Event 1 (Day 1D)
Level 15 (1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: TBD
Jeffrey Yeh (Bethesda, MD)
While Bobby Sembler leads the way with 200,000 in the Event 1D portion of the Event Center, it’s Jeffrey Yeh (Bethesda, MD) sitting with 240,000 in the poker room. Jeffrey only has three recorded cashes to his name, but just under $60,000 in lifetime tournament earnings. During the 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, Yeh final tabled the $350 No Limit Hold’em Deepstack event, finishing in seventh place and collecting $42,742.
There are some other sizable stacks in the room, but nothing close to what Jeffrey is holding. A few notables are seeing some success as well, as Anthony Zinno (Boston, MA) and Jack Duong (South Plainfield, NJ) are both over the 100,000 mark.
The Day 1D flight will end at the conclusion of Level 18, and with the bagging and tagging process to follow, action should come to an end around 9:00pm (don’t forget that levels transition to (40) minutes beginning with Level 17).
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 390
Chris Serafin (Kenilworth, NJ)
Big stacks are always considered “bullies” at the table, but it takes a real big stack, who’s not afraid to lose some chips, to make some of the calls Chris Serafin has been making.
In a recent hand, a short stacked player moved all-in over a raise from Serafin for close to 30,000 and Serafin called with {10s}{9s} because “we were just talking about ten, nine of clubs and it’s close enough”.
His opponent held {Kd}{5s} and was drawing dead on the flop of {10d}{9h}{10h}.
Everyone at the table, other than the eliminated player had to laugh, as it seems that most of the day has gone like that for Serafin, who is currently the far and away chip leader with just under 400,000.
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 390
Bobby Sembler (Staten Island, NY)
The action was picked up on a flop of {7s}{4h}{5c} as Bobby Sembler (Staten Island, NY) moved all-in over top of the flop raise of an unknown player.
Sembler had led out and was raised to 43,000 and his all-in total was just shy of 90,000, which would have his opponent all-in as well.
After a few moments of thought, his opponent called, turning over {9c}{7c}. Sembler turned up {7h}{5h} for top two pair.
Sembler just had to fade a few outs and did so as the {10h} and {3s} completed the community.
Sembler, who cashed in Event 1 of the Borgata Summer Poker Open, is all of a sudden one of the top stacks in the room with just under 200,000 mid-way through Level 14.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 390
Chris Asaro (Jupiter, FL)
The action was picked up on a flop of {9d}{Jd}{2h} with a semi-short stacked Chris Asaro moving all-in for close to 40,000 and getting called by an unknown player, who had Chris covered by about 20,000.
The cards were turned up and Chris was on a flush draw, holding {Qd}{3d}, with his opponent holding a pair with {9h}{8d}.
The turn brought the {8c} which improved Chris’ opponent to two pair, but, gave him even more outs to draw to as he now also had a gut shot straight draw.
His opponent could be seen mouthing, “no diamond, no diamond” as the dealer pealed the river card and the Poker God’s listened as the {10s} came out. But, that completed the gut shot draw, saving Chris’ tournament life.
His opponent could do nothing but count his ten big blind stack and be left thinking what could have been as Chris would stack up close to 130,000 in chips mid-way through Level 13.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Players Remaining: 400
Some Borgata Poker regulars took to the internet to share how their stacks were fairing on the break and it seems that Mike (@JDramaNJ) said it best, as a “heater” is definitely needed by most of the short stacks in the room if they plan on bagging chips to make Day 2.
Need to run it up these next 4 levels before last break! 40k at 2k!! Let's Gooo
— JK (@JKgrinds24) September 4, 2014
After level 12 got 74.8k at @BorgataPoker Event 1 $2 Million Guaranteed purse. #BorgataPokerOpen
— Antonio Payne (@Anthony_1Payne) September 4, 2014
43.7k coming back to 1k/2k/300 after break. Heater needed
— Mike (@JDramaNJ) September 4, 2014
Players are encouraged to use the #BorgataPokerOpen or #BPO and tag @BorgataPoker in all their tweets regarding the Borgata Poker Open.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Jay Newkirk (Newark, NJ)
Players are now on a 15 minute break and will return to Level 13.
There are currently 40 tables remaining with an estimated average chip stack of 63,200.
But, there are some players who are crushing that number with just under 4 hours of play left in Day 1D including Jay Newkirk (Newark, NJ) who is currently sitting with 165,000.
Also with more than double the average stack heading into the back half of Day 1D play are:
Shawn Radley – 180,000
Guy Maxtone-Graham – 170,000
Roger Wellman – 135,000
Larry Olanyk – 130,000
Ari Buchman – 125,000
Ron Leicher – 120,000
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Brian Mooney (Queens, NY)
The action was picked up on a board of {6d}{8h}{As}{5d}{4d} with Brian Mooney (Queens, NY) leading into an opponent for 7,500.
His opponent would min-raise to 15,000, leaving himself with under 10 big blinds behind.
Mooney thought for a couple moments and then made the call. To Mooney’s pleasure, his opponent announced “King high” for a unsuccessful bluff attempt.
Mooney then turned over his {Ah}{7d} for a rivered straight. It may seem like a standard call, but Mooney would also have been in the sub 10 big blind “danger zone” if he were to make the call and be incorrect, so his tournament life was more or less up to that decision.
The river diamond made a flush possible, but Mooney made the “hero” call. He now sits with just over 50,000 in chips.
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1000/100)
Total Day 1D Entries: 1,264
Mike Dostaler (East Patchogue, NY)
The key word in that title is “yet” and as every poker player knows, a hand isn’t over until all the cards have been dealt.
The action was picked up as Mike Dostaler (East Patchogue, NY) was contemplating the all-in raise of an unknown opponent.
Dostaler had the action checked to him on a flop of {10s}{Qh}{5s} and would bet out close to 8,000 before being raised to 18,000 total.
He took close to two minutes to make the call and when the cards were turned up, Dostaler holding {Ac}{Js} against his opponent’s {Kd}{Qc} would say, “I don’t have anything yet.”
Well, he had “something” on the turn, as the {Kh} came, giving his opponent an inferior two pair to his broadway straight.
The river would not complete the full house and the short stacked opponent was left shaking his head as he walked towards the rail.
Dostaler on the other hand, would be collecting the close to 45,000 chip pot and close in on the 150,000 chip mark mid-way through Level 10, making him one of the bigger stacks in the room.
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
With the registration window now closed for the Day 1D flight of Event 1, the official number of entries ends up at 1,264. That number combined with the 1,572 from the first three flights gives us a total of 2,836 entries going into the final flight of the tournament (Day 1E at 4:00pm). It looks as if most (or all) of the Day 1E flight will be hosted in the main poker room downstairs, with updated coverage picking up the moment the cards are in the air. We have already seen the arrival of one new face for the flight, as Allen Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) announces on Twitter:
Just registered for $560 @BorgataPoker $2 million guarantee event flight 1e. Will be at borgata thru @WPT main event #BPO
— Allen Kessler (@AllenKessler) September 4, 2014
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1000/100)
Players are back from the post-Level 9 color up break and that means that late registration/re-entry into Day 1D of Event 1 has ended.
Do not fret though, as there is still one more Day 1 session to be played. Day 1E is kicking off within the hour and the registration line for that session has been growing for the last half hour.
Day 1E will be held in both the Poker Room and Event Center, so be sure to check with an avail