Event 21 Recap

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH  

It was a 21-year-old heads up against a mother who said, "I have children older than that," in the final trophy event of the Borgata Summer Poker Open.  And in the end Tom Gleason (Blackwood, NJ) used his youth to outlast Alyson Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) to win the title.

"I don't know, maybe I made a mistake," said Parker when she called Gleason's all in preflop shove with QJ against his KJ, "maybe I'm just old and tired," she said.

The players were nearly dead even in chips before the hand which was a 4.2 million pot.

"You played great," Gleason told Parker after he won the trophy and the $12,550 top prize on the next hand with pocket fives.

Before Black Friday Gleason was a heads up specialist who is now grinding live games and helping out in his family's used car business.

"I felt his range was really wide against me," Parker added, "I'm a little sad, but what are you going to do?"

Gleason and Parker traded double ups five times while heads up, which included pocket queens twice for Parker.

Prior to that, Gleason got a break when Kevin Lupowitz shoved 600k into a 150k pot with AQ when Gleason flopped a straight for a 1.2 million chip pot.  "That hand really helped," said Gleason who admitted to being on tilt after bleeding chips.

Another player victimized by a flopped straight was Leonardo Palermo. He finished third when Parker flopped the same 10-high straight as Gleason did against Lupowitz.

"Sicko hand," said Palermo who flopped top pair, "it's too bad I went out that way."

Also at the final table was Tiffany Williamson who finished 15th in the 2005 WSOP Main Event for $400,000 the year Joe Hachem won. In this tournament she finished in 8th place.

The day began with 231 entries putting up $46,200 in total buy-ins.  The field featured Event 20 winner Doug Pinto ($12,636) and the top two in the battle for the Borgata Leaderboard points lead.

Cuong Phung was first overall with 120 points more than Steve Eyzerovich.  Phung failed to make the money, but the math said Eyzerovich needed a deep run to over take Phung as the series leader.

Eyzerovich squeaked into the money, but a 27th place finish for $403 won't be enough to for him to win the top prize, a $3,500 entry into the WPT Borgata Poker Open in September.

In the end, a compelling final table was a good way to close out the 21st trophy event of the Summer Open.  "The series was great," said Parker, "They [Borgata] do what they do better than anyone around."

Final Table Results

Position-Name-Amount

1 Tom Gleason (Blackwood, NJ) $12,550
2 Alyson Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) $7,394
3 Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ) $4,257
4 Brendan Buckley (Long Beach, NY)  $3,451
5 Dave Deneegaard (E. Northport, NY) $2,689
6 Donnie Brown (Blackwood, NJ) $2,241
7 Kevin Lupowitz (New York, NY) $1,793
8 Tiffany Williamson (Gaithersburg, MD) $1,344
9 Montez Johnson (Sicklerville, NJ) $896
10 Chris DeQuatro (Norfolk, VA) $583

Event 21 Winner - Gleason

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH

Tom Gleason (Blackwood, NJ) 

$12,550

Blinds 50k/100k/10k ante 

After a flurry of all ins and double ups, Gleason beats Alyson Parker heads up to win the title.

Here's a summary of the last few hands after Parker took the chip lead with pocket queens. The following hands were all in preflop and in succession after Gleason closed the gap.

Gleason doubles 2 million with AQ vs A7, leaving Parker with 600k

Parker doubles 600k with A♦ 3♦ vs A♣ 9♦ when 4 diamonds hit

Parker doubles 1.2 million with QQ vs Q10

Gleason doubles 2.2 million with KQ vs QJ, Parker left with 200k

Parker and Gleason play the final hand "dark"

Parker: K9

Gleason: 55

The pair of fives are the winner and Gleason takes the trophy and the $12,550 first place prize.

"I like heads up," says the 21-year-old winner. "It's a completely different game and you get to play every hand."  

Gleason spends most of his time playing poker, but also helps out in the family's used car business.

Event 21: 2nd Place - Parker

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH  

Alyson Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) 

$7,394

Parker's valiant effort comes to an end when her last 200k is all in dark with K9 against the pocket 5s of Tom Gleason.

Parker doubled-up three times in heads up play, twice with pocket queens, but the hand that left her short was when she lost with QJ to Gleason's KQ.

"I'm a little sad, but what are you going to do," says Parker, who earns her largest career cash of $7,394. 

Parker finished second in a 2010 Borgata Ladies Event, but has since elevated her game to play in more open fields. In addition to being a mother she works in real estate.

"I was free rolling with all the bounties," Parker adds, "so everything else is extra."

Event 21: Parker Doubles with Ladies

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

Gleason & Parker Heads Up

Alyson Parker raises, Tom Gleason moves all in, Parker calls and is at risk

Parker: Q Q
Gleason: K 4

The board runs clean and Parker gets a 1.5 million double up.  She now has 3 of the 4.6 million chips in play.

Event 21: 3rd Place - Palermo

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH

Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ) 

$4,257

Blinds 30k/60k/5k ante

Alyson Parker raises the button and Palermo calls from the BB.

Flop: 10 8 6

Parker bets 200k

Palermo moves all in for 800k

Parker snap calls and can't turn her cards over fast enough

Parker: 7 9 (straight)

Palermo: 10 4 (top pair)

Turn: 2

River: 6

"Sicko hand," says Palermo, who enjoyed his time throughout the entire Borgata Summer Poker Open.  "I played the best I could all series," he says after his 3rd place finish for $4,257. "I just didn't get the breaks when I needed."

Parker is now heads up with Tom Gleason who has the chip lead 3.2 million to 1.4 million.

Event 21: Nearly 3 Million Chip Pot

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

Blinds 30k/60k/5k ante 

Leonardo Palermo raises his button to 145k
Tom Gleason calls from the BB

Flop: 10♥ 6♥ 4♠

Gleason checks
Palermo bets 200k
Gleason makes it 600k
Palermo is all in for 1.4 million
Gleason snap calls

Gleason: 10♦ 6♦ (two pairs)
Palermo: J♠ 10♠ (top pair)

Turn: 9♦

River: 2♥

Palermo misses his outs on the river and ships 1.4 million to Gleason who has a commanding chip lead.  Palermo is down to 600k.

Event 21: 4th Place - Buckley

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

Brendan Buckley (Long Beach, NY)  

$3,451

Blinds 30k/60k/5k ante

The pivotal hand comes when Buckley is all in preflop against Leonardo Palermo.

Buckley: 8♠ 8♥

Palermo: A♣ J♠

Flop: K♣ Q♠ 7♠

Turn: 9♣

River: A♦

The Barry Greenstein ace on the river gives Palermo the winner and an 895k double up.  Buckley is left with only 70k and is out a few hands later.  

Palermo and Tom Gleason both have more than 1.5 million, with Palermo the slightly larger stack.  Alyson Parker is the short stack with 900k.

Event 21: 5th Place - Deneegaard

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH

 Dave Deneegaard (E. Northport, NY) 

$2,689

Blinds 30k/60k/5k

Deneegaard moves all in UTG for 400k

Brendan Buckley is all in for more

Alyson Parker ponder-folds

Deneegaard: A 10

Buckley: K Q

Flop: K J 3 (Buckley pair of kings)

Turn: 5

River: J

Deneegaard loses to a pair of kings and takes home $2,689 for his 5th place finish.

Event 21: 6th Place - Brown

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

Donnie Brown (Blackwood, NJ) 

$2,241

Brown's last 655k goes to Alyson Parker when her pocket 9s hold against Brown's pocket 3. Three jacks on the board gives Parker the winning full house.

Brown takes home $2,241 for his 6th place finish.

Event 21: Dave Doubles Through Donnie

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 
 
All in preflop Dave Deneegaard  (AA) vs Donnie Brown  (JJ).  Deneegaard hits an ace on the turn and doubles up 395k.

Event 21: Break Time

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

The 6 remaining players are on a 15 minute color-up break as the orange (1k) chips are removed from play.

The average stack is 770k (15 BB) with blinds going up to 25k/50k/5k ante.

Chip Counts

Tom Gleason (Blackwood, NJ) 1 million (20 BB)
Brendan Buckley (Long Beach, NY) 900k
Donnie Brown (Blackwood, NJ) 830k
Alyson Parker (Plainsboro, NJ) 780k
Leonardo Palermo (Toms River, NJ) 600k
Dave Deneegaard (E. Northport, NY) 450k (9 BB) >

Event 21: Quads for Brown

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH 

After Tom Gleason ships a double up to to Leonardo Palermo, he looks for the knockout of Donnie Brown.

Gleason: Q Q
Brown: A 10

Flop: A A A

"Drawing dead after the flop," laments Gleason when the table is surprised to see quads.

"Stay away from the luck box," jokes Brown who doubles 460k.

The two hands knock Gleason down to a little less than one million chips.

Event 21: 7th Place - Lupowitz

$200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH

Kevin Lupowitz (New York, NY) 

$1,793

Blinds 15k/30k/4k ante

Lupowitz raises to 75k, Tom Gleason calls from the BB.

Flop: 6♥ 8♠ 7♣

Gleason checks
Lupowitz moves all in for 625k
Gleason snap calls

Gleason: 10♦ 9♦ (straight)
Lupowitz: A♠ Q♣  

Turn: 7♠

River: K♥
 
Gleason's flopped straight gives him the 1.2 million chip pot and takes him to 1.5 million.

Lupowitz finishes in 7th place for $1,793.