Event 2: 11th Place - Greim

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Paul Greim (Palmetto, NJ)

$1,143

After action folded to him in the small blind, Paul Greim shoved.  Mark Doiban (bb) looked him up with AT.

Paul was caught trying to steal with J5 offsuit.

Mark's hand held up and Paul was busted in 11th place ($1,143).

Mark chipped up to ~530k.

The final ten players drew for seats and moved to a single table.

Event 2: 12th Place - Troncone

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

 Debbie Troncone (Monroe, NJ)

$1,143

Debbie Troncone got her chips in good with pocket Kings.

Or so she thought.

She ran into the pocket Aces of -- guess who?  Chip leader Nick Salimbene.

The Aces held and Nick is now approaching 1.2 million.

Debbie busted out in 12th place, earning $1,143.  She was the last woman in this event.

11 players remain.  Average is 353k.

Event 2: 13th Place - Grube

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Frank Grube III (California, MD) moved in, only to run into the pocket Aces of chip leader Nick Salimbene.

 Frank Grube III

Nick's Aces held up -- he's up to almost 1 million chips.

Frank finished in 13th place, earning $967.

12 players remain.  Average is 324k.

Blinds are up to 8k/16k with 2k ante.

Event 1: 3rd Place - Siegel

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

Eric Siegel (Melville, NJ)

$27,992

Siegel moves all in from the button for 1.4 million and Joe Wertz calls.

Siegel: K 6

Wertz: J J

Siegel flops a 6, but doesn't connect on the turn or river.  After multiple come backs Eric "Pools" Siegel's tournament comes to an end in third place, good for $27,992.

Wertz now has 13 million chips and is heads up with Yevgeni Rapoport who has the remaining 4 million.

Event 1: 4th Place - Zimmerman

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

Seth Zimmerman (New York, NY) 

$22,723

Zimmerman and Yevgeni Rapoport are all in preflop and very close in chips.

Zimmerman: A Q

Rapoport: A K

The board runs out 8 6 A 6 8 and Rapoport's kicker plays.  After the count, Rapoport has 

Zimmerman covered by only 60k as he takes the 4.2 million chip pot.

Seth Zimmerman finishes in 4th place and takes home $22,723 for his largest career cash.

Event 3 Recap

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

There was an international flavor at the final table and when the dust settled it was Vyacheslav "Steve" Eyzerovich (Staten Island, NY), who edged Zaur Mamedov (Cherry Hill, NJ) and Jason Leake (Toronto, Canada) for the top prize of $8,299.

"I love America," said Eyzerovic, who is originally from Kyrgyzstan. "And I love Borgata," he says while holding the trophy.  In addition to Canada and Kyrgyzstan, the Ukraine was respresented in the poker melting pot, as Mamedov is originally from Kiev.

"It doesn't matter where you're from, I play to win," says Mamedov, who earned $4,504 as runner and was glad to have a comrade in Eyzerovich at the final table. Both players are originally from nations that are, generally speaking, near Russia.

While Eyzerovich, who's affectionately nicknamed "Alphabet Soup," is a Borgata regular, for Leake this is his first trip to the casino.

"I've been wanting to come here for a while," says the IT security specialist, "but it's tough to get away from work."

Leake, who cashed in third place for $2,845, also made the final table in the Wednesday 7 pm tournament. "Two final tables in two days isn't too bad," he said while playing as much as he can while on vacation for the next week.

The day began with 94 entries for a total buy-in of $24,440.  The field featured former PLO champions Chris Brand (2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open) and Dan Maisano (2012 Spring Poker Open), but both missed the money.

Just missing the final table and the money was Mike Linster, who cashed in Event 1, but finished 10th and was the bubble in the PLO.

The final table featured Borgata regular Eric Miller who finished 4th, but the American was unable to stop the foreign invasion.

Final Table Results 

Place-Name-Amount

1 Vyacheslav Eyzerovich Staten Island, NY $8,299
2 Zaur Mamedov Cherry Hill, NJ $4,504
3 Jason Leake Ontario, Can $2,845
4 Eric Miller Hicksville, NY $2,134
5 Ryan Chapman Gaithersburg, MD $1,659
6 Bruce Frank Montclair, NJ $1,422
7 Christian Fyke Monroeville, PA $1,185
8 Robert Melo Howard Beach, NY $948
9 Michael Olarte Elmhurst, NY $711

Event 3 Winner: Eyzerovich

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Vyacheslav "Steve" Eyzerovich (Staten Island, NY)

$8,299

Event 3: 2nd Place - Mamedov

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Zaur Mamedov (Cherry Hill, NJ)

$4,504

Event 3: 3rd Place - Leake

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Jason Leake  (Toronto, Canada)

$2,845

Event 2: 14th Place - Cuello

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Ingrid Cuello (Queens, NY) moved her last chips in with AT, but ran into the pocket Queens of Michael Forca (Long Island, NY).

 Ingrid Cuello

The Queens held up and Ingrid was dispatched in 14th place, good for $967.

With her departure, Debbie Troncone is the last woman remaining in this event.

Event 1: Final Four Chip Counts

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

Players are on a 15 minute break, when play resumes blinds will be 80k/160k/20k ante.

Name-Chip Count (in millions)

Joe Wertz (Montoursville, PA) 10 (63 BB)
Yevgeni Rapoport (Brooklyn, NY) 3.1
Seth Zimmerman (New York, NY) 2.4
Eric Siegel (Melville, NJ) 1.4 (8 BB)

Event 3: 4th Place - Miller

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Eric Miller (Long Island NY) 4th Place
$2,134

Event 3: 5th Place - Chapman

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Ryan Chapman (Washington D.C.) 5th Place
$1,659

Event 2: 15th Place - Benjamin

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Nissim Benjamin (Brooklyn, NY) was all-in pre-flop against chip leader Nick Salimbene.

Nissim's pocket 9s were racing against Nick's KQ suited.

 Nissim Benjamin

By the river, both players had made a straight, but Nick's was higher. 

Nissim busted out in 15th place ($967).

Nick is now up to ~900k (75 big blinds).

Blinds are now up to 6k/12k with 2k ante.

14 players remain.  Average is 278k (23 big blinds).

Event 1: 5th Place - Esposito

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

Sal Esposito (Blue Point, NY) 

$18,112

 

Esposito is all in for his last one million chips with 3♠ 3♥and is up against the Q♥ 2♥ of  Yevgeni Rapoport.

The flop is 9♥ 5♥ 4♥ and Rapoport's flush is more than enough to take the pot (he actually hit a Q and 2 on the turn and river respectively for a meaningless bonus two pairs).

Sal Esposito is out in 5th place for $18,112. 

Event 2: 16th Place - Henrici

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Jason Henrici (Old Tappan, NJ) busted out in 16th place ($879).

Bob Fogarty (Outer Banks, NC) moved his short-stack all-in and got looked up by Frank Grube III (California, MD) in the blind.

Frank rolled over K8 suited.  "I only looked at one" said Bob, showing a King. 

He had an inferior kicker -- 3 -- but flopped a 3, turned a 3, and rivered a King for a full house and the double-up.

15 players remain.  Average stack is 259k. 

Nick Salimbene is still the chip leader with ~720k.

Event 3: 6th Place - FrankBruce

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Bruce Frank (Montclair NJ) 6th Place
$1,422

Event 1: Fan Favorites

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

 Wertz & Zimmerman Big Stacks, Bigger Fans

Borgata regular Joe Wertz has a strong following in central Pennsylvania, while new comer Seth Zimmerman is getting a lot of attention as our blog hits are showing large spikes in New York City.

Here's a thank you picture for all the fans following the action back home.

Event 2: Two More Out The Door

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Bill Miller (Stratford, CT) said he had been card-dead for 8 hours and had to shove with a "bad hand".  He busted out in 18th place ($879).

Victor Paulino (Boston, MA) got his last chips in with AJ, but ran into Myung Jung's AQ.  The better hand held up and Victor finished in 17th place ($879).

Mark Doiban (Brooklyn, NY) got all-in on the flop and his pocket Aces were good for a double up via Bob Fogarty (Outer Banks, NC).  Bob was left with only 27k.

Mark's son Henry also played this event, but has busted out.  I asked Mark if he taught his son how to play and he said "No, my son taught me...and is still teaching me".  Looks like Henry is a good teacher.

End of level and time to color up the purple chips.

Play resumed with level 19, blinds 5k/10k and 1k ante.

Event 3: 7th Place - Fyke

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Christian Fyke (Pittsburgh) 7th Place
$1,185

  One of the early chip leaders, Fyke makes his way to the rail with $1,185.

Event 1: Siegel Triples, Blinds Up

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

After losing most of his stack Siegel moves all in on the next hand for 325k.  Joe Wertz and Seth Zimmerman both call from the blinds and check it down.

Siegel hits a pair of jacks to triple up and is now back to 1 million.

Blinds are now 60k/120k, 20k ante.

Event 1: Rapoport Doubles through Siegel

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

Blinds 50k/100k/10k ante

Seth Zimmerman opens the action from the cutoff making it 325k
Eric Siegel moves all in from the button for 2.3 million
Yevgeni Rapoport is all in for less in the SB
Zimmerman folds and tables pocket 6s.

Rapoport: A♦ A♥
Siegel: A♠ Q♣

(Sal Espisito says he folded A Q)

Flop: 9♣ J♦ 9♦

Turn: K♠ (Siegel picks up gutshot straight draw)

River: 7♥

Siegel misses the 10 he needs for a straight and ships 1.7 to Rapoport, who doubles to 3.4 million.
Siegel is down to 325k.

Event 2: Big Stack Gets Bigger

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH  

Before the re-draw:

Harry Binda Jr (Cleveland, OH) was in a tough spot, seated on the immediate left of chip leader Nick Salimbene.

When Nick raised on the button, Harry was happy to get all in from the small blind when he saw pocket Aces.  Nick had pocket Tens and the Aces held. Harry doubled up.

On the next orbit,  Nick again raised on the button and Harry again had pocket Aces in the small blind!

They got all the chips in the middle, again.  This time Nick had pocket Jacks and back-doored a flush to crack Harry's Aces.

Harry was busted in 21st place.  Nick chipped up to ~800k.

Event 2: 27th - 19th Places

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH 

Here are the first batch of players to cash out:

Earning $791
27 - Paul Leon (Virginia Beach, VA)
26 - Joshua Lawson (Quarryville, PA)
25 - Anthony Hill (Egg Harbor City, NJ)
24 - Robert Russo (Pennington, NJ)
23 - Mirsad Kovaci (Brooklyn, NY)  (8 bounties!)
22 - Jeff Venturini (Westerly, RI)
21 - Harry Binda, Jr (Cleveland, OH)
20 - Anthony Spadola (Hamilton Square, NJ)
19 - Ken Baldanza (Manahawkin, NJ)

Blinds are up to 4k/8k with 1k ante (level 18).


The final 18 have drawn for seats and moved to the final two tables.

Event 1: 6th Place - Short

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

 John Short (Franklinville, NJ)

$14,984

  

Blinds 50k/100k/10k ante

Short stack John is all in with pocket 2s against the pocket 9s of Joe Wertz.  Short flops a set, but is back to reality when Wertz turns his set.

There's no miracle for Short on the river and he's out in 6th place for a $14,984 payday.

Wertz continues to extend to run over the table and is now close to 10 million chips after adding Short's last 580k.

Event 1: Chip Counts

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

Joe Wertz continues to dominate the field with 9 of the 17 million chips in play. John Short is the short stack (pun intended) with 680k.

Players are on a break and play resumes with blinds at 50k/100k, 10k ante.

Here's a look at the chip counts:

Name-Chip Counts

Joe Wertz 9 million
Sal Esposito 2.7 million
Eric Siegel  1.9 million
Seth Zimmerman  1.2 million
Yevgeni Rapoport 1.3 million
John Short  680k

Event 3: 8th Place - Melo

: 
$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Robert Melo, (Queens NY)
$948

Another player hits the rail in Event 2 PLO. Put simply, Melo out.

Robert Melo of Queens goes out in eighth place, the second straight player from the borough to leave.

He takes home $948.

Event 2: Henrici Doubles - Twice

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH 

Level 17:  Blinds 3k/6k, 500 ante

Jason Henrici (Old Tappan, NJ) doubled up his short stack with pocket 7s against a player holding Ax.

 Jason Henrici

Then he open-shoved for ~108k from the button.  The small blind called, showing pocket 9s.

Jason had AT suited.

The board came A T 4 2 4 and Jason doubled up again to ~225k.

Event 1: 7th Place - Wolper

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

 Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ) 

$12,020

Blinds 40k/80k/10k ante 

Chip leader Joe Wertz opens from the button with 9♠ 8♠.  Wolper moves all in for 580k total with A♣ 8♣ and Wertz calls.

Wertz flops a 9 and then goes runner, runner spade for the winning flush.

Wolper is out in 7th place and takes home $12,020, while Wertz extends his chip lead and with 9 million has more than half the chips in play.

Event 1: 8th Place - Shirazi

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

Morteza Shirazi (Clifton, NJ)

$9,056

Blinds 40k/80k/10k ante

After doubling through Sal Esposito, Shirazi isn't as lucky the second time around.  He shoves 780k UTG with JJ and is called by Esposito in the BB.

Esposito is behind with A 10, but flops an ace and sends Shirazi to the rail.

Esposito is now second in chips with 2.6 million, trailing only Joe Wertz and his 8 million.

Shirazi is out in 8th place and earns $9,056.

Event 2: It's a Wrap for Reynolds

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH 

It was a very short bubble.

Scott 'Tuna' Reynolds, the lone Boston Celtics fan in the crowd, opened on the button for 17k.  Both blinds called.

 Bubble-Boy Scott 'Tuna' Reynolds

The flop came Queen-high and it was checked to Scott, who shoved for his last ~60k.

The big blind called and picked off Scott's bluff.  Scott held AT for Ace-high.  His opponent had pocket Jacks.

The last two cards brought no help for Scott and be was busted in 28th place, becoming this event's bubble-boy.  Now he can go watch the playoff game and root for his team.

27 players remain and all are in the money.  Play has returned to normal mode.

Event 3: 9th Place- Olarte

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

Michael Olarte (Queens NY) 9th place
$711

The final nine of the Omaha PLO Event 3 were barely back from dinner when Micahel Olarte of Queens N.Y. got blitzed and busted out on the first hand dealt after the break.

He takes home $711.

Here's your remaining eight:

Ryan Chapman, Washington D.C.
Vyacheslav Eyzerovich, Russia
Bruce Frank, Montclair N.J.
Christian Fyke, Pittsburgh
Jason Leake, Tornonto
Zaur Mamedov, Cherry Hill N.J.
Robert Melo, Queens N.Y.
Eric Miller, Long Island N.Y.

Event 2: Salimbene Claims Lead

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

I had just identified the player at table 2, seat 3, as the chip leader with ~250k.  Then he got involved in a pot with Nick Salimbene (Brick, NJ).

 Nick Salimbene

On the flop of Q J 7 seat 3 bet and got called by Nick.  Turn was an 8 and seat 3 checked.  Nick made a big bet and after some thought, seat 3 called.

River was an Ace (no flush possible).  Seat 3 checked.  Nick moved all-in for 85k.  Seat 3 asked for the count, then tanked for a few minutes.

He eventually called.  Nick showed KT of spades for Broadway and the nuts.  Seat 3 mucked.  He was left with only about 40k.

Nick doubled up to about 500k and is clearly the chip leader.

Seat 3 busted out soon after, leaving 28 players.  They are now on the true bubble and playing hand-for-hand.

Event 2: Back for the Bubble

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

Dinner is done and the final 29 players are back to work on the double-bubble.

Two will leave empty-handed, except for bounties they've already collected.

The other 27 are guaranteed at least $791, plus any bounties they have pocketed during the day.

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

Cards are in the air.

Event 1: 9th Place - Feuer

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

 Taemee Feuer (Westbury, NY)

$6,257

Blinds: 30k/60k, 5k ante

Feuer open shoves 600k from the button with J♥ 8♥ and is called by Morteza Shirazi in BB who holds A♣ K ♠.  After Shirazi flops a king, Feuer picks up a gutshot straight draw on the turn, but bricks the river.

Taemee Feuer earns $6,257 for her 9th place finish.

Event 1: Back From Break

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

The final nine players are back from dinner break as play resumes with blinds at 30k/60k, 5k ante.

Joe Wertz is the chip leader with 3.6 million (60 BB), while the average stack is 1.9 million (31 BB).

Bubble Breaks on Event 3

The final nine is in place as Michael Farahnick of New York is the bubble boy for Event 3, the $20 +$40 +100 Black Chip Bounty tournament.

The final table is set as they head to a dinner break.

Total buy-in for the tournament was $24,440. Winner gets $8,299.

Event 2 also went to dinner break after a mini-revolution from a very hungry field despite being two away from the bubble at 29 players.

The $350 + $50 +$100 tournament pays 27.

Event 1: 10th Place - Dykshteyn

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

Russ Dykshteyn (Brooklyn, NY)

$4,281

Dykshteyn ships more than 3 million chips to Joe Wertz on a flop of Q♦ 5♠ 3♠.  Dykshteyn shows down Q J for top pair, but is against Wertz's set of 5s.

Dykshteyn picks up a flush draw on the turn, but Wertz fades the river and wins the 6.6 million chip pot and has a commanding chip lead

Russ Dykshteyn takes home $4,281 for his 10th place finish.

Event 1: Huge Hand before Dinner

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

The hand of the tournament unfolds between the two big stacks and the 6 million chip pot goes to Joe Wertz, while Russ Dykshteyn is out in 10th place.

Blinds: 25k/50k, 5k ante

Dykshteyn opens from the button to 125k
Wertz calls from the BB

Flop: Q♦ 5♠ 3♠

Wertz checks
Dykshteyn bets 200k
Wertz raises to 675k
Dykshteyn moves all in for 2.8 million
Wertz snap calls

Dykshteyn: Q♠ J♣ (top pair)
Wertz: 5♦ 5♥ (set of 5s)

Turn: 2♠ (Dykshteyn picks up flush draw)

River: Q♣

Wertz avoids the flush and his full house is worth 6.6 million chips.

The 9 remaining players are on dinner break until 7:30 pm.

Event 1: Final Table

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

Seat-Name

1 Russ Dykshteyn (Brooklyn, NY)
2 Morteza Shirazi (Clifton, NJ)
3 Joe Wertz (Montoursville, PA)
4 Seth Zimmerman (New York, NY)
5 Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ)
6 Eric Siegel (Melville, NJ)
7 John Short (Franklinville, NJ)
8 Yevgeni Rapoport (Brooklyn, NY)
9 Taemee Feuer (Westbury, NY)
10 Sal Esposito (Blue Point, NY)

Event 2: Down to 14

Only two tables left at the Pot Limit Omaha Event 3, which has made it to Level 12 and $1,600 blinds.

The chip leader is Christian "Rivertowne" Fyke of Pittsburgh, who's staring over an about 260,000 chip stack.

Five more will be sent to the rail before the payouts start. The top nine get paid with the winner taking home $8,299.

Event 1: 11th Place - King

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

Earl King (Colts Neck, NJ)

$4,281

King moves all in preflop for 400k with A9 and is up against the K 10 of Yevgeni Rapoport.

Rapoport hits his king and ironically King hits the rail.

Earl King earns $4,281 for his 11th place finish as the remaining 10 players are drawing for their final table seats.

Event 1: 12th Place - Guo

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

Qing Guo (Edison, NJ) is out in 12th place when his A 5 is beaten by the pocket queens of Howard Wolper.  He takes home $4,281.

Event 3: Payouts

$260 + $40 +$100 Black Chip Bounty Pot Limit Omaha - High 

Entries: 94
Total Buy-In: $24,440

Place - Amount

1st $8,299
2nd $4,504
3rd $2,845
4th $2,134
5th $1,659
6th $1,422
7th $1,185
8th $948
9th $711

Event 1: What's at Stake

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

The remaining 12 players are on a color-up break as the orange (1k) chips are removed from play.

Joe Wertz continues to lead the way with 3.8 million chips, while Sal Esposito is right behind him with 3.3 million.

A reminder of what they're playing for.

Entries: 679
Total Buy-In: $339,500

Place - Amount

1st $79,069
2nd $44,458
3rd $27,992
4th $22,723
5th $18,112
6th $14,984
7th $12,020
8th $9,056
9th $6,257
10-12 $4,281

Event 2: Payouts

$350 + $50 +$100 Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'Em

Entries: 259
Total Buy-In: $90,650

Place - Amount

1st $24,625
2nd $14,509
3rd $8,353
4th $6,771
5th $5,276
6th $4,397
7th $3,517
8th $2,638
9th $1,759
10-12 $1,143
13-15 $967
16-18 $879
19-27 $791

Event 12: 13th Place - Perlin

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

Michael Perlin (Jackson Heights, NY) is out in 13th place after seeing his stack devastated by Morteza Shirazi, who began the day as the chip leader.

First Shirazi doubles through Perlin when he hits a set of 9s against pocket queens.  The 300k double-up is the beginning of the end of Perlin's 1.6 million chip stack.

A few hands later Perlin is ahead with AK agaisnt Shirazi's AQ, but Shirazi flops a queen, turns a queen and rivers quads.

Perlin is out in 13th place and earns $3,128.

Event 1: Three More Down

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

Place-Name-Amount

14 Jong Kim (Silver Spring, MD) $3,128
15 Mohammed Hakim (Parsipanny, NJ) $3,128
16 Todd Soluri (Oakville, CT) $2,305

Event 2: Down to 60

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

 Kaplan Catching Cards

The field began with 259 players and now we're down to 60.

Jay Kaplan (Rockville, MD) is the chip leader with 280k (140 BB), while Debbie Troncone (Monroe Twp., NJ) is a healthy stack at 150k.

The average stack is 65k (32 BB) as blinds are 1k/2k/300 ante.

Debbie Doing Damage

Event 1: Two Down, Two on Top

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

Dylan Drazen (Wilton Manors, FL) is the first to bust (18th) at the final two tables and is quickly followed by Jose Montes (Bronx, NY), who's out in 17th place.  They both take home $2,305.

Jose Montes is out when his A K doesn't connect against the pocket 10s of Ruslan Dykshteyn who is now one of the big stacks.

Dykstheyn and Sal Esposito are the chip leaders with 2.6 million.

Event 1: Seating Chart

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

Table 1

Seat-Name

1 Michael Perlin
2 Todd Soluri
3 Seth Zimmerman
4 Jose Montes
5 Jong Kim
6 Joe Wertz
7 Taemee Feuer
8 Morteza Shirazi
9 Ruslan Dykshteyn

Table 2

Seat-Name

1 Qing Guo
2 Mohammed Hakim
3 Earl King
4 Sal Esposito
5 John Short
6 Howard Wolper
7 Eric Siegel
8 Dylan Drazen 
9 Yevgeni Rapoport

Event 1: Down to Two Tables

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

The final 18 players are redrawing for seats on the final two tables.

Recent Eliminations:

Place-Name-Amount

19 Thomas Flanagan (Brooklyn, NY) $1,811
20 Gregory Joslyn (Milford, PA) $1,811
21 Matthew Burnitz (Bear, DE) $1,811
22 Muhamed Likovic (Long Island City, NY) $1,811
23 Mitchell Mantin (Atlantic City, NJ) $1,811
24 Paul Shedaker (Croydon, PA) $1,811
25 Trevor Deeter (Philadelphia, PA) $1,811
26 Ozea Ingram (Ewing, NJ) $1,811
27 John Flukey (Marmora, NJ) $1,811
28 Nicholas Menture (Keansburg, NJ) $1,614
29 Silvio Manutano (Fresh Meadows, NY) $1,614

Event 1: Wertz Still Leads

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

The 20 remaining players are on a 10 minute break.  Joe Wertz still leads with 1.9 million (63 BB), but a lot of big stacks are in the mix. 

The average stack is 850k (28 BB) as blinds are going to 15k/30k/4k ante.

Chip Leaders (in millions)

Joe Wertz 1. 9 
Ruslan Dykshteyn 1.8 
Mohammed Hakim 1.6
Seth Zimmerman 1.5
Jose Montes 1.3
Michael Perlin 1.2

Event 3: Another Double Knockout

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

They're falling fast in the Pot Limit Omaha.  Seconds before the double knockout on table 5, Mike Sadler (Maplewood, NJ) knocks out two players, with a full house.

Sadler is the chip leader with 74k (46 BB) as 38 players remain with an average stack of 37k (23 BB).

One of the casualties is Chris Brand (Little Egg Harbor, NJ), who's only career cash came when he won  the 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open PLO Big Stack tournament for $15,000.

Still in the field is April PLO Champion Dan Maisano (Arlington, VA), who says he's back to defend his title after taking home ~$8,500 for his win in the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Event 3: Chopped Pot, Chopped Bounty

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

There is lots of furious action on the last hand before break.  Mike Linster (Island Park, NY) and Ernie Vidal (Nutley, NJ) both hold 6 8 on a 4 5 7 board for the eight high straight and a chopped pot.

In the process two players are knocked out and two $100 black chip bounties are up for grabs. Linster and Vidal each pocket a $100, but not without some discussion with the floor supervisor.

Normally when there's a chopped pot for a one chip bounty the player with the worse position gets the bounty because the chip can't be split in half.  Since there are two chips it's an easy split and both players walk away happy.

Linster is up to 72k and is one of the big stacks.

Event 1: Chopped Pot?, Not So Fast

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

Statistically speaking suited cards only adds 2-3% of value to your holdings and for Seth Zimmerman (New York) that's all he needs to win a 1.2 million chip pot.

Zimmerman and Ruslan Dykshteyn (Brooklyn, NY) are all in preflop and both hold AK.

Zimmerman: A♦ K♦
Dykshteyn: A♥ K♣

The board runs out with three diamonds and Dykshteyn, who finished third in April's Borgata Spring Poker Open for $113,000, ships 664k to Zimmerman.

A frustrated Dykshteyn is a good sport and says, "nice hand," but is clearly disappointed as his 1.1 million stack is cut to ~400k.

Zimmerman is now one of the top 5 stacks.

Event 1: News & Notes

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

As the field thins, a couple of interesting nuggets jump off the stat sheet.

Payman Azizoghli (Summit, NJ) means the bottom 10 returning stacks have all now been eliminated. At the top of the sheet, all top 10 stacks are still in the field.

Jeremy Brown (Brooklawn, NJ), who finished 33rd, was the 2009 Borgata Poker Open runner-up to Olivier Busquet and took home $454,000 for finishing 2nd.

Event 1: Mo People Collecting Mo Money

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

Place-Name-Amount

30 Neal Gay (New York, NY) $1,614
31 Payman Azizoghli (Summit, NJ) $1,614
32 Ali Navid (Centerville, VA) $1,614
33 Jeremy Brown (Brooklawn, NJ) $1,614
34 Casey Keith (Greenville, NC) $1,614
35 Drew Johnson (Bridgewater, NJ) $1,614
36 George Reid (Robbinsville, NJ) $1,614
37 Mohammad Imran (Galloway, NJ) $1,449
38 Michael Camp (Baltimore, MD) $1,449
39 Gregory Fishberg (Willow Grove, PA) $1,449
40 Steven Kobitz (E. Hanover, NJ) $1,449

Event 1: Baskin-Robbins Update

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

Feuer & Wertz at their Initial Table Draw

The Baskin-Robbins original 31 flavors included Chocolate Ribbon, Rocky Road and Cherry Macaroon.  So with 31 players left this update is brought to you by BR.

Joe Wertz is the chip leader with 1.3 million (65 BB) and is requesting Strawberry as his flavor of choice.

The average stack is 548k (27 BB) as blinds are now 10k/20k, 3k ante.

Chip Leaders

Joe Wertz 1.3 million
Todd Soluri 1.1 million
Howard Wolper 1 million
Jose Montes 920k
Ruslan Dykshteyn 750k
Thomas Flanagan 740k
Seth Zimmerman 725k
Taemee Feuer 710k
Shirazi Morteza 700k

Event 2: Late Reg = Tough Tables

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

(l-r) Caruso, White, Mazzeo & Eng

Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) is disappointed that his A 10 is bested by K Q in Event 1, but his 45th place grabs him a pay jump and $1,449.

Eng then jumps into Event 2 and the Black Chip Bounty where he's joined by other late registrants to form one of the tougher tables.

Eng joins Henry Doiban, Anthony Caruso, Antoine White and Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo at a table that everyone hopes breaks sooner rather than later.

Level 4 is in the books and the re-entry period is closed.  After a 10 minute break, play resumes with blinds at 150/300 and the first antes of the day at 25.

Event 3: Non Stop Action

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

 Frank to the Bank & Back

After collecting his $1,284 for his 50th place finish in Event 1, Frank Ingardia (Staten Island, NY) takes his profits and joins the PLO field.

Other Friendly Faces:

Gina "Gin-evil" Cannone
Chris Brand
Michael Farahnick
Bruce Frank
Eric Miller
Oliver Entine
Robert Melo
Leo G

Event 1: Busto

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

Place-Name-Amount

41 Michael Buttacavoli (Ventnor, NJ) $1,449
42 Alexander Gentile (Bohemia, NY) $1,449
43 Raul Totanes (Brooklyn, NY) $1,449
44 Leonard Moore (Ventnor City, NJ) $1,449
45 Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) $1,449
46 Bela Suich (Mt. Laurel, NJ) $1,284
47 David Konigsberg (Bayonne, NJ) $1,284
48 Richard Corely (Brooklyn, NY) $1,284
49 Donovan Darland (Stafford, VA) $1,284
50 Frank Ingardia (Staten Island, NY) $1,284
51 Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) $1,284
52 Seth Manfield (Chevy Chase, NY) $1,284
53 Marco Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY) $1,284

Event 1: All "A-s" for Jose

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

Montes Mounting an Attack

On the first hand of the restart, Jose Montes (Bronx, NY) knocks out two players and is just the second player to crack the one million chip mark.

Marco Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY) moves all in for 146k, Seth Manfield (Chevy Chase, MD) calls and Montes is all in on top and has both players covered with 468k.

Manfield has 1/3 of his stack committed and makes the call:

Spagnuolo: 3 3
Manfield: 9 9
Montes: A A

Montes' aces hold and Spagnuolo and Manfield are on the rail earning $1,284.

Montes and Morteza Shirazi are the only two players with more than one million chips.

Event 3: More Black Chips

$260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty PLO (Re-Entry)

The second black chip bounty of the day, and first PLO tournament of the series is underway.

This Pot Limit Omaha is "high" only (so no split pots!) and is re-entry for the first four levels.  Players start with 15k in chips and levels are 30 minutes each (Levels 16+ / 40 min.).

This is a one day tournament and each knockout gets a player a $100 bounty.

Event 1: Herbie 53

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

Shiraz Loving the Chip Lead

Little known fact: Disney's Herbie the Love Bug's racing number was 53.

Today 53 players are racing for the $79,069 top prize as all remaining players are in the money and guaranteed at least $1,284.

Morteza Shirazi (Clifton, NJ) returns as the only player with more than 1 million chips (100 BB) and has a 300k lead over second place Paul Shedaker (Croydon, PA).

The average stack is 320k (32 BB) as play resumes with 20 minutes left with blinds at 5k/10k, 1k ante.

We have green flag racing as the dash for the big cash is underway.

Event 1 & 3: High Noon Action

Restart: $560 NL
Up Next: $300 PLO Black Chip Bounty 

Two tournaments are champing at the bit to get started.  The remaining players in Event 1 are in the back of the Poker Room and unbagging their chips as they eye the $79,069 first prize.

The PLO field is around the corner and anxious to get the first NL tournament of the series underway.

Event 2: Blood in the Water

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

Panini & Agaev

When a short stack gets their chips in the middle it brings out all the sharks.

As we walk by one table, the dealer is working hard to decipher four way action.  The hand is way too complicated to explain, but it boils down to the this:

Nick Panini (Bronx, NY) quadruples his 1,200 all-in bet
Adam Agaev (Brooklyn, NY) doubles his 12k stack
A third player is cut in half
A fourth player takes a small hit after folding to subsequent all ins after going for the initial 1,200

And after all that, no bounties are lost and the dealer nails the sidepot.

Event 2: Bounty Hunters

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

A quick pass of the Poker Room reveals these friendly faces who are eying up the $100 black chip bounties:

James Boyle
Tony Antonious
Dan Spirer
Paul Leon
Nancy Martin
Eugen Morgovsky
Mickey Woll
Diana Guyana
Lee Kirsch
Travis Greenawalt

Boyle, who can't keep a low profile, couldn't make Event 1, but was in the Poker Room all day playing in the side events and is now ready for a deep run in the series.

Event 2: Busy Day Underway

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

The first of three tournaments are underway as the Poker Room is buzzing on the second day of the Borgata Summer Poker Open.

The beauty of this series is that if you're not one of the 53 players remaining in Event 1, you can jump right back in and win a NL (Event 2) or PLO (Event 3) trophy.  By the time the blog shuts down early
Friday morning all three trophies will be handed out.

First up, the NL bounty where players start with 15k in chips and levels are 30 minutes long (Final Table/40 min levels).  Unlimited re-entries are available for the first four levels of this one-day tournament.

Table signs are down, button is in the one seat, blinds start at 25/50 and No Limit Texas Hold'em is underway!

Event 1: Start of Day 2 Table Assignments

Borgata Summer Poker Open
Event 1 - $500 +$60 Deep Stack No Limit Hold'em
June 6-7, 2012


Entries:  679
Total Buy-In:  $339,500


START OF DAY 2 SEAT ASSIGNMENTS & CHIP COUNTS
T1 | S1:  JONG MAN KIM (SILVER SPRING, MD):  305,000

T1 | S2:  QING GUO (EDISON, NJ):  268,000

T1 | S3:  GEORGE REID (ROBBINSVILLE, NJ):  243,000

T1 | S4:  PAUL SHEDAKER (CROYDON, PA):  753,000

T1 | S5:  DYLAN DRAZEN (WILTON MANORS, FL):  194,000

T1 | S6:  ERIC SIEGEL (BELLMORE, NY):  250,000

T1 | S7:  GREGORY JOSLYN (MILFORD, PA):  404,000

T1 | S8:  YEVGENI RAPOPORT (BROOKLYN, NY):  174,000

T1 | S9:  RAUL TOTANES (BROOKLYN, NY):  174,000

T2 | S1:  CATHERINE DEVER (EPHRATA, PA):  144,000

T2 | S2:  BELA SUICH (MOUNT LAUREL, NJ):  69,000

T2 | S3:  TREVOR DEETER (PHILADELPHIA, PA):  322,000

T2 | S4:  MICHAEL BUTTACAVOLI (VENTNOR, NJ):  293,000

T2 | S5:  MITCHELL MANTIN (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ):  268,000

T2 | S6:  MICHAEL CAMP (BALTIMORE, MD):  199,000

T2 | S7:  NICHOLAS MENTURE (KEANSBURG, NJ):  347,000

T2 | S8:  SILVIO MANTUANO (FRESH MEADOWS, NY):  362,000

T2 | S9:  JOHN SHORT (FRANKLINVILLE, NJ):  433,000

T3 | S1:  OZEA INGRAM (EWING, NJ):  535,000

T3 | S2:  MOHAMMED HAKIM (PARSIPANNY, NJ):  657,000

T3 | S3:  THOMAS FLANAGAN (BROOKLYN, NY):  437,000

T3 | S4:  GORDON ENG (CLIFFSIDE PARK, NJ):  317,000

T3 | S5:  MOHAMMAD IMRAN (GALLOWAY, NJ):  126,000

T3 | S6:  MUHAMED LIKOVIC (LONG ISLAND CITY, NY):  487,000

T3 | S7:  TODD SOLURI (OAKVILLE, CT):  681,000

T3 | S8:  ALEXANDER GENTILE (BOHEMIA, NY):  143,000

T4 | S1:  RICHARD CORLEY (BROOKLYN, NY):  57,000

T4 | S2:  DREW JOHNSON (BRIDGEWATER, NJ):  64,000

T4 | S3:  JEREMY BROWN (BROOKLAWN, NJ):  436,000

T4 | S4:  CASEY KEITH (GREENVILLE, NC):  279,000

T4 | S5:  LEONARD MOORE (VENTNOR CITY, NJ):  97,000

T4 | S6:  RUSLAN DYKSHTEYN (BROOKLYN, NY):  367,000

T4 | S7:  STEVEN KOBITZ (E HANOVER, NJ):  442,000

T4 | S8:  FRANK INGARDIA (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  76,000

T4 | S9:  EARL KING (COLTS NECK, NJ):  280,000

T5 | S1:  HOWARD WOLPER (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ):  446,000

T5 | S2:  PAYMAN AZIZOGHLI (SUMMIT, NJ):  96,000

T5 | S3:  MORTEZA SHIRAZI (CLIFTON, NJ):  1,047,000

T5 | S4:  JOHN FLUKEY (MARMORA, NJ):  197,000

T5 | S5:  SALVATORE ESPOSITO (BLUE POINT, NY):  606,000

T5 | S6:  NEAL GAY (NEW YORK, NY):  179,000

T5 | S7:  ALI NAVID (CENTREVILLE, VA):  330,000

T5 | S8:  TAEMEE FEUER (WESTBURY, NY):  375,000

T5 | S9:  JOSEPH WERTZ (MONTOURSVILLE, PA):  440,000

T6 | S1:  MARCO SPAGNUOLO (STATEN ISLAND, NY):  146,000

T6 | S2:  SETH ZIMMERMAN (NEW YORK, NY):  292,000

T6 | S3:  SETH MANFIELD (CHEVY CHASE, MD):  389,000

T6 | S4:  GREGORY FISHBERG (WILLOW GROVE, PA):  251,000

T6 | S5:  DAVID KONIGSBERG (BAYONNE, NJ):  103,000

T6 | S6:  MATTHEW BURNITZ (BEAR, DE):  599,000

T6 | S7:  JOSE MONTES (BRONX, NY):  468,000

T6 | S8:  MICHAEL PERLIN (JACKSON HTS, NY):  283,000

T6 | S9:  DONOVAN DARLAND (STAFFORD, VA):  123,000

Thursday, June 7

TODAY'S EVENTS (POKER ROOM)
REGISTER IN POKER ROOM


11AM: Event 2 - $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament. Players must  have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed on the table in order to remain active in tournament.
• Levels will last 30 minutes each | Final Table Levels: will last 40 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 4 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

12PM: Event 3 - $260 + $40 + $100 Black Chip Bounty Pot Limit Omaha - High (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 15,000 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 1-15: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 40 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 4 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

4 PM:  Event 24 - $150 + $30 + $20 Yellow 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 the table in order to remain active in tournament.
• Levels will last 20 minutes each
• Players that bust within the first 6 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited re-entries)
• 1-Day event

7 PM:  Event 25 - $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH

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

Event 1: Goodnight From the Poker Room

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

The chips are all bagged and the players have departed.

Play resumes Thursday at noon, here in the Poker Room.

Now it's time to clean the carpet.

Event 1: That's a Wrap

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

The clock was stopped with 18:15 remaining in level 20.

53 remaining players counted and bagged their chips for the night.  They will return at noon Thursday to continue play.

Mysterious Monty is the chip leader with 1,047,000 chips.

The full list of returning players and chip counts will be posted in the morning.

Here are the folks that cashed out tonight:

Earning $1,120
63 - Michael Caruso (Flourtown, PA)
62 - Josephy Stuckey (Hicksville, NY)
61 - Jin Ro (Sewell, NJ)
60 - Sam Bernstein (Englewood, NJ)
59 - Everton Taylor (Kingston, Jamaica)
58 - Mike Linster (Levittown, NY)
57 - Yale Greenfield (Chicago, IL)
56 - Igor Rabinovich (Richboro, PA)
55 - Nachman Berlin (Brooklyn, NY)

Earning $1,284
54 - Michael Malloy (Eagleville, PA)

Event 1: Three-Way Action

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

Casey Keith (Greenville, NC) moved in for 90k from the hijack, then Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) announced he was all-in (256k). 

The player in seat 1 (button) did not hear Gordon's all-in and tossed in 75k.  When he was told it was 256k to call, and he couldn't take his 75k back, he tanked for a few minutes, then called.

Casey had KJ offsuit.  Gordon was ahead with pocket Tens.  Seat 1 had pocket 7s.

The board ran out 6 4 2 J 9 and Casey caught a pair on the turn to triple up.  With blinds and antes, he chipped up to almost 300k.

Gordon took the side pot, increasing his stack from 256k to about 320k.

Play continues until 2am, when they will stop the clock and call it a night.

Event 1: In The Money

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

The bubble burst quietly and the bubble-boy escaped without talking to me.

The final 63 players settled into seven tables and play returned to normal.  Some time was added back to the clock to account for the hand-for-hand delay.

Both remaining ladies survived the bubble.

All 63 players are guaranteed to leave with at least $1,120.

Level 19 has now expired and blinds are up to 5k/10k with 1k ante.  They will play about 20 minutes of this level, then stop the clock at 2am for the bag-and-tag.

The average stack is 269k (almost 27 big blinds).

Event 1: G-Money Doubles

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

On a flop of K Q 8 rainbow, Mohammed Hakim (bb) checked to Neal 'G-Money' Gay (Brooklyn, NY) who fired 18k.

 Neal 'G-Money' Gay

Hakim then check-raised to 45k.

After giving it some thought, G-Money announced he was all-in.

Hakim made the call, showing AK for top/top.

G-Money rolled over pocket Queens for the set and the lead.  The last two came 8 4 and he doubled up to ~300k.

Down to 65 players, two away from the money; they're now playing hand-for-hand.

Event 1: Richardone Done

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

Richard Corley (Brooklyn, NY) opened for 18k in the middle.  Action folded to Frank Richardone (Staten Island, NY) in the small blind, who moved in for 98k.

After getting the count, Richard made the call, showing pocket Queens.

Frank was racing with AK.

The board ran out 9-high and brought no help for Frank.  With his departure, 72 players remained.  They broke another table, leaving 8 tables active.

Average stack is 236k.

Nine away from the money.

Event 1: New Chip Leader

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

Following the break, play resumed with level 19, blinds 4k/8k with 1k antes.

Just before the break, 'Monty' busted a couple of players and chipped up to about 800k, good for the chip lead.  Monty didn't want to use his last name and also requested no photo.

Random chip counts as of the break:

Joe Wertz - 402k
Al 'the Persian Diversion' Navidi - 400k
Gordon Eng - 235k
Howard Wolper - 190k
Frank Ingardia - 180k
Eric 'Pools' Siegel - 130k
Nachman Berlin - 110k
Frank Richardone - 100k

Event 1: 79 Remain

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

Mohammed Hakim has jumped back into the race for the chip lead.  He's up to 675k.

Table 10 is down, leaving 9 tables with 79 players still in action.

As they approach the end of the level and break time, some players are starting to show signs of fatigue, while others appear as fresh as when this tournament began over 13 hours ago.

Only 63 get paid.

Event 1: Big Stack Gets Bigger

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

Britt Reid is adding to his mountain of chips.

He had a short-stack all-in holding A6 suited.  Britt was ahead with pocket 6s, then flopped the case 6 for the set.

Britt has now chipped up to ~700k and still leads the field.

Sal Esposito is hot on his heels with 643k.