #Grinding

joe ‏@joeyrodsx3 13m
68k going to 1/500/1000 after break

john holley ‏@hohnjolley 9m
79,100 chips on 2nd break Borgata 300. #madeafewhands

Frank DiRe ‏@FLD15 5m
Still sporting the same 26-27k stack at 2nd break.

John Zentner ‏@StanfordCard 1m
Late reg'd Event 13 @BorgataPoker after first break. Have 40k from 25k starting stack at 2nd break. 500/1000/100 next. #BPO

Peter ‏@cossac78 1m
@BorgataPoker $31K blinds 500-1000 100

Event 12: 12th Place - Deutsch

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

Jack "The Snake" Deutsch (Staten Island, NY) 

$869

Game: Seven Card Stud

"Tell them I worked the short stack into 12th place," says Jack Deutsch, who returned 14 out of 15th in chips.

Deutch's tournament ends when his pair of Kings is beaten by the three 3s of Sal Pipitone.

Deutsch finishes in 12th place for $869.

Event 12: 13th Place - Rivkin

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

 Jason Rivkin (Eatontown, NJ) 

$760

Game: Razz

Jason Rivkin won't be earning his second Borgata HORSE trophy after showing a lot of paint and is drawing dead on 5th street.  Frank Alger wins the hand, taking his stack to 260k.

Rivkin, who won this event in April's Spring Poker Open for $8,000, takes home $760 for his 13th place finish.

Event 12: 14th Place - Zinno

 $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

 Anthony Zinno (Cranston, RI)

 $760

Game: Razz

Anthony Zinno loses the last of his chips when Norman Michalek hits the wheel.

Zinno adds $760 to his bankroll for a 14th place finish.

This is Zinno's second cash of the series after finishing third in Event 6 ($1K entry) for $15,000.

Event 12: 15th Place - Shapiro

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

Dan Shapiro (Great Neck, NY) 

$760 

Game: Texas Hold'em

Dan Shapiro raises UTG with AQ and is 3-bet by Norm Michaelek who's holding JJ.

"I wasn't going anywhere once I raised," says Shapiro who loses the flip.

Shapiro finishes in 15th place for $760.

Event 13: Blinds Up!

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

Level 8: Blinds 400/800/75 ante

The blinds are up and this is the last level for using the green 25 chips, so they'll be colored up on the next break.


This is also the last level for re-entry, so for the short stacks, it is time to double-up or re-enter!

Event 12: Back in the Saddle

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

Limits 8k/16k


15 players return with an average stack of 112k (7 big bets)

David Rosenau (Absecon, NJ) is the chip leader with 217k (14 bb).

Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard Update (9/11)

Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Poker Open event (September 3-20, 2013), players earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2013 Borgata Poker Open Leaderboard*
(Final Results events: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)

411.400:  ILYA VASSERMAN
350.000:  MAKSIM ROZENFELD
341.890:  ARTUR ZAIKANSKY
330.450:  EMANUEL FAILLA
320.625:  JOSEPH GRODOWSKI
319.150:  ERIC RAPPAPORT
318.950:  DANIEL WACH
314.625:  KHALED ALWAN
306.625:  SOHEB PORBANDARWALA
305.000:  JOHNSON NGUYEN
298.113:  PHILIP NEIMAN
293.825:  THOMAS HOGLUND
285.100:  JASON ROSENBERG
268.250:  JOHN HOLLEY
267.850:  ANDREW JEFFREY
263.325:  ERIC SIEGEL
251.250:  JONAS WEXLER

Event 13: Texas Hold'em is an Easy Game

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

 Soloway on his Way

Level 6: Blinds 200/400/50 ante

Barry Soloway (Port Jefferson, NY) has to sweat AA in a three-way all in against QQ & JJ.

The board runs clean and Soloway gets a double-up knockout to take his stack to 100k.

"It's an easy game when you get cards and don't gets sucked out on," says Soloway.

Ellen Lambeth (Charlotte, NC) is the player holding Jacks as both victims grab a re-entry tickets on their way back to registration.

Event 13: Soup & Sushi

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

Sibbald & Rosenberg

Level 5: Blinds150/300/25 ante

Keith Sibbald (Upper Saddle River, NJ) and Jason Rosenberg (Raliegh, NC) are back from break and enjoying the Event Center fare.

Sibbald goes with the soup, while Rosenberg has the more challenging task of Sushi. It's not Izakaya, but it will do for now.

Event 13: Players Checking in Via Twitter

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

1st Break / Next Blinds: 150/300/25 ante

Tweet Counts

Tim Bishop 35k
Kevin McColgan 28k
Frank DiRe 27k
John Holley 15k

Event 13: Early Tweets

$260 + $40 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Level 4: Blinds 100/200

Just watched @JamieKerstetter get coolered twice in big pots first few levels but she's still got chips somehow. GL.
— Kori Hunter (@korihunter) September 11, 2013

First hand in #bpo13 Top pair flush draw and open ended.. Lost to bottom 2 for a 45k pot lolololololololololololollolololololollololo
— Michael Dentale (@Mikunbelievable) September 11, 2013

Event 13: Heads Up!

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

Level 3: Blinds 75/150

 (l-r) Earl King (Colts Neck, NJ), Bonita & Santangelo

The Heads Up bracket is posted in the Event Center in preparation of Thursday's Purple Chip Bounty tournament.

"I'll be in it," says Mike Bonita (New York, NY) who says, "it didn't go to well last time."

Anthony Santangelo (Glenn Mills, PA) says he hopes to be heads up Thursday, but at the final table playing for first prize in this tournament.

The Heads Up tournament is a $1,500 + $150 entry that will be capped at 64 players. Each match a player wins earns them a $500 knockout bounty.

The tournament kicks off 3 pm Thursday.

Event 13: Will Thrilled with the Ladies

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

Level 2: Blinds 50/100

McKennon surrounded by (l-r) Plate, O'Brien, Freedman & Hubbard

Will McKennon (Grenloch, NJ) asks, "did you get my picture with all these lovely ladies?"

Not only that, we see him stay on their good side by taking down a three-way pot on the river with a full house against two gentleman.

Earlier, two of the women go head-to-head with Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ) check-calling the entire way, only to lose to the flopped two pairs (A 3) of Wendy Freedman (Las Vegas, NJ) against Hubbard's AQ from the small blind.

Freedman finished second in Event 7 ($400 entry) for $26,000, while Hubbard has 13 of her 15 career cashes at Borgata.

The other two ladies at the table are Borgata regulars Lana O'Brien (Marlboro, NJ) and Dorothy Plate (Oakdale, NY).  O'Brien is Borgata trophy holder and 5 out of her 10 Borgata cashes, have been final tables; Plate is looking for her first tournament cash.

Lots of results on this table along with lots of early action.

Event 13: Never Forget

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

Level 1: Blinds 25/50
    
After a moment of silence to remember the victims of 9/11, play is underway in the Event Center.

The middle Wednesday of any Borgata Open series is a popular one as the $300 entry is the most affordable to date and one of the best values; not to mention the prize pool is $150,000 GUARANTEED.

Players begin with 25k chips with levels lasting 25 minutes to start (11+ / 30 min.).

It's a one day tournament with re-entry and late registration open for the first 8 Levels.

9/11 is always sobering. Being this close to NYC from Ohio makes it more sobering. Feeling blessed to be able to do what I love! #'Merica

— Tim Bishop (@timbishop847) September 11, 2013

Event 11: Photo Slideshow

May not work on mobile devices.

Event 11 Recap

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

When you hit quads twice in one tournament, it's probably a good sign that it's going to be your day. Larry Franks doesn't play poker that much... maybe once or twice a year... but he made his one time this year a worthwhile one as he bested a field of 482 players in a one day poker marathon to take home a Borgata Poker Open trophy and the first place prize of $41,808. Larry's key hand was when he flopped two pair and then got it all in against runner-up Brian Poliva's turned two pair that was one notch smaller then his. A miracle 6 on the river on the final hand would deliver the knockout to Poliva to give Franks the win.

Larry got his start playing charity poker tournaments in Toronto nearly 23 years ago. Larry mentioned that he played with Daniel Negreanu before Negreanu was a household name. This is his first tournament win ever and when asked how he felt Larry said "pretty excited." Larry, who is an anesthesiologist, tries to come to Borgata every September to play in a couple of tournaments. Larry said "I just redid my house and the money is going to be used to pay that off. And I'm going to give some to my wife."

Larry Franks (Long Island, NY) - Winner, Event 11 - $41,808

Larry bested a field that saw notable names like Will Failla (33rd place) and Amanda Musumeci (9th place) make deep runs. Brian Poliva dominated most of the action at the final table winning numerous races, having the best hand countless times, and even hitting a runner runner miracle full house. However, in the end he would let Larry Franks back into it and by the time Poliva got it in with the best hand (A-K) against Franks lesser hand (K-6) it was too late and when the miracle 6 hit the river, Franks was our champion.

When final table play got started, the players and approximate chip counts were as follows:

Seat 1: Abraham Faroni, Philadelphia, PA 1.05 million
Seat 2: Daniel Marcus, Merrick, NY 1.65 million
Seat 3: Brian Poliva, Nutley, NJ 5.35 million
Seat 4: Amanda Musumeci, Philadelphia, PA 1.4 million
Seat 5: Fabio Buonaguro, Toronto, Canada 1.2 million
Seat 6: Michael Buttacavoli, Ventnor, NJ 1.7 million
Seat 7: Andrew Klein, Ocean, NJ 4.7 million
Seat 8: Eddie Bou, West Palm, FL 1.25 million
Seat 9: Larry Franks, Long Island, NY 2.6 million
Seat 10: Jason Yniguez, Brooklyn, NY 2.55 million


When play concluded the order of finish and payouts were as follows:

1st place - Larry Franks (Long Island, NY) $41,808
2nd place - Brian Poliva (Nutley, NJ) $24,137
3rd place - Jason Yniguez (Brooklyn, NY) $14,728
4th place - Daniel Marcus (Merrick, NY) $11,864
5th place - Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) $9,327
6th place - Eddie Bou (West Palm, FL) $7,773
7th place - Michael Buttacavoli (Ventnor, NJ) $6,218
8th place - Abraham Faroni (Philadelphia, PA) $4,746
9th place - Amanda Musumeci (Philadelphia, PA) $3,273
10th place - Fabrio Buonaguro (Toronto, Canada) $2,127

FINAL RESULTS

Event 8 Recap

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

After a marathon heads up battle, it would be Johnson Nguyen who would draw out in a huge pot to ultimately defeat his counterpart, Andrew Jeffrey, to win the Borgata Poker Open trophy and the $111,360 that came with it. Johnson said winning was "surreal" and added that he does not play poker much.

 Johnson Nguyen, Winner, $500 + $60 Deeper Stack NLHE (Re-Entry)

The key hand saw Jeffrey three betting pre-flop and Nguyen making the call. The flop came 7-5-2 and Jeffrey led out for 2 million. Johnson jammed all in and Jeffrey snap called with pocket kings. Nguyen was on a draw with 6-4. The turn was a ten keeping Jeffrey in the lead but the river was a 8 to give Johnson a straight and cripple Jeffrey. The tournament would be over a few hands later. When asked about the hand that crippled Jeffrey he said "if I'm going to see the flop and I hit a draw, I'm going to go with it. I felt like it was going to come because I've been sucking out all night." Johnson said he played the tournament "because of the guarantee and the big prize pool."

Third place and $40,493 went to Frank Bonacci, who was the start-of-day-two chip leader.  He has two Borgata Open titles to his credit already from the 2011 Spring Open and 2012 Summer Open.  He fought hard to make it a hat trick here tonight, but came up short.  After winning last Summer, Bonacci said poker was taking a back seat to his boot business, Frank's Shoes.

The $500,000 Guarantee on total buy-ins for this event was cleared by a nose.  The final count of entries came to 1,056, bringing total buy-ins to $528,000.   The final 100 players earned a piece of the prize pool. Only 40 players out of 320 entries survived day 1A action.  Day 1B saw more than double the entries, winding up with 736.  Only 89 of those made the cut for a total of 129 players returning on day two. Day two action was frenzied.  They got underway at noon and it only took a couple of levels to see the departure of John DiBella (New Rochelle, NY) who was second in chips when play began.  He lost the last of his chips to Johnson Nguyen, who went on to win the event.


Orson Young (Oceanport, NJ) was third in chips at the start of the day and he went on to finish 16th for $2,784. Runner up Andrew Jeffrey has a handful of cashes and one final table here at Borgata.  He finished 41st in event 7, earning $831. His highest finish and largest cash was an 8th in the $260 NLH event during the 2013 Borgata Summer Poker Open, earning $4,779.

Johnson said that he might play in the WPT Championship event but for now he's going to enjoy this victory and the $111,360 that came with it.

 Final Table Results

1 - Johnson Nguyen $111,360
2 - Andrew Jeffrey $66,914

3 - Frank Bonacci (Pittsburgh, PA)  $40,493

4 - Joe Grodowski (Staten Island, NY)  $33,913

5 - Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY)  $27,839

6 - Aleksander Sirota (Manalapan, NJ)  $22,524

7 - Matt Maccaroni (Hamilton Square, NJ)  $17,969

8 - Pierce McKellar (Flagstaff, AZ)  $13,666

9 - John Caltagirone (Flushing, NY)  $9,364

10 - Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ)  $6,074

FINAL RESULTS

Wednesday, September 11

TODAY'S EVENTS (EVENT CENTER)

11AM: Event 13 - $260 + $40 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
             $150,000 GUARANTEED

• Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-10: will last 25 minutes each | Levels 11+:  will last 30 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries) 
• 1-Day event  

4 PM: Event 39 - $500 + $50 SURVIVOR No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 16+:  will last 40 minutes each
• Approximately 1 in 10 will win $5,000 CASH
• 1-Day event

7 PM: Event 40 - $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on table in order to remain active in tournament
• Levels will last 20 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries) 
• 1-Day event

Event 11 - 1st place Larry Franks

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

When you hit quads twice in one tournament, it's probably a good sign that it's going to be your day. Larry Franks doesn't play poker that much... maybe once or twice a year... but he made his one time this year a worthwhile one as he bested a field of 482 players in a one day poker marathon to take home a Borgata Poker Open trophy and the first place prize of $41,808.

Larry's key hand was when he flopped two pair and then got it all in against runner-up Brian Poliva's turned two pair that was one notch smaller then his. A miracle 6 on the river on the final hand would deliver the knockout to Poliva to give Franks the win.

Larry got his start playing charity poker tournament in Toronto nearly 23 years ago. Larry mentioned that he played with Daniel Negreanu before Negreanu was a household name. This is his first tournament win ever and when asked how he felt Larry said "pretty excited." Larry, who is an anesthesiologist, tries to come to Borgata every September to play in a couple of tournaments. Larry said "I just redid my house and the money is going to be used to pay that off. And I'm going to give some to my wife."

Congratulations on your win Larry!

Larry Franks (Long Island, NY) - 1st place - $41,808

Event 11 - 2nd place Brian Poliva

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 200K/400K Ante 50K

Brian Poliva started heads up with a commanding chip lead but as most poker players know it doesn't take much to change that. A double up or two and positions can be reversed. This is what happened to Poliva tonight heads up against Larry Franks.

The first double up occurred when Franks opened for one million pre-flop and was called by Brian. Larry bet another million on the A♣Q♠8♣ flop. Brian moved all in and Larry snap called with A-K. Brian only had 9-8 for bottom pair. The turn was another ace and Brian was drawing dead. This evened up the chip counts somewhat, putting Brian at roughly 14 million and Larry at 10 million.

A few hands later with the board reading Q♥T♦4♣3♦ Larry moved all in, a huge overbet, and was almost instantly called by Brian who announced "two pair" as he turned over T-3. Unfortunately for him, Larry had flopped a bigger two pair with T-4. The river was a jack and Larry now had a commanding chip lead of 20 million to 4 million.

Brian Poliva (Nutley, NJ) - 2nd place - $24,137

Event 11 - 3rd place Jason Yniguez

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 100K/200K Ante 30K

Jason Yniguez had taken the chip lead over from Brian Poliva, the first time Poliva had not held the chip lead in quite some time. The two tangled and saw a flop of A♣J♥5♦. Jason led out for 500K and was called by Brian. The turn was the 3♥ and both players checked. It was when the 4♦ that came on the river when the fireworks started. Brian led out for 700K and Jason moved all in - a huge overbet of over 8 million in chips. Brian stared up at the ceiling and quietly said to himself "sucked out". He replayed the hand through his head and found it in himself to make the call. When Jason hesitated turning his cards over, Brian knew he had the winner and turned over A♠8♦. It was the winner, but just barely as Jason held A-7. That hand crippled Jason down to 800K. He would get it all in with pocket queens on the very next hand and be called by Larry Franks who held K-8. The flop would come with a king and to add insult to injury Franks would river a straight to send Jason off to dream of what might have been.

Jason Yniguez (Brooklyn, NY) - 3rd place - $14,728

Event 11 - 4th place Daniel Marcus

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 80K/160K Antes 20K

A short stacked Daniel Marcus moved all in for 1.5 million and was called by chip leader Brian Poliva. Marcus held A-2 and was behind the A-8 that Brian held. The 8 kicker would end up playing to eliminate Marcus in 4th place.

Daniel Marcus (Merrick, NY) - 4th place - $11,864

Event 11 - 5th place Andrew Klein

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 80K/160K Antes 20K

Andrew Klein was 2nd in chips heading into the hand that would ultimately send him home. Jason opened the action for 400K and was called by Brian. Klein made it 1.5 million to go causing Jason to fold. Brian was not so easy as he made the call. The flop came K-9-4 and Brian checked. Klein moved all in, a large overbet. Brian thought for a moment and made the call, showing K-J. A disgusted Klein turned over queens. The turn was a jack giving Brian two pair and the river was a three and all Klein could do was whisper under his breath "shoulda gone all in, stupid f***". He regained his composure and told the other four "good playing with you guys."

Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) - 5th place - $9,327

Event 11 - 6th place Eddie Bou

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 60K/120K Antes 20K

A short stacked Eddie Bou moved all in for his last 720K with Q-T and was called by Jason Yniguez who held A-J. Bou hit a queen on the flop but the ace on the river gave Jason the better hand.

Eddie Bou (West Palm, FL) - 6th place - $7,773

Event 11 - 7th place Michael Buttacavoli

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 60K/120K Antes 20K

Down to just under a million, Michael Buttacavoli (Ventnor, NJ) moved all in. Andrew Klein to his immediate left made it two million to go. It was folded to Brian Poliva in the big blind who moved all in. After asking for a count and finding out that Poliva had over 5 million behind, Klein made a reluctant fold saying he had tens. Buttacavoli showed K-J while Poliva had Kings. Buttacavoli was able to pick up a gutshot straight draw but it did not hit and he is our next player sent to the cage to collect his winnings.

Michael Buttacavoli (Ventnor, NJ) - 7th place - $6,218

Event 11 - 8th place Abraham Faroni

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 60K/120K Antes 20K

Down to just over 10 big blinds, Abraham Faroni (Philadelphia, PA) moved all in with A♥7♠ for 1.3 million and was called by Andrew Klein who held A♣Q♣. The board was no help for Faroni and he finished in 8th place collecting $4,746.

Abraham Faroni (Philadelphia, PA) - 8th place - $4,746

Event 11 - 9th place Amanda Musumeci

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 50K/100K Ante 10K

After losing a race that took over half her stack, Amanda Musumeci moved all in over the top of Daniel Marcus's opening 200K raise for 875K total. Marcus made a reluctant call showing A♦2♣ while Amanda held pocket 8's. The flop came T♦4♠3♦ keeping Amanda in the lead but giving Marcus a gutshot straight draw. The turn was the K♣ and Amanda was still in the lead. The river was a deadly card for Amanda - the A♣ and just like that she was out the door in 9th place as she quietly wished the rest of the table "good luck".

Amanda immediately tweeted about her knockout hand:

Rejammed 88 into a2 and he rivers his ace. 9th place. Disappointing. Gn
— Amanda Musumeci (@TheReaLMander) September 11, 2013

Amanda Musumeci (Philadelphia, PA) - 9th place - $3,273

Event 11 - 10th place Fabio Buonaguro

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 50K/100K Ante 10K

With the flop reading T♦4♠5♦, Brian Poliva and Fabio Buonaguro got it all in and Fabio was in great shape to double up against the chip leader as he held pocket 4's for a flopped set. Brian had top pair with J-T. The turn was the T♥ giving Brian outs to any ten, five, or jack to deal a stunning knockout to Fabio. The river was precisely one of those cards, the J♥ and the stunned Buonaguro was sent to collect his 10th place payday of $2,127.

Fabio Buonaguro (Toronto, Canada) - 10th place - $2,127

Event 11 - Final table set

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

The final table is set. Tim Whalen went out when his K♥5♥ was unable to best the pocket 10's of Michael Buttcavoli. Whalen finished in 12th collecting $2,127.

Also collecting $2,127 for his 11th place finish was Steven Gagliano (West Babylon, NY) when he ran into the quad jacks of Larry Franks. Franks nearly tripled up on the hand as chip leader Brian Poliva was also all in with A-K.

The final ten is as follows:

Seat 1: Abraham Faroni, Philadelphia, PA 1.05 million
Seat 2: Daniel Marcus, Merrick, NY 1.65 million
Seat 3: Brian Poliva, Nutley, NJ 5.35 million
Seat 4: Amanda Musumeci, Philadelphia, PA 1.4 million
Seat 5: Fabio Buonaguro, Toronto, Canada 1.2 million
Seat 6: Michael Buttacavoli, Ventnor, NJ 1.7 million
Seat 7: Andrew Klein, Ocean, NJ 4.7 million
Seat 8: Eddie Bou, West Palm, FL 1.25 million
Seat 9: Larry Franks, Long Island, NY 2.6 million
Seat 10: Jason Yniguez, Brooklyn, NY 2.55 million

Event 8 - Nguyen Wins

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

After battling heads up for hours, Andrew Jeffrey had taken over the chip lead for the first time in the heads up match. He three bet Johnson Nguyen and Nguyen made the call. The flop came 7-5-2 and Jeffrey led out for 2 million. Johnson jammed all in and Jeffrey snap called with pocket kings. Nguyen was on a draw with 6-4. The turn was a ten keeping Jeffrey in the lead but the river was a 8 to give Johnson a straight and cripple Jeffrey. The tournament would be over a few hands later.

After the win, Nguyen said it was "surreal" and added that he does not play poker much. When asked about the hand that crippled Jeffrey he said "if I'm going to see the flop and I hit a draw, I'm going to go with it. I felt like it was going to come because I've been sucking out all night." When asked why he played the tournament Johnson explained it was "because of the guarantee and the big prize pool." Johnson said that he might play in the WPT Championship event but for now he's going to enjoy this victory and the $111,360 that came with it.

Johnson Nguyen, Winner of Event #8, and his rail

Event 8 - Jeffrey Chipping Away at lead

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

They are on a brief break. Jeffrey has cut into Nguyen's chip lead. Johnson has approximately 18 million in chips while Andrew has 13.5 million.

Event 11 - Lucky Thirteen

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 30K/60K Antes 5K

Joseph Pitti (East Meadow, NY) is our 14th place finisher winning $1,636. He was crippled when he moved all in with A-T and lost a race to pocket 3's. He stuck the rest of his chips in on the next hand with Q♦6♦ and was unable to outdraw his opponent's A-Q.

Event 8: Stuck At Two

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

Blinds 150k/300k/40k ante

Johnson Nguyen opened for 600k on the button.

Andrew called.

On the flop of 8 4 3 both checked.

Turn was an 8 and both checked.

River was a 7 and both checked.

"Seven" said Johnson showing K7.  Andrew mucked.

After that hand,  Johnson was up to ~23 million.  Andrew was down to ~ 8.6 million.

Heads up play continues...

Event 11 - Chip Leader takes out two in one hand

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 50K/100K Antes 10K

We've lost four more players in the last 10 minutes. Two came at the hands of chip leader Brian Poliva (Nutley, NJ). The action started with a short stacked Robert Gaudio (Buffalo, NY) moving all in for his last 495K. Thomas Rybicki (Haddonfield, NJ) called. Poliva moved all in for an effective 700K more telling Rybicki "I'm just trying to get you out." It didn't work as Rybicki made the call with A-K. Gaudio had A-T and Poliva 8's. The board came 7-2-4-4-3 and Poliva is now up to 5.6 million in chips with 14 players remaining.

18th place - Keung Tsui, Yorktown Heights, NY $1,293
17th place - Jordan Shamah, Delray Beach, FL $1,293
16th place - Robert Gaudio, Buffalo, NY $1,293
15th place - Thomas Rybicki, Haddonfield, NJ $1,636

Brian Poliva (Nutley, NJ)

Event 11 - Down to 2 tables

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 50K/100K antes 10K

We're down to our final two tables. 18 players remain. We almost lost two other players on the same hand when they were both all in with A-K and were called by a big stack with pocket 7's. It wasn't until the river that the four outer came to keep both of them alive and to lead to a frustrated big stack to mutter "unbelievable".

Finishing in 20th place was Armando Then from New York, NY for $1,015. 19th place went to Perry Camerlengo from Kennett Square, PA. He also received $1,015. The next person out will get $1,293 for their efforts.

Event 8: Reversal of Fortunes

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

Blinds 100k/200k/30k ante

On the river with an unknown board, Andrew Jeffrey bet 2 million.

Johnson Nguyen raised to 5 million.

Andrew called.

Johnson said "straight" and Andrew mucked.

With that pot, Johnson was up to ~20 million.

Andrew dropped to ~11.4 million.

Event 11 - 21st through 45th place finishers

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

21st place: Thomas Balla, Bellerose, NY
22nd place: Aaron Lefkowitz, New York, NY
23rd place: Jeffrey Dolezal, Fairfax, VA
24th place: Jaroslaw Osinski, Naples, FL
25th place: Erwin Fonacier, Yonkers, NY
26th place: Yue Zhu, Flushing, NY
27th place: Charles Ferrara, Belmar, NY
28th place: Joanna Leban, New York, NY
29th place: Christopher Yakuboff, Kings Park, NY
30th place: Baruch Thaler, Brooklyn, NY
31st place: Paul Bitterman, Lancaster, NY
32nd place: Marcus Seitz, Lacey, WA
33rd place: Emanuel Failla, Commack, NY
34th place: Rashad Maysaud, Springfield, VA
35th place: Ilya Vasserman, Huntingdon, PA
36th place: Kelly Holes, Uniontown, PA
37th place: Riccardo Figueroa, Brooklyn, NY
38th place: Douglas Mackinnon, East Amherst, NY
39th place: Robin Farley, Akron, OH
40th place: James Governa, Richboro, PA
41st place: Mark Buonadonna, Vineland, NJ
42nd place: Michael Santoro, Egg Harbor, NJ
43rd place: Daniel Samela, Smithtown, NY
44th place: Donco Petkov, Clifton, NJ
45th place: Matthew Griffith, Woodhaven, NY

Payouts were as follows:

37th-45th: $818
28th-36th: $900
19th-27th: $1,015

Event 11 Update

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 25K/50K Antes 5K

Will Failla's attempt at a 6th Borgata Open title will come up short as he has been eliminated. Also joining him on the rail is Joanna Leban and Kelly Holes making Amanda Musumeci the lone female remaining in the field.

Amanda Musumeci

There are 21 players left as they return from a 15 minute break. On the last hand before the break Tim Whalen (Pittsburgh, PA) spiked a two outer to score a huge double up. Whalen had pocket 10's and was up against queens. A ten on the flop saved the day for Tim and he lives on to play another hand as he doubled up to 1.2 million in chips which is right at average stack.

Tim Whalen (Pittsburgh, PA)

Event 8: Not Much Change

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

Blinds 100k/200k/30k ante 

Johnson Nguyen opened for 425k on the button.

Andrew Jeffrey raised to 1.3 million.

Johnson called.

The flop was Q 9 5 -- all diamonds -- and Andrew bet 2 million.

Johnson folded.

With that pot, Andrew had 19.18 million to Johnson's 12.5 million.

Heads-up play continues...

Event 12: Photo Slideshow

 

May not work on mobile devices.

Event 12 - Done for the day

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

We had two players eliminated on the same hand bringing us down to 15 players out of the original 112 that started. They will return tomorrow at 2 p.m. to battle it out for the Borgata Poker Open trophy and the $13,038 first place prize. Among those still in the running are Chris Reslock, his wife Ming Reslock, and Allen Kessler. The top three in chips are as follows:

1st - David Rosenau, Absecon, NJ 217K
2nd - Frank Alger, Colonial Beach, VA 191K
3rd - Sal Pipitone, Paramus, NJ 168K

Seating assignments and chip counts will be posted on the blog before play resumes tomorrow.

David Rosenau (Absecon, NJ) - Day 1 Chip Leader - 217K

Frank Alger (Colonial Beach, VA) - 2nd in chips - 191K

Sal Pipitone (Paramus, NJ) - 3rd in chips - 168K

Event 8: Heads Up Chip Counts

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

Blinds 100k/200k/30k ante

The final two finished a level and took a break. 

Play has now resumed.

Approximate counts:

Andrew Jeffrey 19.775 million
Johnson Nguyen 11.905 million

Event 8: 3rd Place - Bonacci

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

Blinds 80k/160k/20k ante

 Frank Bonacci (Pittsburgh, PA)

$40,493

Frank Bonacci was all-in pre-flop holding A6, but was in bad shape against Andrew Jeffrey's pocket Kings.

The board ran out T 9 4 5 Q and changed nothing.

Frank Bonacci busted out in 3rd place, earning $40,493.

Frank has two Borgata Open titles to his credit already from the 2011 Spring Open and 2012 Summer Open.  He fought hard to make it a hat trick here tonight, but came up short.  After winning last Summer, he said poker was taking a back seat to his boot business, Frank's Shoes.

Heads-up play began with Andrew Jeffrey in the lead with 18.5 million.  Johnson Nguyen had about 13 million.

Event 12 - In the money

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

They are in the money in the H.O.R.S.E. event but not before there was a little drama involving Allen Kessler because they switched games (according to him and a few others at the table) too early. Kessler and another player at the table were arguing over the premature change. Kessler told the other player "It's impossible to be that stupid" which prompted a "quit being a jerk" response. Allen went on to say "100% I started in the small blind. How can anyone be that dense in the head?" Another player at the table added "That's Allen Kessler, don't you know he's always right?"

They resumed play and a few minutes later we had our 19th place finished and were in the money.

It's impossible to be that stupid...

Event 8: 4th Place - Grodowski

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

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante

Joe Grodowski (Staten Island, NY)

$33,913

Joe Grodowski got all-in holding pocket Aces after the flop.  Unfortunately for Joe, Johnson Nguyen held pocket 4s and had flopped a set.

The last two changed nothing and Johnson took the pot, chipping up to 17.6 million.

Joe finished in 4th place, earning $33,913.

Event 12 - Closing in on the cash

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

Blinds 2.5K/5K Ante 1K Bring In 2K

They are down to 23 - only 5 away from the money. Chad Brown and Jason Rosenberg have been eliminated. Allen Kessler and Chris Reslock are still in.

Event 8: 5th Place - Sinishtaj

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

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante

Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY)

$27,839

Tony Sinishtaj and Johnson Nguyen got involved in a pot and on the flop of J 8 3, there was a raising war until Tony was all-in and covered by Johnson.

Tony: AJ (top/top)
Johnson: 98 (middle pair)

Everything changed on the turn, which was a 9, giving Johnson two pair.

River was a 5 and no help to Tony.  He busted out in 5th place, earning $27,839.

Johnson chipped up to over 15 million.

Event 11 - In the money

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 12K/24K Antes 3K

The bubble only lasted 5 hands. There were a few short stack survival's including one player hitting a king on the river with his A-K to best pocket 5's. The bubble bursting hand happened in a blind vs blind confrontation. A short stacked player completed from the small blind and Jason Yniguez (Brooklyn, NY) checked his option. The flop came K-9-5 and the short stack moved all in and was quickly called by Jason. Jason held K-8 and was ahead of the 9-6 his opponent held. The turn and river were blanks and we are down to 45. Jason is up to 1.3 million after the hand.

Jason Yniguez (Brooklyn, NY)

Event 8: Stuck at Five

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

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante

The final five have settled in for some series poker. 

Here's a reminder what's at stake:

1:        $111,360
2:          $66,914
3:          $40,493
4:          $33,913
5:          $27,839

Event 12 - Twitter Updates

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

Blinds 2K/4K Stakes 4K/8K Ante 500

There are 32 players remaining. Some Twitter updates from those playing:

66.2k on last break of the horse. About 32 left. 18 cash. Going to 4/8k limit.
— Norman Michalek (@norm_michalek) September 11, 2013

109.5k on last break of night. 2 hours til day 2. @BorgataPoker $450 horse.
— Frank Alger (@frankalger) September 11, 2013

57K, last break of night in Borgata horse. Close to the $$$. Would love to defend the title :)
— Jason Rivkin (@jayriv2) September 11, 2013

Event 8: Bonacci Doubles

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

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante  

Frank Bonacci got all 2.645 million chips in the middle pre-flop against Johnson Nguyen.

Frank:  KK
Johnson:  TT

Board A 9 8 7 7

Frank doubled up to ~5.5 million.  Johnson dropped to ~8.3 million.

Event 8: Jeffrey Doubles

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

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante   

Play resumed after the break.

Then Andrew Jeffrey and Tony Sinishtaj tangled in a huge pot.

On the river, the board read J♥9♣ 4♣A♦K♣ .

Andrew bet a million-ish.  Tony shoved and Andrew snap called, showing A♣ J♣ for the nuts.

Tony mucked.  Andrew doubled up to ~9.5 million.  Tony was left with ~5.2 million.

Event 11 - Action picks up as we near the money

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 10K/20K Ante 3K

The chips are flying into the middle as we're down to 55 players with an average stack of 438K (22 big blinds). A quick glimpse at some of the hands:

--With the board reading J-5-7-K-J a bet of 150K into a 220K pot is called. Bettor shows K-J and adds the huge pot to his stack.

--A short stack moves all in with J♦T♦ and is called by K♥Q♥. By the time the turn is dealt, the short stack is drawing to two jacks and two tens. He hits one of those four outs on the river to double up.

--A big stack bully who had been shoving routinely first to act does it again. Two of the stacks to act after him, including John Zentner (Las Vegas, NV) both call him. The hands are turned over... Big stack bully has Q♥T♣. The first all in caller has pocket kings. Zentner has pocket queens. The board runs out 6♣2♣2♠Q♣3♠. The player with kings goes "YES!!!!" believing he has won the pot, not realizing that Zenter has a queen. Zentner quietly points at the queen and says "Queens". "Sh**. Damn!" says the felted player, amazed at his bad luck. Zentner, on the other hand, is feeling fortunate. "I can't believe I just hit a one outer." Zentner is up to 680K after the hand.

John Zentner (Las Vegas, NV)

Event 8: Break Time Chip Counts

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

The final five are enjoying a break from the grind.

Here are the chip counts (in millions):

Johnson Nguyen 10.4
Tony Sinishtaj 10.2
Andrew Jeffrey 4.8
Joe Grodowski 3.4
Frank Bonacci 2.9

Play will resume shortly.

Event 11 - Best poker playing athlete in world lays claim to chip lead

$350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Blinds 10K/20K Antes 3K

Players are now on a 15 minute break and the blinds will be 10K/20K with a 3K ante when they return. The runaway chip leader with 1.55 million is Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) who previously finished 3rd at a Borgata Poker Open event. In his exit interview there, Klein told the blog that he was the best poker playing athlete in the world and would take on all comers. For now, he'll have to prove that he's the best poker player left in this tournament if he wants to take home the $41,808 first place prize.

Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) - Current Event 11 Chip Leader