Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 125
Mike Jimenez (Staten Island, NJ)
“What’s the biggest stack look like at the moment,” Mike Jimenez asked as the media as he stepped away from the table. Jimenez made it known that he had 230,000, which means there is only one larger stack in the room at the moment, and that belongs to Anthony Balliette (260,000).
While looking for other big stacks in the room, Jimenez would witness Greg Weber double, as he calls an opponents all-in pre and immediately turns over his {ad} {ac}. Weber would be up against {js} {jh}, and after the runout of {4c} {9c} {3s} {kh} {8s}, Greg would chip up to 120,000.
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 150
Dan Dizenzo (Vernon, NJ)
Two short-stacked players were all-in and covered by Dan Dizenzo. Dizenzo not only had all the chips, but he had the best cards to boot.
Dizenzo: {As}{Kh} Svetlana Shuster: {8h}{7h} Player X: {Ac}{7s}
Flop: {10h}{3c}{2d}
Turn: {5h}
River:{Kd}
Things got interesting on the turn when Shuster picked up a flush draw. The unidentified player was still alive as well and searching for a {7x}. Dizenzo didn’t need to pair his {Kh} on the river to win the hand, but he did so anyway.
Dizenzo now has close to 150,000 chips, which could be bad news for everyone else in the room. He has cashed in 63 tournaments since August 2010 and has more than $400,000 in lifetime earnings.
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 150
While less than a third of the total entries from Day 1A now remain, the opportunities are still their for players looking to bag chips going into Day 2. The four starting flights that remain are scheduled as such:
Day 1B – Wednesday, September 3 (10:00am)
Day 1C – Wednesday, September 3 (5:00pm)
Day 1D – Thursday, September 4 (10:00am)
Day 1E – Thursday, September 4 (4:00pm)
Here are some of the notables to bust short of bagging:
Will Failla
Andrew Lydon
Matthew Milliken
Terry Grimes
Dan Buzgon
Liberty DeVivo
Gordon Eng
Paul Spitzberg
Frank Inguardia
Stephanie Hubbard
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 150
Jeff Phan (District of Columbia)
The action was picked up on the board of {Jc}{3s}{7c}{7s} with Jacob Smith leading into Jeff Phan and another unknown player for 20,000.
Phan then moved all-in for close to 15,000 more and the unknown player who was last to act was wrestling with a decision and ultimately folded. The Smith was priced into a call and the cards were exposed with Phan, momentarily holding the best of it with {As}{Jh}.
Smith held {Kc}{5c} for a flush draw, that would not connect as the {6d} fell on the river. Doubling Phan up to nearly 80,000 and crippling Smith.
The extremely aggressive Smith, who was not making many friends with his style of play, was then eliminated in the very next hand and the table seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, as play would “get back to normal” once he had departed.
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 200
Vladimir Tikhoirov (Barnegat, NJ)
Just over a half hour ago, Vladimir Tikhoirov (Barnegat, NJ) was sitting with an average stack of 50,000. On the last hand before break, Vladimir three-bet an opponent pre and the two players saw the dealer place down a flop of {6s} {6h} {4c}. After his opponent checked the flop, Tikhoirov continued with a bet of 11,000. His opponent immediately check-raised all-in for 32,000 total, and Vladimir took little time before calling:
Player X: {as} {4s}
Tikhoirov: {10h} {10d}
The rest of the runout would bring the {kd} and {7d}, giving Vladimir the pot and eliminating his opponent. “What are you doing shoving there, I tried to tell you,” Vladimir said to his adversary as they left the table. Tikhoirov would go to break with just over 95,000, but has since trended steadily upward during Level 13. He now sits with 190,000, and has a top ten stack of those remaining as the level transitions.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 210
Joe Reddick (Bronx, NY)
The action was picked up at one of the most recognizable tables as Joe Reddick was involved in a hand with probably the only unknown player at the table.
On a flop of {7d}{Kd}{6d} Reddick led into the unknown player for close to 5,000 and would be called.
The action went check, check after the {10s} came on the turn.
Reddick would get back to betting after the {Jh} came on the river, firing out 9,900. Reddick would get shot a glance from his opponent, confused by the “unclean” size of the bet. “99 problems” whispered Reddick as the dealer counted out the chips.
The opponent would eventually call, only to see Reddick turn over {8d}{9s} for a winning straight, vaulting him close to the 100,000 chip mark.
Reddick is coming off of a spectacular summer, as he has reached five Final Tables since May, finishing in the top three in three of those tournaments. His most recent score was in late August, when he finished 2nd in the $1,650 NLH Eight Handed at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open, good for $26,812.
If he continues his summer streak into September, everyone might have 99 problems with “Joe Black” by the end of the Borgata Poker Open.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 220
Rich Rodrigo (Toms River, NJ)
It took less than 3 minutes since the last break for Rich Rodrigo to win a big hand and knock an opponent out of the opening event of the 2014 Borgata Poker Open. Rich was sitting in the big blind with Dead Man’s Hand and way behind pre-flop, but he got there on the river.
Rodrigo: {Ac}{8c} Player X: {As}{Qs}
Flop: {Kc}{Qc}{2h}
Turn: {9h}
River: {2c}
Rich’s opponent paired his {Qs} on the flop, which would have all but killed Rich’s chance of winning the hand except for the fact that the flop also gave him four clubs. When the {2c} spiked on the river, Rodrigo added the 18,000 chips that used to belong to the other man, stacking up to around 65,000.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 220
Anthony Balliette
With six levels left to play, there are some players who are separating themselves from the pack headed into break.
With this being a Day 1 and with tons of poker left to play in Event 1, it would be incorrect to say players are “chasing” the current chip leader, but someone has to carry the torch and that player is Anthony Balliette, who is currently leading with 210,000.
Demir Edis – 150,000
Mike Jimenez – 140,000
Parbhu Dyal – 135,000
Son Nguyen – 120,000
Dan Wach – 105,000
Jonathan Kramer – 95,000
Matt Salzberg – 85,000
Joe Reddick – 80,000
The chip average is near 50,000.
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 220
While some chip counts are collected the conventional way, via pen and paper, others are given to us via social media like Twitter:
Around 150k going to 1k/2k
— Dan DiZenzo (@dazedace) September 2, 2014
70,200 coming back to 2k/300. Piled randomly a couple times, went 1-1. #BPO_1 — Michael Marder (@MMarder86) September 2, 2014
130k heading into 1k-2k
— Eric Rappaport (@Rappy300) September 2, 2014
46,500 on break coming back to bb 2k — Chris Leong (@ChrisLeongPoker) September 2, 2014
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 502
Players Remaining: 230
Greg Weber (Howell, NJ)
“Can’t get rid of this kid,” said several people at Table 20 as Greg Weber was surviving another hand and claiming another victim.
All of the betting action took place pre-flop with one player all-in after calling Weber’s raise. Another player two seats to Weber’s right was deliberating a call after limping into the hand, but ultimately folded to leave the others heads up with their cards up.
Weber: {10h}{9h} Player X: {Ac}{Jh}
Flop: {Ks}{9c}{7h}
Turn: {6h}
River: {4c}
Weber hit middle pair on the flop and added a straight flush draw on the turn, but his opponent never got anything from the board before heading to the rail.
A good percentage of Weber’s chips were in the middle, but he still would have had chips to play with if he had lost the hand.
While stacking up his new chips, Weber commented to the other players at the table, “Never go all-in. That’s how you win tournaments.”
The strategy has worked pretty well in the past for Weber. His first recorded and biggest career cash came during the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open, where he won a $300 + $50 NLHE event.