Event 6
$300+$40+$20 Mike Sica Memorial Seniors NLH
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
For the third year in a row, the Seniors event will be a charity event where all participants contribute $20 to Cancer Research in memory of Mike ‘Little Man’ Sica, who was a fixture here at Borgata for may years before he passed away. The Seniors event was always a favorite of his and win or lose, he always had a smile on his face. The slide show above was created by former Borgata blogger Jeff ‘Gorilla’ Shurilla.
Seniors get 15,000 chips to start and all levels are 30 minutes long. This is a one-day event, so they’ll play until a winner is declared. Play is underway here in the event Center.
A heartfelt farewell tribute to Mike, posted the day he was laid to rest, can be viewed here.
The tournament decks were cleared (pun intended) Saturday night (or rather in the wee hours of Sunday morning) with the conclusion of the first five events. Phil Rousseax (Miami Beach, FL) was the first to claim glory when he captured the Pot Limit Omaha title (Event 3) earning $9,507 and his first Borgata title.
After six starting flights over three days, Event 1, the $2 Million Guaranteed Deep Stack Kickoff event, drew a total of 3,869 entrants. The finale was Live Streamed from the Event Center Saturday night. After 12 long hours, it was Californian Noel Martinez who took home the top prize of $325,292.
It took a 14-hour Day 2, but eventually the final three players in Event 2, the Black Chip Bounty, $100,000 GTD NLH event, agreed to an Adjusted Payout. The 665 entrants built a prize pool more than double the guarantee and over $225,000. Johanssy Joseph (Mansfield, CT) claimed the trophy and $40,295. This is actually his second Borgata Open title — he won the first back in 2011 during the Fall Poker Open.
The Saturday Series Deep Stack, (Event 4) carried a $100,000 guarantee and as usual, that guarantee was met with ease. The prize pool came to more than $160,000, thanks to 481 entrants. Mike LaTour (Clay, NJ) was the eventual winner at about 6am, taking home $41,724.
Event 5, the $500 Super Survivor, drew 200 entrants and 19 players survived to earn $5,000 each! That cleared the board for a fresh start on Sunday with three new events!
Starting off the second week of the Borgata Poker Open, the Mike ‘Little Man’ Sica Memorial Seniors event begins at 10am Sunday. All entrants will contribute $20 to the American Cancer Society for cancer research in Mike’s memory. The Ladies event starts an hour later and the Omaha/Stud Hi/Lo Mix event begins at noon, kicking off what will be a busy second week at the Borgata Poker Open!