Event 17 Recap

$500 + $60 HOSE

The HOSE tournament attracted a high quality of mixed game players and in the end it's European pro Jeff Duvall (London, England) who won Event 17 of the Borgata Winter Open (BWO). Duvall outlasted Larry Gold (Medford, NY) and Igor Tiguy (Boston, MA) to win the $10,525 first prize.

"I got more action in hold'em because of the hands," said Duvall, "but I'm more of an expert in the split games." One of Duvall's big hands at the final table came in Omaha H/L against Jinglin Chen (Brooklyn, NY - 4th/$2,706) when he flopped quad kings to cripple Chen.

Gold knocked Chen out on his way to 2nd place ($5,713), just ahead of Tiguy (3rd - $3,608), who began the day as the clear chip leader. Gold was a late entry into the field after busting just before the money in Event 12 ($200 NL) and said, "I was at the wrong final table," but was glad to cash as this "gives me momentum for the Main Event," which starts Sunday.

The remaining nine players began Day 2 at the final table with everyone in the money including "Miami" John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV). Cernuto, who has 3 WSOP Bracelets was one of the short stacks and finished 7th ($1,504).

Bob "Bullet" Demartino (Manahawkin, NJ) is a local grinder who led the field through most of Day 1, but finished 6th ($1,804).

In the end, the well traveled Duvall, who has more than $1 million in career earnings, beat the 62 player field chasing the $31,000 in total buy-ins. Duvall lives in London and is in the United States for a daughter's wedding.

The BWO fit perfectly in his schedule and he made the most of his first visit to Borgata. "It's a lovely casino, I really enjoyed it," said Duvall, a former London pub owner, who's been a professional card player for 30 years.

Duval's career highlights include a 3rd place finish in Omaha H/L during the 2005 WSOP.