Event 20 (Day 5)
Level 36 (200,000/400,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 36,780,000
Darren Elias celebrates his WPT BPO Championshipwith Mike Sexton, Lynn Gilmartin, Vince Van Patten, the Royal Flush Girls and his family.
Poker fans have seen the look a thousand times before; the look of excitement, disbelief, surprise, pure ecstasy when the final card comes down and the player realizes that he has won the tournament.
That look is multiplied times a hundred when it’s a WPT Championship, and Darren Elias had “the look”.
His rail, led by his father, brother, wife, family and friends, shared the same look, and were all there to rush him after the final card fell, hugging the young poker player after the biggest moment of his professional career.
Elias, who is one of the humblest people you will meet, both at and away from the poker table, was all smiles once the WPT Champions Cup was brought out, and once he got behind almost $850,000 of cold, hard cash.
This was the biggest cash of Elias’ career, and now has over $2,500,000 in live tournament earnings.
Elias, who is nicknamed “The End Boss” for how tough he is to play against at a Final Table, has come close to a WPT title before, as he Final Tabled this exact event back in Season X of the WPT.
Elias would hang around the WPT set in the Signature Room for interviews, a trophy presentation and some more interviews, and has just left to enjoy this amazing achievement with his family and friends.
Congratulations to Darren Elias, the WPT Borgata Poker Open Champion.
Here are the final table results for the Season XIII Borgata Poker Open:
1st: Darren Elias – $843,744
2nd: Kane Kalas – $500,364
3rd: Jose Serratos – $308,067
4th: Aaron Overton – $259,012
5th: Blake Bohn – $213,999
6th: Ray Qartomy – $174,637
Level 36 (200,000/400,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 36,780,000
Kane Kalas (Coral Gables, FL)
Kane Kalas came into the WPT BPO “official” Final Table as the chip leader, and scored four knockouts at the televised six handed table.
But, he couldn’t get the final knockout punch and couldn’t get a piece of Darren Elias all day.
While Kane bossed the rest of the table, the two biggest hands of the day went to Elias, at the hands of Kane. The first was a flush over flush situation, a hand that seemingly jumpstarted Elias’ day. The second, would be the last of the tournament when the big slick of Kalas, ran into the two pair of Elias.
Kalas, like you’d expect, was extremely gracious in defeat. Despite the $500,000 score, players always seem to have a bitter taste in their mouth when they are so close to victory, especially in an event as massive as a WPT Championship.
But, Kalas seemed anything but bitter, and the smile on his face told the story of someone who was extremely happy with, not only the result, but also the opportunity that he had today.
This is easily the biggest score of Kalas’ career, and this is without a doubt not the last time we will hear about Kane Kalas, on, or off the felt.
Kalas finishes in 2nd place, for $500,364.
Level 36 (200,000/400,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 36,780,000
Darren Elias – WPT Borgata Poker Open Champion – $843,744
Close to ten minutes after the break, the cards would get turned up with both players having monster hands, with Kane Kalas all-in and at risk.
Kane would open the action pre-flop to 1,125,000 and Elias would call.
The flop would come down {10s}{7h}{4c} and Elias would check, call a bet of 1,525,000 from Kane.
The turn would bring the {Kd} and Elias would again check to the pre-flop aggressor. Kalas would bet 3,225,000 and Elias would get a count of the chips and go into the tank, momentarily.
After a few seconds, Elias would move all-in and Kane would snap call for 13,250,000.
Kane would table {As}{Kh} for top pair, top kicker, but Elias would turn over {Ks}{4h} for a turned two pair. Kalas would need to hit a four to stay alive.
The river would bring the {3s} and a roar from Elias’ rail, marking the beginning of the celebratory WPT trophy celebration.
Elias earns $843,744 for his WPT BPO Championship victory, which includes a $15,400 entry into the WPT World Championship, also to be held at The Borgata.
He also wins a pair of Monster 24K Headphones, a Hublot King Power Unico watch and his name will be engraved on the WPT Champions Cup.
Level 37 (250,000/500,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000 (36 Big Blinds)
Players are now back from break and will resume with Level 37.
These players are super deep (even deeper than some players in our “Deepest Stack” Event 24 that is currently going on in the Borgata Poker Room).
With that being said, this could go down as one of the longest heads up matches in WPT Borgata Championship history, as neither of these players look like they are willing to give an inch.
Level 36 (200,000/400,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
Close to ten minutes after Darren Elias took the chip lead from Kane Kalas, players are now on a quick break before they return to Level 33.
Elias will hope that this break does not disrupt his momentum, as he has been chipping away at Kalas over the last half hour or so.
Elias currently has 20,225,000, with Kalas slightly behind, with 16,600,000.
Play will resume in 15 minutes.
Level 36 (200,000/400,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
Over the course of the last few hands, Darren Elias has taken control of the chip lead for the first time during this Final Table.
Elias would open to 900,000 and Kane Kalas would call.
The flop would come down {Kh}{10d}{9h} and Elias would throw out a continuation bet of 1,100,000 and Kalas would quickly fold.
Everyone in the Signature Room thought that a massive pot had developed during the previous hand, but it ended up being a chopped pot, with both players breathing a sigh of relief on a board of {Ac}{7h}{5c}{5d}{7d}.
Elias is now up to close to 20,000,000, with Kane sitting at 17,000,000.
Level 32 (150,000/300,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
We have now seen (27) hands dealt since heads up play started, and we may have gotten a handful of rivers, and only a couple of showdowns. That hasn’t stopped fans from filling the signature room audience to watch these two play things out. Well known poker professional Scotty Nguyen (Las Vegas, NV) has taken a seat in the crowd, here in preparation for Sunday’s WPT Monster Invitational.
Updated chip counts:
Kane Kalas – 18,850,000
Darren Elias – 17,975,000
Level 32 (150,000/300,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
While we have a moment during this heads-up battle (which looks like it will be a marathon), we found some Tweets from players that have busted today’s final table:
Super happy to make a deep run and win a quarter milli in the @BorgataPoker @WPTlive! Busted to a great player and friend, @KaneKalas!
— Aaron Overton (@AronOvertime) September 20, 2014
Sucks. The reason I raised so much is because I wanted it to look bluffy. Never folding pre there. I get my other options. PlayToWin
— Blake Bohn (@bkbohn) September 19, 2014
Level 32 (150,000/300,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
Darren Elias has won nine of the first twelve hands of heads-up play, and has closed the gap that was once 2-1. The updated chip counts at the moment are 20,625,000 (Kalas), and 16,200,000 (Elias). Most of these heads up hands are either won before or on the flop, with only a few going to the turn. There has yet to be a hand to go to showdown, and this is what you can expect for a while, unless these two pick up some big hands at the same time.
Level 32 (150,000/300,000/50,000)
Total Entries: 1,226
Players Remaining: 2
Chip Average: 18,390,000
There is a short break in the action as the level moves up, with players about to be posting blinds of 150,000/300,000/50,000. Here are the updated chip counts from break:
Kane Kalas – 20,475,000
Darren Elias – 16,350,000
Play should resume (along with live coverage) at approximately 8:00pm.