Event 4 Recap

Event 4 - $500 + $60 RECAP

After playing 15 hours yesterday and another 8 hours today Event 4 ($560 NL) has awarded its trophy to Stow, Ohio's Dean Schultz.

Dean battled through a starting field of 343 players to reach his goal of first place which paid him $44,915.

19 Players returned today at 1pm on three tables. The chip leader was Hector Jimenez with $554,000. Hector's pregnant wife Wendy watched every hand from the rail. Hector had 1.5 million after the dinner break and ended up with 4th place for $12,476.


Other top finishers gaining part of the $171,500 total buy in included:

1. DEAN SCHULTZ (STOW, OH): $44,915
2. JOHN MEINWIESER (BASKING RIDGE, NJ): $24,952
3. MICHAEL GREEN (LORIS, SC): $15,471
4. HECTOR JIMENEZ (PASSAIC, NJ): $12,476
5. RICHARD RICE (HAYMARKET, VA): $9,648
6. KAM CHIN (BROOKLYN, NY): $8,151
7. THOMAS MCGARRY (HAZLET, NJ): $6,571
8. PAUL LAM (REGO PARK, NY): $4,907
9. CHARLES GEIER (SUNNYSIDE, NY): $3,327
10. JONATHAN MAKAROWITZ (EAST WINDSOR, NJ): $2,163

Kam Chin started day 2 with 468,500 but was card dead all day and blew up losing his entire 500,000 stack on one hand.

Michael Green's blessed time continued today as he finished in third place.

Last women standing was Borgata regular Joanne Monteavaro and the bubble was Gordon Eng.

Other Borgata notables, Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) and Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY) cashed and played spectacular cards.

Our winner, Dean Schultz told me the final table was a grind and he opened many pots to protect his lead on such a tight table. Dean won big in September 2004 Borgata Open and loves playing here. Look for him in the Championship Event.

Event 7: Bubble Burst

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry    

The money bubble finally burst and the first few players have headed for the payout desk.

While on the bubble playing hand-for-hand, Romie Montano (Eatontown, NJ) was one of the shortest stacks in the room.  He managed to hang on, survive the bubble, and is still in with 33 players remaining.

 Romie Montano

He's an electrical contractor by trade and owns Ramec Electric, but enjoys playing tournaments.  He played the main event of the World Series this past summer in Las Vegas, but busted out on day three.  He plans to go back this summer and try his luck again with some more experience under his belt.

Event 6: 63 Remain

$1,000 + $90 NL   

Another table broken and they're down to 63 players.  Four of those remaining players are women and thanks to the random nature of table breaks and moving players, three of the four women have landed at the same table. 

Table three has ladies in the 3, 6 and 8 seats:  Kim Schinco, (Freeland, MI) Joanne Monteavarro, (Bronx, NY) and Jenny Nguyen (Long Island, NY).

Event 5 Champion: D'Alessandro

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Tim D'Alessandro (West Chester, PA)
$18,624

After 2 3/4 hours of heads-up play Tim D'Alessandro takes down the Omaha H/L 8B tournament by defeating Brent Keller (Horsham, PA).

D'Alessandro began the marathon with a 1.2 million to 300k chip lead, but skill and structure allows both players to battle with Keller flipping the tables, before D'Alessandro rallies to win the final hand with 5♦ 7♦ J♠ Q♠.

"This is great," says D'Alessandro, "this is the first big tournament where I was heads up and win outright, it feels good to finally take one down."

On the winning hand D'Alessandro hits a flush on the turn to end the tournament.

Event 5: 2nd - Keller

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Brent Keller (Horsham, PA)
$10,243

Event 7: Morris Leads on the Bubble

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry   

With 37 players remaining, they are playing hand-for-hand until one more player busts out.   Ivonne Hernandez is the last woman sitting and she's got a healthy stack at this point. 

Jeff Morris

Jeff Morris of Pedricktown, NJ, came over the top of a 40k bet, moving all-in.  He had the other player covered and the player eventually folded.  With that pot, Jeff chipped up to ~240k, clearly in the lead.

Event 6: Djokovic Done

$1,000 + $90 NL  

Avdo Djokovic got his last chips in good with pocket Kings, but was out-drawn by a player holding pocket Jacks.  Avdo hit the rail, leaving 75 players. 

Average stack is ~67k.  A couple of players are in the 200k range, but there's still a long way to go to the money.

Event 7: Walker Leads as Bubble Approaches

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry  

Chris Walker (Elkridge, MD) has taken the chip lead with 39 players remaining.  He's up to almost 200k.

 Chris Walker

Only 36 get paid, so there's tension in the air.

Blinds are up to 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes.  When action folded to her in the cutoff, Yuliya moved her last ~10k all-in.  The small blind called, showing pocket Kings.  Yuliya's AQ suited needed help, but she didn't get enough as the board came Q 8 4 5 4.  Yuliya finished her first-ever live tournament in 39th place, just three spots out of the money.

38 players remain now as they approach the money bubble.

Event 6: Bunting Above Average

$1,000 + $90 NL 

With ten tables remaining, they're taking the tables down to 9-handed as players bust out, so between 90 and 99 players remain in the hunt.

Dick Bunting is one player that is doing well.  "I've had a really good run of cards" he said.  He owns a couple of businesses and comes up from Williamsburg, VA to play tournaments.  His businesses are seasonal, so this is a good time of year for him to come play.  He's got to get back to business, but if he does well in this event, he's planning to come back and play the main event.

 

Dick Bunting

So far, so good.  Dick is sitting behind about 150k in chips.  With 95 players left, the average stack is only 53k.  Blinds are currently 600/1,200 with 200 antes.

Event 4: Champion Dean Schultz 1st Place

$500 + $60 NL

Dean Schultz First Place Champion $44,915

Dean Schultz took down Event 4 with a hand he says never wins, A-J. Looks like it's a winner today.

Dean's drive in from Stow, OH has already paid dividends as he'll take home $44,915 for his two day grind. "And I finished 60th in the BWO Event 1 deepstack which was also a grind" commented Dean.

The real estate property investor (when he's not playing poker) explained his final table strategy as the perennial chip leader - "The table was tight. I opened as many pots as I could while trying to protect my stack." Although the table loosened way up after dinner as action started flying.

The Borgata Event 4 trophy is not the first piece of hardware for Dean's mantel as he's also won other tournaments in his career.

Congratulations to our Champion Dean Schultz who got the lead and never looked back.

Event 7: First-Timer in the Field

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry 

There are only two ladies still in the field spread among the final seven tables.  They're at the tipping point where only half of the remaining players will get paid -- the other half will leave with nothing but memories.

Yuliya

Yuliya is one of those ladies.  She's originally from Russia, but now lives in New York, and this if the first live tournament she has ever played.  She started out playing on line a few months ago and has also learned from watching her boyfriend, Terry.   (Terry is playing in event 6 on the other side of the room.)

She doesn't know about playing the ladies event tomorrow.  If Terry makes it to day two of his event, they will stay another day.  The Ladies event that begins Sunday is also a two-day event, however, and they have to be back at work on Monday.

Blinds are up to 1k/2k with 300 antes.  The average stack is about 50k.

Event 4: John Meinwieser 2nd

$500 + $60 NL

John Meinwieser 2nd $24,952

I wasn't able to have a proper interview or meeting with John Meinwieser because he always seemed in good shape.

His luck continued into a second place finish for $24,952.

Great job and congratulations.

Event 4: Michael Green 3rd

$500 + $60 NL

Michael Green 3rd $15,471

Michael Green (Loris, SC) just earned $15,471 for his two day poker outing.

Mission accomplished for Michael as he'll see some serious green to the tune of $15,471.

Event 4: Hector Jimenez 4th

$500 + $60 NL

Hector Jimenez 4th $12,476

After dinner the guys regrouped and go down to business. Hector was felted 4th for $12,476.

We wish Hector and Wendy a happy birth for their new little one on the way. As Wendy said last night, "Baby Money!"

Event 6: Back from Dinner

$1,000 + $90 NL

Players are back from dinner and back in action with blinds of 500/1,000 with 100 antes.

Ray Shackelford makes the journey from Fredericksburg, VA, several times a year to play tournaments at Borgata.  This event is his third one this week, but he hasn't cashed -- yet.  Hopefully, the third time is the charm, for Ray.

Ray Shackelford

Once he's done with event 6, he's headed back home to his video game business, but plans to return for the main event.

12 tables remain.

Event 5: 3rd - Palermo

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Leonardo Palermo (Ortley Beach, NJ)
$5,898

It's been quite a run for Palermo who's now two for two in Borgata Winter Open events. This third place finish goes along with a 4th place ($47,832) in Event 1 capping a three day poker marathon.

"Sleep can wait," said Palermo. "When we hit this final table that's when the adrenaline was flowing."

Palermo figures that since Wednesday morning he's played 52 hours of tournament poker with only 12 hours of sleep.

"I really wanted to win this," says the Jersey Shore restaurant owner. "But I'm not disappointed, I was blessed to make two final tables and played the best I could play."

Palermo has earned more than $53,730 with his two cashes.

Event 5: 4th - Schlesinger

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Steve Schlesinger (Laurel Hallow, NY)

$4,966

Event 4: Down To 4

$500 + $60 NL

The road to the final four has stopped on:
Dean Schultz with 1.5 million chips
Michael Green with 655,000 chips
John Meinwieser with 370,000 chips
Hector Jimenez with 1.5 million chips

Our guys decided to take a one hour dinner break and should be back around 8:30pm.

Event 4: Richard Rice 5th

$500 + $60 NL

Richard Rice Is Burnt

Right before the break Rick Rice (Haymarket, VA) shoved with K-6 and hit three Kings on the flop. His luck did not continue as he got his money in with a gutshot Royal Flush Draw after hitting top pair on the flop.

Rick's final hand: Hector Jimenez wakes up to Aces and leads out for 75,000. Rick calls from the big blind and loves the flop of Q-Jc-10c.

Hector jams and Rick insta calls.
Rick's hand doesn't improve. He loses his 470,000 and just like that is out.

Hector's stack shoots up to a skyscraper 1.4 million for the co-chip lead with Dean Schultz.

Richard banks $9,648 for his hard work.

We spoke and I learned that he's heading back to VA but might fly back to Borgata to make a run in the Main Event. Nothing but glowing things to say about Borgata and the tournaments. Another satisfied customer.

Interesting sidenote: In the deepstack and Event 4, Rick never had AA, KK, or A-K even once until he made this last final table. Not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing since he did go so deep in Event 4.

Event 6: Dinner Time

$1,000 + $90 NL

13 tables remain in the $1k No Limit event, but they are quite as the players have been sent on a one-hour dinner break.  They'll get back to the action at 8:30pm.

Event 5: 5th - Chung

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Photo Not Available
(Camera Shy)

Peter Chung (New York, NY)
$3,275

Event 7: Simon Says Ship It

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry 

Simon Potens of Frankfurt, Germany, must be living right.  He was all-in holding pocket Queens on a flop of 5 4 2 against Kim Findura (Butler, NJ) who had flopped a set of deuces.  It looked like Simon would soon be looking for something else to do, but the last two cards came 4 Q and Simon caught a 2-outer on the river to survive.  The stacks were close and had to be counted down and as it turned out, Simon had Kim covered.  She was relegated to the rail while Simon doubled up.

 Simon Potens

Back home in Germany, Simon is self-employed in promotions.  He came all the way across the pond just to play tournaments for fun.  We'll see if it pays off for him.

As the last few minutes before the dinner break ticked away, Kevin Farry was standing on the rail waiting for his friend.  Kevin came down from Pearl River, NY to play some tournaments, but he has already busted out of this one.  He's waiting for his friend, Bob Hinkel, to go to dinner.  Bob is still in the tournament, but looking a little short.

Kevin works for Turner Construction back in New York, where they are currently working on Madison Square Garden.  Bob's from New York City, but doesn't work per se.  Kevin calls him an 'International World Traveler'.  Bob has to return from dinner at 8:30pm to resume play.  Kevin will be looking for something else to do.

Event 5: 6th - Chang

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Eunice Chang (New York, NY)

$3,104

Event 5: 7th - Levy

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY)
$2,483

Event 6: Lurch Lingers, Low in Chips

$1,000 + $90 NL

With 15 tables remaining, fewer than 150 players are still in action.  "Half-way there and I've got the same chips I started with" Jacqueline Lurch said of her 15k chip stack.  She's managed to outlast a bit more than half the field -- 336 was the final player count. 

 Jacqueline Lurch

Jacqueline owns Tropical Tan back home in Wall, New Jersey.  She enjoys coming to Borgata, but only plays tournaments, steering clear of the cash games.

Event 6: Cruel Intentions

$1,000 + $90 NL

Kovaci Straight to the Rail

Poker is a cruel game and Mirsad Kovaci (Brooklyn, NY) knows that his bad beat in the $1k tournament wasn't his first and it won't be the last.

Holding pocket 4s, Kovaci leads out with a set on a board of 3 4 5. His opponent reraises, Kovaci shoves, and both players are all-in with Kovaci at risk for his last 22k.

The turn is a harmless Q, but the river brings the last card Kovaci wants to see. A deuce ball completes his opponent's straight and Kovaci is left shaking his head.

"What are you going to do," he says, "I can only get it in with the best and hope I don't get unlucky."

Kovaci is a Borgata regular who's already looking at the Borgata Winter Poker Open schedule to see if he'll have better luck in this cruel, cruel game.

Event 7: Project Manager Managing a Big Stack

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Over on table 3, Rafique Ahmed is sitting behind a fairly large stack of chips.  He's from Dix Hills, NY, and makes a living as a project manager.  He likes to play the tournaments here at Borgata regularly.  I guess you could look at this event as a one day project.  He just has to manage his way to the win.

 Rafique Ahmed

While I was watching, he doubled up a short-stack who was all-in with AK.  Rafique's pocket Kings were cracked when an Ace turned, but it barely put a dent in his stack.  He's still got about 160k.

Over on table 1, Larry Gold (Long Island, NY) is also doing well.  He's up to about 125k.

Down to 9 tables - 90 players remain.  36 will get paid.

Event 4: Crowd Gathers

$500 + $60 NL

A crowd has gathered around the final table.

Some are friends of tournament players others busted out and have picked a horse to root for.

Blind levels last 45 minutes and have gone up to 15,000 / 30,000 with 4,000 antes.

Dean is still your chip leader gaining in on 1.5 million.

Hector is in a close second while Michael, Rick, and John share around the same amount.

Nobody is desperately short, hence the raise and take it game.

Event 5: 8th - Hunter

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Jeff Hunter (Bronx, NY)

$1,863

Event 4: Passing Chips

$500 + $60 NL

All five of our final table have outlasted and outplayed hundreds of players over two days and it seems like everything has come to a standstill.

They know what they're doing and protecting their chips.
Looks like nobody wants to get their chips in bad or battle against Dean, the chip monster leader.
And as soon as somebody does shove, our tight five fold.

I promise you I'm watching and will report when the action falls.

For now the table is completely silent. Haven't heard a peep in several hands.

Blinds 12,000 / 24,000 with 2,000 antes.

Event 5: 9th - Goedert

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Nick Goedert (Silver Spring, MD)
$1,397

Event 6: 170 Players Remain

$1,000 + $90 NL

Down to 170 players in this event and it looks like Brian 'Hutch' O'Donoghue is the chip leader with ~110k.  Hutch is a 'semi-pro player from Bayside, NY, who comes to Borgata to play during the big tournaments.

As I was talking to Hutch, a short-stacked Harry Cardillo got all-in against Carl Restifo.  The flop was 5 3 3 and Harry committed the last of his chips with 52 suited (two pair).  Carl held pocket Kings for a better two pair hand, but the last two came 4 A, giving Harry a wheel and the double-up.

Harry Cardillo

Harry is from Bradenton, FL, and came north to visit his mother.  He's getting in a little time at the poker tables while he's here, too!

Event 4: Kam Chin 6th

$500 + $60

Everything went right for Kam Chin yesterday. He started the day with 800,000 chips.
But today was a different story.

"Just didn't get any good cards" said Chin.

A-J looked like a monster to Kam Chin who was drawing dead after his Opponent flopped a set of sevens. Unfortunately his entire 500,000 stack was in.

Kam came in 6th place and cashed $8,151.

Event 4: Thomas McGarry 7th

$500 + $60 NL

Thomas McGarry 7th $6,571

Tom's big blind K-10 of spades looked good on a ten high flop but his Opponent, Michale Green picked up a flush draw with his K-Q of hearts. Tom's 290,000 splashed the pot.

Green's heart never fell, but the Q turned the corner and crashed into McGarry whose out in seventh for $6,571.

Event 7: Payouts

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Place-Amount

1 $30,982
2 $17,212
3 $10,671
4 $8,605
5 $6,655
6 $5,622
7 $4,532
8 $3,385
9 $2,295
10-12 $1,491
13-15 $1,148
16-18 $975
19-27 $861
28-36 $689

Event 5: 10th - Friedman

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Gary Friedman (Beachwood, OH)
$1,242

Event 4: The Price Is Rice

$500 + $60 NL

Rick Rice Wins Battle of Blinds

Rick's big blind 8-J vs. Michael Green's 7-6.

The 8-6-4 flop hit both players but an eight on the turn secured the 450,000 pot to Rice.

Not a spectacular hand, I admit, but at least these guys made it to the river.

Event 4: Dean's List

$500 + $60 NL

Magnificent Seven

The Final Seven have played solid, steady poker since the last bust-out.

Seat 1: Dean Schultz
Seat 2: Michael Green
Seat 3: Richard Rice
Seat 4: John Meinwieser
Seat 5: Kam Chin
Seat 6: Tomas McGarry
Seat 7: Hector Jimenez

At the top of the chip-leader list is Dean Shultz with just under a million. Apparently his million dollar massage from Sharice Sloan-El at the table helped. Sharice is adamant that Dean is going to win the tournament. Guess she just has a feeling.

Hector Jimenez isn't too far behind in second place.
Wendy and daughter-to-be still quietly rooting.

This "raise and take it" is the calm before the storm.
You can feel something stirring in the air. It's coming...

Event 5: Final Table

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Seat-Name

1 Tim Dalessandro (West Chester, PA)
2 Steve Schlesinger (Laurel Hallow, NY)
3 Nick Goedert (Silver Spring, MD)
4 Leonardo Palermo (Ortley Beach, NJ)
5 Jeff Hunter (Bronx, NY)
6 Eunice Chang (New York, NY)
7 Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY)
8 Peter Chung (New York, NY)
9 Brent Keller (Horsham, PA)
10 Gary Friedman (Beachwood, OH)

Event 6: Payouts

$1,000 + $90 NL

Entries: 336
Total Buy-In: $336,000

Place-Amount

1 $87,998
2 $48,888
3 $30,311
4 $24,444
5 $18,903
6 $15,970
7 $12,874
8 $9,615
9 $6,519
10-12 $4,237
13-15 $3,259
16-18 $2,770
19-27 $2,444
28-36 $1,956

Event 7: Breakthrough for Hernandez

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Hernandez Hoping for Another Cash

In the past Ivonne Hernandez (Holbrook, NY) only played in Ladies Events, but had trouble making the money. Now that she's branched out into other tournaments she's had a lot more success.

One cash in an "open" event and Herndandez is running much better in every tournament.
This time last year she cashed 13th in the Ladies Event after making the breakthrough, but unfortunately her schedule won't allow her to play in tommorrow's Ladies tournament.

Hernandez is content to play today's $350 and is looking to make a deep run after hitting a set of kings to build her stack to 25k.

Event 4: Paul Lam 8th

$500 + $60 NL

Paul Lam (Rego Park, NY) 8th $4,907

Dean Shultz strikes again. This time Paul Lam is the victim.

The chip-leader took all of Paul's 230,000 stack when he tabled AA against Lam's QQ.

Paul couldn't believe it but told me not to worry, he'll be back tomorrow to play some more.

Event 7: Slow and Steady

$1,000 + $90 NL

A quick scan of the room and there aren't any monster stacks, but a few players are in the 50k range including Marc Lunenfeld (Virginia Beach, VA) who's at 51k. He says it's been slow and steady and it helps when pocket kings hold against pocket aces.

Event 4: Charles "Ted" Geier 9th

$500 + $60 NL

Charles "Ted" Geier 9th $3,327

Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY) made some great plays but the last one didn't work out.

Ted's 10-10 ran into Paul Lam's K-K on a board of A-Q-Q-6-J.

Action was all in pre-flop.

Ted was focused on the first place prize but will settle for the $3,327 payday.

Event 4: Jonathan Makarowitz 10th

$500 + + $60 NL

Jonathan Makarowitz (East Windsor, NJ) 10th $2,163

Jonathan came to the final table shortest with 137,000.
He shoved the first hand to no callers.
He shoved the second hand with A-J and ran into Michael Green's (Loris, SC) pocket Jacks.

Jonathan missed the flop and jammed while Green insta-called and won.

Event 4: Final Table Chip Amounts

$500 + $60 NL

Our dealer hooked me up with more than ballpark chip counts as we head into this final table of ten.

Seat-Name-Chips
1. Dean Schultz 868,000
2. Jonathan Makarowitz 137,000
3. Ted Geier 144,000
4. Michael Green 600,000
5. Richard Rice - 199,000
6. John Meinwieser 208,000
7. Kam Chin 827,000
8. Thomas McGarry 354,000
9. Paul Lam 147,000
10. Hector Jimenez 686,000

Event 4: Jeff Papola 11th

$500 + $60 NL

Jeff Papola 11th $2,163

Jeff Papola is out in 11th place creating a final table of ten. Players are on a brief break before we're underway.

Jeff's image is aggressive and it got him to the final 11. All the chips got in on the turn when his A-J saw a board of 2-8-J-6-K. As fate would have it, he ran into Dean Schultz' set of eights.

Dean is stacked up large for the final table while Papola, a great on-liner, is out.

Jeff is ready for a full slate of BWO events including the 2K, the 1K 6-max, and the Main Event.

Event 6: Top 2 are Back

$1,000 + $90 NL

The top two finishers in Borgata's $1,500 deep stack tournament in December are now at the same table. Ketan Pandya (Piscataway, NJ), who was second, was just moved across from Dave Inselberg (Long Beach, NY), who took down the deep stack.

"No we're planning on going first and second here," says Inselberg (19k) as Pandya (25k) agrees, but who wouldn't mind switching spots in the final results.

Level 6 (200/400/50 ante) is underway.

Event 4: Joe Wagner 12th

$500 + $60 NL

Joe "Little Joe" Wagner 12th $2,163

Say it ain't so Joe. Little Joe was little in chips every time I turned around. Somehow he was able to ride the short stack of 20 big blinds or left all the way to the final two tables. "Whenever I was low, I'd shove and rarely have to show" said Joe.

An impressive showing for Joe Wagner (Zebulon, NC) who loves poker so much he wants to play full time. "I'm willing to travel anywhere and play any schedule."

Ever since his masonry company has suffered from the economy, Joe is looking for someone to give him a shot and back his poker play.

He's had his share of cashes including one in Tunica and is playing for his ten year old daughter Cheyenne and wife Lisa.

Joe has earned $2,163 for his two-day showing.

Event 4: Kam Takes One On The "Chin"

$500 + $60 NL

Seats 1 and 2 at table 2 got into a stressful back and forth hand.

Short stack Paul Lam (Rego Park, NY) got his 150,000 chips in with AA up against the 77 of Kam Chin (Brooklyn, NY).

Can Lam's aces hold up or will this be the end of his tournament life?

A seven in the window earned groans from the other players as Kam nailed his set right off the bat. Not looking good for Paul.

Flop: 7-2-3
Turn: 3
Than an Ace on the river gave Paul Lam new life and a doubled-up stack.

We're down to 11 players.

Blinds are 6000 / 12000 with 2000 antes.

Event 6: Thanks for Coming

$1,000 + $90 NL

John Laskaris (Queens, NY), playing in his first Borgata tournament, got a rude introduction to
the action. Laskaris has a full house, 9s over queens, but runs into the quad queens of Jerry Atkins (New York, NY) and is on the rail. Atkins has 19k.

Antes are now in play for the first time as Level 5 (150/300/25 ante) continues.

Event 4: Thomas Schafer 13th

$500 + $60 NL

Thomas Schafer 13th $1,664

What are you gonna do when you only have five big blinds and your in the bb the very next hand? You gotta shove and hope nobody has - you guessed it pocket Aces.

Thomas' 4-9 of hearts fell to his on-line rival (Jeffrey Papola's) pocket aces.

Thomas' screen name is "Everyone's Problem" so watch out for him on-line and here at Borgata.

Event 5: Bubble Breaks

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

It's a quick bubble as the final 18 players are in the money. Players are redrawing seats for the final two tables.


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

Event 4: Kevin Carroll 14th

$500 + $60 NL

Kevin Carroll 14th $1,664

Kevin Carroll (Bensalem, PA) started the day with $104,000 and got all of it in with wired Jacks.

He felt great when his Opponent tabled 4-4.
But then, WHAM, a four in the window proved unlucky for Carroll.

Kevin will score $1,664 for his 14th place finish.

He'll be back.

Event 5: Back from Break

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Chang Chips More Than 200k

Eunice Chang (New York, NY) is the new chip leader with 202k. A look at other big stacks:

Eunice Chang 202k
Gary Friedman 177k
Leonardo Palermo 135k
Barry Levy 92k
Brent Keller 87k

Former chip leader Jeff Hunter is down to 40k.

22 players (4 from the money) remain as Level 17 (5k/10k stakes) is underway.

Event 4: Ryan Blank 15th

$500 + $60 NLH

Ryan Blank 15th 1,664

Ryan Blank is a man of mystery. He refused to even tell me his name yesterday, instead calmly and confidently stating, "I'll tell it to you and let you take a picture when I make the final table tomorrow." It actually became a running joke as he kept improving his stack.

Well he came just a little short of the final but did shake my hand and officially introduce himself.

His final hand of 6-6 came short stacked (106,000) and was way behind Ted Geier's 8-8.

The board ran 2-2-2-4-9 which sent Ryan to the rail.

Did I mention Ryan was in the process of getting a killer massage from Borgata masseuse Eve?

She agreed to continue the massage at a side table as I interviewed him.

Event 7: Shut it Down

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Players are on break and re-entry is closed for this tournament. Tournament Coordinator and poker super star Deb Daly and the staff are tallying the totals and we'll have a count shortly.

Other notables in the field include Jamie Kerstetter and Howard Wolper, who's enjoying the view across the table, take a look:

Sharice Helping Kim Findura Loosen Up

PPI Leaderboard Update

Eric Siegel is busy at the tables, but forwarded the PPI "Play for the Main" Leader Board: update:

PTS: PLAYER
40: JOSEPH CUTLER
35: STEVEN DANNENMANN
25: JAMES BOYLE
25: JOSHUA BRIKIS
25: VINEET PAHUJA
20: ANTHONY CASAGRANDE
20: CARLOS DELAFUENTE
20: MICHAEL DENTALE
20: RYAN ERIQUEZZO
20: DAVID INSELBERG
20: MICHAEL SICA JR
20: JASON YOUNG
15: LAURENCE GOLDSTEIN
15: JONATHAN WERZ
10: GORDON ENG
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: KATHRYN DOUGHERTY
5: DAVID ZEITLIN

(Includes Events 1, 2, 3, 27, 28, 29 , 30, 31 & 32)

*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: Chip Leader Improves

$500 + $60 NL

Our two tables are enjoying a fifteen minute break as the floor color outs the 500 purple chips.

Three players went down boom, boom, boom, and ever since play has moved at a slower pace as the larger stacks defend.

Hector Jimenez with 5 month-pregnant girlfriend Wendy watching from the rail, grew his stack right off the bat as he hit a set of eights and got paid off 61,000.

"I also had kings and made a little from that"

Jimenez is up to 611,000

Event 4: Nathan Ross 16th

$500 + $60 NL

Nathan Ross 16th $1,414

It was nice meeting Nathan Ross whose demise came after his A-6 shove got run down by Opponent's K-5.

"I got it in with the best of it" said Nathan as he departed.

Event 4: Joseph Opie 17th

$500 + $60 NL

Joseph Opie 17th 1,414

Joseph Opie is out in 17th place netting $1,414 for his two day adventure.

Opie raised with A-J and the big blind called.

Opie hit his man on a flop of J-9-3 and checked, inducing a 30,000 bet from opponent who picked up an open ended straight draw.

Opie re-raised, Opponent shoved and Opie called.

Opponent was turning tricks with lucky number seven making his straight.

Event 4: Aaron Axel 18th

$500 + $60 NL

Aaron Axel 18th 1,414

Aarron Axel is not liking the ladies after his QQ fell to Joe Wagner's KK on a board of J-8-8-9-4.

Aarron couldn't believe it. He's kicking himself for not folding after Wagner's raise, but can you blame him for calling?

Axel received 1,414 for 18th place.

Event 6: Unofficial Numbers

$1,000 + $90 NL

While the cage verifies the count the unofficial registration total is 336 players with first place paying more than $87,000 and 36 players cashing.

Event 7: 30 Minute Warning

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

O'Halloran, Yausel Pompa (Miami, FL) & Ghanem

Saad Ghanem (White Marsh, MD) is having a rough go of it during this series of events, saying he's run into quads three times, including today. Larry O'Halloran (Colonia, NJ) does the deed in this event with quad threes after both players flop a set.

O'Halloran takes his stack to 19k, while Ghanem is left with 800, who busts the next hand and is back in line to re-enter.

Level 4 (100/200) is underway, this is the last 30 minutes players have to re-enter.

Event 4: Albert Riccobono 19th

$500 + $60 NLH

Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) with only 71,500 knew he had to double up early.

Was looking for that double-up hand and sure enough shoved holding 10,10.

Josheph Opie (Fair Haven, NJ) with $96,500 took Al up on his short stack five card show-down.

The board fell 5, 9, 2, 3 and Al desperately didn't want to see an Ace or a King. Of course the King rivered and Al went out in 19th place for $1,414.

"All I could ask for was to get my money in good. Then that last card hit. What can you do?" said Al.

Borgata regular Riccobono will be playing many more tournaments in the WPO so look for more cashes to come.

Event 5: 1 in 2 Shot

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Jeff hunting for a Title

36 players return for their shot at the $18,624 first prize (18 cash). Jeffrey Hunter (Bronx, NY) leads the way 102,000 in chips as the cards are in the air.

Event 4: First Hand Is Dealt

$500 + $60 NL

Our nineteen players from yesterdays poker intense fifteen hour session received their seat assignments and have continued right where they left off this morning at 2am.

The three tables of action is right in front of Media Row in the Event Center.

Bags have been opened, cards have been dealt, and we're off and running.

Chip leader is Hector Jimenez (Passaic, NJ) with 554,000. The short stack is Rice Richard (Haymarket, VA) with 25,500. Second in tournament chips at table 2 is Kam Chin (Brooklyn, NY) with 468,500.

Level 17: Blinds are 3,000 / 6,000 with 500 antes.

Levels last 25 minutes and the button is in the five seat.

Good luck everyone, I'll be with you till the end.

Event 6: Newbies

$1,000 + $90 NL

First time Borgata players don't usually jump into the deep end, but that's exactly what John Laskaris (Queens, NY) is doing that by playing in the $1k. "A bunch of friends were coming down, so I figured why not."

Laskaris plays a lot of poker back in New York and his hoping his first Borgata trip is good one.

Event 7: I C U

$350 + $50 NL Re-Entry

Players spend less time on life support in the intensive care unit when they know they can re-enter.

Quick scan of the room and players I see (I C U):

Jason Warriner
Larry Gold
Kim Findura
Scott Strubel

Event 6: Cashing In

$1,000 + $90 NL

Lippert Looking for More Cake

By nature poker players are rarely satisfied as they're always looking to improve their game, their luck and their bank roll. A couple of players who hit the money yesterday are trying for even better results in today's tournament.

Joanne Monteavaro (21st - Event 4) and Adam Lippert (26th, Event 4) are in the field, as is Jesse Pulido, who's a little more satisfied with his final table and 4th place finish in Event 3.

Event 6: Strolling In

$1,000 + $90 NL

Late arrivals include:

Josh Brikis
Dave 'Stone Cold' Inselberg
Ian Palomo

Event 7: Filling Up

$350 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

It's always nice hit a full house and "fill-up," assuming you're not beat by a bigger boat, and it's just as nice to see the Event Center filling up with a buzz of activity.

Event 7 is in the back of the room and a lot of regulars are in the house. The re-entry means players eliminated during the first four levels have the option to re-enter the tournament.

Players start with 10k in chips, blinds start at 25/50 and levels are 30 minutes long.

Event 6: Barber Shop Quartet (minus 1)

$1,000 + $90 NL

Ed Aponte

Ed Aponte (Long Island, NY) didn't know about the $1,000 tournament until a trip to the barber shop yesterday afternoon. After recruiting his brother and cousin, they were in the car and heading to Borgata to play in this morning's event.

"As long as it's the weekend, I'm good," says Aponte, who didn't have any trouble making the time or convincing the family this is a trip worth taking.

Level 2 (50/100) is underway.

Event 6: Bubble Boys

$1,000 + $90 NL

Eric "Pools" Siegel is back for what he calls "more abuse." Last night, a couple of spots off the money in Event 4 he was four flushed by Keith Crowder who held pocket aces. Siegel had pocket jacks, hit a set, but then saw his tournament end on the river.

Gordon Eng was the "official" bubble boy, as he was knocked out in 37th place (36 paid). He won the $1,500 event during the 2010 Borgata Poker Open and is back looking for another deep run.

Event 6: Back Again

$1,000 + $90 NL

Borgata regulars in the field:

Sirous Jamshidi
Eric Siegel
Gordon Eng
Action Bob Hwang
Little Man Sica
James Boyle

Interesting subplot is developing at Table 2 as Sica and Boyle are in the process of formulating a weight loss bet. We expect both of them to spend a lot of time at the Borgata Buffet to help beef up to and make hitting their goals a little easier.

Event 6: Big Money

$1,000 + $90 NL

This is the first of the higher end buy-in tournaments and another strong field is filling the Event Center at the Borgata Poker Winter Open.

Table signs are down, the button starts in the one seat and players continue to settle in.

There's 15k in the starting stack, blinds start at 25/50, levels are 50 minutes long and registration is open through the first three levels. The dinner break is at 7:30 pm sharp and the cards are in the air!

Saturday, January 22

Today's Events in the Event Center

11A: Event 6 - $1000 + $90 No Limit Hold'em

• 15,000 in starting chips
• Day 1: each Level will last 50 minutes Day 2: each Level will last 60 minutes
• 2-day tournament (Day 2 starts at 1P)

12P: Event 7 - $350 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (1 Re-Entry)

• 10,000 in starting chips
• Levels 1-4: each Level will last 30 minutes Levels 5+: each Level will last 40 minutes
• Re-Enter one (1) time until the end of Level 4
• 1-day tournament

4P: Event 33 - $500 + $50 SURVIVOR No Limit Hold'em

• 12,ooo in starting chips
• Levels 1-6 each Level will last 30 minutes Levels 7+: each Level will last 40 minutes
• approximately 1 in 10 will win $5,000 Cash
• 1-day tournament

7P: Event 34 - $200 + $30 Turbo No Limit Hold'em

• 10,000 in starting chips
• Levels will last 15 minutes
• 1-day tournament

Event 5: $400+$50 Omaha Chip Leaders

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 5: $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
January 21-22, 2011

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

END OF DAY 1 CHIP LEADERS
1. JOHN HUNTER (BRONX, NY): 102,500
2. STEVE SCHLESINGER (LAUREL HALLOW, NY): 97,000
3. RICHARD PILCHMAN (BRICK, NJ): 93,500
4. ALFRED ANNUNZIATA (BAYONNE, NJ): 85,000
5. JOHN DIDIO (VENTOR, NJ): 75,500
6. GARY FRIEDMAN (BEACHWOOD, OH): 73,500
7. PETER CHUNG (NEW YORK, NY): 72,500
8. EUNICE CHANG (NEW YORK, NY): 69,500
9. YING CHU (CHARLOTTE, NC): 58,500
10. BRENT KELLER (HORSHAM, PA): 58,000
11. DANIEL HOFER (OSSINING, NY): 55,500
12. MICHAEL PADULA (TOTOWA, NJ): 53,500
13. ILYA DYMENT (BROOKLYN, NY): 50,500
14. CHARLES BONCICH (N MASSAPEQUA, NY): 45,500
15. LEONARDO PALERMO (ORTLEY BEACH, NJ): 45,000
16. BRIAN BAYLEY (LINWOOD, PA): 44,000
17. DARRYL TAM (NEW YORK, NY): 44,000
18. JOHN ANTHONY CERNUTO (LAS VEGAS, NV): 40,500
19. COLIN MANEVAL (NEWTON, MA): 40,500
20. CANDACE VERRASTRO (PT PLEASANT, NJ): 40,000
21. MICHAEL NIFOSI (CORTLANDT MNR, NY): 39,000
22. NICK MAVROMOUSTAKOS (BROOKLYN, NY): 38,000
23. JOHN V IV COMEAU (RUTLAND, MA): 36,500
24. NICHOLAS GOEDERT (SILVER SPRING, MD): 32,000
25. BRIAN SMITH (RIVER VALE, NJ): 31,000
26. SHELDON ROSENBERG (WEST ORANGE, NJ): 23,500
27. BARAK ZAKEN (BROOKLYN, NY): 23,500
28. MARIEALEN DAGOSTINO (SOMERS POINT, NJ): 22,500
29. JAMES HASSELMAN (FEDERALSBURG CA, MD): 22,000
30. BARRY LEVY (BROOKLYN, NY): 18,500
31. MICHAEL GARAVUSO (GLENDALE, NY): 18,000
32. TIMOTHY DALESSANDRO (WEST CHESTER, PA): 17,000
33. JOSEPH LOGUIDICE (ATALNTIC CITY, NJ): 13,500
34. NANCY SMETHURST (CHARLOTTE, NC): 11,000
35. PAMELA JAMISON (PHOENIXVILLE, PA): 9,500

Event 32 Final Results

Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 32: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold'em
January 21, 2011

Entries: 130
Total Buy-In: $26,000

FINAL RESULTS
1. MICHAEL LINSTER (LEVITTOWN, NY): $7,566
2. ANDREW BLUM (NEW YORK, NY): $4,161
3. RONALD ZURNER (NEW YORK, NY): $2,396
4. AARON SMITH (NEW BEDFORD, MA): $2,018
5. KAMBIZ BEHBAHANI (FAIRFAX STATION, VA): $1,513
6. LOUIE LIU (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $1,261
7. STEVEN OH (BROOMALL, PA): $1,009
8. AHMAD WARDAK (GAMBRILLS, MD): $757
9. KENNETH ROBERTS (MAYS LANDING, NJ): $567
10. PHILIPPE CASCIOLA (NEW YORK, NY): $504
11. THOMAS ROCHELLE (LAURELTON, NY): $504
12. FRANCIS ANDERSON (WAPPINGERS FLS, NY): $504
13. ALAN NOSONCHUK (BROOKLYN, NY): $441
14. MICHAEL WOLL (MANAHAWKIN, NJ): $441
15. JOHN HARVILLA (MINERSVILLE, PA): $441
16. JUAN VAZQUEZ (ROSELLE PARK, NJ): $379
17. DANIEL SPEAR (NEWTOWN SQ, PA): $379
18. THOMAS BELLIZZI (QUEENS VILLAGE, NY): $379

Event 4 Recap (Day 1)

Only 19 players remain in Event 4 ($560 NL) as Day 1 play ended with several big stacks poised to make a run at the $44,915 first prize.

Hector Jimenez (Passaic, NJ) became the chipleader on the second to last hand of the night. He sits on top of the leaderboard with 554,000 chips, but knows the tournament is far from over.

Ed Jordon decided to shove 250,000 when the flop fell 2-6-K. Hector was afraid Jordon had pocket aces but felt he had to make the call with A-K. Jordon tabled A-9 of spades and the board ran clean. Hector took his entire stack.

Jimenez feels confident but pulled back a little by stating, "I don't know how it'll play out tomorrow, we'll see."

Also in the hunt is Kam Chin with 468,500 chips who was leader until Hector's huge hand. Kam's big hand came when his set of kings felted a deepstacks set of fives.

Then there's Michael Green with 324,000 chips. He's still smiling over his four-way all in victory when he hit the miracle runner, runner spades giving his AsJs (the worst hand in) the nut flush score.

One of the chip leaders throughout the day was Adina Winston who had a straight flush then almost hit quads sixes a few hands later. Adina went out in 22nd place earning $1,248 and just missed being the last woman standing.

That title went to Joanne Monteavaro who played solid short stack poker all day and graciously bowed out after losing a 10-10 vs. AK flip when an ace hit the river. The Borgata notable, Joanne, finished in 21st place.

Hector Jimenez' girlfriend Wendy is five months pregnant and almost delivered on the felt. She cheered on and sweated her man from the rail since the tournament started at 11am. I asked Wendy what she'll do if Hector (our chipleader) wins. Her reply - "Baby money!" Hector concluded with, "It's a good way to end the night".

The starting field of 343 had a lot of Borgata regulars and many of them made it through to Day 2 including Al Riccobono (Ossining, NY) and Ted Geier (Sunnyside, NY). Gordon Eng will have to get em next time as he was the bubble.

Play resumes 1 pm Saturday as the field competes for what's left of the $171,500 buy-in.

Event 4: End of Day 1 Leaders (Chip Counts)

$500 + $60 NL

Hector Jimenez 554,000

Name - Chip Counts

Hector Jimenez 554,000
Kam Chin 468,000
Michael Green 324,000
Jeff Papola 301,000
Tom Schafer 292,000
Thomas McGarry 288,000
Charles "Ted" Geier 285,000
Dean Schultz 238,000
Ryan Blank 230,000
John Meinwieser 198,500
Paul Lam 167,500
Jonathan Makarowitz 143,000
Aaron Axel 131,000
Joe Wagner 127,000
Kevin Carroll 104,500
Joseph Opie 96,500
Nathan Ross 88,500
Al Riccobono 71,500
Richard Rice 25,500

Hector & Wendy & little girl to be

Hector's girlfriend Wendy has watched from the rail the entire tournament.

"When you said he was chipleader I was so nervous I felt the baby move and thought I was gonna have her" said Wendy.

Event 5 Recap (Day 1)

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

The first Omaha tournament (Event 5) of the Borgata Winter Poker Open brought out a lot of familiar faces for the $450 H/L 8 or better. When Day 1 ended, Jeffrey Hunter (Bronx, NY) was the chip leader bagging 102,000 as 36 players are still in the running for $18,624 top prize.

The field featured two players with WSOP Bracelet's on the their resumes and a recent winner of a WSOP circuit ring. 'Miami' John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NV - 3 bracelets) and Brent Keller (Horsham, PA), who won his second Omaha ring in a Chicago area tournament last fall both survived the day. But Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ - 1 bracelet) was a Day 1 casualty.

On the last hand of play for the night, Keller hit a diamond on the river to help scoop a pot that pushed him a top 10 stack with 58k. "The river card is the difference between having 58 or 28," says the mixed game specialist, "it's a nice way to end it."

Cernuto is just below the chip average with 40,500.

Other survivors include Barry Levy (Brooklyn, NY), who won this same event during the Borgata Poker Open (BPO) in September, and Leonardo Palermo (Ortley Beach, NJ) who had a quick turnaround after finishing 4th in Event 1 ($47,832) that concluded just 5 hours before the start of the Omaha tournament.

Notables in the 160 player starting field who were knocked out included Tom "Mark'em Down" Noyes (Clarks Summitt, PA), who finished second to Levy in September's BPO, and noted author Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ).

Play resumes 1 pm Saturday as 18 of the remaining players will get their share of the $64,000 total buy-in.

Event 5: End of Night Chip Counts

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

36 players remain with an average stack of 44k. Day 2 play resumes at 1 pm as they compete for the $18,624 first prize (18 players cash).

Here's a look at some of the big stacks.*

Jeffrey Hunter 102,500
Steve Shelesinger 97,000
John Didio 75,500
Gary Friedman 73,500
Peter Chung 72,500
Ying Chu 58,500
Brent Keller 58,000
Danny Hofer 55,500
Michael Padula 53,500
Ilya Dyment 50,500

Notables:

Leonardo Palermo 45,000
"Miami" John Cernuto 40,500
Barry Levy 18,500

*Unofficial. Check back after 9 am for a complete list of chip counts.

Event 4: Break Time

$500 + $60 NL

Our 24 remaining players are on a break while the floor chips up.

Average chip stack is 171,000.

When we return blinds are 3000 / 6000 with 500 antes.

Floor is bagging and tagging at 2am.

Event 4: Kam Chin Monster Chip Lead

$500 + $60 NL

KAM-WOW
Kam Chin with 475,000

The swings are starting.

Kam Chin (Brooklyn, NY) faced off with second in chips at his table.

Both monster stacks flopped sets, checked, then got it in on the turn.

Kam's trip Kings took down Keith Crowder's (Philadelphia, PA) trip fives.

Keith lost 245,000 going out in 31st place for $998.

Other leaders include:
Ed Jordon (Belle Meade, NJ) 293,000. Ed's been patient all day and it paid off in a big way when his AA got paid off on the river from a deep stack.

Ted Geier made a nice river bet on a draw heavy board causing his Opponent to fold. He sits with 285,000.

27 players remain.

We're down to two tables.