Saturday, June 15, 2013

Event 14: Hand For Hand Combat

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Egar Lemus (Toms River)  knocks out the double-bubble when his K-Q improves vs. Opponent's 9-9.

Board: J-7-Q-7-3

With that bust-out, Event 14 is officially on the bubble.

The next person out gets $0.  Final three tables are playing hand for hand to keep things fair.

Event 14: Kostelac Stacks

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

John Kostelac Doubles Up

John Kostelac (Camp Hill, PA) is sitting on 200,000 after his AK cracks Opponent's KK.  John shipped his last 90,000 with Big Slick then saw the miracle flop fall A-K-2.

That big double-up gives John some breathing room as the bubble looms and teh average stack is 145,500.

20 Players remain.  Top 18 get paid.

Event 14: Back In Business

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Players have returned from break ready to play until a 2AM bag and tag.  Of course they have to first hit the bubble which isn't too far away (famous last words).

22 players remain on 3 tables. 

Top 18 get paid leaving our 19th elimination the Borgata Bubble.

Who will capture all 2,910,000 chips and the $28,225 1st Place Prize?

Level 15 Blinds: 1500 / 3000 with 400 antes.

Event 14: Fred's Ahead

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

 Fred Jafarzadeh (Virginia) - 240,000

In the last hand before a fifteen minute break, Fred Jafarzadeh plays his 7-7 to perfection as he calls down his Opponent who was making a move with K-J.

Opponent jammed the turn and Fred made the correct call.  He sweated the river 10 and just like that is 2nd in chips for the tournament.  Board ran out 2-2-3-4-10.

DJ Whorley (Washington, DC) is still holding on to the chip leader title with 260,000.

Event 14: Happy Father's Day Eve

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Karl Sirotkin - 185,000

Big double up this level for Karl Sirotkin (Maryland) who hits the nut straight on the same card his opponent hit a lower straight.  With that hand Sirotkin surges up to 185,000 in chips.

"I've been married for 40 years and want to thank my wife Kristin for giving me this tournament as my Father's Day gift" said Karl.

Family is important to Karl who's looking forward to taking in his 100 year old Father in the very near future.  "And he's still sharp" quipped Karl.

Turns out poker runs deep in the Sirotkin family tree as legend has it Karl's grandmother was quite the poker shark.

Event 14: Alida Lasts All Ladies

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  


Last Women Standing

Alida Veliu (Wykoff, NJ) is your Last Woman Standing.  On another table, Corri Pranevich (Pittsburgh, PA) finally lost a coin flip involing 6-6 vs. A-K.  Corri's just happy to get the bad session out of the way in hopes to run deep in the Championship.

As for Alida, she's happy to have outlasted all the other girls.  Even though she's an avid believer in the chip-and-a-chair philosophy, her super short stack couldn't survive.

Alida failed to cash, exiting in 26th Place, but still wanted to say hello to her daughter Elba and son Ben rooting from home.  Ironically, our last lady lost with ladies.  Her QQ was rundown by Opponent's AJ.

25 Players remain. 

18th Place scores a min-cash of $1,411.

Event 14: Tournament Update

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

31 Players continue to compete on the four remaining tables - all vying for that huge first place prize of $28,225.

Level 13 blinds have increased to 1000 / 2000 with 200 antes.

Next break comes in an hour and half.

Don't forget this is a two day tournament.  We'll play until 18 players or 2AM, whichever comes first.
Then play resumes tomorrow at noon for Day 2.

Event 14: Worley Domination

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

 DJ Whorley (Washington DC) - 215,000

There's a new chip-leader in the house and his name is DJ Whorley.  DJ scooped large after flopping broadway.  His opponent hit the Donk end on the turn and turned over all his chips.

With that double up, DJ Whorley has taken over the tournament chip lead from Egar Lemus (Toms River) who just happens to be at the same table.  Sparks will fly if these two powerhouses decide to collide.

Event 14: Dwarf Tossing Chips

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

 Ben "Sleepy" Sears - 90,000

Good thing Event 14 is a two day Event otherwise Ben Sears (Norfolk, VA) might have a hard time staying awake.  His wife Heather gave him the Sleepy Dwarf card protector and his nickname, "Sleepy".

When asked if Ben's ever fallen asleep at the poker table, he admitted he has dozed off while playing on-line from time to time.  During our interview Ben must have woken up to some interesting cards as he scooped a healthy pot on a board of 8-3-3-4.

Blinds 800 / 1600 with 200 antes.

35 Players remain - Top 18 make the cake.

Event 14: Corri Details

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Corri Pranevich Tries To Continue Run

Play has resumed with only two ladies left.  One of them is below average stack Corri Pranevich (Pittsburgh, PA) who's afraid she just might have used up all her lady luck last night. 

Corri won a $14,000 package in a Borgata Survivor tournament.  Seems to me she has some luck left as she's managed to win every all-in race she's attempted thus far.

"I can't wait to goto Vegas and try my luck there" laughed Corri.

We'll let you know if Corri is the Last Woman Standing and if she survives the bubble.

Event 14: Numbers Game

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Number of Entries:   194
Players Remaining:  37
Chips in Play:  2.91 million

Big Stack:  215k (134 bb)
Average Stack:  79k (49 bb)

Play Resumes: 8:15 pm
Next Blinds: 800/1.6k/200 ante

Total Buy-In:  $97,000
First Prize:  $28,225
Places Paid: 18
Min Cash: $1,411

Event 14: The Doctor Is In...But Not All In

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Dr. Raul Munoz (Egg Harbor Twp) - 75,000

Dr. Munoz would love to play poker at Borgata every day but he can't quit his day job as an anesthesiologist at Cooper hospital in Camden, NJ.  Instead he makes the most at being a weekend warrior.

Last Saturday ended well for Raul as he sewed up second place in Event 4.  "I'm looking to repeat or improve upon my performance last week" said Dr. Munoz.

He's back from dinner break extra early, perhaps planning out his strategy for the remainder of the tournament.

Raul has a stack of 75,000 which is just south of the average 78,000.

Play resumes at 8:15 pm.

Event 14: Quad Queens

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

With players on dinner break the Borgata Babes have time to pose. Enjoy!

Victoria, Sharon, Gosia & Kaitlin

Event 14: Big Bluff Gives Comar Lead

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

 Comar Counts Chips

On the last hand before dinner break, Mike Comar (Manalapan, NJ) gets a huge windfall and is now the chip leader.

"He put me to the test," says Comar, while stacking 215k and catching his breath.

Comar recounts the hand:

Blinds 600/1,200/200 ante

Comar raises to 5k, opponent makes it 14,500, Comar calls.

Flop: 10♣ 7 K♠

Opponent bets 15k, Comar calls

Turn: A♣

Opponent bets 15k, Comar calls

River: 4♠

Opponent moves all in, Comar tank-calls and is at risk.  The opposing player concedes the pot and Comar turns over A ♠ J♣ for the winning pair of Aces

"Triple barrel bluff," says one player who's impressed with the call. Comar's opponent drops to 30k as everyone heads to break.

Comar is an experience player who won a Borgata trophy in April's Borgata Spring Poker Open for $20,000.

37 players remain with an average stack of 79k (49 bb) with blinds moving to 800/1.6k/200 ante.

Play resumes at 8:15 pm.

Event 12: Photo Slideshow


May not work on mobile devices.

Event 12 Recap

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

Abraham Korotki took a massive chip lead when he busted third place finisher Anthony An.  Runner-up Anthony Caruso was not able to overcome the chip deficit heads-up and had to settle for second place.  Korotki will collect $22,698, his third Borgata Open trophy, and a 16x20 framed photo of himself, taken by professional photographer Eric Harkins of Image Masters (IMPDI).

Anthony An jumped out to an early chip lead on day one and held on to that chip lead most of the day.  When they reached the money at the final 12, there were moments when other players took the lead, but when they reached the final six, An was on top again.  His penultimate hand was an ill-timed bluff in a battle of the blinds with Abraham Korotki.  An shoved on an innocuous T 9 6 flop and got snap-called by Korotki, who held pocket Aces.  An had no pair and no draw and was left with less than four big blinds.  Korotki got the rest of his chips on the next hand, sending An to the rail in third place ($10,403).

Anthony Caruso won a Six Max event here during the 2010 Borgata Summer Poker Open and was shooting for his second title, but Korotki's chips and experience were too much to overcome.  Caruso picked up $13,997 for his second place finish.

A total of 130 entries accounted for total buy-ins of $78,000.  The final 12 players got paid.  At the end of day one, they had played to the final table of six, who returned for day two today.

Ironically, Anthony Caruso was the shortest stack of the six players starting the final table and Abraham Korotki was the second-shortest stack.  The fact that these two players wound up heads-up is a testament to their poker skill (and a bit of luck).

"It was a fun tournament." Korotki said.  When asked about the Six Max format, he replied "I didn't [like it] until about 6-8 months ago.  Then I realized at this buy-in level, it brings the best players out".

Korotki went on to say "Borgata tournaments are the best.  It's safe, clean, and the management and poker room people are fabulous".  He's going to celebrate his win tonight and probably take tomorrow off, then start his Championship venture on Monday, day 1B.
Today Abraham Korotki became the eighth member of an elite group of players who have each won three Borgata Open titles, joining Bill Blanda, Howard Wolper, Patricia Barsanti-Chou, Chris Reslock, Yuebin Guo, Allen Kessler, and Jeff Papola. Will 'the Thrill' Failla still stands alone as the only four-time Borgata Open titleist.


Final Results
1 - Abraham Korotki (Oceanview, DE)  $22,698
2 - Anthony Caruso (Medford, NJ)  $13,997
3 - Anthony An (Juneau, AK)  $10,403
4 - Steven Tabb (Newtown, MA)  $7,755
5 - Gary Bowker (E Landowne, PA)  $5,864
6 - Ireneusz Jozwiak (Frederick, MD)  $4,161
7 -  David Corazza (Honesdale, PA) $3,216
8 -  Brian Meola (New York, NY)  $2,459
9 -  Alex Tores (Union City, NJ)  $1,702
10 -  Albert Alimena (Garden City, NY)  $1,135
11 -  Joe Lapinta (Toms River, NJ)  $1,135
12 -  Kevin Lutz (Bellmawr, NJ)  $1,135

FINAL RESULTS

Event 14: Full Time Job

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Robert Nicotra's (Weehawken, NJ) poker itch flared up when he finished 60th in last September's WPT Borgata Poker Open for nearly $10,000.

"I'm getting addicted," says Nictora who is up to 100k after his pocket Aces hold to knockout an opponent.

"I try to get down here (Borgata) as often as I can, but now have to settle for weekends."

Nictora says that he's now a "9-to-5er" and is scratching the itch when he's not working.

43 players remain with an average stack of 68k (57 bb) as blinds continue at 600/1,200/200 ante.

Dinner break is set for 7:15 pm

Event 12: 1st Place - Korotki

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Abraham Korotki (Oceanview, DE)
$22,698

Abraham Korotki took a massive chip lead when he busted third place finisher Anthony An.  Runner-up Anthony Caruso was not able to overcome the chip deficit heads-up and had to settle for second.  Abraham will collect $22,698, his third Borgata Open trophy, and a 16x20 framed photo of himself, taken by professional photographer Eric Harkins of Image Masters (IMPDI).

Today Abraham Korotki became the eighth member of an elite group of players who have each won three Borgata Open titles.

Event 12: 2nd Place - Caruso

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

Anthony Caruso (Medford, NJ)
$13,997

Anthony was losing ground gradually and had moved in a few times without getting called.

After shoving from the button again, this time Abe looked him up.

Anthony:  75 suited
Abe:  AQ

Board:  K Q 9 Q J

Despite picking up a flush draw on the turn, the river was no help to Anthony.  He was eliminated in 2nd place, earning $13,997 and missing out on his second Borgata Open Trophy.  

Anthony won his first trophy three years ago during the Summer Open in a Six Max event, so this format seems to work well for him.

Event 14: Lemus Leads

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Lemus Cool & Relaxed

Egar Lemus (Toms River, NJ) is the chip leader with 140k and a couple of heavy hitters are chasing.

2011 Borgata Summer Poker Open Champion Tyng Low (Fushing, NY) knocks out a player with AA for a 13k pot and is now up to 130k, while Alida Vileu (Wykoff, NJ), the Ladies Event runner-up in this series is up to 110k.

Also in the mix is Michael Cannon (Harrisburg, PA) who is still at 130k.

54 players remain with an average stack of 54k (54 bb) with blinds at 500/1k/100 ante.

Event 12: Heads Up Underway

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

At the beginning of heads-up play, Abe Korotki held a commanding chip lead.

Abe Korotki - 1.5 million
Anthony Caruso - 427k

Anthony Caruso has been holding his own.  After a few uncalled all-ins, he's hovering at about 400k, leaving about 1.55 for Abe.

Heads-up play continues...

Event 12: 3rd Place - An

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Anthony An (Juneau, AK)
$10,403

It was a battle of the blinds and raised pre-flop.

On the flop of T 9 6 with two diamonds, Anthony An (sb) announced he was all-in.
Abe Korotki snap-called all-in.

Anthony said "I was bluffing!" as he rolled over his K2 offsuit.

Abe rolled over pocket Aces.

The last two fell 4 3 and Abe took the pot, doubling up to ~1.4 million.

Anthony was left with 52k.

2k went in for the ante, then he was all-in for 50k on the button on the next hand.

Abe called from the small blind.

Anthony:  72 suited
Abe: KJ

Board: K 8 5 4 9

Abe took the last of Anthony's chips. 

Anthony An busted out in 3rd place, earning $10,403.

Anthony owns a hotel back home and is in town on vacation.  He'll be back tomorrow playing day 1A of the main event.

Event 14: Back From Break

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

Unofficially, there were 194 entries in this event.

Only 63 remain, so two-thirds of the field has been eliminated. 

Average stack is ~46k.

Michael Cannon (Harrisburg, PA) is the chip leader with ~130k.

Play resumed with

Level 9: Blinds 400/800 with 75 ante.

Event 12: Official Break Time

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

At the end of level 12, players took off for ten minutes.

Chip counts:

Anthony An - 836k
Abe Korotki - 745k
Anthony Caruso - 365k

Event 12: Final Three Chip Counts

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Unscheduled bio-break.

Approximate chip counts for the final three:

Anthony An - 884k
Abe Korotki - 620k
Anthony Caruso - 446k

Play has resumed.

Still level 21, blinds 6k/12k with 2k ante.

Event 12: 4th Place - Tabb

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Steven Tabb (Newtown, MA)
$7,755

Anthony Caruso (button) moved all-in for 263k.

Steven Tabb called all-in for less (about 215k).

Anthony:  KQ
Steven: AJ

Board 6 6 2 Q 8

Anthony paired up on the turn to take the pot, chipping up to about 500k.

Steven Tabb finished in 4th place, earning $7,755.

Event 12: Final Four Chip Counts

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 21:  Blinds 6k/12k with 2k ante.

The final four continue to push blinds and antes around the felt.

Rough chip counts:

Anthony An - 900k
Abe Korotki - 605k
Anthony Caruso - 240k
Steven Tabb - 205k

Event 12: Tight Table

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Steven Tabb has moved all-in a few times, but not gotten any callers.

Then he jammed utg and Abe Korotki called from the small blind. 

Anthony Caruso (bb) stood up, looked at the table, gave it some thought, then announced he was folding, and showed AK with the King of clubs.

Steven: A9 (no club)
Abe:  55 (no club)

Board:  A Q 3 6 J -- all clubs.

The two players chopped the pot (Anthony would have taken it with a flush if he had played).


On the next hand, Abe raised to 30k utg and everyone folded.  Anthony An (bb) showed he was laying down KQ.

Event 12: Big Double For An

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Steven Tabb (utg) opened for 23k and Abe Korotki called from the small blind.

On the flop of 7 6 4 with two spades, Abe checked, Steven bet 25k, and Abe called.

Turn was an offsuit Jack.  Abe checked, Steven bet 70k, and Abe called.

River was an offsuit 3.  Abe checked, Steven bet 75k and Abe called.

Steven showed pocket 7s for a set and Abe mucked.

Steven chipped up to ~525k.  Abe dropped to ~400k.


Then Steven and Anthony An see a flop of T T 9 with two clubs.

Steven bet 50k, Anthony gave it some thought, then raised to 150k.

Steven jammed and Anthony called all-in for 326k total.

Steven:  T9 suited for trip Tens
Anthony:  KT off for trip Tens with better kicker.

Last two fell J K and Anthony took the pot with a full boat.  He chipped up to over 700k.

Steven was left with ~180k.

Event 41: Another Championship Qualifier Begins

$540 + $60 Championship Qualifier NLH

Another way to win your seat in the 2013 Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship is underway here in the poker room.

They began with 20,000 chips and levels are 30 minutes long.

Approximately 1 in 5 will win a $2,700 seat in the Championship and you can chose to play on day 1A Sunday or day 1B Monday.

Event 12: Final Four Chip Counts

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 20:  Blinds 5k/10k with 1k ante.

Play has resumed after a break.

Here are the precise chip counts as of the break:

Anthony Caruso - 667k
Abe Korotki - 614k
Anthony An - 360k
Steven Tabb - 311k

Event 12: 5th Place - Bowker

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Gary Bowker (E Landowne, PA)
$5,864

Anthony Caruso opened for 30k, then Gary Bowker jammed.

Anthony made the call.

Anthony:  AQ
Gary:  77

Board:  A K 9 9 J

Anthony took the pot with Aces-up, chipping up to ~670k.

Gary Bowker finished in 5th place, earning $5,864.

Event 12: Final Five Chip Counts

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

About half-way through level 19 and it has gotten quiet at the final table.

Abe Korotki is chipping up again.  Here are some rough counts for the final five:

Anthony Caruso - 600k
Abe Korotki - 450k
Anthony An - 435k
Steven Tabb - 260k
Gary Bowker - 115k

Event 12: 6th Place - Jozwiak

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Ireneusz Jozwiak (Frederick, MD)
$4,161

Ireneusz Jozwiak got all-in pre-flop against Anthony Caruso.

Ireneusz:  KK
Anthony: AA

Board:  6 3 2 Q T

Anthony's Aces held up and he took the pot, chipping up to ~740k and the chip lead.

Ireneusz Jozwiak finished in 6th place, earning $4,161.

Blinds up!

Level 19:  Blinds 4k/8k with 1k ante.

Event 12: Korotki Doubles Again

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Abe Korotki was all-in pre-flop for 155k against Gary Bowker.

Abe:  QT
Gary: A4

Board: T 6 6 T 9

Abe made Tens-full to double up to 325k.  Gary dropped to 162k.

Event 12: Caruso Doubles Again

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)


Anthony Caruso got all-in again, this time against Abe Korotki.

Anthony:  99
Abe: AT

Board: K Q 7 3 2

Anthony's pair held up and he doubled up to over 500k.  Abe was left with ~100k.

Event 12: Caruso Doubles

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Anthony Caruso got all-in pre-flop against Anthony An.

Caruso:  K♠Qc
An:  AJ♣

Board:  Q♠9♠2♠93♠

Caruso rivered a flush to double up to ~255k.  An dropped to 460k.


Gary Bowker has arrived and taken his seat.

Event 12: Korotki Doubles Early

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Abe Korotki was all-in against Ireneusz Jozwiak.

Abe:  A6
Ireneusz: KK

Board:  A 5 3 3 3

Abe paired his Ace to double up to ~350k.  Ireneusz dropped to ~160k.

Event 12: Sixers Back In Action

$600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 18:  Blinds 3k/6k with 500 ante.

The final table of the Six Max has resumed in The Boardroom here in the back of the poker room.

Here's the lineup with starting chip counts:
  1. Anthony An (Juneau, AK) 589,500
  2. Abe Korotki (Oceanview, DE) 180,000
  3. Ireneusz Jozwiak (Frederick, MD) 370,500
  4. Anthony Caruso (Medford, NJ) 104,500
  5. Steven Tabb (Newtown, MA) 319,500
  6. Gary Bowker (E Landowne, PA) 389,000
Gary Bowker has not appeared yet to take his seat, so he is being blinded off.

Event 14: Former Champion Arrives

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

The 2011 Borgata Summer Poker Open Champion is in the house.

Tyng Low
 
Tyng Low (Flushing, NY) won all the cheddar during that summer two years ago, taking down the Championship event for $211,484.

Low defeated Farid Jattin (Miami, FL) heads up to take the title and outlasted Austen Johnson (Woodsboro, MD), arguably the most dominant player of the series.  (Austen won the Borgata Leaderboard contest during that series, which was an entry into the 2011 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship event).

Event 14: Kraut Looking For More Cabbage

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Level 3:  Blinds 75/150.

Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) is back in action today, looking for his second cash of this series (he finished 39th in event 5 for $777).

Alan Kraut

With the WSOP going on in Las Vegas, it must be difficult for Alan to be here rather than there.  In an interview done during the Spring Open, he tells this story about last year's main event:

At the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event, his first WSOP main event, Kraut was seated at a table with soon-to-be main event champion Greg Merson.
“I had Greg all in and drawing thin on Day 2,” Kraut said. “In his own words, he punted and got there. There was over 100 big blinds in the pot and it crippled me and sent him on his way.”
Within about 30 minutes Kraut was out of the tournament. Merson went on to win the whole thing for more than $8.5 million.
 

Event 40: Championship Qualifier

$270 + $30 Championship Qualifier NLH

Another Championship Qualifier is underway.

Since day 1A of the Championship is tomorrow, today would be a good day to win a seat.  Cards are in the air for the first of two qualifiers that will run today.

Players began with 12,000 chips and levels are 25 minutes long.

Approximately one in every ten players will win a $2,700 seat in the Championship (they can choose to play either day 1A Sunday or day 1B Monday).

Late registration is open for this qualifier through level 7 (about 3 pm).

Event 14: More Familiar Faces

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 2:  Blinds 50/100.

Twelve tables are up and running already today.

More familiar faces are appearing in the crowd:

Alida Vileu (Wykoff, NJ) was runner-up in the Ladies event last Sunday, earning $2,588.  She was the chip leader early in that event and held that lead late into the final table, before finally losing to Borgata regular Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY).

Earl King

Earl King (Colts Neck, NJ) won event 5 ($350 Big Stack Double Play NLH) a few days ago for $39,735.

Event 14: Early Birds

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

These familiar faces were on the felt at the crack of 11am this morning:

Corrine Pranevich
Kal Alwan
Alan Kraut
Sholom Lipszyc

OK, so that's not a lot.  But it is early.  Lots of room for late arrivals.

Late registration and re-entry is available through the break after level 6 (about 3:30 pm).


Event 14: Underway

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

The last trophy event before the Championship begins is underway.

Another straight-up No Limit Hold'em tournament.  No Bounties, no Big Stacks, just pure poker.  Of course you can still re-enter if you bust out through level six.

All levels are 40 minutes long and players began with 15,000 chips 

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

Play is underway.

Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard Update (6/15)

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 , 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13
Secondary events: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)

378.175:  JOHN WHITING
354.750:  LEE KIRSCH
312.488:  ADRIAN SILVESCU
312.000:  MICHAEL BONNEY
311.913:  ILYA VASSERMAN
294.450:  RICHARD DEVIVO
290.675:  SHE LOK WONG
283.788:  STEVEN POLIMENI
282.653:  THOMAS BALLA
280.200:  EARL KING
269.288:  MICHAEL HAHN
265.600:  MICHAEL MARDER
264.650:  FRANK VULPIS
259.325:  GRAESON BURNETTE-PEAKE
256.638:  MOHD EID
254.310:  DAVID EILERS
253.750:  MARUTI YARLAPATI
250.675:  TOBY KASSER
248.325:  PAUL VACCHIO
246.500:  JAMES MCKEON
245.750:  PHILIP RINALDI
242.075:  BENJAMIN LAVES
238.213:  DAVID HECK
226.498:  ERIC SIEGEL
223.833:  NEVILLE DARRELL
222.225:  ARMANDO THEN
221.825:  SEUNG LEE
218.850:  HAROLD CUSSON
218.400:  KHOI TA
216.000:  ADILBEK KARAGUISHIYEV
215.420:  GENE MAZZA
215.238:  CHII CHING SUN
214.540:  THOMAS SPELLACY
208.525:  JEFFREY GURFINKEL
204.475:  SCOTT HILLIER
203.850:  PAYAM EFTEKHAR JAHROMI
203.163:  HUNG TRUONG
193.125:  THOMAS DUGGAN
192.850:  STEVEN GRABER
192.388:  CHAD POWER
191.775:  MITCHELL MANTIN
190.318:  CHRISTIAN FARLEY
190.250:  KHALED ALWAN
190.125:  FRANK INGARDIA
188.100:  MARGUERITE SPAGNUOLO
184.750:  IOANNIS VITSENTZOS
184.650:  ROMAINE LEWIS
184.550:  ALPHONSE TELYMONDE
181.250:  LEONARDO PALERMO
181.238:  ROHAN LONG
180.150:  COLEEM CHESTNUT
174.258:  LUKE EDWARDS
172.800:  RAUL MUNOZ
171.838:  TOBY RODRIGUEZ
169.275:  CHRISTIAN FYKE
167.635:  BRUCE JACKSON
167.200:  MARK TARANTO
167.013:  JINGLIN CHEN
166.625:  DAVID DENOON
166.325:  JAMES PLATE
164.575:  IRVING MCKENZIE
163.925:  HOWARD SPITZ
162.650:  ANTONIO WALKER
161.325:  ADRIAN CORONA
161.000:  ELIAS ZEILAH
159.400:  SANJEEV DATTA
155.675:  LAURENCE WOLF
155.225:  JEFFREY EINSIDLER
155.088:  ERIC SUAREZ
154.543:  GILBERT SACKS
152.828:  KEVIN MEALS
152.125:  HAO LE
150.363:  SHU LEE
150.050:  STEVEN TABB
147.405:  IRINA AKERMAN
145.310:  MARK SYKES
145.310:  JOSEPH WERTZ
145.213:  BARTLEY DOWLING
143.775:  NANCY MARTIN
143.638:  MICHAEL LYDON
142.138:  XIDONG CHEN
140.363:  DONALD MERCER
140.025:  KEVIN MASON
140.000:  STEVEN PAINO
139.408:  KEVIN CAMPBELL
138.203:  ERIC MILLER
137.118:  ANDREW JEFFREY
137.113:  STEPHANIE HUBBARD
136.225:  CHRISTOPHER EDWARDS
135.325:  JAMES TESONE
134.700:  MICHAEL MCGUINNESS
133.785:  CHRISTOPER LOVE
132.910:  ONOFRIO REINA
132.100:  ALAN KRAUT
132.000:  MICHAEL FIORITO
131.863:  IBRAIM IBRAIMOVIC
131.663:  WARREN WIGGINS
130.450:  ROBERT MELO
130.200:  YOSSI ITSHAKOV
130.133:  STEVEN COPPOLA
130.005:  ARASH SHIRANI
128.775:  BERNARD DOMINIAK
127.938:  POFUK YING
127.763:  BROWNIE GARRETT
127.400:  JOSHUA HAY
126.388:  ENNIO SORGINI
125.050:  TIMOTHY BRYAN
124.438:  DANIEL WALSH
123.875:  GARY BOWKER
123.710:  ROBERT JOHNSTON
122.748:  JAMES ZITO
121.600:  ALPHONSE DEVIVO
121.000:  PATRICIA HAGGERTY
120.480:  SIROUS JAMSHIDI
120.100:  BENJAMIN CURRY
119.225:  DAWN WILNO
118.560:  BARUCH ALTMAN
118.095:  KENNETH SILBERSTEIN
117.715:  STEVEN AVENT
117.400:  DAVID ROSENAU
117.038:  VICTOR MCCOY
116.975:  JOSEPH TERMAN
116.850:  TIMOTHY PINKHAM
116.613:  SAMANTHA RUSZKAY
114.850:  MICHAEL FORCA
114.725:  CLAUDIUS FERRIS
114.300:  DAVID TAYLOR
113.600:  STEVEN REID
112.580:  ADAM AGAEV
112.575:  JORDAN LUDWICK
112.488:  KEVIN GUGLIOTTA
111.710:  SAMUEL TUCKER
111.538:  JOHN MCGUINNESS
111.263:  MOHAMMAD SAADEGHVAZIRI
110.900:  EMMANUIL DIGILOV
110.705:  ALAN LEE
108.975:  ALYSON PARKER
108.305:  DANIEL BEAVERS
108.000:  IVAN CHIANG LOH
107.538:  TIMOTHY LITTLE
106.963:  DONALD BROWN
106.575:  ALAN MOON
106.523:  ANGELA GAMBONE
106.400:  TRENTON HOWARD CUNNINGHAM
106.325:  BRIAN ADRAGNA
105.988:  AARON PINSON
105.480:  MARC PARELLI
105.280:  JOHN DERRICO
104.763:  MOHAMED RADWAN
104.513:  ROBERT ZYBURA
104.505:  MICHAEL WODZINSKI
104.213:  ANDREW KLEIN
103.800:  SCOTT WARDELL
103.788:  MICHAEL SANDLER
103.725:  WILLIAM KLEVITZ
103.675:  CHARLES JONES
103.675:  KENNETH NATAL
102.950:  CHRISTOPHER MIKIL
102.450:  ARTHUR BRESSLER
101.913:  RYAN MCKNIGHT
101.750:  THOMAS MCGARRY
101.535:  CHAO LIN
100.988:  ZLATKO CIROVIC
100.800:  PATRICK NAUGHTON
100.800:  DENNIS BLINDERMAN
100.630:  JOSHUA SUPSAK
100.338:  BRANDON SCHAEFER
100.218:  MELAD MARJI
100.150:  MOHAMMAD AMJADI
100.100:  MATTHEW BURNITZ
99.875:  NICHOLAS TREPPIEDI
99.550:  ANTHONY CLEMENTI
99.350:  CHARLES RICH
99.188:  KEVIN LUTZ
98.200:  ROBIN DOHERTY
97.450:  JOHN IANNUCCI
96.075:  MIKHAIL MIRONENKO
95.925:  JEFFREY SHULTZ
95.588:  GREGORY WHITING
95.040:  JOHN GONZALES
94.975:  MATTHEW LOPE
94.713:  WILLIAM MILLER
94.700:  ROBERT PORTAS
94.400:  SAMEER BATRA
94.263:  NICHOLAS PARTENOPE
93.675:  JACOB GDALOWITZ
93.400:  RICHARD BRANCATO
93.185:  MICHAEL STEIN
93.163:  KALID ALI
93.075:  MICHAEL DELLARATTO
92.200:  WILLIAM THOMAS
92.000:  LANCE FUNSTON
91.900:  GERALD SOSLER
91.613:  ROBERT SANTILLI
91.350:  CHRISTINE BREWER
90.850:  ROBERT DWECK
90.825:  KEUNG TSUI
90.575:  JUNIOR LOPEZ
90.475:  ALIDA VELIU
90.350:  LYLE DIAMOND
90.245:  STEPHEN GILL
89.628:  HENRY TELIAS
89.375:  EVAN KOCHAV
89.338:  TOMASZ GLINIECKI
88.088:  TIMOTHY DOUGHERTY
88.050:  ROBERT HAAVIND
87.675:  PHONG NGUYEN
87.650:  LEON MOTOLA
87.463:  ARSLAN ARSLANOSKI
87.325:  NORMAN ROGERS
86.675:  ROHIT HUKMANI
86.600:  MICHAEL EDDY
85.763:  KEVIN BENITEZ
85.475:  KENNETH ROBERTS
84.513:  KYLE HARRIGAN-FERRO
84.488:  JOSEPH PITTI
84.000:  JAMES PRENDERGAST
83.700:  DEAN MARTIN
83.400:  STEPHEN SILVERMAN
83.375:  ROGER MORANO
83.000:  RONALD CITRENBAUM
82.875:  KATAYON KHATERZAI
82.675:  PAUL SCATURRO
82.675:  MIKHAIL SHER
81.675:  VYACHESLAV EYZEROVICH
81.610:  ERIC DICINTI
81.425:  GIL GAVISH
81.125:  TAISIYA KUZNETSOVA
81.075:  MICHAEL MALINCONICO
81.050:  KIMBERLY SACHSE
81.038:  NEAL LIPTAK
80.750:  JAFAR AMIRAHMADI
80.675:  JAY ZIMMET
80.500:  MICHAEL ALTBAUM
79.775:  QING GUO
79.700:  DANIEL PUGLIESE
79.650:  RONALD SVEC
79.625:  ZACHARY GOUZOPOULOS
79.525:  ANTHONY CARUSO
79.375:  THOMAS MULLEN
79.113:  BYUNG YOO
79.000:  JEFFREY WICKER
78.350:  FREDERICK REILLY
78.150:  JAMES PETOLICCHIO
78.000:  JASON HABINSKY
78.000:  ERIN KENNEDY
77.875:  HERMENEGILDO TRILLO
77.813:  THOMAS BINTLIFF
77.763:  RICHARD FRUMKIN
77.325:  STEPHEN BIRK
77.225:  GAIANE PETROSSIAN
77.188:  RAVI PATEL
76.875:  ROBSON BARBOSA
76.775:  LUKAS STOGER
76.725:  MUSTAFA ALI
76.075:  CLINTON HOLES
76.065:  JOHN MIRANDA
75.750:  MARK BAMONTE
75.750:  JOSEPH MARCHESE
75.575:  MICHAEL REES
75.550:  FLORENTINO DELEON
75.338:  ANTHONY ANASTASI
75.025:  RAHUL MERWAH
75.000:  MICHELE DURAZZO
74.975:  JEREMIAH CALLAHAN
74.750:  MICHAEL CLEMENTE
74.725:  CHARLES COHEN
74.075:  SIMON ELOFER
73.813:  DAVID KRESSEL
73.680:  VINCENT MOSCATI
73.673:  MICHAEL DIMAIUTA
73.463:  JOSEPH BROWN
73.350:  YAO WU
73.163:  SHIMON TRAKHTENBERG
73.038:  ROBERT MILLER
73.000:  YEVGENI RAPOPORT
72.975:  LEIBY GOLDBERGER
72.963:  KIJOON PARK
72.738:  TODOR BLAZEVSKI
72.450:  BENJAMIN GILLETTE
72.375:  PAUL LAM
71.925:  MARINKO MATURA
71.638:  SALVATORE BUSACCA
71.250:  CARMEN DIMARIA
70.763:  PAUL STEVENS
70.663:  MADAR LASZLO
70.275:  JONATHAN DIOLOSA
70.250:  MARC GINSBERG
70.200:  JOHN SHORT
70.200:  CARL RESTIFO
70.200:  IZZET TEMEL
70.188:  LOUIS MENGES
70.000:  DIEGO LIZARAZU

Saturday, June 15

TODAY'S EVENTS (Poker Room) 

11AM: Event 14 - $500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 
  • Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 40 minutes each 
  • Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
  • 2-Day event.  Day 2 begins Sunday at 12PM

12PM: Event 40 - $270 + $30 Championship Qualifier NLH

  • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 25 minutes each
  • Approximately one (1) in every ten (10) players will win a $2,700 Entry to play in the BORGATA SUMMER POKER OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT June 16-20, 2013
  • 1-Day event 

3 PM: Event 41 - $540 + $60 Championship Qualifier NLH
  • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
  • Levels will last 30 minutes each
  • Approximately one (1) in every five (5) players will win a $2,700 Entry to play in the BORGATA SUMMER POKER OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT June 16-20, 2013
  • 1-Day event 

    Event 13 Recap

    $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO - High (Re-Entry)

    After a long, grueling, back-and-forth heads-up Omaha duel, Michael Fiorito (Morganville, NJ) comes out on top of Christian Fyke (Rivertowne, PA) after flopping a set of Jacks.  Michael takes home the Event 13 trophy as well as $8,793.

    "I was on a great run today, caught some good cards, ran some good bluffs, and made some good reads" explained Fiorito moments after winning his first Borgata Summer Poker Open Event title.

    Event 13 kicked off at high-noon with 74 Omaholics battling it out for their part of the $25,900 prize money.  Borgata regulars such as Gil Sacs, Robert Melo, Darius Studdard, Chris Baud, Kevin Truong, and Manh Nguyen all faced the felt and all failed to cash. 

    Oddly enough, our champion honed his PLO skills on a daily boat-ride into New York City.  For forty minutes each way to work, Michael plays PLO with a group of guys called "The Boat Crew".  Thus the boys are used to catching a lot of rivers.  Much of the crew was following their shipmate on the Borgata Poker Blog via live updates.

    Today's tournament, a favorite of die-hard Omaha players, added a $100 black-chip bounty.  Michael Fiorito captured the most bounties with a dozen.  The proud father of three celebrates Father's Day a couple days early as he wins all 1.1 million chips and sets sail home to Morganville, NJ holding $8,793 for his wife Elissa and kids Rachael, Adam, & Leah.

    Place - Player - City - Amount Won
    1 - Michael Fiorito (Morganville, NJ) $8,793
    2 - Christian Fyke (Rivertowne, PA) $4,773
    3 - Jason Quintana (New York, NY) $3,015
    4 - James Newton (Egg Harbor Township, NJ) $2,261
    5 - Sharad Mehta (Cherry Hill, NJ) $1,759
    6 - Sholom Lipszyc (Brooklyn, NY) $1,507
    7 - Bart Fooden (Point Lookout, NY) $1,256
    8 - Lance Mesler (Brick, NJ) $1,005
    9 - Trenton Howard Cunningham (Baltimore, MD) $754

    FINAL RESULTS


    Event 12: Six Nix For Night - Chip Counts

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

    Play has concluded for today's Six-Max Event as our remaining six Borgata Ballers will resume their tournament tomorrow at 1pm here in The Poker Room.


    No need to redraw since were already down to a final table.  Anthony An will sleep well knowing he is the chip leader with 589,500.

    First place pays $22,698, Second gets $13,997, and Third takes home $10,403.  Should be an exciting finish.  Six up your Saturday and join us at 1:00.

    Anthony An - 589,500 chips


     Gary Bowker - 389,000 chips

     Ireneusz Jozqlak - 370,500 chips

     Steven Tabb - 319,500 chips

     Abraham Korotki - 180,000 chips

     Anthony Caruso - 104,500 chips

    Event 12: 7th Place - Corazza

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

    David Corazza - $3,216

    As the seconds were ticking down for the final hand of the night, David Corazza shipped in his short stack pre-flop holding K-6 of spades.  He got three callers and was begging for the quad-up.

    Anthony An bet the turn causing Abraham Korotki to call and Gary Bowker to fold.  Then on the river Anthony and Abraham checked it down.

    An tabled A-K and scooped the entire pot against a board of 3-J-Q-K-2.

    Corazza rode a short stack for what felt like forever but his luck finally ran out with 0:00 left on the game clock.

    He takes home $3,216 for his 7th place finish.

    Event 12: Ace King Abe

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

    Abe Korotki doubled up Steven Tabb when both opponent's turned two pair.  Abe's 4-2 fell shot to Steven's A-4 on a board of 2-9-A-4-7.

    But it didn't take Abe long to re-capture all those lost chips.  He won a race against Gary Bowker when his A-K held up vs. Gary's 6-6.

    Abe jammed his 150,00 small blind short stack in and doubled up after spiking an Ace on the flop.

    Board: 2-A-9-7-3.

    Gary politely said, "nice hand" as his stack shrunk to 600,000.

    In twenty minutes the remaining players will bag and tag and call it a night.

    Event 12: Blinds Up, Caruso Double-Up

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

    Blinds 2.5k/5k/500 ante 

    Players are back from the purple (500) chip color-up break and Anthony Caruso will be sticking around.

    Caruso is all in with AQ vs the AK of Abe Korotki and hits trip Queens to double 57k.

    Levels are now 50 minutes and this will be the last level of the night with bag and tag to hit at 1:30 am.

    Event 13: Fiorito - 1st Place

    $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO - High (Re-Entry)

    Event 13 Winner!

    Michael Fiorito (Morganville, NJ)
    $8,793

    And the winner is...Michael Fiorito.  He started out heads-up with a commanding lead, doubled-up his Opponent Christian Fyke thrice, then battle back to take down Event 13 along with $8,793.

    Fiorito was able to come down to Borgata today thanks to a Father's Day pass his wife Elissa gave him.    "Daddy's coming home" said Michael who says hello to his three children, Rachael, Adam, & Leah.

    Congratulations again to Michael Fiorito who takes home the Event 13 trophy, 12 bounty chips (including his own), and a whopping $8,793.

    This is Michael's first Borgata Open Event win and his largest Borgata tournament cash.

    It will definitely be a Happy Father's Day for the Fiorito household.

    Event 13: Fyke - 2nd Place

    $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO - High (Re-Entry)

    Christian Fyke (Rivertowne, PA)
    $4,773

    The heads-up marathon has ended with Christian Fyke taking second place.
    "It was a great battle and Michael played well" said Fyke moments after the final hand played out.

    Michael potted pre-flop, Christian re-potted, then quickly put the rest of his chips in after the flop fell.

    Michael insta-called having flopped a set of Jacks.

    Michael 2-A-J-J vs. Christian A-8-10-10.

    Final hand board: J-3-8-Q-7

    Christian played like a pro and takes home $4,773 for his 2nd Place Prize.

    Event 12: Six-Max Now Final Table of 7

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

    In a quirky set-up, the final table is seven instead of the event titled six-max.

    That's because if the played on two tables one of them would be three-handed.

    Final Table Lineup

    Seat-Name-Chip Count

    1 Anthony An (Juneau, AK) 362k
    2 Abraham Korotki (Bethany Beach, DE) 350k
    3 Ireneusz Jozwiak (Frederick, MD) 400k
    4 David V. Corazza (Honesdale, PA) 64k
    5 Anthony Caruso (Medford, NJ) 65k
    6 Steven Tabb (Newton, MA) 155k
    7 Gary Bowker (Clifton Heights, PA) 580k

    Event 12: 8th Place - Meola

    $600 + $60 Six-Max No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

    Brian Meola (New York, NY) 
    $2,459

    Blinds 2k/4k/400 ante

    Brian Meola is all in for 28k ( 7 bb) vs Ireneusz Jozwiak

    Meola: A 8
    Jozwiak: 10 9

    Jozwiak hits a 9 on the river for a winning pair of 9s.

    Meola takes home $2,459 for his 8th place finish.