Event 5: Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Steven Schlesinger 60,000

Steven Schlesinger (Long Island, NY) arrived at his chip lead in an interesting way. "I was down to 1500 early on then went all in three times and won all three" said Steven.

If Steven didn't river the nut flush in the first level, he would have been gone.

He even has a fan club developing on the rail.
These Omaha players are chick magnets!

Level 12: Blinds 600 - 1200, Limits 1200 - 2400

7 tables, 54 players remain.

Event 4: Bubble & First To Cash

$500 + $60 NL

Joe Bajek 36th Place $998

Congrats to the field for making the cash and to Joe Bajek (Trenton, NJ) who will take home $998 for his efforts today. Joe wanted to go further but his pocket kings ran into a set of sevens.

Gordon Eng was the bubble. Pocket Queens won the flip against his A-K.

Down to four tables.

Ted Geier's stack has grown to 262,000.

Event 4: Four Way All In-sanity

$500 + $60 NL

Michael Green Said His Prayers

Hand of the tournament. Everyone was standing and cheering, then the winner shot his arms into the air saying, "Thank You Jesus". Funny thing was the worst hand in won, and the second worst hand in won the side pot. When the dust cleared, only one player was felted in the four-way all in.

Nelson Costa (Miami, FL) was first to act and figured he'd steal with only pocket ducks. So he shoves all in.

Next to act has Q♥Q♠ and jams.
Next is big stack Tom Schafer with A♥K♣ so he pushes.
Finally, Michael Green holding AJ of spades gets his 21,000 into the middle.

Flop: 2♠ 3♣ 7 ♥
Costa hits a set and is feeling good.
Turn: 8♠
River: K♠

That's right, runner, runner spades giving A♠J♠ the nuts.
Green quads up to 75,000.
Nelson also has 75,000 as his set of two's won the side.

Thanks to Joanne Monteavaro for her reporting help.

Event 4: Take Me To Your Leader

$500 + $60 NL

Hector Jimenez (Passaic, NJ) 248,000

With 46 players remaining the field is tightening up as we approach the money in 36th place.

Average chipstacks are 89,478.

Of course short stacks are shoving whenever the opportunity arises.

Ted Geier's among the leaders with 183,000.

Table 1 also has a couple deepstacks with Al Riccobono 143,000 and Tom Schafer 140,000.

Adina Winston has 180,000 and would have knocked two players out if she got in bad with pocket sixes up against 99 and A-K. She didn't know runner, runner for quads was coming - which it did.

Level 14: Blinds 1500/3,000 with 400 antes.

Event 5: Local Players Represented

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

David Goldberg (Margate, NJ)

We've been focusing on how far people have traveled to play the BWO sometimes we forget about our local regulars who grind it out year round.

David Goldberg is a veteran poker player and Borgata regular who loves the game and Borgata. "Omaha is fun and relaxing although this tournament is a long haul" said David.

Since a table change, I got to witness Goldberg's first win in a while, padding his stack to 25,000. He credited the win to his table mate, Marialena - who offered "knee-ded" support.

Just broke down table 10, so that means we're down to 9.
Playing until 2am.

Level 10: Blinds are 400 /800, Limits 800/1600.

Steel Wheel

$500 + $60 NL

Just before break Adina Winston (New York, NY) extends her chip lead when she calls an all-in bet (40k) on a board of 2♣ 3♣ 4♣. Her opponent tables K♣ 7♣ for a flopped flush, while Winston has A♣ 10♠ for the nut flush draw along with a straight flush possibility.

Turn: 5♠
River: 5♣

Winston hits the straight flush, AKA the steel wheel, to taker her stack to 188k.

Other big stacks:

Ed Jordan (Belle Mead, NJ) 160k
Keith Crowder (Elkins Park, PA) 135k
Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY) 130k

54 players (36 cash) remain with an average stack of 76k.

Level 13 (1,200/2,400/300 ante) is up next.

Event 4: Winston Takes Chip Lead

$500 + $60 NL

As I was walking by table 1, Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) was pulling a big pot and a player at the other end of the table was walking away.  As he was stacking those chips, I got the story.  The departed player had been raising a lot and had opened for 4,100.  Al flat-called from the big blind with pocket Aces. 

The flop came 9 7 5 -- all hearts -- and Al held the Ace of hearts for the nut-flush draw.  He checked, his opponent bet 6k, Al check-raised to 15k, the other player shoved and Al called.  His opponent held two black 8s and was drawing slim to the only remaining 8 that wasn't a heart or a 6 that isn't a heart to fill his gutshot.  None of his outs appeared on the turn or river and he was dispatched.  Al chipped up to ~120k.

 Adina Winston

Adam Lippert is up to ~120k.  Ted Geier is up to ~135k.  But it is Adina Winston (NYC) who is the chip leader.  She's currently up to about 163k.

Eight tables remain.

Event 5: Chugging Along

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B  

Down to 11 tables of Omaha players now, with 50 players already relegated to the rail.  Wendell Barnes is one of those that departed before the dinner break.  He'll be back tomorrow to play in the $1k.

Average stack is up to about 15k, but there are a couple of players sitting behind double that, including Miami John Cernuto.  He's up to about 30k.  Omaha specialist Barry Levy is also riding a 30k+ stack. 

Also in today's field is Leonardo Palermo (Ortley Beach, NJ).  He finished 4th in Event 1, the $500 + $60 NL DeepStack (2-re-entry).  It was about 6:30am this morning when he finally busted out of that event, earning $47,832.  I was very surprised to see him back in action already after such a gruelling event.

Other faces I spotted:  Brent Keller, Allen Chang, and Sheree Bykofsky.

Blinds are now up to 300/600 with limits of 600/1,200.

Event 2 Recap

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Borgata regular and WSOP Main Event second place finisher Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) took a big stack into the final day of Event 2 ($350 NL) to win the tournament and $37,679. Dannenmann outlasted the final five which included Jesse Pulido (Pembroke Pines, FL) who began Day 2 with the chip lead before finishing 4th ($10,819).

"Better than the World Series," said Dannenmann who finished runner-up to Joe Hachem in 2005. "It's different because it's only two days and you do a lot more maneuvering to get to the final table."

21 players returned to compete for the $156,000 total buy-in put up by the field of 521. Pulido joined Benchino Chan (New York, NY) as former chip leaders unable to close the deal. Chan was the chip leader for a good portion of Day 1, but when he hemorrhaged chips to Pulido it sealed his fate with a 12th place finish.

"I'll be back," said Chan, "it was a good run, but not good enough."

Players in the field with notable Borgata and national accomplishments included Josh Brikis, James Boyd, Dave Inselberg and Gordon Eng, but none cashed. Dannenmann, who now has 9 major Borgata cashes since he was heads-up with Hachem.

"This is much better than the World Series because it's a faster moving structure," said Dannenmann. "Poker is like life in that you have to make adjustments and here you have to know when you can take advantage of your opponent."

Finishing second was David Meagher (Monkton, MD) who took home $21,185. Rounding out the top 5 were Alexander Shteyman (Edison, NJ - 3rd/$13,619) and Jim Lillis (Robinsville, NJ - 4th/$8,474).

Event 2 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 2: $300 + $50 No Limit Hold'em
January 20-21, 2011

Entries: 520
Total Buy-In: $156,000

FINAL RESULTS
1. STEVEN DANNENMANN (SEVERN, MD): $37,679
2. DAVID MEAGHER (MONKTON, MD): $21,185
3. ALEXANDER SHTEYMAN (EDISON, NJ): $13,619
4. YESNIEL PULIDO (PEMBROKE PINES, FL): $10,819
5. JAMES LILLIS (ROBINSVILLE, NJ): $8,474
6. DUSTIN BRADLEY (BOCA RATON, FL): $6,961
7. IBRAHIM MUSLEH (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $5,523
8. LAWRENCE LAKATOSH (RED LION, PA): $4,313
9. LOUIS MENGES (HOLMDEL, NJ): $3,027
10. CELSO GARCIA (CHARLOTTE, NC): $1,967
11. QIAOSUN WU (NIAGARA FALLS, NY): $1,967
12. BENJAMIN CHAN (NEW YORK, NY): $1,967
13. DAVID PENNA (BABYLON VILLAGE, NY): $1,513
14. AARON MERMELSTEIN (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $1,513
15. GARY KING (ALLIANCE, OH): $1,513
16. FRANCIS FAZIO JR (ROYERSFORD, PA): $1,135
17. JESSE SASSO (NORTH PORT, NY): $1,135
18. ADAM KLEIN (ARLINGTON, VA): $1,135
19. MEIKAT SIU (NEW YORK, NY): $832
20. MICHAEL MURPHY (WILKES BARRE, PA): $832
21. JOHN YIOVANAKOS (NORWALK, CT): $832
22. PETER PIETRAS (PARLIN, NJ): $832
23. FREDERICK AMPONSEM (WOODBRIDGE, VA): $832
24. NECTALIER GONZALEZ (DAVIE, FL): $832
25. KORI HUNTER (ELLICOTT CITY, MD): $832
26. RYAN POLLACK (ATCO, NJ): $832
27. JOHN CIOFALO (NEWBURGH, NY): $832
28. SCOTT BARLOW (PEQUANNOCK, NJ): $757
29. VINEET PAHUJA (HICKSVILLE, NY): $757
30. KENDALL RICHARDS (VIENNA, WV): $757
31. PAUL FAYNGERSH (BROOKLYN, NY): $757
32. MICHAEL CASTALDO (PALISADES, NY): $757
33. ROBERT SANTILLI (JACKSON, NJ): $757
34. JOHN CAMPBELL (HUMMELSTOWN, PA): $757
35. CATHERINE DEVER (EPHRATA, PA): $757
36. NEIL VACCHIANO (FOREST, VA): $757
37. MAKSIM KVITKO (BROOKLYN, NY): $681
38. VINCENT TEUTONICO (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $681
39. IAN STRASSLER (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $681
40. ANGEL VELEZ (HOBOKEN, NJ): $681
41. THOMAS HANCOCK JR (JERICHO, NY): $681
42. MICHAEL MILLIKIN (EAST LANSING, MI): $681
43. RICHARD HALL (WILKES BARRE, PA): $681
44. AARON WRIGHT (BALTIMORE, MD): $681
45. STEVEN TOPCHEV (HILLSIDE, NJ): $681
46. TONY ESPOSITO (VIRGINIA BCH, VA): $605
47. ROBERT POTTER (MANASSAS, VA): $605
48. LOUIS QUAGLIA (HOLMDEL, NJ): $605
49. PERRY LIN (HOBOKEN, NJ): $605
50. JOSEPH CRAMER (CARLISLE, PA): $605
51. MICHAEL DEFRANCESCO (BEAR CREEK, PA): $605
52. YINAM CHUNG (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $605
53. JONATHAN HAMILTON (WARWICK, NY): $605
54. CARLESS BOATWRIGHT (WOODBRIDGE, VA): $605

Event 5: Payouts

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

Entries: 160
Total Buy-In: $64,000

Place-Amount

1   $18,624
2   $10,243
3    $5,898
4    $4,966
5    $3,725
6    $3,104
7    $2,483
8    $1,863
9    $1,397
10-12   $1,242
13-15   $1,086
16-18   $ 931

Players have been sent on a one hour dinner break.  Play will resume at 8:30pm.

Event 4: Jimenez Doubles to the Chip Lead

$500 + $60 NL

In a crazy hand over on table 6, there was a raise to 2,500, two callers, then an all-in, followed by another all-in.  The first three players in the pot decided to abandon ship.  Hector Jimenez (Passaic, NJ) held AQ and was racing against pocket Jacks.

 Hector Jimenez

The board came 7 7 3 Q 4 and Hector caught what he needed on the turn.  He more than doubled up to almost 160k and is the unofficial chip leader at this point.

Nine tables remain, so fewer than 90 players are still in the hunt.

One of those players is "Little Joe" Wagner (Zebulon, NC), who says he's grinding it out today.  He was down to 12k earlier, but has churned his way back up to ~90k.

There will be a one-hour dinner break coming up at 7:30pm.

Event 5: Notables

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

They're down to 140 players, meaning 20 starters have already managed to lose their 10,000 starting chips while playing limit poker. 

 'Miami' John Cernuto

Among those remaining are several notables, including three-time WSOP bracelet winner 'Miami' John Cernuto.  He's currently ranked 54th on the Hendon Mob's All-Time money list with over $5 million in lifetime tournament winnings.  John has proven that he can play all the games as his bracelets were won in Limit Omaha, Stud Hi/Lo, and No Limit Hold'em.  He's definitely a force to be reckoned with and is currently up to ~17k in chips.

Also in the field is Chris Reslock, who has one WSOP bracelet (7-Card Stud) but Chris has several other titles won playing Omaha, so he's another player to watch out for.

 Wendell Barnes

Wendell Barnes admits he's not an Omaha player, but is learning by playing it in his home games.   He busted out of today's No Limit event, and thought he would get some more practice.  Wendell is probably best know for his 7th place finish in the 2006 WSOP Circuit Main Event in Tunica, MS.  He shared the final table with eventual winner Daniel Negreanu and got lots of TV time on ESPN. 

Wendell has just returned from the Bahamas where he final-tabled the PCA Turbo Bounty event.

Event 4: Siegel Doubles

$500 + $60 NL

They're breaking table 15 now, which means 140 players remain out of 343 entrants. Only the last 36 will get paid, so there's still a long way to go.

Gordon Eng is still in the field and he's looking for the hat-trick today. He won two No Limit events at the US Poker Chamionships in November.

Another player in today's field enjoying recent success is Adam 'Lippy' Lippert. He won a No Limit event at the Southern Poker Championships earlier this month.

Table 5 has got to be one of the toughest I have seen in a long time. Sharing that piece of felt are Giuseppe Pantaleo in the 5 seat, with Ian Palomo, Eric Siegel, and Keith Crowder in the 8, 9, and 10 seats.

Ian Palomo, Eric Siegel, and Keith Crowder

Just before the break, Giuseppe and Eric got tangled up in a pot. Giuseppe opened for 1,700 (which he was doing a lot) and Eric came over the top to the tune of 4,900. The button called, then Giuseppe shoved, having both opponents covered. Eric called all-in and the button opted out.

Giuseppe's KJ was in bad shape against Eric's pocket Aces, but he picked up a Broadway draw when the flop came A Q x. It was all over on the turn, however, when another Queen fell, giving Eric Aces-full. Eric doubled up to ~80k and Giuseppe was left with only ~20k.

Event 2 Champion - Dannenmann

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Steve Dannenmann (Severen, MD)
$37,679

After some wild and crazy 5-handed play, Steve Dannenmann negotiates his way to the win as he finishes just ahead of the 4 other players.

2nd David Meagher (Monkton, MD) $21,185
3rd Alexander Shteyman (Edison, NJ) $13,169
4th Jesse Pulido (Pembroke Pines, FL) $10, 819
5th Jim Lillis (Robinsville, NJ) $8,474

Event 2: 2nd - Meagher

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

David Meagher (Monkton, MD)

$21,185

Event 2: 3rd - Shteyman

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

Alexander Shteyman (Edison, NJ)
$13,619

Event 2: 4th - Pulido

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

4th Jesse Pulido (Pembroke Pines, FL)

$10,819

Event 2: 5th - Lillis

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

5th Jim Lillis (Robinsville, NJ)
$8,474

Event 5: Gibbs Gaining Ground

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Grantel Gibbs

Grantel Gibbs (Montgomery Co., PA) takes down a nice 4,000 pot and grows his stack to 19,000.

On a board of 9-J-7-10-3 Gibbs puts the pressure on causing two Opponents to fold the river.

His hole cards were K-Q-10-7 for the nut straight.

Gibbs is complaining of "too much chatter" at the table and believes it's starting to effect his game.

Level 5: blinds 100/200, limits 200/400.

We started today's tournament with 160 players. Almost all are still playing...

Event 4: Payouts

$500 + $60 NL

Entries: 343
Total Buy-In: $171,500

Place-Amount

1 $44,915
2 $24,952
3 $15,471
4 $12,476
5 $ 9,648
6 $ 8,151
7 $ 6,571
8 $ 4,907
9 $ 3,327
10-12 $2,163
13-15 $1,664
16-18 $ 1,414
19-27 $ 1,248
28-36 $ 998

Event 2: 6th - Bradley

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Dustin Bradley (Boca Raton, FL)

$8,474

Blind on blind crime sends Dustin Bradley home in 6th place. Bradley jams 320k from the small blind with 10 2. Jim Lillis makes the call in the big blind with A 10 to win the 700k pot.

Event 2: Back From Break

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Seat-Name-Count

1 Alexander Shteyman (Edison, NJ) 1.2 million
2 Jesse Pulido (Pembroke Pines, FL) 500k
3
4 Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) 900k
5 David Meagher (Monkton, MD) 1.3 million
6 Dustin Bradley (Boca Raton, FL) 340k
7
8 Jim Lillis (Robinsville, NJ) 945k

The average stack is 877k as blinds are up to 15k/30k/4k ante.

Event 4: The Sink & The Cooler

$500 + $60 NL

They Might Be Chip Leaders
Rob Voigt & Will Tonking

Will "The Sink" Tonking and Rob "The Cooler" Voigt are sitting next to each other at table 8 and both have 55-60,000 in chips.

We'll have to wait and see if these two large stacks are willing to tango with each other.

Tonking, a semi-pro beer bong player attributes his stack not to brilliant reads or laydowns, but to beer and lots of it. Whatever works for you bro.

Level 7: Blinds 300 / 600 with 75 antes.

20 tables remain for an average chip stack of 22, 866.

Event 2: 7th - Musleh

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Ibrahim Musleh (Staten Island, NY)

$5,523

Seats 1 and 10 can always be a problem for players, especially when those two are heads up. And that exact situation leads to the end of Ibrahim Musleh's tournament.

Alexander Shteyman raises to 60k from UTG with AK from Seat 1 and is reraised to 180k by Musleh, who's in the BB holding A9 in Seat 10.

Shteyman reraises all-in and Musleh asks how much more the bet is. Shteyman replies, "600 more" and Musleh calls thinking it's only 160k more.

After a brief discussion, it's clear Musleh misheard Shteyman and is dominated. The board runs clean for Shteyman who doubles to 1.3 million, while crippling Musleh.

A few hands later David Meagher ends Musleh's tournament when his pocket 8s flop a set to knock out Musleh (A 2) in 7th place.

Event 2: 8th - Lakatosh

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

John Lakatosh (Red Lion, PA)

$4,313

"River gutter ball," is all John Lakatosh can say as he walks to the podium to collect his 8th place money.

Lakatosh is all-in for his last 80k with pocket nines and David Meagher makes the call with A 7. The board runs Q 4 5 6 3, the river completing Meagher's 7 high straight.

Event 2: 9th - Menges

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Louis Menges (Holmdel, NJ)

$3,027

Louis Menges is in great shape to triple up his 250k when he's all in with Q♦ Q♥ and the two players who are also all-in have identical hands. Alexander Shteyman and Jesse Pulido both have ace-king and two other players say they folded either an ace or a king, meaning Menges only has to dodge two cards.

But the sweat for Menges doesn't last long as the K♥ in the window sends him to the rail, when
neither of the remaining queens hit the board.

Shteyman and Pulido chop the pot with top pair-top kicker, while Menges is out in 9th place.

Event 5: Propped Up

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Andy Blum & Bart A. Seemen

Larry Gold Might be Wearing Black & Gold

I noticed a friendly competition between Omaha players and Hold-em players. Omaha claims they are having more fun. Hard to argue with the cast of characters I just met.

Bart A. Seemen is Jason Young's best friend and protege. "He's been like a coach to me" said Bart. Wonder if one of Young's tips was to never fold and get there on the river because Seemen said he did that four times today already.

Next I met Andy Blum (Philadelphia, PA) who informed this first time Omaha reporter that it's impossible to bust out early of a "limit" event like this. My bad.

Then there's retired All American Poker Player Tom "Mark Em Down" Noyes (Clarks Summit, PA) who told me a great story how ten years ago Phil Hellmuth berated him in a 7 card stud hi lo tournament. Oh, then the Poker Brat dusted off his entire stack to Noyes.

And I almost forgot to mention Larry Gold's (Long Island, NY) Borgata Main Event prop bet with Josh Brikis. Gold, a Jets fan vs. Brikis, a Steelers fan - loser has to wear the other team's jersey in the Main Event. Stay tuned...

If I had to judge right now, looks like Omaha is in the lead when it comes to most entertainment for their buy-in dollars.

Level 3 blinds 50-100, limits 100-200.

Event 2: 10th Garcia

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Celso Garcia (Charlotte, NC)
10th - $1,967

Garcia shoves all-in 187 k with J♠ J♥ and is called by the David Meagher who's holding Q♥ Q♠. The board runs clean and Garcia is out in 10th place.

Event 2: Final Table

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Seat-Name-Count

1 Alexander Shteyman (Edison, NJ) 235k
2 Jesse Pulido (Pembroke Pines, FL) 760k
3 John Lakatosh (Red Lion, PA) 230k
4 Steve Dannenmann (Severn, MD) 1 million
5 David Meagher (Monkton, MD) 348k
6 Dustin Bradley (Boca Raton, FL) 420k
7 Louis Menges (Holmdel, NJ) 530k
8 Jim Lillis (Robinsville, NJ) 230k 800k
9 Celso Garcia (Charlotte, NC) 550k
10 Ibrahim Musleh (Staten Island, NY) 550k

Event 2: Wu Gone

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

Qiaosun Wu (Niagra Falls, NY) is on the rail in 11th place, earning him $1,967. The final 10 players are redrawing for their seats at the final table.

The average stack is 520k with blinds at 10k/20k/3k ante.

Event 4: Smooth Sailing

$500 + $60 NL

26 Tables Remain

Don't forget Event #4 is a two day tournament. Day 2 starts tomorrow at 1pm.

We're finishing up Level 5 where blinds are 150 / 300 with a 25 ante.

Almost time to separate the men from the boys - and a few women are mixed in there too, including Borgata regular Joanne Monteavaro.

Event 2: Casualties Before the Break

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

15 Gary King
14 Aaron Mermelstein
13 David Penna
12 Benchino Chan

One more elimination and we're at the final table.

Event 5: Borgata Champion Returns

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Barry Levy

This is my first time reporting on an Omaha tournament so it was a pleasure to learn from one of the best, Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY).

Barry's coming off a banner 2010 year with 11 final tables and 2 wins including our own 2010 Borgata Poker Open Omaha H/L. We're all watching to see if Levy can defend his Borgata title and repeat.

He really is an Omaha mixed game specialist and likes the game because "half the field is older and the other half doesn't know the game". That gives someone who knows the game an edge.

Barry exploits his edge and realizes you have to use skill to get to a point in the tournament when you need luck. "You consistently see the same people making the money in these things, there's a reason for that" stated Levy.

Almost all players remain.

Level 2 with 25-50 blinds and limits are 25-50.

Event 2: Two Down, Table Two

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

17th - Jesse Sasso (Northport, NY)

$1,513

Jesse Sasso and Louis Menges (Holmdel, NJ) both hit the queen on a flop of Q 5 4 and get the money all-in. Sasso is way ahead with KQ vs K8, but an 8 on the turn gives Menges the pot sending Sasso to the rail.

16th - Frank Fazio, Jr (Royersford, PA)

$1,513

Two hands later Frank Fazio shoves his last 62k in with pockets 6s and is called by Ibrahim Musleh (Staten Island, NY) who has AK. Musleh flops an ace and Fazio is headed to the cage.

Event 4: Brooklyn Bank

$500 + $60 NL

Richard Corley In The Lead

With thirty tables strong, Richard Corley's stack of 40,000 stands out.

Right before the break the Brooklyn rounder tripled up after hitting a set of kings against pocket aces and a draw.

Board ran clean and Corley's stacks got dirty.

Level four continues: Blinds are 100 / 200.

Event 2: Early Eliminations

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

A couple of the short stacks are on the rail and the field is down to two tables:

Busted:

21 John Yiovanakos (Norwalk, CT) $1,135
20 Michael Murphy (Wilkes Barre, PA) $1,135
19 Meikat Siu (New York, NY) $1,135
18 Adam Klein (Arlington, VA) $1,513

Event 5: Omaha Mama For The Win

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Marialena D'Agostino Predicts a Win

Marialena D'Agostino loves Omaha and loves Hose tournaments. The Egg Harbor, NJ mother of a two and four year old, confidently plans on winning Event 5 and the upcoming BWO Hose event. "I plan on taking this down then going home to take care of my kids", said Marialena.

So why does she prefer Omaha over No Limit Hold-em? In Marialena's opinion, "Luck doesn't factor in as much in Omaha whereas in Hold-em it's easier to get out-drawn." Sounds like you can capitalize on weaker players and plays in Omaha. More skill, less luck.

Marialena's husband John, a well-known Full-Tilt Poker Player, will be grinding in several upcoming BWO hold-em tournies.

Event 2: Back at it

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-entry)

The remaining 21 players in Event 2 of the Borgata Poker Winter Open are in their seats and the cards are in the air.

Jessy Pulido (Pembrooke Pines, FL) begins the day with the chip lead (638k) as the field chases the $37,679 top prize. Steve Dannenmann, the 2005 WSOP Main Event runner-up to Joe Hachem, is in striking distance as he begins the day 4th in chips.

Here's what's on the line:

Place-Amount

1 $37,679
2 $21,185
3 $13,619
4 $10,819
5 $ 8,474
6 $ 6,961
7 $ 5,523
8 $ 4,313
9 $ 3,027
10-12 $1,967
13-15 $1,513
16-18 $ 1,135
19-27 $ 832

Event 5: Omaha H/L 8B Has Begun

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Our Event 5 one o'clock tournament is underway.

A decent crowd in back of the Event Center are battling it out in Omaha H/L.

Players start with 10,000 chips with levels lasting 45 minutes.

This is a two-day tournament where Day 1 ends at 2am or 18 players whichever comes first.

Level 1 blinds 25-25, limits 25-50.

Event 4: Say Yes To Crack

$500 + $60 NL

Patty Barsanti-Chou Having Fun

Some tables are quiet and serious, all business. Others like table 23 are laughing and having fun even though every good starting hand here seems to get cracked.

Mike Riewe (Princeton, NJ) summed it up best when he said, "Get your money in bad".

Ireneusz Jozwiak (Frederick, MD) felt both sides experiencing a bad beat and a suck out. He had Aces cracked, then Kings cracked, then his 66's cracked someone elses kings. That someone else was Borgata regular Patty Barsanti-Chou who lost half her stack as soon as she sat down. She's back up now and has continued to smile throughout.

Event 4: Back From Break - Onto Level 3

$500 + $60 NL

At the top of the escalators in the Event Center our packed field just returned from a ten minute break. Players receive breaks every two levels and will enjoy an hour for dinner at 8PM tonight.

Cards are flying as we head into Level 3.

Blinds are 75 / 150.

Event 4: Josh.0

$500 + $60 NL

Big Fan Looking For Big Hand

Okay, you've probably seen this guy playing poker on TV but for now my still camera will have to do.

Josh Brikis (Pittsburgh, PA) just strolled into Event 4 at table 19 so he hasn't had a chance to make an impact yet.

He's played in three WPO events and cashed one so far.

Josh is looking forward to watching the Steelers play this weekend and declared he's not playing poker during the game. Sounds like there's still a chance he might make the game live - let's give it a 55 vs JQ suited coin-flip.

Event 4: Seat Open

$500 + $60 NL

John Morales III Scores Knock-Out

Unofficially the first casualty has been found. It was at the hand of software engineer John Morales III (Union City, NJ) who raised 5,000 pre-flop with pocket kings.

A harmless flop of 10-3-3 didn't scare John or John's opponent who was posturing. John - "Your queens are no good." Opponent thought otherwise and jammed the rest of his stack. Sorry pal, no re-buys in this tournament.

Morales' Kings held up, giving him a healthy early stack.

PPI UPDATE

The Borgata Winter Poker Open now enters its 3rd day and the action has taken on the momentum poker players from around the world come to know and love about this popular tournament series. Everything from featured events, survivors, 2nd chance , sit-n-gos and cash games - there is something for every poker player to enjoy. The large fields have been generating huge prize pools and there is excitement at every table throughout the event center.

At the end of day 1 of the $300 event, PPI's Steve Dannenmann is among the top chip leaders. It will be exciting to watch as the 2005 WSOP Main Event 2nd place finisher follows his quest for the title. Steve is one of the most entertaining and fun players to play with and watch, he brings an energy to the table that creates an atmosphere enhancing everyones experience. I've never met a player that can send someone to the rail smiling like Steve can. We wish him the best of luck today.

At this years BWO we are pleased to introduce the PPI "Play for the Main" which will award the PPI player with the most points accumulated through participation, cashes, and final table appearances a seat into the Borgata Winter Open Championship Event. We will provide you with daily leaderboard updates here, along with PPI player news. You can check out our roster of players and bios, news, charity organizations we support, and see the trailer for the PPI produced documentary film On The Line: John Racener at PPIPOKER .

Here is your PPI "Play for the Main" Leader Board:

40: JOSEPH CUTLER
25: JOSHUA BRIKIS
20: JAMES BOYLE
20: CARLOS DELAFUENTE
20: RYAN ERIQUEZZO
20: MICHAEL SICA JR
20: JASON YOUNG
15: ANTHONY CASAGRANDE
15: MICHAEL DENTALE
15: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN
15: DAVID INSELBERG
15: JONATHAN WERZ
10: STEVEN DANNENMANN
10: GORDON ENG
10: VINEET PAHUJA
10: ROSLYN QUARTO
10: CARL RESTIFO
10: ALBERT RICCOBONO
10: JAMES SALTERS
10: JAMES STENELLA
10: EUGENE TODD
10: JEFFREY VANCHIRO
5: KELLY ARMENTROUT
5: ANTHONY CAMPAGNA
5: CARLOS COLON
5: ALEXANDER CUKAR
5: EMANUEL FAILLA
5: ADAM GERBER
5: ELIZABETH GREY-PARDO
5: ROBERT HWANG
5: CHARLES MARCHESE
5: LISA PICKELL
5: CHRIS RESLOCK
5: JONATHAN SORSCHER
5: DAVID ZEITLIN

(Includes Events 1, 3, 27, 28, 29 & 30)

*Note to all PPI players - If you have participated or cashed in any events and do not see your name on the leader board, please contact me at eric@ppipoker.com

Event 4: Gordon Done Good

$500 + $60 NL

Good Start for Gordon Eng

Gordon Eng is off and running up to 18,000 chips after his pocket fours sees a flop of 4-10-10. The full house takes down pocket queens from the Opponent to his right. One Eng fan viewing the blog at home is Joanne Chang. Hey Joanne, Gordon is doing good!

As I snapped Gordon's picture I heard his Opponent say, "Did I just get outplayed by some sort of professional or something?"

A couple other notables I bumped into include Eric Siegel, Johnny Promo, Ted Geier, and Mike Dentale.

We're now on Level 2 where blinds are 50/100.

Event 30 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 30: $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em
January 20, 2011

Entries: 168
Total Buy-In: $25,200

FINAL RESULTS
1. ANGELO PISTONE (HICKSVILLE, NY): $7,331
2. JAMES SLOAT (FORT MEADE, MD): $4,033
3. RAYMOND BIMSON (FORTUNA, CA): $2,322
4. EVGENIY CATANE (BROOKLYN, NY): $1,956
5. ARTHUR TATE (ANNAPOLIS, MD): $1,467
6. BERNARD DOMINIAK (LOWER BURRELL, PA): $1,222
7. MICHAEL WOLL (MANAHAWKIN, NJ): $978
8. JOHN HALDIE (OXON HILL, MD): $733
9. JOEL FISHMAN (E HANOVER, NJ): $550
10. JERRY JONES (SEVERN, MD): $489
11. THOMAS MIGLIORISI (W BABYLON, NY): $489
12. JOHN HARVILLA (MINERSVILLE, PA): $489
13. RICHARD SEMANDER (PEMBROKE, FL): $428
14. LAURENCE WOLF (ANNAPOLIS, MD): $428
15. EDWARD COTTER (RIVER VALE, NJ): $428
16. MICHAEL ZHANG (NEW YORK, NY): $367
17. DANIEL CAROZZA (YORKTOWN, NY): $367
18. THOMAS BALLA (BELLEROSE, NY): $367

Event 29 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 29: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold'em
January 20, 2011

Entries: 134
Total Buy-In: $26,800

FINAL RESULTS
1. SACHIN RAMRAKHANI (FORT LEE, NJ): $7,798
2. MAXWELL MCCURDY (CHARLOTTE, NC): $4,289
3. MIGUEL BORRERO (JERSEY CITY, NJ): $2,469
4. GORDON ROUGHTON (VIRGINIA BEACH, VA): $2,080
5. CHARLES CARRANZA (VIRGINIA BEACH, VA): $1,560
6. JOSEPH CUTLER (BAY SHORE, NY): $1,300
7. JOSEPH TOZZI (OCEAN CITY, MD): $1,040
8. TOMASZ GLINIECKI (JACKSON, NJ): $780
9. CHARLES MICALIZZI (JERSEY CITY, NJ): $585
10. EDWARD ABENDSCHEIN (MOUNTAIN LAKES, NJ): $520
11. BRETT BRUCALERI (ST JAMES, NY): $520
12. PATRICK TIERNAN (FT SALONGA, NY): $520
13. LARRY FRANKS (NEW YORK, NY): $455
14. JOHN SPAGNUOLO (HOWARD BEACH, NY): $455
15. MICHAEL FORCA (BABYLON, NY): $455
16. JOSHUA BRIKIS (MURRYSVILLE, PA): $390
17. MONTE HOOVER JR (STEUBENVILLE, OH): $390
18. BRIAN GROGAN (GLENDALE, NY): $390

Event 4: The Mint Man

$500 + $60 NL

Magic Mints Marker?

A lot of us poker players have our traditions and superstitions. One for Ukraine born Ilya Nudelman (Baltimore, MD) is his unusual card protector, a box of Borgata mints.

He's been using the marker for two years. Served him well in last years Winter Open as he final tabled an event.

Ilya's favorite tourny is the 6-handed.

"When I'm running bad, I just pop a couple mints and the good cards come" explained Ilay.

Whatever works for you, works for you. As for Ilay he might take a bad beat but you can be sure he doesn't have bad breath.

Event 4: Oh, It's On

$500 + $60 NL

Early Birds Settling In

Welcome to Borgata Winter Poker Open blog. We'll be covering all the action today (and everyday) so check back frequently to see how your friends or family members are doing.

The first tournament we'll be covering today is Event 4, a $500 + $60 buy in. Players have gathered into the Event Center and are ready to rock and roll.

Button started on the one seat and the first hand has been dealt.

Players start with 12,000 tournament chips with each level lasting 45 minutes.

This is a two day tournament. Day 1 will end at 2am or 18 players, whichever comes first.

Level 1 blinds are 25 / 50.

Event #5, $400 + $50 Ohamah H/L 8B starts at 1pm.

So sit back and relax or better yet, get your butt down to Borgata and see how you fare against some of the best poker players the East Coast has to offer.

Event 1 Recap

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)            

After nearly 32 hours of poker over two days, the opening event of the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open finally came to an end shortly before 7am Friday morning.

Alex Rocha of S Setauket, NY, outlasted the field of 1,472 entrants to claim the top prize of $150,850. Alex is on a roll after winning the $350 No Limit Hold'em event at the WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's Atlantic City in December ($33,183).

Runner-up was Joshua Lawson of Quarryville, PA.  He earned $94,236 for his efforts.

Most notable at the final table was Alex Bolotin of Brooklyn, NY.  Alex has more than $ 2 million in lifetime tournament earnings and is currently 275th on the Hendon Mob's All-Time Money List.  His 6th place finish earned him over $31,000 and will boost him up a few notches on that list.

The last woman sitting was Gina 'Gin-evil' Cannone of Staten Island, NY.  Gina was the lone female remaing after local/regular tournament grinder Joanne Monteavarro (Bronx, NY) busted out in 32nd place.  Gina held on all the way to 10th place, where she eventually bubbled the final table.  Her 10th place finish was good for $8,566.

Another regular tournament grinder here at Borgata who went deep was Eric 'clown fish' Doerr (Newark, DE).  Eric re-entered the tournament once and held on all the way to 17th place ($3,927).

Four WSOP bracelet holders were in the field, the most notable of which was Robert Varkonyi, (Great Neck, NY) who won the main event in 2002.  Mike 'Little Man' Sica, (North Brunswick, NJ) Chris Reslock, (Atlantic City, NJ) and Jason Young (Suffern, NY) were the other three.  Mike Sica was the only one to cash, finishing in 83rd place ($1,285).

Event 1: Champion - Alex Rocha

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)

Alex Rocha

The winner of the premier event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open is Alex Rocha of S Setauket, NY. His victory was good for $150,850.

Event 1: 2nd Place - Joshua Lawson

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)          

Joshua Lawson

Joshua Lawson of Quarryville, PA, finished in 2nd place, earning $94,236.

Event 1: 3rd Place - Sean Lee

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)            

It did not take long for the final three to wrap it up.

 Sean Lee

Sean Lee of Albertson, NY, finished in 3rd place, earning $57,113.

Event 1: 4th Place - Leonardo Palermo

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)           

Blinds went up to 150k/300k with 40k antes.

Leonardo Palermo opened for 900k on the button, then Sean Lee moved all-in from the big blind for 2.99 million more.  Leonardo called, tabling pocket Jacks.  Sean was racing with AK.  The board came Q 7 4 T 3 and Leonardo doubled to ~8 million.  Sean was left with ~ 7 million.

Leonardo opened for 800k and everybody called.  The flop came A T 2 rainbow and Sean (sb) announced he was all-in.  Everyone folded and Sean took the pot.  He flashed an Ace.

Leonardo again opened for 800k and Alex (sb) raised to 2.025 million.  Leonardo called and the flop came K 8 6 -- all diamonds.  Alex asked to see Leonardo's chips, then bet 1.25 million.  Leonardo moved all-in and Alex snap-called, showing AT of diamonds for the nuts.  Leonardo's KQ (top pair) was drawing slim to perfect-perfect.  The last two were imperfect -- 4 6 -- and Alex collected more chips.

Leonardo Palermo

Leonardo Palermo of Ortley Beach, NJ, finished in 4th place, earning $47,832.

Rough counts for the final three:  Alex Rocha - 19 million; Joshua Lawson - 9 million; Sean Lee - 9 million.

Event 1: Still Four Handed; Rocha Leads

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)          

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 120k/240k, 30k antes.

Chips have been moving around the table. 

Leonardo Palarmo got all-in with pocket 9s against the A9 of Sean Lee.  Then the board came T 8 7 6 T and they CHOPPED the pot with the same Ten-high straight.

Joshua Lawson called on the button, Leonardo completed the small blind, and Alex Rocha checked his option.  They all three checked the flop of J 8 4 rainbow.  Turn was a 3 and it was checked to Joshua, who bet 400k.  Leonardo folded and Alex called.  River was a 2.  Alex checked, Joshua bet 1 million, and Alex called.  Joshua said "Queen-high".  Alex tabled Q8 for a pair of 8s to take the pot.

Joshua completed the small blind, then Leonardo shoved from the big for another 1.74 million.  Joshua called, showing K9 off.  Leonardo held AQ suited.  The board came 7 6 5 J T and Ace-high was good to ship the double to Leonardo.  He chipped up to ~4 million.

Alex opened for 500k, Sean Lee called from the button, and Leonardo called from the big blind.  The flop was J 5 3 rainbow.  It was checked to Sean, who fired 1.2 million.  Leonardo folded and Alex called.  Turn was a 9.  Alex checked, Sean bet 2.5 million.  Alex asked what he had behind (about 10 million) then moved in for ~ 8 million.  Sean thought for a few seconds, then mucked.

 Alex Rocha

With that pot, Alex chipped up to ~15 million and took the chip lead.

Joshua called on the button and Alex checked his option.  The flop was J 6 4 and both checked.  Turn was another Jack and Alex bet 500k.  Joshua called.  River was a Queen and Alex checked.  Joshua bet 1.2 million.  Alex tanked for a bit, then called.  Joshua showed J5 suited for trip Jacks.  Alex mucked his hand.  Joshua stacked up to ~11.5 million.  Alex was left with ~13 million.

Event 1: 5th Place - Ryan Wood

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)         

Ryan Wood moved all-in from the hijack and Joshua Lawson called from the cutoff.  Ryan held pocket 3s and was hoping they would hold up against Joshua's AJ.  His hopes were short-lived, however, as the board came A 9 6 5 4.  Joshua took the pot, chipping up to ~12.2 million.

Ryan Wood

Ryan Wood of Crownsville, MD, finished in 5th place, earning $39,265.

Sean Lee is still the chip leader with ~17 million. 

Sean opened for 1 million utg and it folded around to Alex Rocha in the big blind.  He moved all-in and Sean called, showing QJ suited in diamonds.  Alex held A9, also suited in diamonds.  The board came A Q 2 4 8 and Alex doubled up to ~7 million.

Another level concluded and players took off for a break.  Here are their approximate chip counts:

Sean Lee 13.5 million
Joshua Lawson 12.3 million
Alex Rocha 7.9 million
Leonardo Palermo 3.17 million

Event 1: 6th Place - Alex Bolotin

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)        

Alex Bolotin raised and Sean Lee called.  The flop came 6 5 4 and both players checked.  Turn was another 6 and Alex checked.  Sean bet 1 million and Alex called, then checked dark.  River was a 2 and Sean moved all-in.  Alex called to see Sean's 87 suited for the flopped straight.  Alex mucked his hand.

 Alex Bolotin

For his 6th place finish, Alex Bolotin (Brooklyn, NY) will collect $31,768.

Event 1: 7th place - Brian Mooney

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)        

Another level ticked away and blinds increased to 100k/200k with 30k antes.

Joshua Lawson raised utg and action folded around to Ryan Wood in the big blind, who moved all-in.  Joshua called, showing pocket Kings.  Ryan held AK offsuit.  The board came Q 9 2 -- all spades -- giving Ryan the nut-flush-draw and a lot more outs, but the last two were offsuit 7 Q and Joshua doubled up.  He's over 5.6 million.  Ryan was left with ~3 million.

 Brian Mooney

In a battle of the blinds, Joshua raised from the small and Brian Mooney (Middle Village, NY) three-bet from the big.  Joshua moved in and Brian called all-in, showing AK off.  Joshua held pocket Tens.  The board came T 6 3 2 2 and Joshua filled up.  Brian earned $25,343 for his 7th place finish.

Event 1: 8th Place - Bobby Hanley

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)        

Leonardo Palermo opened for 350k and Ryan Wood (bb) moved all in for another 1.26 million on top.  Leonardo made the call, showing AJ offsuit.  He was dominating Ryan's AT offsuit, until the board came K T 8 3 T.  Ryan took the pot with trip Tens, doubling up to ~3.4 million.

Bobby Hanley

Action folded to Bobby 'haha' Hanley on the button and he raised to 450k.  Ryan Wood (sb) moved all-in.  Bobby called, tabling A4 suited.  He was ahead of Ryan's KQm, but again the board favored Ryan as it ran out 8 7 7 7 Q.  Ryan took the pot with 7s full of Queens and Bobby was busted.  He earned $19,275 for his 8th place finish.

Event 2: (Day 1) Recap

$300 + $50 NLH (1 Re-entry)

Steve Dannenmann, the 2005 WSOP Main Event runner-up to Joe Hachem, is in striking distance of adding a Borgata title to his resume. Dannenmann is 4th in chips with 21 players remaining from a starting field of 520 in Event 2 ($300 + $50 NL) of the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

The Baltimore area native trails Jessy Pulido (Pembrooke Pines, FL), who took the chip lead away from Benchino Chan (New York, NY) when the two clashed in several big pots before Day 1 ended. Pulido finished with 638k, while Chan dropped from 525k down to a precarious 125k.

"I kept ending up with second best hands," said Chan as he bagged and tagged half the chip average. Pulido said he siphoned off 100k or more from Pulido on two different hands and picked up an additional 60k when he was dealt pocket aces. "I'm making the final table for sure," said Pulido, who has a 200k lead over second place Qiaosun Wu.

Players in the field with notable Borgata and national accomplishments included Josh Brikis, James Boyd, Dave Inselberg and Gordon Eng. But when Day 2 resumes Friday at 1 pm all eyes will be on Dannenmann, who has 8 major Borgata cashes since his 2005 dual with Hachem.

The remaining 21 players are eyeing the top prize of $37,679 out of the total buy-in of $156,000.

Event 1: 9th Place - Shawn James

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)        
   
Another level completed and the final 9 took a break.  After the break, play resumed with blinds of 80k/160k and 20k antes.

Joshua Lawson opened for 450 utg, then Shawn James moved all-in from the cutoff.  After some thought, Sean Lee moved in over the top.  Joshua opted out.  Shawn held pocket 6s and was racing against Sean's AK.  The board came Q 5 3 J J and Shawn doubled up to ~2.5 million.  Once again, the hit to Sean Lee's stack was barely noticeable.

Just a few hands later, Shawn opened for 675k and Sean raised to 2 million straight.  When action folded back around to Shawn, he moved all-in.  Sean snap-called, showing pocket Kings.  Shawn held AQ and would need help to survive.  The board came Q J 8 T 9 and Sean improved to a straight to claim the pot.

 Shawn James

Shawn James finished in 9th place, earning $13,207.

Event 3 Recap

Glenn Engelbert (Erial, NJ) overcame a 3-2 chip deficit in heads-up play and was down to just 75k before rallying to beat Joe Calandrino (Oakdale, NJ) and win Event 3 (Limit) at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

"This is a relief," said Engelbert who takes home $6,925 for the win, "it felt like I was bubbling everything last year."

Calandrino took the chip lead after the dinner break and knocked out three players at the final table, but wasn't able to seal the deal when he had Engelbert on the ropes. "I played well," says Calandrino who earned $3,760 for second place, "but luck was definitely a factor."

The key hand of heads-up play came with Calandrino holding pocket 9s against Engelbert's QJ. The flop came JJ7 and there was a lot of action, especially in a limit tournament. Engelbert sealed the deal when another 7 hit the turn to complete his full house.

Engelbert won the 400k pot as he was able to get two extra bets out of Calandrino, 40k each on the turn and river. "He didn't need to give up 80-thousand," says Engelbert, "but I guess he didn't believe I had a jack."

Engelbert closed out the tournament when his ace high took down the final pot. The mixed game specialist feels this is redemption as he says he finished just outside of the money in two different Borgata HOSE tournaments last year.

The tournament began with 68 players and featured a lot of players who usually are at the No-Limit tables. Borgata regulars Jason Young (Suffern, NY) and Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ) were in the field along with Norman Whitely (Newark, DE) and Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY), who finished first and second in this event, respectively, in the 2009 Borgata Poker Open.

Whiteley was poised to make another deep run and was the chip leader at the dinner break, but a late night rough patch left him short of the money. As the tournament moved along quickly, a vote with two tables remaining had players agreeing to shorten the two-day event to one.

In the end nine players cashed in on the total buy-in of $20,400, with Engelbert taking home the top prize.

Event 1: Final Table Lineup

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)       

Here are the seat assignments and rough chip counts for the final table:

Seat - Player - Chips (in millions)

1 - Bobby Hanley - 2.6
2 - Ryan Wood - 2.4
3 - Joshua Lawson - 4.1
4 - Brian Mooney - 3.9
5 - Leonardo Palermo - 4.8
6 - Alex Rocha - 3.7
7 - Alex Bolotin - 3
8 - Shawn James - 2.4
9 - Sean Lee - 10

Event 1: 10th Place - Gina Cannone

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)      

Gina 'Gin-evil' Cannone got all-in holding K9 suited, only to run into the AK of Shawn James.  The board came Q 7 6 6 Q and Shawn took the pot.

 Gina Cannone

Gina finished in 10th place, earning $8,566.  Since Joanne Monteavarro busted out in 32nd place, Gina has been the last woman sitting in this event.  With her departure, it is nothing but testosterone from here on.

The final nine have drawn seats and are moving to the final table.

Event 1: Bolotin Doubles

  $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)     

In another battle of the blinds, Alex Bolotin (sb) was all-in against the monster stack of Sean Lee (bb).  Alex's pocket Kings were crushing Sean's pocket 7s. 

 Alex Bolotin

The board changed nothing and Alex doubled up to ~2 million.  The hit to Sean's stack was barely discernible.

Event 1: 11th Place - Dimitrios Bergos

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)     

Dimitrios Bergos made his move with two paint cards and got looked up by chip leader Sean Lee, who had A8.  An Ace on the flop was all Sean needed to send yet another player to the payout desk.

 Dimitrios Bergos

Dimitrios finished in 11th place, earning $8,566.

Event 1: 16th - 12th Places

$500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (2 Re-entry)     

Vittorio Faricelli busted out in 16th place, earning $3,927.

In a battle of the blinds, Jeff Gottesman (sb) got all-in against monster-stack Sean Lee (bb).  Jeff's AK was ahead of Sean's QJ, but the flop came Q Q 4 and it was all but over.  No miracle occured and Jeff was busted in  15th place ($6,067).

Ed McCarthy got all in with KJ against the pocket 3s of Bobby 'Haha' Hanely.  The 3s held up and Bobby took the pot.  Ed ended up with 14th place and $6,067.

Ron Durante

Ron Durante finished in 13th place ($6,067).

 Eric Hall

Eric Hall was busted in 12th place ($8,566).