Event 15 Recap

$2000 + $150 HEADS UP No Limit Hold'em

The last man into the tournament is the last man standing as Brandon Zaucha (Chicago, IL) wins the Heads Up title. Zaucha defeated Tim Tuveson (Philadelphia) to take the title and the $34,920 first prize.

"It feels good to finally cash in a live tournament," says the Arizona State student, who was playing at Borgata for the first time. A snow storm delayed the start of the tournament, which gave Zaucha just enough time to be the last player to register, 15 minutes before his opening match.

After blitzing through his first 6 matches, Zaucha lost to Tuveson, who was the sole survivor of the losers bracket, in an epic 4 hour match. Zaucha's only loss meant a rematch for the championship, which he quickly won.

"He was a really good player, who didn't have any weakness," said Tuveson, who earned $21,825 for second place. "His game was solid and he knew what he was doing."

Tuveson reached the championship match by exacting revenge on Lior Barlev in the losers bracket championship after Barlev defeated Tuveson in the winners bracket semifinals. Barlev finished 3rd taking home $13,095.

Two former Borgata Heads Up Champions were in the field including defending champ Jeremy McLaughlin who lost early in the tournament but battled back to barely make the money when he was eliminated by Tuveson. McLaughlin was joined by Charlie Hook (2009 Summer Open Champ) who failed to cash.

The other players who cashed included Sirous Jamshidi and McLaughlin who each earned $4,365 for finishing tied for 5th and 6th place by losing in the same round of the tournament. Marc Davis finished 4th, good for $8,730.

The field also included a pair of Borgata Main Event Champions in Dwyte Pilgrim (Sept. 2010 Poker Open Champ) and Billy O'Neil (2010 Summer Open Champ). They were joined by notables Jason Young, Josh Brikis, Matt Affleck, Bill Blanda, Will "The Thrill Failla" and Matt Glantz.

Zauch went 7-1 in the tournament, while Tuveson finished 7-2.