Event 17: Bart Big Stack

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Bart "The Grind" Dowling - 800,000

Lennox Phillip continues to knock players out and increase his tournament chip lead to 1,200,000.

Meanwhile, on another table, Bart Dowling plays his game and is gaining on our leader.  Bart's 800,000 is currently second best.

"No big hand to report...I've been up and down all day" explained Dowling.

Players are taking a ten minute break.

36 remain on four tables.

Event 17: New Poker Pals

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Bro-gatas - Frank Martin & Antonio Cuin

Frank & Antonio have been playing side by side the entire day, until now.  With five tables remaining, Frank Martin (Staten Island, NY) gets a new zipcode and will look for a good spot to double-up his short stack.

Antonio Cuin (New York, NY) attends school in South Carolina.  He says hi to "KB & The Crew".

Cuin is amongst the leaders with 900,000.  The biggest pot at the table brought Antonio 400,000 chips after hitting a one-percenter.

Cuin's A♣ K♣ vs. A-K offsuit vs. 9-9

You guessed it...after flopping one club, Antonio hits runner runner clubs for the monster scoop.

43 players remain.

Level 22: Blinds 10,000 / 20,000 with 3,000 antes.

Average stack - 372,674

Event 17: More Gonners

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

The Following Players All Won $485
54 - Chaim Appel (Brooklyn, NY)
53 - Peter Thron (Wantagh, NY)
52 - Ari Eiblum (Eldersburg, MD)
51 - Anthony Perrotta (Red Bank, NJ)
50 - Robert Muzzio (Clifton, VA)
49 - Mohammad Amjadi (Marmora, NJ)
48 - Muhamed Likovic (Long Island City, NY)
47 - Stephen Birk (Huntingdon Valley, PA)
46 - Jeffrey Silva (West Chester, PA)

Event 17: You're Busted

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Now that the Championship has concluded for the night, we'll be dedicated all of our attention to Event 17 which will play until there is 1 winner tonight (or this morning).

The Following Player All Won $423
63 - Steven Wong (Jamaica, NY)
62 - Brian Weaver (Elm City, NC)
61 - Bijan Rashidi (Washington, DC)
60 - Daniel Mongeluzi (West Chester, PA)
59 - Michael Larsen (Bloomfield, NJ)
58 - Jason Weissman (Bethpage, NY)
57 - Gerald Sosler (Purchase, NY)
56 - Michael Kalfa (Bayville, NJ)
55 - Deeangelo Seng (Sicklerville, NJ)

Championship: Final Table Line Up

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Play resumes noon Thursday with 22 minutes remaining on Level 21 (5k/10k/1k ante).


Seat-Name-Chip Count

1 Taha Maruf 780k
2 Gregg Fishberg 491k
3 Chalie Hook 1.7 million
4 Michael Lydon 715k
5 Travis Greenawalt 777k
6 Ken Silberstein 396k
7 "Grandpa" Jay Zimmet 397k
8 Dan Wach 1.89 million
9 Orson Young 404k
10 Joe "The Jeweler" Gola 1.4 million

Remaining Prize Pool

Entries: 296
Total Buy-In: $740,000

Place - Amount

1st $198,186
2nd $116,787
3rd $67,241
4th $54,501
5th $42,468
6th $35,390
7th $28,312
8th $21,234
9th $14,156
10th $9,201

Championship: 11th Place - Schoultz

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Michael Schoultz (Arlington, VA)

$9,201

Tension ensued as the final two tables realized they were on the final table bubble.  Most tightened up as they were just one player away from bagging and tagging chips and calling it a night.


Then short stack Michael Schoultz looked down at A♥2♠ and shipped his last 120,000 in.  Everybody folded except Joe "The Jeweler" Gola who tabled A♦ 5♦.

Entire table stands as each critical card hit the felt.

A diamond heavy flop of 3♦ 7♦ 4♣ caused Michael worry as Gola gained outs.

Turn was the Ace ♣.

Fifth Street paired the board with the 7♥.

Gola's 5-kicker plays and Schoultz says his good-byes.

He nursed his short stack through several bust-outs but just fell short settling for 11th Place.

Michael takes Borgata for $9,201.

Joe Gola ends the hand with 1,400,000 as we reach the final table.  The remaining 10 players drawing for new seats as play has ended for the night.

Championship: 12th Place - Reina

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Frank Reina (Elizabeth, NJ)

$9,201

Blinds 5k/10/1k ante

Chalie Hook raises to 21k preflop and gets calls from Frank Reina (sb) and Ken Silberstein (bb) in the blinds.

Flop: J♣ 8♣ 7♥

All three players check

Turn: 8♥

Blinds check, Hook bets 21k, Reina moves all in for 275k, Silberstein folds and Hook calls.

Hook: A♣ 8♠ (trip 8s)

Reina: K♣ K♦

River: 7♣

Reina misses his two outer on the river and busts in 12th place for $9,201.

"It was lot fun, I wish I could have gone deeper," says Reina, "thanks to all my poker buddies for the support. I have no regrets."

Hook is up to 1.7 million and we're down to 11 players.  One more elimination before the final table which is when we expect play to stop.

Championship: 13th Place - Sheridan

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

 Shaheim Sheridan (Fayetteville, NC) 

$7,786

Blinds 5k/10k/1k ante

After getting a second double-up through Dan Wach, Shaheim Sheridan moves all in with KK but runs into the AA of Orson Young.

There's no help on the board and Sheridan busts in 13th place for $7,786.

Event 17: Blowing Summer Bubbles

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Hee Im - Dropping Deuces

During hand for hand play, Hee Im calls Opponent's all-in and tables 2-2.  Opponent has K-Q but does not improve on a board of: 8-7-A-4-6.

Hee Im and the remaining 63 players celebrate once they realize that the bubble had burst.

Everyone is guaranteed at least $423 with the winner taking home $29,861.

Lennox Phillip maintains the tournament chip lead building his stack just north of 800,000.

Championship: 14th Place - Salimbene

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Nick Salimbene (Brick, NJ)

$7,786

Blinds 5k/10k/1k ante

In a battle of short stacks Nick Salimbene moves all in from cutoff for 116k and Frank Reina makes a tough call from the BB with slightly more chips.

Salimbene: 9♠ 7♠
Reina: Q♣ J♣

Flop: 6♣ A♥ 4♥ (Reina still leads)

Turn: 10♣ (Salimbene gutshot straight draw, Reina flush draw)

River: 2♣

Reina hits a flush on the river to take his stack to 270k.

Salimbene is out in 14th place for $7,786.

Championship: Dan vs. Sheridan

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Boys are back from dinner-break with some early action.  Shaheim Sheridan ships from the button pre with the shortest stack in the tournament. 

Dan Wach the biggest stack in the tournament calls.  Dan tables 10-J and Shaheim confidently flips K-K.

Board comes Q-5-5-A causing Dan and others to beg for a King.  Alas, Sheridan survives when a 10 peels off.

Shaheim doubles up to 160,000 and has a little bit more breathing room.
  

Event 17: Take Me To Your Leaderboard

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Poker Ninja

Fresh off his 1st Place victory this morning for Event 16, to the tune of $15,989, Mike Hahn (Indianapolis, IN) is looking to maintain his top spot on the Borgata Leaderboard.

Hahn has 457,607 points in 1st Place vs. Lee Kirsch in 2nd with 430,215.  Mike knocked out Lee in Event 16 handing him 5th Place.

Moments ago Mike shipped a below average stack all-in with 10-10 and got called by Opponent holding A-Q.  No sweat as wired tens held on a board reading J-6-6-9-8.

With that double-up Hahn is up to 120,000.  Average stack is 133,542.

Mike still has some work to do if he wants to win his third Event of the series.  He also won Event 7 for $28,485.

Event 17: Destiny For Destefano?

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Pasquale Destefano - 360,000

Huge double-up for Pasquale Destefano (Brooklyn, NY) who catches a three-outter with A-J.  His opponent jammed pre with A-Q for 100,000 and after much contemplation Pasquale called.

Turncard Jack caused Destefano to celebrate and stack up to amongst the chip-leaders.

Board: 7-3-4-J-9

118 Players remain and they're dropping fast.

Level 17: Blinds 3000 / 6000 with 500 antes.

Championship: Day Three Photo Slideshow

May not work on mobile devices.

Championship: 15th Place - Hnatov

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Mark Hnatov (Nesconset, NY)

$7,786

On the turn with a board of Q 8 4 3 with three diamonds, Mark Hnatov got all-in and called by Joe 'the jeweler' Gola.

Mark:  AK with the Ace of diamonds for two overs with flush draw
Joe: KQ for top pair

River was a brick and no help to Mark.  Joe's pair was good for the pot.

Mark took 15th place and $7,786.

That was the last hand of the level and the final 14 players have been rewarded with a 90 minute dinner break.

Play will resume at about 9:15 pm.

Event 17: Numbers Game

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Number of Entries:  641
Players Remaining:  116
Chips in Play:  16 million

Big Stack: 435k (73 bb)
Average Stack:  138k (23 bb)

Next Blinds: 3k/6k/500 ante
Play Resumes: 920 pm

Total Buy-In: $128,200
First Prize: $29,861
Places Paid: 63
Min Cash: $423

Championship: 16th Place - Farley

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Chris Farley (W Deptford, NJ)

$7,078

Chris Farley jammed for 150k and got called by Travis Greenawalt.

Chris: 33
Travis: AK

Board: A 9 2 Q Q

Travis took the pot with Aces-up.

Chris took 16th place and $7,078.

Event 17: 11 am Dinner Break

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Lennox Phillip, Chip Leader

On the last hand before dinner break, Lennox Phillip (Brookly, NY via Trinidad & Tobago) gets a knockout to give him the chip lead at 435k.

Phillip's A Q hits an ace against a small pocket pair to add 50k to his stack.

A few other players are in the 400k range as the field is on a one hour dinner break; play resumes at 8:20 pm.

Big Stacks

Lennox Phillip (Brooklyn, NY) 435k
Max Amjadi (Marmora, NJ) 400k
Chaim Appel (Brooklyn, NY) 395k
Larry Wolf (Annapolis, MD) 395k

Championship: 17th Place - Yarlapati

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Maruti Yarlapati (Pine Brook, NJ)

$7,078

Chris Farley doubled up to ~160k through Maruti Yarlapati.

Then Maruti doubled up to ~250k with A8 versus Travis Greenawalt's A2.

Then Travis opened for 20k and Maruti shoved for ~220k.  Travis called.

Maruti:  AQ
Travis:  99

Board:  3 2 2 K 7

Travis took the pot.  Maruti took 17th place and $7,078.

Championship: 18th Place - Vizza

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Frank Vizza (Cold Spring Harbor, NY)

$7,078

Frank Vizza got all-in holding A6 suited against the big stack of Dan Wach, who had QT suited.

The board ran out K J J Q 6 and Dan paired up on the turn to take the pot.  He's up to ~1.5 million.

Frank was eliminated in 18th place, earning $7,078.

Championship: The Jeweler Doubles

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Joe 'the jeweler' Gola got all-in pre-flop for 210k holding pocket 8s.

Nick Salimbene was out in front with pocket Kings.

Then the board ran out Q T 8 6 A and Joe caught a set to survive.  He doubled up to ~460k.

Championship: 19th Place - Fliegelman

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Noam Fliegelman (Philadelphia, PA)

$6,370

Blinds 4k/8k/1k ante

We pick up the action with the board showing 2 K Q 6 A.

Noam Fliegelman checks, Dan Wach moves all in, putting Fliegelman at risk and into the tank.

After more than 5 minutes, Fliegelman calls the clock on himself and a minute later Fliegelman makes the call for 275k .

"Straight," says Wach, who turns over J 10.

Fliegelman lets out a groan and pushes his cards into the muck.

Fliegelman finishes in 19th place for $6,370.

Wach extends his chip lead to 1.4 million and the field is down to 18 players.

Championship: Million Chip Pot

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

On a flop of K Q 6, Orson Young (bb) checked.

Travis Greenawalt (button) bet.

Orson raised.

Travis re-raised.

Orson shoved.

Travis called.

Orson:  KQ suited for top two pair
Travis:  66 for bottom set

The last two fell 4 2 and changed nothing.

Travis doubled up to ~1.1 million and possibly the chip lead.

Orson was left with ~390k.

Championship: Final 19 Chip Counts

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

Level 20:  Blinds 4k/8k with 1k antes.

Play has resumed.

Here are some rough chip counts as of the break.

Dan Wach - 1.03 million
Chalie Hook - 1 million
Taha Maruf - 815k
Orson Young - 750k
Ken Silberstein - 690k
Travis Greenawalt - 570k
Gregg Fishberg - 560k
Mike Lydon - 470k
Nick Salimbene - 406k
Noam Fliegelman - 355k
Joe Gola - 310k
Mark Hnatov - 306k
Frank Reina - 275k
Shaheim Sheridan - 260k
Jay Zimmet - 250k
Frank Vizza - 235k
Mike Schoultz - 200k
Chris Farley - 160k
Maruti Yarlapati - 86k

Event 17: 11 am Thinning the Field

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Nearly 3/4 of the field is gone as 170 players remain of the 641 total entries.

The average stack is 94k (24 bb) with blinds going to 2k/4k/400 ante.

First place will be nearly $30,000 with 63 spots paid, ~$400 for a min cash.

They're playing two more levels before taking a one hour dinner break at 7:20 pm.

Championship: Break Time

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

End of level and players are taking 15 while the purple 500 chips are colored up.

'Grandpa' Jay Zimmet says "Happy Birhday, Dean!  I love you!" to his grandson.  Adding "I'll see you Friday."

Championship: 20th Place - Whorley

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

DJ Whorley (Washington, DC)

$6,370

On the river with a board of J 6 4 3 3, Taha Maruf called all-in against Maruti Yarlapati.

Maruti tabled AT suited for busted flush draw.  Taha held 75 suited for the straight.  He doubled up to ~700k.  Maruti dropped to ~150k.

DJ Whorley got his short-stack all-in with KJ, but ran into Taha Maruf's KQ.  The better hand held up and Taha took another pot, chipping up to over 800k.

DJ was eliminated in 20th place, earning $6,370.

Championship: 21st Place - Becker

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Alan Becker (Stamford, CT)

$6,370

Blinds 3k/6k/500 ante

There's a preflop raise to 13k with three callers ahead of Becker in the BB so it's five to the flop.

Flop: J♠ 7♣ 3♠

Becker moves all in for 60k and gets a call from Taha Maruf.

Becker: A♠ 9♠ (flush draw)

Maruf: Ax 7x (middle pair)

Becker misses the flush, while Maruf hits two pair on the river for the knockout.

Becker finishes in 21st place for $6,370.

"I was never above 150k," says Becker. "I had monsters two my left for two days," he laments about sitting next to Orson Young's big stack early in the tournament.

Championship: Hnatov Doubles Thru Hook

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Mark Hnatov was all-in holding pocket Kings.

Chalie Hook had him covered and smothered with pocket Aces.

A King was already in the muck.

Nevertheless, the case King appeared on the board.  Mark doubled up to ~400k.

Chalie dropped to ~800k.

Dan Wach is the chip leader with just over 1 million chips.

21 players remain.  Average stack is 423k.

Championship: 22nd Place - Erickson

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

James Erickson (Oakland, NJ)

$6,370

James Erickson got his chips in with T9 suited against Gregg Fishberg's AQ off.

The flop came 4 3 2 with two diamonds, giving James lots more outs, but the last two ran out offsuit Q 8.

James busted out in 22nd place, earning $6,370.

Championship: 23rd Place - Dibella

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

John Dibella (New Rochelle, NY)

$6,370

Blinds 3k/6k/500 ante

John Dibella 3-bets Chalie Hook preflop and they see a board of J K 2.

The chips are in the middle and Dibella (AQ) needs help against Hook's set of Jacks.

Dibella misses the gutshot straight draw and finishes in 23rd place for $6,370.

"And I just doubled-up," agonizes Dibella who got to 250k after the bubble broke.

"I'm going to home and relax for the next two weeks."

Championship: 24th Place - Parisi

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

John Parisi (Brooklyn, NY)

$6,370

Blinds 3k/6k/500 ante

John Parisi says he was short stack the entire tournament and is happy to make the money. "You always want to go for first, second or third, but can only hope for the best," he says.

Parisi's has 35k (6 bb) and moves all in with AK against the pocket Queens of Joe "The Jeweler" Gola. 

There's no help for Parisi who is knocked out in 24th place for $6,370.

"That's why I don't like that hand," he laughs, "I never win with it."

Event 17: 11 am Grinding Along

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

 Frank Martin

More than half the field is gone as 280 players remain of 641 entries.

Frank Martin (Staten Island, NY) is the chip leader with 200k (100 bb).

After busting in the Championship Event, Max Amjadi (Marmora, NJ) has double the average chip stack.

The average is 57k (29 bb) with blinds at 1k/2k/300 ante.

Championship: 25th Place - Dentale

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY)

$6,370

On a flop of J 9 3, Mike Dentale got his chips in good holding T9 suited for a pair of 9s.

Gregg Fishberg had shoved, putting Mike to the test with AQ for two overs.

The last two fell 5 Q and Gregg paired up on the river to take the pot.

Mike Dentale finished in 25th place, earning $6,370.

Championship: 26th Place - Happas

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Steve Happas (Braintree, MA)

$6,370

After surviving the brutally long bubble play, Steve 'Dakota' Happas was building his stack back up nicely.

Then he ran into another short-stack with pocket Aces, and shipped a double across the felt.

On his final hand, Steve shipped with A5, but ran into AT, which held up.

Steve finished in 26th place, earning $6,370.

Championship: Erickson Doubles Twice

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

James Erickson was a short-stack sweating that long bubble action, but now he's back in the game.

He's been all-in twice and more than doubled both times.

The latest hand had him all-in with pocket 5s against Mike Schoultz' AJ.  The flop was J 9 3 giving the advantage to Mike, but then the last two fell 7 5 and James caught a set on the river to survive.

Championship: 27th Place - Nelson

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

 Larry Nelson (Harleysville, PA) 

 $6,370

Blinds 3k/6k/500 ante

Just after the bubble breaks and the 27 player redraw, Larry Nelson moves all in for 55k and and Nick Salimbene makes the call.

Nelson: 10 10
Salimbene: AK

Flop: A A K (Salimbene full house, 99.9% favorite)

Turn: 10 (Nelson picks up a quad draw)

River: Q

There's no miracle perfect, perfect for Nelson who is the first to bust.

He finishes in 27th place for $6,370.

Championship: Finally!

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH    

TJ Shulman

 
TJ Shulman shipped his last 28,500 with A9 suited.

Noam Fliegelman looked him up with AT.

The board ran out 7 6 6 4 6 and Noam's kicker played.

TJ Shulman is this event's bubble-boy, finishing in 28th place for $0.

The hand-for-hand play lasted 116 minutes or just under two hours.  They're adding half that back to the clock, which has 44 minutes remaining in this level.

Our record for the longest bubble was set during the Winter Open in January.  That bubble lasted 134 minutes (two hours, 14 minutes).

Championship: Stuck On The Bubble

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH    

Steve Happas was all-in for 22,500 and called by both Orson Young and Chalie Hook, who checked down the board of K Q J 5 7.

Chalie had a Jack, but Steve had AQ to take the pot, tripling up to ~76k.

On the same hand at table two:

Mike Dentale raised to 14k. John Parisi was in the small blind and tossed his last chips in, making 13k straight.

TJ Shulman folded his big blind.

Mike was ahead with pocket Queens.  John was in bad shape with pocket 5s.  The the board fell J 4 4 5 8 and John boated up on the turn to take the pot, chipping up to ~35k.

Still 28 players.  Still hand-for-hand.

Championship: Still Stuck At 28

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH   

John Parisi got all-in and won, chipping up to 22k.

After Maruti Yarlapati opened for 17k, Steve Happas put his last 8,500 in.

Chalie Hook raised to 60k and Maruti folded.

Steve:  JJ
Chalie:  AK

Board: 8 5 3 9 9

John tripled up to ~29k.

Hand-for-hand play continues.

Championship: Still Stuck At 28

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH   

Level 19:  Blinds 3k/6k with 500 ante.

Play has resumed, still hand-for-hand.

Two players are so short they cannot survive one orbit unless they win a hand.

Championship: Break Time

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH  

They played for 70 minutes hand-for-hand and have not yet busted the bubble.

The final 28 are taking a ten minute break.  Average stack is 317k.

These are the shortest stacks and the only ones under 100k:

Steve 'Dakota' Happas - 10,000
John Parisi - 13,500
TJ Shulman - 52,500
Larry Nelson - 78,000

Championship: Still Hand-For-Hand

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH  

They're stuck at 28 players on the money bubble and still playing hand-for-hand.

After a raising war, Noam Fliegelman (Philadelphia, PA) in the big blind said "I'm pretty sure I'm not folding" and eventually called all-in for 157k straight with pocket Kings.

Taha Maruf (Hicksville, NY) had AK.

The board ran out T T T 6 Q and Noam doubled up to over 315k.

Have You Seen This Man?

 Who is this man?

Have you seen this man in the poker room taking pictures with the really big camera with the really long lens?

He's Eric Harkins, owner of Image Masters (IMPDI) professional photography.  He's scouring the tournament tables, taking action shots of as many players as he can.

If you're playing in a tournament, he'll take your picture (no obligation) and you can stop by his table here in the back of the poker room and browse through them on the computer.  If you like what you see, you can get digital emails, get them burned on a CD, or get various sizes of prints.  Custom framing is also available and done on site.

You may also view the online store by clicking on the banner that says PLAYER PHOTOS.  Whether on property or at home, you may view the galleries quickly and easily just by scrolling.

The winner of each 2013 Borgata Summer Poker Open trophy event will receive a 16x20 framed photo of himself, courtesy of Image Masters (IMPDI).  Even if you don't win one, you can have one just like the winners are getting.  Just stop by the table to check out the samples and prices.

So keep your eyes peeled for Eric and stop by the back of the poker room to check out his work.

Championship: Bubble Time

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

Two more players have busted out, leaving 28 in play, which means it is bubble time.

They're now playing hand-for-hand until one more is ejected.

 Leonardo Palermo & Ari Albilia

The last two to go were Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ) and Ari Albilia (Syosset, NY).

Championship: No Repeat Champion

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH  

Fred Paradis

Fred Paradis (Jewett City, CT) hit the rail in 32nd place.

Tyng Low

Tyng Low (Flushing, NY) was next to go in 31st place.  Tyng was the 2011 Summer Open Champion and had a shot to repeat, but has come up short.

30 players remain.  Just three more to reach the money!

Championship: Tops In Chips

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

Level 18:  Blinds 2,500/5,000 with 500 ante.

Play has resumed after the break.

Chalie Hook (Philadelphia, PA) is the chip leader with 790k.  Turns out he's the one that busted Chris Horter.  They got the chips in on a flip, Chris flopped a set with his pair, but Chalie rivered a flush.

Orson Young (Oceanport, NJ) is second with ~740k.

Championship: Break Time

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

Two more players have reported to the rail, leaving 32 in action (average 278k).

Jeremy Stein & Chris Horter

The last two exists were Jeremy Stein (Washington, DC) and Chris Horter (Philadelphia, PA).

They've completed the level and are taking a ten minute break.

Championship: Latest Departures

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH 

Max Amjadi & Eric Panayiotou

Max Amjadi (Marmora, NJ) was the next to go.  He busted out in 36th place.

Following him to the exit was Eric Panayiotou (Toms River, NJ) in 35th place.

34 players remain.  Average stack is 261k.

Seven more to go to reach the money.

Championship: Fast Five

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Five more players are gone, which means 36 remain at four tables.

Average stack is 247k.

 
Here are the five latest casualties:

1 - Matthew Cohen (Philadelphia, PA)
2 - Joseph Miranda (Bethpage, NY)
3 - Shankar Pillai (New York, NY
4 - Peter Malkoun (Brookhaven, PA)
5 - Matt Iles (Atco, NJ)

Championship: Yarlapati Doubles

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Maruti Yarlapati (Pine Brook, NJ) was all-in with pocket Aces against the pocket 8s of Ari Alibilia (Syosset, NY).

The board changed nothing and Maruti doubled up.

Championship: Three More Out The Door

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Not sure what order they departed, but these three have reported to the rail in early action:

Andrew Glauberg (Tenafly, NJ),  LJ Sande (Wethersfield, CT) & John Andress (Doylestown, PA)

Championship: Savage Sacked

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Trevor Savage

At the river the board read 8 3 2 Q 9.

Three players were all-in.

John Andress:  99
Mark Hnatov: 88
Trevor Savage: ??

John Andress (Doylestown, PA) more than doubled up with a set of 9s while Trevor (Thorofare, NJ) was busted.

Championship: Day Three Underway

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Level 17:  Blinds 2k/4k with 500 ante.

Levels are 90 minutes long today.

45 players made the cut and will continue today in the quest for the top prize of $198,186.

Only the final 27 get paid, so there are still 18 players who will leave with nothing.

Day three is underway.

Event 17: Wolper Multi-Faceted

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 2:  Binds 50/100.

The legendary Howard Wolper is not only a poker player playing in this event, but also an artist and writer.

Howard Wolper

 
Before Howard won three Borgata Open titles, he "created conceptual and performance artwork in the 70s and 80s. A spinning self portrait game, a random element dispenser, a popular NY art rock group Suicide (with Alan Vega) and the Howie’s (clones playing household appliances) to mention a few. Disillusioned with the NY art scene in the mid 90s, he became a poker pro and later a poker champion."

He's written a book which is available online and now has plans to make his book into a movie.  You can read more about Howard and sample his book on his web site at howardevanwolper.com.

Event 17: Infrequent Familiar Faces

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Line at Registration

There's a line at registration out into the hall, so players are still pouring in.

45 tables are up and running so far.

Late registration and re-entry is available through the break after level six (about 2pm).

We've got some faces in the crowd today that we haven't seen a lot of during the Summer Open:

Don Brown
Jeanette Sims
Gregg Miller (brother of Borgata frequent flier Eric Miller)
Josh Supsak
Gloria LoRusso
Tiffany Williamson

Event 17: Deep Stack Underway

$200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  
$75,000 GUARANTEED

Today's Deep Stack NLH event carries a $75,000 guarantee on total buy-ins.

This is the seventh and final guarantee of the Borgata Summer Poker Open.  Thanks to the players, the first six guarantees have been cleared with ease:

Event - Guarantee - Actual Total

1 - $300,000 - $484,050
3 - $100,000 - $133,500
4 - $100,000 - $193,550
5 - $100,000 - $160,300
9 - $100,000 - $179,140
Championship - $500,000 - $740,000
17 - $75,000 - ???

We're going for the sweep today with this event.

Players began with 25,000 chips and 25 minute levels.  (Starting with level 11, they will be 30 minutes.)

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

Cards are in the air!

Borgata Summer Poker Open Leaderboard Update (6/19)

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, 12, 13, 14, 16
Secondary events: 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)

457.663:  MICHAEL HAHN
430.215:  LEE KIRSCH
396.300:  JOHN WHITING
375.363:  ADRIAN SILVESCU
350.850:  MOHD EID
350.063:  ILYA VASSERMAN
327.475:  RICHARD DEVIVO
318.075:  EARL KING
312.000:  MICHAEL BONNEY
304.225:  JAMES MCKEON
302.300:  SHE LOK WONG
294.863:  DAVID HECK
283.788:  STEVEN POLIMENI
283.413:  GRAESON BURNETTE-PEAKE
282.875:  MARUTI YARLAPATI
282.653:  THOMAS BALLA
277.225:  MICHAEL MARDER
274.335:  DAVID EILERS
272.738:  KHALED ALWAN
265.375:  BENJAMIN LAVES
264.650:  FRANK VULPIS
257.375:  PHILIP RINALDI
256.075:  CHRISTIAN FYKE
252.788:  CHII CHING SUN
250.675:  TOBY KASSER
248.325:  PAUL VACCHIO
242.375:  JINGLIN CHEN
235.940:  THOMAS SPELLACY
235.458:  NEVILLE DARRELL
228.075:  SEUNG LEE
226.700:  NANCY MARTIN
226.498:  ERIC SIEGEL

Championship - Start of Day 3 Table Assignments & Chip Counts

Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship
Event 15: $2500 + $200 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
June 16-20, 2013

Entries:  296
Total Buy-In:  $740,000

Players Remaining:  45
Average Chip Stack:  197,000

START OF DAY 3 TABLE ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS:
T1 | S1 -  ERACLES PANAYIOTOU (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  93,500
T1 | S2 -  MICHAEL LYDON (WOODSIDE, NY):  238,500
T1 | S3 -  TREVOR SAVAGE (THOROFARE, NJ):  73,500
T1 | S4 -  GREGORY FISHBERG (HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA):  180,000
T1 | S5 -  MARK HNATOV (NESCONSET, NY):  155,500
T1 | S6 -  MAURICE PARADIS (JEWETT CITY, CT):  95,500
T1 | S7 -  JOHN DIBELLA (NEW ROCHELLE, NY):  196,000
T1 | S8 -  JOHN ANDRESS (DOYLESTOWN, PA):  17,000
T1 | S9 -  MATTHEW ILES (ATCO, NJ):  152,500

T2 | S1 -  KENNETH SILBERSTEIN (EDISON, NJ):  358,500
T2 | S2 -  MICHAEL DENTALE (BROOKLYN, NY):  250,000
T2 | S3 -  JAY ZIMMET (MANALAPAN, NJ):  204,000
T2 | S4 -  TYNG LOW (FLUSHING, NY):  295,500
T2 | S5 -  LEONARDO PALERMO (TOMS RIVER, NJ):  130,000
T2 | S6 -  NICHOLAS SALIMBENE (BRICK, NJ):  220,500
T2 | S7 -  ONOFRIO REINA (ELIZABETH, NJ):  172,000
T2 | S8 -  TJ SHULMAN (BOYNTON BCH, FL):  110,500
T2 | S9 -  TAHA MARUF (HICKSVILLE, NY):  348,500

T3 | S1 -  JEREMY STEIN (WASHINGTON, DC):  135,500
T3 | S2 -  ALAN BECKER (STAMFORD, CT):  138,500
T3 | S3 -  JOSEPH MIRANDA (BETHPAGE, NY):  157,500
T3 | S4 -  PETER MALKOUN (BROOKHAVEN, PA):  84,500
T3 | S5 -  CHARLES HOOK (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  409,000
T3 | S6 -  CHRISTOPHER HORTER (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  333,500
T3 | S7 -  JAMES ERICKSON (OAKLAND, NJ):  155,500
T3 | S8 -  ARIEL ALBILIA (SYOSSET, NY):  299,000
T3 | S9 -  MARUTI YARLAPATI (PINE BROOK, NJ):  100,000

T4 | S1 -  LEONARD J SANDE (WETHERSFIELD, CT):  55,000
T4 | S2 -  DANIEL WACH (BOONTON, NJ):  578,000
T4 | S3 -  TRAVIS GREENAWALT (LANDISVILLE, PA):  341,500
T4 | S4 -  DAJUAWN WHORLEY (WASHINGTON, DC):  247,500
T4 | S5 -  LARRY NELSON (HARLEYSVILLE, PA):  223,500
T4 | S6 -  SHAHEIM SHERIDAN (FAYETTEVILLE, NC):  228,500
T4 | S7 -  NOAM FLIEGELMAN (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  74,500
T4 | S8 -  CHRISTIAN FARLEY (WEST DEPTFORD, NJ):  403,500
T4 | S9 -  MOHAMMAD AMJADI (MARMORA, NJ):  95,500

T5 | S1 -  STEPHEN HAPPAS (BRAINTREE, MA):  140,500
T5 | S2 -  MATTHEW COHEN (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  116,000
T5 | S3 -  JOHN PARISI (BROOKLYN, NY):  80,500
T5 | S4 -  ORSON YOUNG (OCEANPORT, NJ):  351,500
T5 | S5 -  MICHAEL SCHOULTZ (ARLINGTON, VA):  264,000
T5 | S6 -  ANDREW GLAUBERG (TENAFLY, NJ):  69,500
T5 | S7 -  JOEL GOLA (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  139,000
T5 | S8 -  FRANCIS VIZZA (COLD SPG HBR, NY):  161,000
T5 | S9 -  SHANKAR PILLAI (NEW YORK, NY):  239,000

Wednesday, June 19

TODAY'S EVENTS (Poker Room) 

11AM: Event 17 - $200 + $30 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  $75,000 GUARANTEED

• Players start with 25,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-10: will last twenty-five (25) minutes each | Levels 11+: will last thirty (30) minutes each
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 6
• 1-Day event

12PM: Event 15 - BORGATA SUMMER POKER OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP (Day 3)

• Day 3 & Day 4 Levels: will last 1 hour 30 minutes each
• 4-Day tournament with two Day 1 starting days 
• Day 3 and 4 start at 12PM
• Day 3 ends when 27 players remain | Day 4 plays until completion

6 PM: Event 48 - $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NLH

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament.  Players must have their Bounty chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament.
• Levels will last 20 minutes each
• 1-Day event 

Event 16: Photo Slideshow

May not work on mobile devices.

Event 16 Recap

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Hahn (Indianapolis, IN) had opponent Sameer Batra down to two big blinds during heads-up play, let him battle all the way back, then knocked him out to capture the Borgata Event 16 trophy and $15,989.

"Once we were at two tables, I caught cards and knocked out several short stacks" explained the poker pro from the Hoosiers state.  He also caught trip deuces, and two pair with Q-3 during his heads-up victory.

Hahn is in the running for the Borgata Leaderboard Contest that could earn him a 2013 September Borgata WPT Championship seat.  Add on the points he earned from winning Event 3 for $36,264 to tonight's victory, and Mike should have a great shot at it.

Event 16 kicked off at 11:00 AM and brought 157 entries including Re-Entries.  Many players ousted from Day 2 of The Championship jumped into this affordable tournament.  In fact, that's what happened to our winner, Mike Hahn who was "super card dead" in the Championship.

With a prize pool of $54,950, many Borgata familiar faces took a seat and 15,000 starting chips.
"Lucky" Lee Kirsch (Cold Spring Harbor, MA) hit two sets with 6-6 then lost with 6-6 and was eliminated in 5th Place.  Lee won Event 7 and was 3rd on the Leaderboard as of yesterday.

Corri Pranevich from Pittsburgh finished 3rd.  She was our last woman standing and added $5,064 to the $14,000 Survivor package she already claimed last week.

Then there was John Liberto (Fallston, MD) whose son Justin finished 4th in the 2013 WSOP $1500 Event and ironically Dad finished 4th in our Event 16 earning $4,264.

Brian Kruyd (Boonton, NJ) survived the bubble with a royal flush, but bubbled the final table.

But once again our big winner was poker pro Mike Hahn who kept his cool and captured all 2,225,000 chips, $15,989, his second Borgata trophy, and his second framed print from Image Masters.  This kid is as hot as the summer sun - great job!

Place - Player - City - Amount Won
1. Mike Hahn (Indianapolis, IN) - $15,989
2. Sameer Batra (New York, NY) - $8,795
3. Corri Pranevich (Pittsburgh, PA) - $5,064
4. John Liberto (Fallston, MD) - $4,264
5. "Lucky" Lee Kirsch (Cold Spring Harbor, MA) - $3,198
6. Kevin Lutz (Bellmawr, NJ) - $2,665
7. Anthony Ditaranto (Hackensack, NJ) - $2,132
8. Michael McQuaid (Washington, DC) - $1,599
9. Don Lotano (Matawan, NJ) - $1,199
10. Yehuda Balin (Brooklyn, NY) - $1,066

FINAL RESULTS

Event 16: 1st Place - Hahn

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Hahn (Indianapolis, IN)

$15,989

Congratulations to Mike Hahn who outlasted Sameer Batra in a long heads-up session with mighty swings.  A fitting heads-up since Hahn and Batra both were 1 and 2 in chips pretty much since dinner.

Very quickly into heads-up action, Mike had Sameer dead to 50,000 chips equaling only two big blinds.  Somehow Sameer battled all the way back and actually outchipped Hahn by 50,000.

"That happens in poker...He won a bunch of flips and was right back in it" explained Mike.

Impressively Mike kept his composure and caught some cards.  In the end, he outlasted Batra and won the tournament with A-Q vs. K-8 on a dry board.

The knock-out that brought most joy to Mike came at the final table when he felted "Lucky" Lee Kirsch in 5th Place.  Mike and Lee are in a friendly war for the 2013BSPO Leaderboard and a seat to the September Championship.

So it's bookend trophies for Mike Hahn who also won Event 3 during this series.  The kid is running good.  Today the poker pro takes home $15,989 for his 15 hours of concentration.

Mike will check the leaderboard tomorrow to determine if he needs to play more Events to secure the top spot.

Event 16: 2nd Place - Batra

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Sameer Batra (New York, NY)

$8,795

Level 24 proved to be fatal for Sameer Batra.  After the ten minute break, Sameer lost two key hands to his Opponent Mike Hahn (Indianapolis, IN).

Hahn hit two pair with Q♦ 3♣ and Sameer paid him off 101,000 on the turn and 222,000 on the river.

Board: 2♦ 3♦ 5♦ Q♣  J♥

Next, Hahn hit trip deuces with A-2 and took down another big pot.

Board: 2-K-5-2-7

Suddenly Sameer found himself short-stacked again.  For the final hand of the tournament, Mike held A♦ Q♠ vs. Sameer's K♣ 6♣.

Final Board: 8♥ 5♠ A♠ 5♥ 6♦

Hat's off to Batra for making an incredible comeback, all the way from only two big blinds during heads-up action to actually taking the lead.

His friend Garin faithfully rooted from the rail.

Sameer Batra takes home 8,795 to add to his Borgata bankroll.

Event 16: Comeback Kid

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

In the first few hand heads-up, Sameer Batra loses almost all of his chips to Mike Hahn.  Sameer's 7-7 fell to Mike's A-K who hit two pair a board of 6-A-4-K-5.

Mike started the hand with 1.14 million and doubled-up.  Keep in mind there are only 2,355,000 million chips in play leaving Sameer with under 50,000 chips.

"I'm gonna make Borgatapokerblog history" said Sameer who only had 2 big blinds.

First Sameer shoved with 8-3 up against Mike's 2-3.  8 high held.
Next  his A-J held against Mike's 9-10 suited.
Then for his third double-up, Sameer jammed with 3-3 and was called pre by Mike's K-8.

Sameer's friend Garin called for a 3, and there it was on the flop.

Board ran: A-3-7-J-K

And now during this last break, Sameer is actually up by 50,000.  It's not over yet, but I can't believe the comeback Sameer Batra has mounted.  Chip and a chair lives on!

"I never gave up...I never thought it was over" said Sameer to Garin.

This one is for the ages! 

Event 16: 3rd Place - Pranevich

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Corri Pranevich (Pittsburgh, PA)

$5,064

Corri Pranevich had 13 big blinds and shipped it in pre.  Both Sameer Batra and Mike Hahn called.

Flop fell 4♠ 8♠ Q♥ causing Sameer and Mike to check.

Turn fell Q♦ causing Mike to bet 40,000 into the side-pot, and Sameer to call.

River was the K♥.  Mike pushed all-in and Sameer folded.

Mike showed 8♥8♦ for the full house and knocked out Corri in 3rd Place.

"I'll get the trophy next time" laughed Corri.  The woman from Pittsburgh is crushing it this open.  She won a $14,000 survivor package and another $5,064 for today's tourney.

Championship: Day 2 Recap

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

Chip Leader Wach (right) & Orson Young, 

Who Bagged a Top 5 Stack

Day 2 of the Borgata Summer Poker Open ended the way it began, with Dan Wach (Boonton, NJ) in the chip lead.  The Borgata regular, who already has a $200,000 Borgata cash on his resume, had a roller coaster day before he ended with 578k.

"Very swingy day," said Wach, who began with 152k, "I chipped up early, but they knocked me down to 130(k). "I only had 200 at dinner, so it was a nice last two levels."

Second in chips is Chalie Hook (Philadelphia, PA), who was also up and down the chip counts before he finished with 409k.

"I want to take advantage of those trying to squeak into the money and then go deep," said Hook as he looked ahead to Day 3 and the money bubble.

45 players return looking for a piece of the $740,000 total buy-in and are just 18 spots from the money.

The top prize is $198,186 and 27 players earn a min cash of $6,370.

Wach (Jan. 2012) and Hook (June 2009) both have won Borgata trophies, but Wach's largest live cash was a runner-up finish. He earned $201,000 in the opening event of the (Sept.) 2012 WPT Borgata Poker Open.

Play resumes with Day 3 noon Wednesday.

Mike & Mike Show

Schoultz (left) & Dentale,

Both Return for Day 3

Event 16: 4th Place - Liberto

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 John Liberto (Fallston, MD)

$4,264

John Liberto played a solid game and finished 4th earning $4,264.  Like Father like son as John's son Justin also finished 4th.  But Justin finished 4th in the 2013 WSOP E-6 earning $400,408.  Justin took a shot at Borgata Championship but busted out.

"Justin is the real poker player in the family" said John.  Regardless, poker obviously runs in the Liberto family.

John's final hand came after he shipped with K-8 and ran into Sameer Batra who insta-called with A-K in the big blind.  Both players hit their King but John's 8 never came.

Board: K-3-10-9-J

John said he was below an average stack all day.  He did gain some momentum after getting it in with A-10 vs. A-K and hitting a miracle ten on the river.

Congratulations to your 4th place finish and $4,264 prize.

Championship: Day 2 Bag & Tag

$2500 + $200 Championship Deep Stack Double Play NLH

 Max Amjadi (right) on to Day 3

Dan Wach (Boonton, NJ) is the big stack with 578k (145 bb) as 45 players are still in the running for the $198,186 first place prize and the Borgata Summer Poker Open title.

The average returning stack is 197k (49 bb) with blinds moving to 2k/4k/500 ante.

Play resumes with Day 3 Wednesday at noon, just 18 spots from the money as 27 players earn a min cash of $6,370.

End of Night Big Stacks

Dan Wach 578k
Chalie Hook 409k
Chris Farley 403k
Ken Silberstein 358,500
Orson Young 351,500
Taha Maruf 348,500
Travis Greenawalt 341,500
Chris Horter 333,500
Ari Albilia 299k
Tyng Low 295,500

Check back after 9 am for full chip counts and Day 3 table assignments

Event 16: Break Time

$350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Garin Sweatin Heat & Sameer

Sameer's good friend Garin has faithfully been watching and supporting him at the final table.  Both guys have also been enjoying the NBA Championship game on TV, and it's exciting finish.

We're also anticipating an exciting finish in Borgata Poker Room between Sameer Batra, Corri Pranevich, Mike Hahn, and John Liberto.

Stayed tuned... play will resume after a ten minute break.

Blinds will be 10,000 / 20,000 with 3000 antes.