Event 8: Recap

$300 + 40 Seniors NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The story is told all of the time in the poker community, a group of players that have a "poker club," and play once a week or month with each other.  They will play sit and go's throughout the year, eventually sending the "winner" of the course of the year to some poker main event ...   Jim Plate (Oakdale, NY) spends half of the year in Long Island, and the other half in Bonita Springs, FL.  What are the odds that Jim would end in a heads up battle with someone he's played with before in Bonita Springs?!   That someone was Dennis Blinderman.

Blinderman was feeling the fatigue of the long hours, and the prospect of grinding out a massive chip deficit didn't seem pleasing.  It only took one hand for Blinderman to go all-in, and one hand for him to finish runner up to Plate.

Jim Plate would take home $9,064, the Borgata Summer Poker Open Seniors event trophy, and some pictures to hang in the poker club in Long Island for good measure.  He'd best a field of 89 players, all of which have tons of tournament experience, including Joe Lopes, Tim Little, Addison Alston, and Andrew Klein.  One player who won't forget the experience is Plate's wife Dorothy, who got involved in a hand early with her husband, and only came away with a few blinds.  After Jim's win, Dorothy mentioned that they would be discussing that hand after they left the poker room.

Arthur Bressler (Manalapan, NJ) already had a Seniors event trophy from the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open, and came into the final table as one of the chip leaders.  He ran into some unfortunate luck in the late stages, losing three all-ins in which he was a clear favorite.  Bressler would finish in third place, taking home $3,108.  It was a hand with Steve Gill (Greenville, SC) that would propel Plate to his victory, as Plate doubled with aces against Gill's pocket eights.  Gill was the chip leader at the time, but Plate would assume that title and never look back.  Gill would end up finishing in sixth place, collecting $1,813.

Plate's story about the poker club, and ending heads up against a player he once sat with in Florida is great.  But there is another intersting story that Plate shared with us.  He played basketball growing up, eventually earning a scholarship at St. John's University.  He was one the FIRST players to be recruited by Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca!!!  Coach Carnesecca still calls him every Christmas morning, which is an honor in it's own part.  Plate will be around the Borgata tomorrow, but has yet to decide whether we will see him shooting for back to back trophies.

FINAL RESULTS