Sunday, June 9, 2013

Event 5: Heads Up...Blinds Up


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Blinds have just gone up to 10,000/20,000/3,000.

Event 5: 3rd Place - Wilno ($1,634)


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)


Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ)
3rd Place - $1,634

Wilno was the shortest player of the three, and couldn't manage to find a double up.  Spagnuolo and Vileu are now heads up for the trophy, and here are your counts:

Vileu - 410,000
Spagnuolo - 250,000

Event 5: Vileu Doubles


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Vileu goes all-in from the button for 78,000 and is called by Wilno in the small blind:

Vileu: A 5        Wilno: K Q

Flop: 10 2 3

Turn: A

River: Q

Updated chip counts:

Spagnuolo - 350,000
Vileu - 163,000
Wilno - 150,000

Event 5: 4th Place - Wasch ($1,226)


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)


Sarah Wasch (Philadelphia, PA)
4th Place - $1,226

Here are your three handed chip counts (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000):

Marguerite Spagnuolo - 335,000
Dawn Wilno - 230,000
Alida Vileu - 77,000

Event 5: 5th Place - Lim ($953)


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Keiko Lim (Bronx, NY)
5th Place - $953

Event 5: Blinds Getting High


$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Relative to the chip stacks and average, the blinds going up to 6,000/12,000/2,000 leaves the remaining five players all with around 10-15 big blinds.

Event 5: Wasch Doubles

$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

After losing the hand to Wilno, Sarah Wasch shoves her remaining 32,000 (after Spagnuolo raised to 30,000).  The action folds back to Spagnuolo and she calls the extra 2,000, and the hands are tabled:

Wasch: A♣ Q           Spagnulo: K K♠

Flop: 6 8 10♠

Turn: A

River: 2

Wasch - 70,000
Spagnuolo - 62,000

Event 5: Wilno Doubles

$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Dawn Wilno calls Sarah Wasch's pre-flop raise, and the two players see a flop of Q♠ 7♣ 10♠.  Dawn is to act first, and she shoves her remaining 79,000.  Wasch thinks for a moment and says, "I basically have to call with this pot," and turns over 6♠ 4♠.  Wilno tables J♣ 10♣, and although Wasch turns a gut shot, she brinks the river and Dawn gets the double.

Event 6: Level Up

$260 + 40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Blinds are going up once more, this time to 5,000/10,000/1,000.  The chip average is close to the dreaded 10 big blind mark.

Event 6: Break Time Chip Counts

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 18:  Blinds 4k/8k with 1k ante.

Play has resumed.

Average stack is 130k (16 big blinds).

Sarah Wasch - 170k (21 big blinds)
Alida Vileu - 147k
Dawn Wilno - 141k
Marguerite Spagnuolo - 110k
Keiko Lim - 70k (< 9 big blinds)

Event 6: Vileu Doubles

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Sarah Wasch had taken the chip lead away from Alida Vileu, then the two of them were involved in an all-in confrontation.

Sarah - KK
Alida - AQ

Board - A 8 5 3 6

Alida doubled up to ~140k.

End of level and they are taking a break while the purple 500 chips are colored up.

Event 5: The Night Is Over

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Players have bagged their chips and are done for the night. Players in Day 1B will go through the se structure tomorrow, ending with minutes left in Level 15.

The chip counts will be posted in the morning prior to Day 1B action beginning.

Event 6: Stuck at Five

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 17:  Blinds 3k/6k with 500 ante.

Keiko Lim has moved all-in four times, but gotten no callers.

Play continues five handed.  Average stack is ~130k.

Event 5: "End Of Night Bubble"


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

It's a new concept for us here at Borgata, and we are calling it the end of night bubble.  With 22 players now remaining, the night looks like it will be ending shortly.  Here are some current chip counts in the field:

Ken Silberstein - 190,000
Alan Kraut - 150,000
Jeff Wicker - 145,000

Event 6: 6th Place - Perez

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Karen Perez (Ambler, PA)
$817

Karen Perez shoved from the small blind for 41k and got called by Sarah Wasch in the big.

Karen - AK
Sarah - 66

Board - 5 3 2 6 8

Sarah made a set on the turn and took the pot, chipping up to ~165k.

Karen busted out in 6th place, earning $817.

Event 6: 7th Place - Rosenblatt

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 16: Blinds 2,500/5,000 with 500 ante.

Leanne Rosenblatt (Brigantine, NJ)
$681

Leanne Rosenblatt shoved from the button and got looked up by Sarah Wasch in the big blind.

Leanne - K7 suited
Sarah - A9 off

Leanne got no help from the board and was eliminated in 7th place ($681).

Event 6: 8th Place - Kustafik

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Eileen Kustafik (Doylestown, PA)
$545

Eileen Kustafik shoved from the hijack for 16,300.

Action folded to Keiko Lim in the big blind, who called the extra 12,300.

Eileen - Q9 suited
Keiko - J7 off

Board - 4 6 2 4 7

Keiko paired up on the river to take the pot.

Eileen took 8th place and $545.

Event 5: Photo Gallery (...Also In The Field)

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

We had a chance to snap some shots of some other notables in the field:

 Tony Tran (Charlotte, NC)

Ken Silberstein (Left) and Jeff Wicker (Right)

Event 6: 9th Place - Dubois

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Miriam Dubois (Teaneck, NJ)
$409
 
Dawn Wilno opened for 11k from the cutoff and then Miriam Dubois jammed from the small blind for 11,100 more.

Dawn called, showing AQ.  Miriam held KJ and needed help.

The board ran out 8 6 6 Q 4 and Dawn paired her Queen to take the pot.

Miriam was eliminated in 9th place earning $409.

Event 5: Back From Dinner

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Players have returned from dinner, and the blinds are 1,200/2,400/300.  This will be one of the earlier finishing time for tournaments in this series, giving players the opportunity to get a good night's rest.  The could choose to play Day 1B of this event, or maybe the $230 Six Max Survivor or $145 Green Chip Bounty Event that run tomorrow afternoon.

Event 6: Nine Ladies Back in Action

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

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

The ladies are back on the felt and ready to play to the finish.

Alida Veliu is still way out in front and the only player over 200k.

Event 6: Dinner Time

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

On the final hand of the level, Marguerite Spagnuolo jammed utg.  Action folded to Keiko Lim, who put out a bet of 7k.  (She had not seen Marguerite's all-in.)

Keiko opted to fold, surrendering her bet and Marguerite took the pot.

End of level and the final nine ladies are off on a one hour dinner break.  Play will resume at about 8:15 pm.

Event 5: Dinner Break

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The remaining 32 players in this event are going on dinner break, and will be returning to continue play at 8:20 pm.  Play were continue until the end of Level 16 or when 18 players remain.  The blinds when the players return will be 1,200/2,400/300 (chip average is 96,000).  Still left in the tournament to receive vouchers are:

Chris Farley
Alan Kraut
Jeff Wicker
Ibra Ibrahimovich
Jonathan Kramer

Event 6: Bubble-Lady

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Melissa Ramos (Bloomfield, NJ)
$0

Melissa Ramos was all-in pre-flop with AK.

Keiko Lim was ahead with pocket Jacks.

The board brought no help for Melissa and she was busted in 10th place on the bubble.

The remaining nine ladies are all in the money and guaranteed at least $409.

Event 6: Final Table Chip Counts

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 14:  Blinds 1,500/3,000 with 400 ante.

Play has resumed and it is bubble-time with one more lady to go to reach the money.

Here's the lineup with rough chip counts:

Seat. Player (Hometown) Chips
  1. Leanne Rosenblatt (Brigantine, NJ) 60k
  2. Karen Perez (Ambler, PA) 60k
  3. Sarah Wasch (Philadelphia, PA) 45k
  4. Keiko Lim (Bronx, NY) 55k
  5. Alida Veliu (Wycoff, NJ) 230k
  6. Melissa Ramos (Bloomfield, NJ) 30k
  7. Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ) 60k
  8. Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY) 53k
  9. Miriam Dubois (Teaneck, NJ) 30k
  10. Eileen Kustafik (Doylestown, PA) 35k

Event 6: Double Bustage

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Angela Miranda was short-stacked and all-in with pocket 4s.

Seat 1 was also short and all-in with 98 suited.

Chip leader Alida Veliu gave it some consideration, then called with AT.

The board ran out 8 5 2 6 T and Alida binked a pair on the river to take the pot, busting both opponents at the same time.  She's up to over 200k.

That hand ran into the break, so it was the last hand of the level.

The final ten ladies are on a break and when they come back, they'll redraw and move to the final table.

Event 5: Staying Alive

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

Ryan McKnight (Harrisburg, PA) is the chip leader with 230k.

The remaining 41 players are on break with an average stack of 73k (36 bb).

The plan is to play Level 13 (1k/2k/300 ante) and then break for dinner at 7:20 pm.

The schedule is then set for three more levels or 18 players which ever comes first.

Familiar Faces Still in the Field

Alan Kraut
Chris Farley
Jake Neff
Steve Eyzerovich
Howard Wolper
Frank Reina
Jake Neff

Event 6: Kustafik Doubles

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry

Eileen Kustafik (Doylestown, PA) was all-in pre-flop holding A7.

Eileen Kustafik

Angela Miranda had her covered and was ahead with pocket Queens.

Then the flop came A A J and Eileen doubled up to ~35k.


Soon after, a short-stacked Angela was all-in, but got no callers.  She showed pocket Aces.

Event 6: Family Affair

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

On the river with a board of A J 6 K Q, Michelle Skinner (New York, NY) committed all of her chips.

The lady in seat 6 rolled over T2 for Broadway and Michelle saw the bad news and mucked.

She busted out in 13th place.

Michelle Skinner and Sherry Skinner

Her mother, Sherry Skinner (Houston, TX) was here watching her daughter play, all the way from Texas.

Sherry is enjoying the Borgata, especially the video poker!

Twelve ladies remain.

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

Event 5: Knocked Out by Own Chips

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

Mickey Woll (Manahawkin, NJ) ships a double-up to an anonymous player who then proceeds to bust Woll.

After shipping 45k in the double-up, Woll is left with 18k and on the next hand gets the last of his chips all in on a 10 8 6 flop and the same player snap calls.

Woll: 9 7 (straight)
Anonymous: 10 8 (two pairs)

Turn: K (no change)

River: 8

The player's full house on the river sends Woll packing and brings the field to 45 players.

Event 6: Miranda Doubles

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

On the turn with a board of Q 4 2 3, Angela Miranda (Bethpage, NY) was all-in.

Angela Miranda

The lady in seat 6 had her covered and showed 54 for a pair with open-ended straight draw.

Angela held A5 and already had her straight.

River was a 5 and Angela doubled up to ~40k.

13 ladies remain.

Event 6: 14 Ladies Left

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 12: Blinds 1k/2k with 300 ante.

Only 14 ladies are left and Borgata regular Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) is not one of them.

Average stack is 46k.

Just five more to go to reach the money.

Event 6: Ladies Lost

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Kimberly Sachse (Baltimore, MD) got her chips in good with pocket Kings against pocket Queens.  Unfortunately, a Queen flopped and Kimberly was toast.  Kimberly finished second in the 2012 Winter Open Ladies event, earning $5,602.

Borgata fave Alyson 'MotherCrusher' Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) ran her pocket Jacks into pocket Aces and has also busted out.

Only 17 ladies remain.  The final 9 get paid.

Event 6: Veliu Cracks Kings Again

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Veliu (center) Consoles Castaldi

Alida Veliu (Wycoff, NJ) continues to steam roll the ladies event which is down to two tables.

Veliu opens the betting to 4k, Mimi Castaldi (Washington, D.C.) makes it 10k, a third player moves all in for less and Veliu calls.

Veliu checks dark and after a 9 7 4 flop, Castaldi moves all in for 30k and Veliu snap calls.

Veliu: 4 4
Castaldi: KK
Player 3: xx

Veliu hits a set of 4s and ends up with a full house to take out both players.

"I guess I should've gone all in preflop," says Castaldi, who finished 9th place in the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open Ladies Event. "But I wanted to see if an ace came out."

Veliu extends her chip lead to 135k and it's the second time today she's cracked Kings; earlier she hit a set of queens against KK.

Meanwhile Castaldi leaves in good spirits.

"To me the challenge is playing against the woman," she says, "because they assume they know what you're doing. Men always underestimate you and it's a little easier."

Castaldi plans on coming back for Tuesday's Deepest Stack tournament that features 50k starting stacks.

Event 5: Firing Two Bullets

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

Two players are taking advantage of re-entry and are now the chip leaders.

Ibra Ibraimovic (Brooklyn, NY), who was sunk by a boat earlier in the day, is now one of the chip leaders with 120k.

Also in the 120k range is Mike Duggan (Ruther Glen, VA) who is also on his second entry.

Registration is now closed and levels are now 40 minutes long.

Event 6: Veliu Up to Old Tricks

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Alida On Fire

Alida Veliu (Wyckoff, NJ) always seems to have chips and this event is no different.  After knocking out Kim Edmonds (Toms River, NJ) and another player, Veliu has the chip lead with 70k.

"It was a good call," says one player who watched Veliu pick up Edmonds' last 15k, "especially how the hand played out."

Edmonds moved all in on a Jack high flop and, after going in the tank, Veliu called with pocket 9s, ahead of Edmonds' pocket 3s.

A few hands later Veliu knocks out a short stack after going runner-runner flush.

Playing well and running well is what has help Veliu win three ladies tournaments in her career, including in the 2009 Borgata Winter Poker Open.

Veliu has three Borgata final tables, including a second and fourth place finishes.

Level 9 (500/1k/100 ante) continues, the last level before the color-up break.

Event 5: Nothing Ordinary About Corona

 $350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Adrian Corona (Queens, NY) has been running hot at the expense of Bernie Liberati (Cherry Hill, NJ).

First Corona hits quad Queens on the river, but Liberati loses the minimum with no action on the river. 

Two hands later both players flop a straight, except Corona hits a royal flush.

Corona has K♣ J♣ on the A♣ Q♣ 10♣ flop, while Liberati only has K J.  "At least I have chips," says Liberati who is down to 30k after shipping Corona a double-up.

Corona is up to 70k and gives the dealer a break when his A♠ is accidentally exposed on the next hand.

Level 8 (300/600/75 ante) is underway.

Event 6: Ladies Sneaking In

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Antimony & Spagnuolo

Late arrivers in the ladies event include Grace Sun (Merrick, NY), Ana Anitmony (River Vale, NJ) and Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY).

Spagnuolo is already on her second entry and says, "this will be my last, if it's not, shoot me."

Level 6 (200/400/50 ante), the last level for re-entry, is underway.

Event 5: Boat Sinks Flush

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

Ibra Ibraimovic (Brooklyn, NY) isn't to happy to see the full house of Chris Munoz (Galloway, NJ) who flops a set.

But what Ibraimovic is happy about is that he can jump back in the tournament after losing with the King high flush.

Level 6 (200/400/50 ante) is winding down and players are heading on their second break of the day.

Re-entry and late registration will be open for three more levels, until ~4:15 pm.

Event 5: Another Night Owl

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

 (l-r) Vinny Perrotta (Manahawkin, NJ),  
Eftekhar Jahromi &
Ibra Ibraimovic (Brooklyn, NY)

Payam Eftekhar Jahromi (Pittsburgh, PA) also had a late night after finishing runner-up in Event 3.  But there's no rest for the weary as he's back looking to take home the Borgata hardware to Western Pennsylvania.

Eftekhar Jahromi, who earned $21,367 for second place, is playing as much poker as he can before returning to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) for his PhD in chemistry.

"Semi-pro," says Eftekhar Jahromi who's looking to balance part-time poker and a profession that will focus on research and development.

It will be another 3-4 years before Eftekhar Jahromi gets his next degree. He's originally from Iran and a world traveler who has lived in Switzerland.

Event 5: Also Up Late

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

Munoz, Railbird Turned Grinder

Chris Munoz (Galloway, NJ) was up until 5:30 am as a supportive railbird for his dad Dr. Raul Munoz who finished 2nd in Event 4.

"He's home sleeping," says Chris who caught a few Zs before making the short trip back to Borgata.

Chris says he wasn't able to play yesterday and actually had to hitch a ride to watch Raul because, "he took the car."

Dad earned $26,284 for his second place finish and is now resting after 18 hours of poker.

Chris is hoping to make a deep run and gives his dad a reason to return the favor as a final table supporter.  Of course, with two starting days, there's no reason Raul can't play Monday's Day 1B and play his way there for Tuesday's Day 2.

A father-son final table would make a great story the week leading up to Father's Day.

Event 5: Final Table Bubble Boy Returns

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Ravi Patel

Ravi Patel (Laurel, MD) is back looking for a few minutes of fame, and a trophy, after just missing the Event 4 final table.

Patel & Jose Gatmaitan (Philadelphia, PA), as reported HERE early this morning, busted simultaneously to go out in 11th and 10th place respectively.

"He was tanking for ever," says Patel, "so I busted first," adding that a final table picture would have been nice.

The close call deserves some recognition, especially after returning to play more Borgata poker after only a few hours of sleep.

Players are back from break as Level 4 (100/200) is underway.

Event 6: Mother's Day

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Poker moms, Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) and Alyson Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) are just two of the familiar faces in the field.

Here's a look at some recognizable names already at the tables, but not all are moms:

Nancy Martin
Alyson Parker
Kim Sachse
Kim Edmonds
Dawn Wilno
Emily Flax
Alida Veliu
Sarah Wasch
Leanne Rosenblatt

Event 6: Ladies Night

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The ladies are filling the tables and eager to take their cracks at a Borgata trophy.

They begin with 12k in chips and levels are 25 minutes each to start (Levels 10+ / 30 min.)

Re-entry and late registration is open through Level 6.

Cards are in the air!

Event 6: Early Bird

$260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Garrander Gettin' Ready

The ladies are anxious to get, arguably the most social event in the series, underway.

Cecelia Garrander (Manalapan, NJ) is the first to arrive in the tournament area, more than 30 minutes before the noon start.

The Ladies Event, along with the Seniors, are the two tournaments where the players genuinely enjoy their experience while still taking their poker seriously.

Event 5: In the House

$350 + $50 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry) 

Just some of the familiar faces in the field:

Bruce Yamron
Alan Kraut
Jo Kim
Chris Farley
Stephanie Hubbard
Howard Wolper
Joe Nichols
Frank Reina
Mickey Woll
Vinny Perrotta
Ravi Patel
Chris Munoz
Jake Neff
Eric Miller
Ibra Ibraimovic
Payam Eftekhar Jahromi

Event 5: Double Dip

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

The first of two tournaments is underway in the poker room (Ladies 12 noon start).

For the third straight event the $100,000 GUARANTEE is in play, this the first of two starting days.

Players begin with 20k stacks and levels are 30 minutes each to start (Levels 10+ / 40 min).

Re-entry and late registration is open through Level 9 and Day 1A concludes after Level 16.

After hitting the last two guarantees...

Event 3: $133,500 total buy-in
Event 4: $193,550 total buy-in

....the turkey is on the table, players going for three in a row.

Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard Update (6/9)

Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Summer Poker Open event (June 4-21, 2013), players earn points based upon the Borgata Summer Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2013 Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard*
(Final Results from Main events: 1, 2, 3, 4 
Secondary events: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)

312.000:  MICHAEL BONNEY
259.325:  GRAESON BURNETTE-PEAKE
254.310:  DAVID EILERS
239.900:  ADRIAN SILVESCU
235.875:  STEVEN POLIMENI
218.400:  KHOI TA
217.425:  JOHN WHITING
216.000:  ADILBEK KARAGUISHIYEV
194.275:  SCOTT HILLIER
193.650:  PAYAM EFTEKHAR JAHROMI
187.500:  MICHAEL HAHN
184.950:  PHILIP RINALDI
182.400:  CHAD POWER
181.875:  JEFFREY GURFINKEL
173.375:  ILYA VASSERMAN
172.800:  RAUL MUNOZ

Sunday, June 9

TODAY'S EVENTS (Poker Room) 

11AM: Event 5A - $350 + $50 Big Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  $100,000 GUARANTEED
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-9::  will last 30 minutes each | Levels 10+:  will last 40 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 9
  • Day 1A & Day 1B end after Level 16
  • 2-Day event with two starting days.  Day 2 begins Tuesday at 12PM

12PM: Event 6 - $260 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels 1-9::  will last 25 minutes each | Levels 10+:  will last 30 minutes each
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
  • 1-Day event

3 PM: Event 29 - $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry) 
  • Players start with 12,000 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 may Re-Enter through Level 7 
  • 1-Day event

7 PM: Event 30 - $150 + $30 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 may Re-Enter through Level 7 
  • 1-Day event

Event 4: Photo Slideshow


May not work on mobile devices.

Event 4: Recap


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

It was just two short months ago that Adilbek Karaguishiyez (New York, NY) was holding up the Borgata Spring Poker Open trophy for the $350 PLO Event ($9,387).  Adilbek told us about his job at Bloomberg, and how poker is just a recreational hobby for him.  After winning his second Borgata Poker Open trophy in as the span of a few short months months (for just over $46,000 in winnings), he still insists there is no career change in his future.  Karaguishiyez bested Raul Munoz (Galloway, NJ) heads up after coming in with an almost three to one chip deficit. 

Karaguishiyez would double up from behind as he hit a three-outer on the river only two hands into heads up play.  He would follow that up with another double only a few hands later, flopping a set of fours, and taking a commanding ten to one chip lead.  Raul Munoz then managed one double before racing for his tournament life with a pair of three against two overs (A 9).  Munoz would watch as a nine hit the flop, and Munoz, ever classy in defeat, shook Karaguishiyez's hand and told him how well he played.

The $100,000 guarantee for this event was surpassed, as the 553 entries would almost double that number ($193,550 total buy-in).   There were many notables in the field for this event, including: Alyson Parker, Alan Kraut, Lana O'Brien, and Neville Darrell (none of which would cash).

We watched as Melad Marji (winner of the 2012 Borgata Summer Poker Open $2,500 Championship event) took the chip lead with eighteen players remaining all the way to the final table.  The final table was a mix of seasoned tournament grinders, casual players, and a past Borgata championship event winner.  Marji would be knocked out in sixth place ($8,636) after a roller coaster final table which saw him hold the chip lead, the short stack, and the chip lead once again (before trending steadily downward).  It was Ivan Loh (Rockville, MD) who would jump close to $10,000 in pay, after we watched a three way all-in only two hands into the final table.  It was Loh holding A-K against the 9-9 of Ravi Patel, and the A-A of Raul Munoz.  Munoz had both players covered and it looked like we would have two players gone in a blink of an eye.  The board ran out 2-3-5-6-4 and the three players would end up chopping up the blinds and antes.  Loh took that good fortune and ran with it, finishing in third place for $16,897.

In the end it was Karaguishiyez, who has put himself in some great company, becoming one of the players who hold two Borgata Poker Open trophies.  Bloomberg will be holding onto to him, and may even keep him from making it to any more tournaments throughout the series.  He said he wanted to defend his PLO win from April, so we will look out for him in the field.

FINAL RESULTS

Event 4: 1st Place - Karaguishiyez ($46,740)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Adilbek Karaguishiyez (New York, NY)
1st Place - $46,740

Event 4: 2nd Place - Munoz ($26,284)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)


Raul Munoz (Galloway, NJ)
2nd Place - $26,284

Event 4: Karaguishiyez Doubles


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Only two hands into heads up play we had our first all-in, and it looked like we'd be crowning a champion as Munoz's A Q was dominating Adilbek's A 5.  As we have seen all day the, the river can change things immensely, which was the case as a five spiked.

Karaguishiyez then doubled up once again the very next hand, leaving Munoz in a 10:1 chip deficit.

Event 4: Heads Up Chip Counts


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here are your updated heads up chip counts:

Raul Munoz - 8,000,000
Adilbek Karaguishiyez - 3,000,000

Event 4: 3rd Place - Loh


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)
Ivan Loh (Rockville, MD)
3rd Place - $16,897

Event 4: 4th Place - Gonzales ($13,424)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

John Gonzales (Bowie, MD)
4th Place - $13,424

John Gonzales moved all-in from the big blind, and Raul Munoz called, saying "We've just got get things moving already:"

Gonzales: Q 10             Munoz: J 9

Flop: 9 6 A

Turn: 8

River 3

Munoz now has a commanding chip lead:

Raul Munoz - 7,500,000
Adilbek Karaguishiyez - 3,000,000
Ivan Loh - 600,000

Event 4: Four Handed Counts


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here are the four handed chip counts:
  1. John Gonzales (2,100,000)
  2. Raul Munoz (5,000,000)
  3. Adilbek Karaguishiyez (3,200,000)
  4. Ivan Loh (600,000)

Event 4: 5th Place - Parelli ($10,514)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mark Parelli (Belleville, NJ)
5th Place - $10,514 

After doubling up Adilbek, Mark Parelli is left with less than a big blind.  It was the A Q of Adilbek vs. the A 3 of Parelli.  He would be eliminated the next hand in fifth place, collecting $10,514.

Event 4: Blinds Up


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Blinds are once again going up, this time to 80,000/160,000/20,000, but now the chip average is just over ten big blinds (1,800,000).

Event 4: 6th Place - Marji ($8,636)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Melad Marji (Oneida, NY)
6th Place - $8,636

After losing the pot to Parelli, we had a blind v. blind situation between Gonzales and Marji.  Marji would be all-in and the player at risk:

Marji: A 8             Gonzales: Q J

Flop: A 10 K

Turn: 5

River: 8

Gonzales would take a stranglehold of the hand on the flop, and Marji would only see that he was drawing dead on the turn.  He goes home in sixth place, taking home $8,636 for his finish.  The chip stacks are all fairly even, with Gonzales leading the way with just over 3,000,000.

Event 4: Marji Below 1,000,000


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mark Parelli had raised all-in the hand prior (picking up the blinds and antes), and once again shipped all-in, this time UTG.  Melad Marji asked for a count (865,000), and then made the call, while the action folded behind.  It was the A 2 of Parelli up against the K Q of Marji.  Parelli made the wheel on the turn and doubled up to just under 2,000,000.  Melad is now down below 1,000,000 and could be the shortest stack at the table.

Event 4: Roller Coaster


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

It's been a roller coaster final table to say the least for Melad Marji.  After coming in with the chip lead, then finding himself close to the middle of the pack, he got himself up top once more.  After Marji raised the button to 275,000 for the second hand in a row, Adilbek pushed from the small blind for 950,000.  Melad called and the hands were tabled:

Marji: A 5              Adilbek: 6 6

Flop: 6 A A

Turn: 8

River: K

Adilbek has now doubled to over 2,000,000, while Marji is back down below 1,500,000.

Event 4: Still Six


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Six players still remain, with the blinds going up to 60,00/120,000/20,000.  The chip average is 1,800,000, which is creeping towards the 15 big blind mark.

Event 4: Blinds Up (Chip Counts)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The blinds have gone up once more with the beginning of Level 29 (50,000/100,000/10,000), and here are your six handed chip counts:

  1. John Gonzales (3,000,000)
  2. Melad Marji (2,700,000)
  3. Raul Munoz (1,400,000)
  4. Adilbek Karaguishiyez (2,100,000)
  5. Ivan Loh (1,100,000)
  6. Mark Parelli (900,000)

Event 4: Blinds Up


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 28 has just started with blinds increasing to 40,000/80,000/10,000.  The chip average among the remaining six players is 1,600,000 (20 big blinds).

Event 4: 7th Place - Shirani ($6,853)

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Leo Shirani (Germantown, MD)
7th Place - $6,853

Leo shoved his last  ~800,000 from the button and was called by Melad Marji in the big blind:

Shirani: J♠ J           Marji: A♠ 4♣

Flop: A♣ Q♣ 3♠

Turn: J♣

River: 9♣

Leo would take a pretty tough beat as he watched himself turn a set, only to see Marji river a flush.  Melad would get himself back up to 2,000,000 with that pot, and stopped the downward trend he was on.

Event 4: Almost A Huge Lay Down


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

John Gonzales raised to 200,000, and the action folded around to Mark Parelli who called.  The flop came down A 10 3, and the action went check-check.  After a 6 on the turn, Parelli bet out 225,000, and Gonzales immediately raised to 600,000.  Parelli thought about it for a while, even saying to Gonzales,  "I'm about to make the biggest lay down I've made in a long time."  Instead of going with his word, Parelli announced himself all-in, and Gonzales called.   The hands were tabled and although Parelli turned a set of sixes, Gonzales had already flopped a set of tens.  Parelli had the right read, but did not go with his head, and doubled up Gonzales to 2,200,000.

Event 4: 8th Place - Miranda ($5,351)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

John Miranda (Chestnut Ridge, NY)
8th Place - $5,351

John Miranda had raised UTG + 1, and the table folded around to Adilbek Karaguishiyez.  Adilbek three bet all-in, and Miranda called.  John's A 10 was dominated by the A Q of Adilbek, and Miranda couldn't find any help as the board ran out.

Event 4: Parelli Up...Marji Down


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

After doubling up only one hand prior, Mark Parelli found himself tangled in a hand with Melad Marji. Marji had called Parelli's pre-flop raise, and we saw a flop of Q 10 2.  Marji checked and watched as Parelli fired out a bet of 245,000.  Melad stared Parelli down, before declaring himself all-in, and putting Mark at risk (if he called).  Parelli snapped and showed Q Q (top set), while Marji tabled K J (open ended straight draw).  

Marji went from final table chip leader to below average (1,200,000), while Parelli doubles up to 1,400,000.

Event 4: Marji Takes A Hit


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

John Gonzales was all-in for his last 645,000, with Melad Marji next to act.  Marji made the call and the table folded behind.  It was the A 10 of Gonzales against the Q Q of Marji, and once again we saw the ace spike the river, giving the short stack the double up.

Only two hands later we saw Mark Parelli all-in with A K against the J J of John Miranda.  Do we have to tell you what happened? Ace on the river and now Parelli doubles up as well.

Event 4: Break/Level Up


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Players are currently on break, and when they return the blinds will be increasing to 30,000/60,000/5,000.  The chip average among the remaining eight players is 1,400,000 (~24 big blinds).

Event 4: 9th Place - Bohn ($3,755)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mark Bohn (Vienna, VA)
9th Place - $3,755

Event 4: Final Table


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here is your final table for Event 4:
  1. Leo Shirani (800,000)
  2. John Gonzales (900,000)
  3. Mark Bohn (700,000)
  4. Melad Marji (3,000,000)
  5. Raul Munoz (1,600,000)
  6. Adilbek Karaguishiyez (750,000)
  7. Ivan Loh (600,000)
  8. Mark Parelli (670,000)
  9. John Miranda (1,700,000)

Event 4: 10th-12th Places ($2,441)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

We had to bustouts simultaneously, as both Ravi Patel and Jose Gatmaitan we all-in and at risk, but both were ahead with pairs against naked aces.  Patel had 10 10 against A 7 and watched as an ace spiked the river, while Gatmaitan had Q Q and watched as an ace spiked the turn.  The following players have cashed for $2,441:

10. Jose Gatmaitan (Philadelphia, PA)
11. Ravi Patel (Laurel, MD)
12. Thomas McGarry (Hazlet, NJ)

Event 4: Munoz Busts Another

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Raul Munoz has just eliminated Thomas McGarry, as Raul's 10 9 made a flush on the turn against the Q 7 of McGarry.  Thomas collects $2,441 for his 12th place finish, while Munoz chips up to over 1,400,000.

Event 4: Back From Break


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The remaining 12 players are coming back from break, and when they return the blinds will be going up to 25,000/50,000/5,000.  The chip average is 921,000, which is ~ 18.5 big blinds.

Event 4: 13th-15th Places ($1,877)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following players cashed for $1,877:

13. Sean Hu (Doylestown, PA)
14. Michael McDermott (Clarksburg, NJ)
15. Phong "VIP" Nguyen (Bristow, VA)

Sean Hu was just knocked out by Melad Marji, in a pot worth over 1,000,000.  Marji is now the clear chip leader with ~2,000,000.

Event 4: "VIP" O-U-T

$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Phong "VIP" Nguyen (Bristow,VA) had been grinding an average to below average stack for most of the latter stages of this event.  He just open shoved his last 255,000 in middle position, and was called by Raul Munoz on the button:

Munoz: 7♣ 7♠              Nguyen: K Q

Flop: K♠ 10♠ 8♠

Turn: 8

River: 9♠

VIP would lose to the four card flush, and exit the tournament in 15th place collecting $1,877.

Event 4: 16th-18th Places ($1,408)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following players have cashed for $1,408:

16. Daniel Orgil (Staten Island, NY)
17. Edward Walsh (Langhorne, PA)
18. Wayne Nunziata (Weston, CT)

Level 25 has just started, with blinds going up to 20,000/40,000/4,000.  The chip average with 15 players remaining is 740,000 (18 big blinds).

Event 4: No Curse Of The Blogger


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Usually players have some superstition that when the blogger takes a picture, or writes a post about them, that things begin to trend downward.  That's not the case for John Gonzales, who we just listed as the shortest stack in the tournament.  Gonzales just doubled through John Miranda with A Q against Miranda's A 10.  Gonzales now has 590,000, leaving Ravi Patel as the shortest stack remaining, with 230,000.

Event 4: The Spectrum


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

With 16 players now remaining, here is an update and the largest and shortest stack:

Melad Marji - 1,200,000 (40 big blinds)
John Gonzales - 210,000 (7 big blinds)

We have lost both Wayne Nunziata and Edward Walsh (both collecting $1,408).

Event 4: Level Up


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 24 is about to begin, with the blinds increasing to 15,000/30,000/4,000.  The chip average sits at 614,000, which is slightly above 20 big blinds.

Event 4: That Pots Got Heaps


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

We walked over to Table 2, with a hand already in progress between Melad Marji and Daniel Orgil.  The flop was 10 8 J 7 3, and with over 500,000 already in the middle, Marji had gone all-in over Orgil's 200,000 river bet.  It was another 424,000 for Orgil to call (which would of put him all-in), and after some tanking Daniel decided to fold.  

Marji now has ~ 1,000,0000, while Daniel is knocked down to ~360,000.

Event 4: Final Two Tables


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Here are the remaining 18 players and there new seat assignments:

Table 1:
  1. Sean Hu
  2. Adilbek Karaguishiyez
  3. Ravi Patel
  4. Edward Walsh
  5. Ivan Loh
  6. Leo Shirani
  7. Michael McDermott
  8. John Gonzales
  9. John Miranda
Table 2:
  1. Raul Munoz
  2. Melad Marji
  3. Marc Parelli
  4. Jose Gatmaitan
  5. Wayne Nunziata
  6. Thomas McGarry
  7. VIP Nguyen
  8. Daniel Orgil
  9. Mark Bohn

Event 4: 19th-27th Places ($1,033)


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

The following players have cashed for $1,033:

19. Toby Kasser (New City, NY)
20. Taisiya Kuznetsova (Brookyln, NY)
21. Oliver Solomon (North Caldwell, NJ)
22. Jennifer Mumby (Troy, NY)
23. Batkhuu Batulzii (Renton, WA)
24. John Walsh (Thiells, NY)
25. Matt Molinari (Massapequa, NY)
26. Christopher Peterson (Staten Island, NY)
27. Robert Fini (Vienna, VA)

Event 4: Break Time/Redraw At 18


$350 + 50 Big Stack NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Players are currently on a (15) minute break, and when they return the tournament floor will being redrawing the remaining 18 players.  Once the finish the redraw we will bring you the new seating assignments.

Players returning will be back to blinds of 12,000/24,000/3,000.