Event 1 (Day 1D)

Below is a list of all the players playing in Day 2, in chip count order. To find an alphabetized list of these players, along with table and seat number for each player, click HERE.

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Level 18 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/500)
Total Day 1B Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 152

Hee Im, Shawn Ridley and Yong Kwon (Day 1D Chip Leaders)

152 players players have made it through Day 1D to join the already 164 players who had already advanced from Day 1A/B/C. That puts the total number of players advancing to Day 2 of the Event 1 – $500 + $60 Big Stack NLH RE $2,000,000 Guaranteed tournament at 316, with one Day 1 session left to finish.

The clubhouse leader coming into today was Andrew Badecker, who bagged 517,000 during last night’s Day 1C session. Only one player was able to best that as Hee Im (Queens, NY) who road a late heater to post a mind boggling 642,000. Numerous players were then above the 400,000 chip mark as Shawn Radley (Scituate, MA) finished with 454,000 and Yong Kwon (Palisades Park, NJ) who bagged 441,000. The “400 Club” also included Alex Smith (Highland Park, NJ), Omar Holmes (Bronx, NY) and Darren Walter (Queens, NY).

Scott Baumstein, Justin Schwartz, Bob Armstrong, Matthew Sutton and Richard Ward were all above 350,000.

The tournament average for Day 1D was 166,000 and the average for players advancing from both all previous Day 1 sessions is 179,000.

The final Day 1 session for Event 1 is currently running in both the Event Center and Poker Room and the $2 million guarantee has just been passed over within the last hour.

A full list of players bagging from all previous Day 1’s will be posted tomorrow morning in the form of seating assignments, both on the Borgata Poker Open blog and the Borgata website.

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Level 18 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 180

Brendan Wiley (Gloucester, MA)

The action was picked up at one of the more “high octane” tables of the last level, as many short stacks have been sent to the rail, and the dealer might as well have “Seat Open” recorded and on repeat.

The most recent elimination came when two players called Gary Wang’s pre-flop raise of 24,000.

The board would come {3h}{6c}{6d} and Wang would check. A short stacked player would then move all-in for 85,000 and Brendan Wiley (Gloucester, MA) would tank and then announce himself all-in, just just over 120,000 total.

Wang had both players covered but decided not to make the call.

Wiley was well ahead holding pocket {10x}’s to the short stacked player’s pocket {8x}’s.

The turn and river would fall {Ks} {Kh} sealing the deal for Wiley, but leaving Wang wondering what could have been as he announced to the table that he had folded “big slick”.

Wiley was happy he made the aggressive play and didn’t just flat the original all-in and is stacking up close to 330,000 in chips with just 15 minutes left in Day 1D.

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Level 18 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 190

After an open to 18,000 from an anonymous player UTG, Vinny Napolitano would shove for 90,000 next to act.  Action folded around to Mike Haberman in late position, who re-shoved for 94,000.  The original raiser went deep into the tank, with Napolitano calling the floor to get a clock running.  After the floor explained to the player that he had (60) seconds, the unknown player turned over {js} {jh} and tossed it into the muck.  Haberman then looked over Vinny’s way and said, “I got aces.”  Napolitano begrudgingly turned over his {qd} {qc}, and after another player at the table announced that he held {as} {qs}, Vinny would need the final queen or running straight cards to win the hand.  The board would run out clean for Haberman, eliminating Vinny from the Day 1D flight with just minutes remaining on the clock.  Mike would get pushed the pot and now has over 200,000 for the first time today.

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Level 17 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 190

Hee Im (Queens, NY)

Over the last two hands, Hee Im (Queens, NY) has increased his chip stack and is now in contention to be one of the chip leaders as Day 1D is one level form completion.

In the first hand, Im got tangled with Ron Leicher on a flop of {3c}{2s}{9s}. Leicher led out for 35,000 and was raised by Im to 80,000. Leicher flatted and they saw a turn.

The turn brought the {6h} and a couple minutes of thought from Leicher, who again led for 65,000. Im needed no time for thought and immediately announced all-in. Leicher looked and re-looked at his cards and counted and re-counted his chips before finding a fold. Im would take the nearly 200,000 chip pot.

Im was at it again on the very next hand, calling an all-in of a shorter stack player for 55,000. Im held {Qd}{Qh} to his opponents {Ac}{10c}.

There was a sweat as the flop came {3s}{2c}{5d}, but Im hit his set on the turn of {Qs} and avoided an {Ax} or {4x} on the river to complete the knockout.

Im, who won Event 6 of the Borgata Summer Poker Open for $56,000, suddenly sits with close to 530,000 as play enters Level 18.

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Level 18 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 200

The action at Table 203 was caught on the turn of a board reading {jc} {qs} {ac} {10d}, with Mino Ofaly checking to start the action.  An anonymous player would put out a bet of 26,000 into a pot of 40,000, with Zarah Whimper flatting.  With action back on Mino, he would look up at the dealer and announce himself all-in.  The anonymous player folded his hand fairly quickly, but Whimper needed a count before making her decision.  It was another 42,500 to make the call, and after some thought, Zarah pushed forward exactly that amount.  Mino was first to table his hand, turning over {kc} {js} (turned broadway), and would be leading the {ah} {jh} (two pair) of Zarah.

The dealer placed the {7h} on the river, allowing Mino to exhale and collect the pot worth close to 230,000.  After absorbing the loss, Whimper would be left with less than 100,000 in front of her.

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Level 17 (2,500/5,000/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 350

Level 17 has begun, which means Event 1 Day 1D has transitioned to 40 minute levels and play will continue for another two levels before players bag and tag there chips and return for Day 2 tomorrow.

The numbers of players remaining are not 100% exact, as play is divided between the Event Center and the Poker Room. But, top chip stacks as the players close in on the Day 1 finish line will be as close to accurate as possible.

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Level 16 (2,000/4,000/400)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 390

Larry Olanyk (Gloucester, MA)

Players are now on a 15 minute color up break as the black 100 value chips will no longer be needed as Level 17 (2,500/5,000/500) will begin when play resumes.

But, one player who was playing right to the end of Level 16 was Larry Olanyk (Gloucester, MA) who was involved in a hand with Scott Baumstein.

After a pre-flop raise, Larry had the action checked to him from a player in the blinds, he fired out a bet of 23,000 looking at a board of {4c}{3s}{5s}. Baumstein called and it was heads up to the turn.

The turn brought the {3c} and Larry again fired at the pot, betting 43,000. Baumstein deliberated and then folded.

Larry claimed he “had flopped the nuts” and Baumstein rebutted that he had an over pair.

Larry chipped up to just over 250,000 and Baumstein was knocked down slightly, still sitting with over 275,000. With both of these players being two of the bigger stacks in the room, there could be some more battles between them before Day 1D concludes.

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Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/400)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: TBD

Will Givens (Aurora, CO)

Hidden in the back corner of the poker room (in the Day 1D flight) was a player who would never go unnoticed, other than the fact that he was away from the majority of the field upstairs.  Will Givens (Aurora, CO) won his first WSOP bracelet this summer, besting a field of 1,841 entries in Event #45 ($1,000 No Limit Hold’em).  Givens earned himself over $306,000 along with the new jewelry, pushing his career earnings above $700,000.  Will is sitting just below the Day 1D average, with a neatly piled stack of 125,000 in front of him.  Here are some other counts from the Day 1D tables in the poker room:

John Miller – 235,000
Kenny Rodriguez – 220,000
Jeffrey Yeh – 165,000
Zarah Wimper – 160,000
Anthony Zinno – 155,000
Eric Riley – 154,000
Welther Marmol – 125,000
Will Givens – 125,000
John DeGeorge – 110,000

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Level 16 (2,000/4,000/400)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 390

Richard Ward (Max Meadows, VA)

The action was picked up at Table 2 with Richard Ward leading into two players for 25,000 on a board of {2h}{3h}{6s}.

The first player to act then moved all-in for close to 70,000, the player in late position got out of the way and the action was back on Ward.

Ward was wrestling with the decision, and ended up making the call with {9d}{9s}, much to the dismay of his opponent who held {5h}{5c}.

Ward was fading any {5x} or {4x} as the latter would give his opponent a straight.

The turn and river bricked and Ward was raking in the chips and saying how he knew his opponent wasn’t that strong.

While Richard Ward may seem quiet and easy going at the table, he is not one to be messed with, as all three of his live rated cashes have all been WSOP Circuit Final Tables, one of which was his WSOP Circuit victory in December of 2011.

Ward proudly displays his Circuit Ring everywhere he goes and it was out for all to see as he was stacking close to 200,000 in chips, mid-way through Level 16.

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