FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4

TODAY IN THE POKER ROOM

11A - Event 21: $3,300 + $200 Championship No Limit Holdem
Day 5 - FINAL TABLE

12P - Event 26: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

• 1 Re-Entry
• 10,000 in starting chips
• Levels 1-6: each will last 30 minutes Levels 7+: each will last 40 minutes
• 1-day event

6P - Event 59: $100 + $20 No Limit Hold'em

• 10,000 in starting chips
• Levels last 20 minutes
• 1-day event

Event 25 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 25: $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em
January 3, 2011

Entries: 186
Total Buy-In: $48,360

FINAL RESULTS
1. MARK WAHBA (CLEVELAND, OH): $14,073
2. CHRISTOPHER GROVE (PASADENA, MD): $7,740
3. MARCO JANSEN (MUNCHEN, GER): $4,456
4. MICHAEL MATRONE (MORGANVILLE, NJ): $3,753
5. ONOFRIO REINA (ELIZABETH, NJ): $2,815
6. FRANCIS DOUGHERTY (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $2,346
7. ROBERT BEN AVRAM (CANOGA PARK, CA): $1,876
8. VIMY HA (BROOKLYN, NY): $1,407
9. ABRAHAM GORDON (LAKEWOOD, NJ): $1,055
10. JACK BATTAGLIA (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $938
11. JOANNA LEBAN (NEW YORK, NY): $938
12. ROBERT FETZKO (JOHNSTOWN, PA): $938
13. JEFF SEQUEIRA (RED BANK, NJ): $821
14. MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ): $821
15. ROBERT HAAVIND (BOSTON, MA): $821
16. PATRICK GAGLIANO (FREEHOLD, NJ): $704
17. GREG RITZER (FREEHOLD, NJ): $704
18. FRANCIS FAZIO JR (CHESTER SPRINGS, PA): $704

Event 25 Recap

Event 25 started with 186 entries building a Total Buy-in of $48,360.

Players started the day at 12pm with 10,000 chips and were able to Re-Enter during the first six levels.

James Boyle made a deep run as did his friend Mike "Little Man" Sica. Both told us about their weight loss prop bet that will end at the WSOP.

Other notables included Eric "Clownfish" Doerr, Gene Castro, Ryan Eriquezzo, and Chris Reslock.

Top 18 got paid and the bubble drew some excitement with two all-in hands at two tables. When the dust settled, Yeeman Kitzerow was the bubble which made Joanna Leban the Last Woman Standing. Joanna kept climbing up the cash and finished one short of the final table.

Two players each had quad fives, Bob Haavind and Robert Fetzko. Mike "Little Man" Sica finished in 16th place for $704.

Third place went to German born, Marco Jansen for $4,456 and Second Place went to Maryland's favorite son, Chris Grove for $7,740.

But our big winner in first place was Cleveland Ohio's Mark Wahba who will add $14,073 to his bankroll.

Mark is taking the money and running, literally as he left at the 5am conclusion of the tournament to drive 8 hours back home to Cleveland.

Mark was very excited to win and felt he played solid all day which is why he was the chip leader for a good chunk of the match.

Mark is 25 and will use the money to play more poker and try to win more money.

This win came at the right time for Mark who almost didn't play this event. "We were gonna leave this morning then I said, "Let's play one more".

One more Mark did play, and one more did he win.

Event 25: Mark Wahba - 1st Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Mark Wahba - 1st Place - $14,073

Mark Wahba is the Event 25 first place finisher taking home $14,073.

He was the big stack most of the tournament, made some sick calls, and grinded it out at the final table, waiting for his spots then capitalizing.

Mark was supposed to leave this morning but begged his friend and ride home to play this tournament that started at 12pm. Good thing his friend agreed.

It's now 5am and the tournament is over. Mark is driving home 8 hours to Cleveland right now.

That ride will go much quicker since he has $14,073 to keep him warm and awake.

Mark is a student at Cleveland State University.

Congratulations to our winner Mark Wahba.

Event 25: Chris Grove - 2nd Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Chris Grove - 2nd Place - $7,740

The big hand for Chris Grove was when his pocket fives found a miracle straight on a board of 7-3-4-8-6.

Chris was way behind chip leader Jansen who had 9-9 going into the five card showdown.

Once Chris won that hand, it was smooth sailing into second for $7,740.

Event 25: Marco Jansen - 3rd Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Marco Jansen - 3rd Place - $4,456

The German born Marco Jansen was the chip leader for most of the final table.

At one point he had 1.5 million in chips.

His play was taxing at times and he negotiated himself into third place after knocking out several players with big starting hands.

Event 25: Mike Matrone - 4th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Mike Matrone - 4th Place - $3,753

Mike Matrone woke up to A-Q of clubs and shipped his stack all in.
Marco Janzen insta-called as he was holding pocket Aces.

Board:J-9-7-6-K.

"The guy woke up to Aces. What can you do?" said Matrone.

Mike's second final table of Borgata Winter Open. Congratulations!

Event 25: Onofrio "Frank" Reina - 5th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Onofrio "Frank" Reina - 5th Place - $2,815

Frank got an Ace three hands in a row. He shoved the first two without any callers. The third time he called off his stack up against Marco Janzen's (chip leader) pocket Queens.

Board of: 10 6 J 2 K wasn't what Frank wanted to see as his A-3 didn't connect.

Frank played 4 events during Borgata Winter Poker Open and cashed in two.

He had a lot of fun and I assume will be back.

Event 25: Francis "Doc" Dougherty - 6th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Francis "Doc" Dougherty - 6th Place - $2,346

Doc waited for a big hand, looked down at Queens and got it in good.

Unfortunatley Frank Reina played K-10 off and hit a King on the board of:

A-K-3-10-7.

Doc was pretty upset since he had the best hand pre-flop and it didn't hold up.

Event 25: Robert Avram - 7th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Robert Avram - 7th Place - $1,876

Robert Avram is out in 7th place at the hand of Mark Wahba's pocket Kings.

Robert held 9♦ 10♦, picked up a ton of outs on the flop, and shoved all in. Wahba called.

Flop: 4♦ 10♣ 7♦

Turn: Brick
River: Brick

Avram scrams for $1,876

Event 25: Ha Not Laughing - 8th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Vimy Ha - 8th Place - $1,407

Vimy Ha lead out under the gun with pocket fives and was smooth called by Mike Matrone.

Flop came 6-2-4 so Vinny shoved all in with his pair and gutterball.

Matrone snap calls with 8-8 over pair to the board and wins the pot.

Vimy enjoyed the chip lead during this tournament and now will enjoy $1,407 for 8th place.

Event 25: Abe Out - Gordon Done - 9th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Abe Gordon - 9th Place - $1,055

Abe played well throughout Event 25 but just came up short at the final table.

His A-10 all in couldn't run down Opponent's A-J.

Abe will take home $1,055 for his 9th Place finish tonight.

Event 25: Battaglia Busted - 10th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Jack Battaglia - 10th Place - $938

What Jack Battaglia accomplished tonight was virtually statistically impossible. He rode a very short stack for over 6 hours all the way to the final table of ten.

He seemed to miraculously get big hands at the right time and when he was all in, he won. Orbit after orbit Jack somehow survived.

Mark Wahba has been playing with him most of the day and agreed that Jack's feat was nothing "short" of spectacular.

His luck ran out when Jack's A-K got called by A-8 and Opponent saw an 8 in the window which held up.

Event 25: Joanna Leban LeBusts - 11th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

It was nice to meet Joanna Leban tonight who was down as short as seven big blinds with just a few tables to go.

She battled back and played great making the right folds and reads at the right times.

Congratulations as Joanna was our Last Woman Standing.

Got her chips in good with JJ but a bigger stack with A-10 called and spiked an Ace on the flop.

Joanna replayed the hand and her move but with five people at the table there wasn't anything she could do.

Joanna will pocket $938 for her 11th place finish.

Event 25: Fetzko Busto - 12th

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Robert Fetzko (Johnstown, PA) had quad fives earlier but ran out of luck when his A-10 ran into a larger stack's A-K. Robert raised pre-flop, A-K shoved and Robert called.

When the cards flipped Fetzko saw he was drawing thin and didn't connect on the board.

He'll go out in 12th place for $938.

Players are on the final table bubble and have taken a ten minute break.

Event 25: Sequeira Sequestered - 13th

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Jeff Sequeira had 130,000 and lost 116,000 of it when his A-Q got run down by A-9.

His parting hand though was Q-4 up against A-4.

Board: 5-2-A-4-6

Jeff wants me to take his picture not for his 13th Place finish but when he finishes first.

13th Place gives Jeff $821.

Event 25: Sica Shuffles Off - 14th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

It's mucked around to Mike "Little Man" Sica whose on the Dealer button with A-6.

Mike's short with 50,000 and there's 13,000 in blinds and antes.

He shoves and runs into Aces of Frank Reina.

Aces hold and Mike is out in 14th place for $821.

Good luck on the weight loss bet Mike.

Thanks for being a good sport.

Event 25: Bob Haavind - 15th Place

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Bob Haavind - 15th Place - $821

It was a good run for Bob Haavind who took a bad beat when his A-Q flopped an Ace then his Opponent rivered a wheel with pocket 3-3's.

"That was the hand that did me in" said Bob.

After being severely crippled, Bob was forced to shove all in with 9-6 and this time his Opponent had A-Q and the board ran clean.

Bob finished in 15th Place for $821

Event 25: Coolest Protector Of BWO

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Frank Reina & "Buddy" striking same pose

He bobbles up and down and talks!

Frank made this card protector he calls, "Buddy" from an old pen.

The marker even talks when you push him saying, "Thank you very, very much. Thank you so much."

We're down to 15 players.

Blinds: 3000 / 6000 with 500 antes.

Event 25: Quadruples Up With Quad Fives

$260 + $40 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Robert Fetzko (Johnstown, PA)
5-5-5-5

Robert Fetzko has pocket fives and flops a set.

He shoves his last 6,000 into the middle, still up against two players.

Bob Haavind was holding A-Q and another Opponent had Q-6.

Opponent says to Bob, "You might have quad fives again" referring to when Bob had quad fives against Joanna Leban earlier.

"Turns" out it was Robert Fetzko who hit quad 5's this time. Got it on the turn.

He's now up to 140,000, basically quadrupling-up on his quads.

Robert has hit quads before but never this close to the end of a big tournament.