Pre Event
The $350+$10 Single-Table Single-Hand Satellites were a big hit yesterday, so Borgata will be running as many as needed for interested players, beginning at 12 noon in the Event Center. The winner of each (1 out of 10) will talk away with $3,500 cash, just what they need to enter the Championship event!
The area just inside the Event Center doors is where they’ll be running, starting at noon, so come on down!
Darren Elias, posses with some of the Borgata Poker staff after winning the WPT BPO Championship.
On behalf of fellow bloggers “MaXelroD” and “jamesk”, that wraps up our coverage of the 2014 Borgata Poker Open.
In total, over $6,600,000 in prize money was distributed over the course of 24 Main Events, including a $2 million GTD and a $1 million GTD tournament, which both unveiled a live streamed Final Table, a Borgata Poker first.
The series culminated with the biggest WPT BPO Championship in history, with over 1,200 players crushing the $3 million guarantee that was put on the event.
That event, which was also live streamed and recorded to go on television during the WPT Season XIII broadcast, was won by Darren Elias (Cherry Hill, NJ), his first major poker title after Final Tabling two previous WPT tournaments.
On top of the WPT Champions’ Cup that Darren won, there were 23 Borgata Poker Open trophies awarded over the last three weeks, and they now belong to:
Event 1 – $2 Million GTD $500 + $60 Big Stack NLH – Jonathan “Nolte” Evans – $337,801
Event 2 – $450 + $50 Omaha Eight or Better – Ming Reslock – $8,556
Event 3 – $350 + $50 + $100 Deep Stack NLH w/ Black Chip Bounty – Jack “Kash” Kashishian – $45,305
Event 4 – $450 + $50 Omaha H/L Eight or Better – William DelSanto – $14,014
Event 5 – $100,000 GTD $350 + $50 Deep Stack Saturday Series – Jerry Maher – $60,801
Event 6 – $50,000 GTD $500 + $60 Mix NLH/PLOH Deep Stack Six Max – Thomas Balla – $20,661
Event 7 – $400 + $50 – Deep Stack NLH – David Jackson – $19,209
Event 8 – $500 + $60 – Borgata Ladies Championship – Liping Zhang – $10,185
Event 9 – $400 + $50 – Big Stack PLOH – Timothy Place – $10,320
Event 10 – $1 Million GTD $350 + $50 Deep Stack NLH – Sergio Vigano – $168,875
Event 11 – $500 + $60 – Six Max NLH – Joey Couden – $23,629
Event 12 – $260 + $40 – Big Stack NLH – Rudy Tjin – $26,081
Event 13 – $1,500 + $150 Heads Up NLH – Joe McKeehen – $37,248
Event 14 – Inaugural Mike Sica Memorial Seniors NLH – Jim Plate – $24,196
Event 15 – $200,000 GTD $1,000 + $90 Six Max NLH – Marshall White – $79,134
Event 16 – $450 + $50 H.O.R.S.E. – Kevin Nettles – $14,514
Event 17 – $100,000 GTD $350 + $50 Deep Stack Saturday Series – Will Givens – $49,894
Event 18 – $500 + $60 PLO HL 8B Six Max – Jim Collopy – $15,787
Event 19 – CSOP Charity Tournament – Amanda Musumeci
Event 20 – $3,500 WPT BPO Championship – Darren Elias – $843,744
Event 21 – $500 + $60 NLH – Amir Babakhani – $27,708
Event 22 – $260 + $40 Deep Stack NLH – Ted Ely – $45,755
Event 23 – $300 + $40 Deeper Stack NLH – Vishal Patel – $17,353
Event 24 – $200 + $30 Deepest Stack NLH – Gene Pink – $22,948
This has truly been another amazing series here at The Borgata, and once again this poker room and casino has set itself apart as the pre-eminent poker destination in the country.
Thank you to the players, who made it easy and enjoyable to watch and follow them throughout each and every tournament.
Thank you to friends, families and poker fans that followed the blog; we hopefully put out a product that was easy to read, informative, and gave you the feeling that you were right in the middle of the high octane action.
Thank you to the tournament staff, dealers and tournament directors, who again proved why the Borgata is so successful. Every tournament was run like a well oiled machine, there really are no better people in the poker world than here at Borgata.
And lastly, a huge thank you to the people behind the scenes throughout the Borgata Poker Open. The marketing team, the social media team, the IT department, the XPress HD live stream crew, the WPT team. Without you, the BPO would not have been what it was.
Everyone played a roll in making this another spectacular series, which is what you have come to expect from The Borgata.
We wish you luck, both on and off the felt, and look forward to seeing you at the next Borgata Poker Open.
Thank you again,
“Will OC”
Day 3 of the 2014 WPT Borgata Poker Open had many different story lines unfold throughout the day, but by the end of the day, one man grabbed all of the spotlight. There was a money bubble early in the afternoon, past winners making runs at another Borgata title, and a host of other notables who came and went over the course of the day, but in the end, Day 2 of the Borgata Poker Open ended up being all about Jean Gaspard.
Jean Gaspard (Evanston, IL) started Day 2 with 302,000, but steadily climbed up the leaderboard, seemingly winning any critical pot that he entered. When the final second ticked off the last level of the day, Gaspard had put a lot of separation from the rest of the field, bagging up 5,464,000. His next closest competitor Blake Bohn, sits on 2,951,000. If you remember yesterday’s coverage, Blake missed about (45) minutes of action after the bubble burst, when he needed medical attention. Rounding out the top three is Zo Karim, who ended the day with 2,260,000. There are 31 players returning at 12:00pm for Day 4, which is scheduled to play down to the televised final table (6-handed).
Bobby Oboodi is a former champion of this event, and his dream to win a second Borgata Poker Open title is still alive, but he will be back with one of the shorter stacks at 371,000. Regardless of how his stack looks at the moment, he did outlast last year’s champ Anthony Zinno, who made the money, but was eliminated in 65th place.
When play began on Day 2, there were 150 players in the running, 120 of which were going to be getting paid. The bubble burst courtesy of Tom Dobrilovic, who ran top pair into an overpair to go out in 121st place. Some of the notables who made the money included Mukul Pahuja (104th), Ebony Kenney (91st), Russell Thoma (86th), Mike Sexton (85th), John Racener (62nd), Dan O’Brien (53rd), Jamie Kerstetter (52nd), and Ryan Riess (39th). That doesn’t mean that Day 4 doesn’t bring back a myriad of notables, including Cornel Cimpan, Darren Elias, Justin Zaki, Barry Shulman, Erik Cajelais, Matt Glantz, and Kane Kalas.
Once all of the Day 3 action had wrapped up, there was still some unfinished business being handled for those remaining in Event 22. It was just hours ago that Ted Ely (New York, NY) won his first ever Borgata Poker trophy, besting Reggie Lopez (Dominican Republic) heads-up to win the title and $45,755.
Event 23 kicks of the action today (which has moved to the main poker room), with this $300 + 40 Deeper Stack No Limit Hold’em event expected to once again attract a sizable field. All of the action begins at 11:00am, and you can follow everything throughout the day, here on the Borgata Poker Blog!!!
Day 2 of the Borgata Poker Open began with 606 hopefuls remaining from a field of 1,226 entries. Players returned to play eight more levels, and when the dust settled at the end of night, there would be 150 players remaining. There will be 120 spots paid for this championship event, meaning the money bubble will be reached only a few levels into Day 3.
On top of the chip counts is Blake Bohn with 807,500, with Ray Qartomy (623,000) and Justin Zaki (618,000) rounding off the top three stacks at the end of Day 2. Darren Elias (594,000) and Mukul Pahuja (562,000) are looking to make returns to a WPT final table, both sitting with double the chip average. The defending WPT Borgata Poker Open champion Anthony Zinno is still alive and returning for Day 3 with an above-average stack (287,500).
Other notables to make it through the day included Marshall White (552,500), Aditya Agrawal (469,000), Bobby Oboodi (458,500), Eric Calejais, 2013 WSOP Main Event champion Ryan Riess (388,000), Byron Kaverman (342,000), Jamie Kerstetter (279,000), and former NBA champion Malik Rose (217,000). There was a large group of notables that would not make it through Day 2, including Matt Stout, Loni Harwood, Shaun Deeb, Carlos Mortensen, Jared Jaffee, Matt Salsberg, Keven Stammen, former NFL star Richard Seymour, and Will Failla.
Day 3 play will resume at 12:00pm, and with action so close to the money, you definitely don’t want to miss any of the live coverage here on the Borgata Poker Blog. This structure affords players a ton of deep play, so the schedule for the day is to play down to (27) players. You can expect to see Event 20 chip counts and seating assignments within the next hour, so check back shortly.
That’s not all the action that will be going on in the Event Center, as Event 22 ($260 + 40 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em $100,000 Guaranteed) kicks off at 11:00am.
It’s a funny thing how any given day can play out, as we’re sure Darlene Lee (Burnbary, Canada) would tell you. Darlene started the day with an issue at the airport, where they lost her luggage as she arrived in New Jersey, trying to get to Day 2 of the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship. Lee eventually left the airport without luggage, but with the hopes that they would find her things, clearly not the mindset you want to go into a major poker tournament with. Maybe Darlene needs to lose her luggage more often, because she would end up bagging the chip lead for the Day 1B starting flight (254,900), and find out that her things were actually found (and she adds a pair of Monster headphones to the checked luggage)!!!
The Day 1B starting flight (826 total entries) was more than double what we saw walk into the Event Center the day before (400 total entries). The announcement was made by the WPT that the 1,226 total entries was the fourth largest field in their storied history, and the third largest here at Borgata. There were a total of 171 players that bagged chips at the end of Day 1A, with an additional 435 successfully doing the same when play ended last night.
The list of notables that bagged chips from the Day 1B flight seemingly goes on forever, but there were certain names that stood out. Former professional athletes Richard Seymour and Malik Rose managed to join actor James Woods, as the three names lead the “A-List” into Day 2. Some of the “A-List” poker pros to also complete the feat included Paul Volpe, Matt Glantz, Shaun Deeb, Jared Jaffee, Jamie Kerstetter, Ebony Kenney, Matt Salsberg, and former Borgata WPT champion Dwyte Pilgrim.
The players who bagged chips for Day 2 will return to action this afternoon at 12:00pm, all looking to make it through the day and put themselves in contention for the $3,900,000 prize pool. There will be 120 players that make the money in this event, with $843,744 going to the eventual winner. If you would like to find out where you are sitting for Day 2, just CLICK HERE to find an alphabetical listing of players and table/seat assignments.
That’s not all the action in the Event Center today, as Event 21 begins in less than an hour (11:00am). The $500 + 60 No Limit Hold’em Re-Entry event should attract a strong crowd (and nice sized field), as this is the first trophy to run since the beginning of Event 20 on Sunday.
The Event Center was full with some of the biggest names in poker during Day 1A of Event 20 ($3,300 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship), but it would be a name familiar to Borgata that ended up bagging the chip lead. Benny Bianco’s (Franklin, NY) career highlight came two years ago when he won Event 1 of the 2012 Borgata Poker Open ($309,196), besting a field of 3,705 entries. Bianco has just five recorded cashes in the years since the win, but he’s got his name on top once more, bagging an unbelievable 389,000 (returning with 426 big blinds). Andrew Atkinson (240,000) and Allyn Shulman (231,200) would round off the top three stacks from this opening flight, which saw a total of 172 players bag chips (from 400 total entries).
The Day 1A field saw notables from all over the poker world converging on the Event Center, including 2013 Main Event winner Ryan Riess, Carlos Mortensen, Maurice Hawkins, Shawn Cunix, Dan Shak, Ray Qartomy, and Melissa Burr. Among the notables who made it through the day are Travell Thomas (196,600), Cornel Cimpan (166,900), Darren Elias (126,100), James Calderaro (100,700), Matt Affleck (85,100) and Mike Leah (77,800). Defending champion Anthony Zinno made it through to Day 2, finishing the day with 146,900.
Some of the players who did not make it through the field today include Tyler Patterson, Jared Jaffee, Jonathan Little, Matt Salsberg and WPT Season XII Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja.
Day 1B kicks off at 11:00am, and with it being the last chance for players to get into this prestigious event, it’s sure to be a very busy day. Registration is open until the start of Level 7, which is after the dinner break for the day (8:20pm). If you’re a fan of Borgata Poker…or poker in general, you will not want to miss the updates throughout today’s play. Action kicks off in just under an hour, with live coverage resuming once the cards are in the air!!
Yesterday was really an incredible day, with four Borgata Poker trophies handed out over the course of (24) hours. Now we may say it was yesterday, but really only of of those players were crowned the winner before the clock struck midnight, and that was Kevin Nettles (Pottstown, PA). Nettles came in the short stack at the Event 16 ($450 H.O.R.S.E) table, but managed to make it to heads up play with Nicholas Scafidi. Once again Kevin would have to overcome adversity, entering play with Nicholas as a 2-1 dog in chips. It took one critical hand during Razz to turn things around, and Nettles ended up almost matching his career earnings with this one win, earning himself $14,514, and a new trophy for his mantle.
Next it would be Marshall White (Garner, NC) besting Jacob Ostrander heads up to win Event 15 ($1,000 + 90 NLH Six-Max), picking up his largest tournament cash to date ($79,134). It was said days ago, that whoever ended up winning Event 15 was going to have to earn it, and White did just that. He best not only a field that will only be matched by the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship, but a final table consisting of players like Mike Linster (3rd Place), Christian Harder (4th Place), Danny Lee (5th Place), and Cornel Andrew Cimpan (6th Place). While Marshall gains the recognition for winning the event, one of the stories to note would be Cornel Andrew Cimpan’s arrival over an hour late to Day 2. He was blinded down to 8,000 in chips (three big blinds), but managed to build it back and reach the final table.
The crowning would continue, as Will Givens (Aurora, CO) took down Event 17 ($350 Deep Stack Saturday Series NLH $100,000 Guaranteed), basically hitting cruise control once her reached the final table. This event attracted a huge field once again, with the announcement of 612 total entries once registration was closed. The Borgata title only adds to the incredible year Givens is already having, making this his 3rd largest cash of the year. He finished 1st and 4th in No Limit events this summer at the WSOP for $306,634 and $84,680. Givens took home $49,894 for his 1st place finish and a Borgata Poker Open trophy.
And lastly, just hours ago, it was Jim Collopy (Washington D.C.) likely eating breakfast before bed after winning Event 18 ($500 + 60 PLO Hi/Lo 8B). Jim is no stranger to the limelight, with over $1,300,000 in lifetime earnings. Collopy was one of the more experienced players at the table despite the fact he’s still just a college student. He will take home $15,787 for his win, as well as his first poker trophy.
And now it’s time to look forward, as the $3,300 + 200 WPT Borgata Championship NLH Re-Entry ($3,000,000 Guaranteed) begins in less than (30) minutes. It’s a tournament that players mark on their calendar each and every year, and one of the most popular stops on the WPT each season. There will be no other main events going on in the Event Center, with all eyes focused on what will be one of the strongest fields you’ll see of any tournament…anywhere. All of the day’s action will be updated live, here on the Borgata Poker Blog, so make sure to keep up with it all!!!
With the two live streamed Final Tables of Event 1 and Event 10 in the rearview mirror, the focus of the Borgata Poker Open and the poker world turn to the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship Main Event.
The $3,500 WPT Championship boasts a $3,000,000 Guaranteed prize pool and qualifiers will be running in the Borgata Event Center all weekend.
The first qualifier ran last night and there are six over the next two days to win your way into this prestigious WPT Championship, for a fraction of the price.
The first qualifier of the weekend fired off close to an hour and a half ago, with registration staying open for another few levels. But, the complete schedule for all qualifiers is listed below.
Saturday, September 13 – 12 PM – $700 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 5)
Saturday, September 13 – 3 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Saturday, September 13 – 7 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Sunday, September 14 – 12 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Sunday, September 14 – 3 PM – $700 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 5)
Sunday, September 14 – 7 PM – $500 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 7)
There is also a $350 + $50 Survivor side event on Monday at 10 AM, that will award 1 in every 10 entrants $3,500 cash, conveniently the entry fee of the WPT Championship Event and that should end just in time to make the late registration of Day 1B.
Don’t miss your opportunity to win your way into the WPT Championship for as little as 10% of the entry fee.
We crowned two new Borgata Poker champions yesterday, with two more to follow today. All in all, it’s another busy day on tap in the Event Center. The live streamed Event 10 final table was filled with drama and suspense, and when everyone was finally able to catch their breath, it would be Sergio Vigano (Santo Andre, Brazil) getting his picture taken with the Borgata Poker trophy. Vigano went from middle of the pack with nine players remaining, to chip leader fifteen minutes later, and never ever looked back. Vigano entered heads-up play against Dave Fox with a 6-to-1 chip advantage and only needed 25 hands to put the finishing touches on an excellent tournament that started 4 days ago. For outlasting the 2,783 other entrants, Sergio took home $168,875. For a full recap of the event, from the first post on Day 1A to the final post last night, just CLICK HERE.
Then in the early morning hours today, Jim Plate would join an elite group of players who are able to say they’ve won two Borgata Poker trophies in their lifetime. Plate would seize control of the Event 14 ($350 Inaugural Mike Sica Seniors (50+) NLH) final table, finally besting Michael Barrow heads up to win this prestigious event. Plate would add $24,196 to his career earnings, but it was really a win for everyone involved in the event, as they offered a tribute to one of the kindest souls that ever graced our poker community.
While all of this exciting action was unfolding, there were still to Day 1’s going on as well, as the $1,000 Six Max NLH ($200,000 Guarantee) and $450 H.O.R.S.E were playing down to fields that would return today. The Event 15 ($1,000 Six Max NLH) field crushed the guarantee stamped on the event, with 48 players bagging chips for Day 2 from 333 total entries. Ryan D’Angelo (480,000), Christian Harder (388,200), and Jacob Ostrander (325,500) round off the the top three stacks returning, a literal who’s who of the poker world. Day 2 for Event 15 begins at 12:00pm, and will play down to a winner this evening. The same can be said for the Event 16 H.O.R.S.E., as those players able to bag chips at the end of the night will head back down to the Event Center at 12:00pm as well, to take care of some unfinished business.
And if that;’s not enough action for you, how about three more “one-day” events starting today, meaning there will be FIVE trophies handed out over the next 24 hours. Here is the schedule of play for the day:
11:00am: Event 17 $350 + 50 Deep Stack Saturday Series NLH Re-Entry $100,000 Guaranteed
12:00pm: Event 15 (Day 2) $1,000 + 90 Six-Max NLH Re-Entry $200,000 Guaranteed
12:00pm: Event 16 (Day 2) $450 + 50 H.O.R.S.E
1:00pm: Event 18 $500 + 60 PLO HL 8B Six Max Re-Entry
5:00pm: Event 19 $130 + 40 + 140 CSOP Charity Tournament
While the live streamed Final Tables of Event 1 and Event 10 are getting most of the attention for the first half of the Borgata Poker Open, the center piece event, as is every September, is the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship Main Event.
The $3,500 WPT Championship boasts a $3,000,000 Guaranteed prize pool and qualifiers will be running in the Borgata Event Center all weekend.
The first qualifier started at 7 PM tonight and late registration is open for another 20 minutes. That qualifier is a $350 + $50 Championship Qualifier, which was award 1 seat for every 10 entries.
But, the bulk of the qualifiers are running on Saturday and Sunday, with the complete schedule listed below.
Saturday, September 13 – 12 PM – $700 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 5)
Saturday, September 13 – 3 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Saturday, September 13 – 7 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Sunday, September 14 – 12 PM – $350 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 10)
Sunday, September 14 – 3 PM – $700 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 5)
Sunday, September 14 – 7 PM – $500 + $50 WPT Qualifier (1 in 7)
There is also a $350 + $50 Survivor side event on Monday at 10 AM, that will award 1 in every 10 entrants $3,500 cash, conveniently the entry fee of the WPT Championship Event and that should end just in time to make the late registration of Day 1B.