Friday, November 11, 2011

Event 3: Two Tables Strong

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Table 1:
1. Karthik P...95,000
2. xxxxxxx
3. Lana O'Brien...320,000
4. Arkadiy Tsinis...150,000
5. Jerry Savino...300,000
6. Adam Greenfield...120,000
7. Jerry Maher...280,000
8. Carmine Napolitano...400,000
9. Ashira Lavine...330,000

Table 2:
1. Paul Longo...477,000
2. Michael Briggs...295,000
3. Justin Friedman...180,000
4. Bryan Seckrettar...65,000
5. Mark A. Sykes...87,000
6. Frank Pasquale...160,000
7. Mike Wolf...220,000
8. Marco Grasso...240,000
9. Dan Roitman...550,000

Event 4: McCaffrey Leads - By a Lot

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

As of the break, Brian McCaffrey was well ahead of the field with 344k.

No other player was over 200k, so Brian has a significant lead on the field.

Blinds are now 2k/4k (level 15).

29 players remain.  Average stack is 99k.

Event 4: Counting 'em Down

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Chris Reslock's short stack was gone and he departed in 32nd place.

Miami John Cernuto's AJ74 improved to a straight to beat a short-stack all-in with K986.  John took out that player in 31st place, so they moved to the final three tables with 30 players remaining.

The player who disappeared before dinner break and never returned was finally blinded off, leaving 29 players.

On the last hand of the level, A-Roz was all-in for 68,500 on a flop of A Q 3 with two hearts.  Chris Brand tanked for a couple of minutes, then folded.  A-Roz showed his AJ22 and said "Ship it!".

The remaining 29 players have been sent on a ten minute break while the 500 chips are colored up.

Event 3: Roitman On Chip-roids

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Dan Roitman (Westfield, NJ) won a huge hand against monster stack James Kaplan.

Both players held a K on a board of 2-3-K-K-6, but Roitman had the better kicker.

Dan's K-Q vs. James K-J crippled Kaplan to 8,500 and shot Roitman up to 600,000 and the tournament chip lead.

A few hands later, Kaplan was bounced out.

On Oct. 20th Dan Roitman won a charity event in NY hosted by Phil Hellmuth for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. At the final table he beat out Phil's siter and his wife.

We'll see if Dan is in the charitable mood with his monster stack. Will he give them away?

In the meantime, the tournament has just broken down to two tables once Grace Sun made a graceful exit.

Event 4: A-Roz Doubles Thru C-Res

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha  

Chris Reslock was sitting on about 60k, but then got all-in against A-Roz.

With all the chips in the middle, Chris tabled AQQ5 (no suit) and was ahead of A-Roz's QJ99 (double-suited).

 A-Roz

Then the board ran out J 9 7 T 5 and A-Roz took the pot with a set of 9s.  He chipped up to about 100k.  Chris was left with less than 15k.

Event 3: Estrogen All-In

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Ashira Lavine & Lana O'Brien

Three women standing in Event 3 and all of them are now at the same table.

Ashira Lavine (Rockville, MD), Lana O'Brien (Bound Brook, NJ) & Grace Sun (Long Island, NY) will battle it out live for the "Last Women Standing" title.

So far Lana is in the lead. She just knocked out a player when her AA held against JJ.

Lana is up over 300,000.
Ashira has 136,000.
Grace has 150,000.

Grace Sun told me, "No worries, all I need is one hand".
Ashira said she is "ebbing and flowing, but growing".
And Lana is expecting a baby next week - soon to be all-out.

Event 4: Random Chip Counts

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha 

Blinds are up to 1,500/3,000.

Down to 33 players.  Average stack is over 87k (29 big blinds).

Rough chip counts for some notables still alive in this event:

Larry Gold -110k
Bo Toft - 100K
Jeremy Schwartz - 70k
Miami John Cernuto - 66k
Ethan Ruby - 45k

Event 3: Chip Counts

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Carmine Napolitano....460,000
Lana O'Brien...260,000
James Kaplan...260,000
Marco Grasso...230,000
Arkadiy Tsinis...220,000
Mike Wolf...220,000

Both players in second refused to believe they were in second.

Of course these counts are just approximates.

The frequent call of "all in" is permeating throughout the Signature room.

Short stacks are getting whacked left and right.

Down to the dirty 30.

Event 4: Dropping Quickly

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha 

Play has resumed with level 13 and blinds of 1k/2k.

A couple of short stacks busted quickly when play resumed, so they are already down to 35 players.

Event 3: Four Tables Remain

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Frank Pasquale (Queens)

Borgata Poker player Frank Pasquale's first goal was to survive the bubble. Mission accomplished as he's sitting on over 100,000 chips after winning all of his key all-in races.

Frank gives a shout out to his wife Nicole and Little Frankie back home following the blog.

32 players remain on four tables.

Blinds at 4000 / 8000 with 500 antes.

Event 4: Color Up Break

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha 

At the end of the level, players took a break while the black 100 chips were colored up.

37 players remain.  Average stack is almost 78k.

 Brian McCaffrey

Brian McCaffrey has claimed the chip lead.  He's up to 265k.

Adam from Manhattan is second with ~210k.

Chris Brand is up to ~165k.


Event 3: Bubble Finally

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Arkadiy Tsinis & Mike Wolf

Arkadiy Tsinis just busted the bubble holding 8-2 off-suit under the gun. "I was at a nice and friendly table then I came over here and all these maniacs...I haven't seen an ace in two days." defended Arkadiy. Arkadiy defeated 2,192 players this summer to win a $1500 NLH WSOP bracelet.

Big blind called Arkadiy's raise - pushing in his last 22,000.

Big Blind tabled A-Q and the 300,000 Arkadiy flipped 8-2.

Q-5-8 on the flop. Opponent's tournament life at risk and the entire room awaiting the bubble.

Five remaining tables have been playing hand for hand for close to an hour.

It all came down to an 8 on the turn.
Arkadiy held the winning hand and knocked out the bubble.

Congratulations to the remaining 36 players who are all in the money and will share a piece of the $37,401 total-buy in cake.

"He should have folded A-Q pre-flop" said Tsinis. This comment caused tablemate Mike Wolf to explain how he trapped Arkadiy just a few hands earlier. Wolf's said he had K-K and decided to trap. In his words he flat called the "sicko" pre, check called a flop of Q-6-7, check called a fourth street 9, then snap called a 35,000 brick-on-the-river bet.

As players go on a quick color-up break, Mike and Arkadiy stick around to joust and snap a photo. I get the feeling it's all in good fun - but we'll see if one of these guys knocks out the other.

Event 4: Brand Double Average

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

As the last few minutes of level 11 (600/1,200 blinds) tick away, there are 44 players remaining at five tables.  Average stack is about 65k.

 Chris Brand

Chris Brand is chipping up nicely.  He was recently relocated to table one with 130k in chips.

Now he's sharing the felt with Jeremy Schwartz, Bo Toft, and Miami John Cernuto, so he's got his work cut out for him.

Event 4: Ruby Doubles

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

On a flop of T 9 8 (two diamonds) Ethan Ruby was all-in and called. 

Ethan held AQJ3 and had flopped the nut straight.  His opponent in seat 4 held AAxx double-suited for the overpair with flush draw. 

 Ethan Ruby being a nut

The 7 of hearts on the turn gave seat 4 another flush draw, but the Ace of Spades on the river gave him a useless set of Aces.

Ethan's flopped-nuts held and he doubled up to about 40k.

Event 3: Birthday Triple Bubble = No Cake

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

So it was Dan Roitman's birthday yesterday but it's Gabriel Ado's birthday today.

Gabriel turned 40 today but went out of the tournament in 39th place as the triple bubble birthday boy.

Gabriel's 50,000 A-K shove failed to crack AA and indeed he goes home with no cake in 39th place.

37th place is the bubble!

Event 4: Back to Back Sets

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha 

Bo Toft was all-in again and doubled up again.  Now he's up to ~50k.

There was a three-way all-in on an A J 7 flop.  Adam from Manhattan was ahead with JJxx for a set.  One of his short-stacked opponents held 7654 for a pair of 7s.  The other short-stack held TTxx of a pair of Tens. 

 Adam from Manhattan

The last two community cards came K 3 and Adam's set held up.  He busted two players and chipped up to about 120k.

On the next hand Adam's QQxx flopped set-over-set against an opponent holding JJxx and he chipped up to about 140k.

Event 3: New Chip Leader

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Carmine Napolitano Stacking Chips

Carmine Napolitano (Waxhaw, NC) gives his Opponent the one-two punch. In the first hand Carmine padded his stack to 250,000 after flopping a gut-shot, turning an open-ender, and rivering a straight.

In the next hand, the same opponent, decided to tangle with Napolitano again.

This time both gentlemen hit top pair on a flop of 10-J-2.

Carmine lead out, Opponent jammed, and Carmine quickly called.

Carmine's A-J vs. J-9.

Turn: 10 River:5

"That guy's been shoving so much today" said one of the tablemates.

With that knockout blow, the man originally from Long Island, is your Event 3 Chipleader with 330,000.

Just three away from the bubble...

Event 3: Veteran Poker Player

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

John Kinney (Orange County, NY) is a veteran poker player. He has years of poker experience under his belt. But he's also an Army Veteran from 1967-1969.

Today we honor all our veterans so John, I'm rooting for you in Event 3.

John is getting closer to the money as 42 remain and top 36 get paid.

Top prize is $37,401 and 36th place gets $831.

Down to five tables in the Signature Room and we're playing this until it concludes tonight.

Event 4: Post-Dinner Play Underway

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Players returned from dinner for level 10 with blinds of 500/1,000. 

Not returning from dinner (since they busted out earlier):
John Lakatosh
Freddy Rouhani
Jimmy Wong
Adam Varrenti
Roland Israelashvilli

Six tables remain.

Event 3: Happy Birthday To You

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Dan Roitman (Westfield, NJ) - 290,000

Dan Roitman wakes up to a beautiful small blind birthday present. Okay, yesterday was his b-day on the tenth. Roitman has pocket tens and calls a bet of 10,000.

Birthday wish comes true as flop falls 3-10-8 with lots of action.

Dan fires 30,000 into the middle followed by two all-in's. Dan calls.

Both opponents show Q-Q. Turn is a four and the river is a nine.

Roitman propels to 290,000 and the chip lead.

"My birthday was on the tenth and now I get a set of tens" said a glowing Dan Roitman as he stacked his presents.

Event 3: Back to Business

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Play resumed after dinner with level 14, blinds 1,500/3,000 with 400 antes.

Not long after play resumed, Mark Sykes was involved in a three-way pre-flop all-in holding AQ suited.  His opponents held pocket Tens (shorter stack) and pocket 6s (larger stack).

When the flop missed everyone, Mark started putting on his shoes in preparation for departure, but when the ubiquitous Ace on the river appeared, Mark pulled those shoes back off and settled back into his seat. 

The shorter stack was busted Mark chipped up to ~170k.

Event 4: Dinner Break

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

At the end of level nine, 57 remaining players were sent on a 50 minute dinner break.  Play will resume at about 8:45pm.

Chinmay Patel (Philadelphia, PA) has edged out Maxwell Harris for the chip lead.  Chinmay has about 135k to Maxwell's 131k.

Chris Reslock pointed out that this PLO event attracted a "gross" of players -- 144.  I've definitely seen some gross beats today!

Event 4: Toft Doubles

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

On a flop of J 6 6, Bo Toft was all-in holding AAxx.  He got called by a player holding KKxx for second-best. 

 Bo Toft

The last two cards came 6 Q and Bo doubled up with sixes-full-of-Aces.  He's up to about 30k.

Looks like Jeremy Schwartz (sitting on Bo's right) is the chip leader with about 105k.

Event 3: Dinner Break Appetizer

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

On the last hand before dinner break Jae Lee (Edgewater, NJ) raises from under the gun and the player on his left moves all in for 45k.

Lee calls and his pocket 10s hold against A x for a nearly 100k chip pot to take his stack to 245k

Lee is just behind Arkadiy Tsinis (Las Vegas, NV), the unofficial chip leader.

Dinner Break Big Stacks

Arkadiy Tsinis 249k
Jae Lee 245k
Jim Parascandola 225k

51 players remain as we're just 15 players from the money. Play resumes at 8:15 pm

Event 3: Dinner Break Bubble

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

With less than 60 players remaining, the dinner break bubble looms. Short stacks not only keep one eye on the clock, but are looking for the floor supervisors to start passing out the food vouchers.

Dinner is at 7:30 pm, but unfortunately Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA), who hit a royal flush early in the day, misses out on the freebie as she's out the door.

Level 14 (1,500/3k/400 ante) is underway and the 40 minute level will be paused after 15 minutes for the hard break.

Event 3: Falling Fast

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Both Charles Furey and Nachman Berlin have busted out over on table 6. 

As the shorter stacks bust out, some large stacks are forming around the room.

Jim Parascandola has reclaimed the chip lead with over 200k.  He just got moved to a different table as they balance the remaining players among the 8 remaining tables.

About 68 players are still in the fight.  Only 36 will get paid.


Event 4: Saul Sacked

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Kevin Saul has busted out.  He was all-in and ahead on the flop with bottom two pair against pocket Aces. 

 Kevin Saul

The board paired on the river to give his opponent a better two-pair hand.

Down to 7 ten-handed tables now.  About 67 players remain.

Event 3: Payouts

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Entries: 357
Total Buy-In: $142,800

Place - Amount

1st $37,401
2nd $20,777
3rd $12,882
4th $10,389
5th $8,034
6th $6,787
7th $5,471
8th $4,086
9th $2,770
10-12 $1,801
13-15 $1,385
16-18 $1,177
19-27 $1,039
28-36 $831

Event 4: Payouts

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Entries: 144
Total Buy-In: $50,400

Place - Amount

1st   $14,665
2nd   $8,067
3rd    $4,644
4th    $3,911
5th   $2,933
6th   $2,444
7th   $1,956
8th   $1,467
9th   $1,100
10-12 $978
13-15 $856
16-18 $733

Event 3: Royal Flushed

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Dever Rakes Chips with Royal

A player moves all in from under the gun for 6,200 and is up against the big stack of Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA).

Short Stack: J 5
Dever: K Q

Flop: Q♣ J 6 (Dever leads with pair of queens)

Turn: A(Dever picks up flush draw)

River: 10(Royal Flush!)

The words aren't comforting, but someone says to the short stack, "at least you lost to a royal."

Dever is now up to 100k.

Blinds (1k/2k/300 ante) are now 40 minutes long.

Marriage Made in Heaven

Event 3: Chip Co-Leaders

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Made my first pass through the No Limit event.  They're down to 80 players already.

I caught the tail-end of a hand involving Ashira Lavine (Rockville, MD).  A short-stack was all-in on a A J x flop, holding AT for top pair.  Ashira (who was the pre-flop aggressor) made the call with KQ (gutshot).

A Queen on the turn gave her second pair, then a Ten hit the river, completing her straight and busting her opponent.

Ashira Lavine & Charles Furey

With that pot she chipped up to about 100k, roughly the same as Charles Furey, who is seated on her immediate left.

Ashira has a WSOP Circuit preliminary win ($21k) and a Ladies event win, along with a 14th place finish in the $1k No Limit event at the 2010 WSOP ($31k) on her poker resume and is looking to book another big finish today.

Event 3: 500 to 50k

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Manning Up

The players on table 4 can't believe that Earnest Manning (Oxon Hill, MD) is still here, let alone that he's climbed to more than 50k (31 BB).

After a 200 ante, Manning was left with one purple (500) chip, which wasn't enough to cover his SB at 600/1,200. Five all-in bets later, he cracked the 40k mark and is continuing to climb.

The most dramatic of Manning's survival is the last one, when he had A♣ 10♣ against his opponent's 9♠ 9♣

Flop: 9 A 7♠ (Opp. set of 9s)

Turn: A♠ (Opp. full house)

River: A (Manning Quads!)

Manning, who was 5% to win the hand after the flop, goes runner-runner for quads.

All this on the heels of a miracle full house two hours earlier when Manning went runner-runner to stay alive after moving all in for his last 5k.

Blinds moving up to 800/1,600/200 ante.

Event 4: Players In Motion

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

James Boyle, who won the Borgata Leaderboard contest during the Borgata Poker Open in September, has busted out of this event.

Austen Johnson, who won the Borgata Leaderboard contest during the Borgata Summer Poker Open in June, has also busted out.  Freddy Rouhani moved into Austen's seat, to the right of Miami John Cernuto.

Table 12 broke and Larry Gold got moved into James' emtpy seat.  He arrived with about 85k in chips which is good now that he shares the felt with Chris Reslock and Roland Israelashvilli.

Larry was lamenting his unlucky table draw, as he thought his previous table was pretty soft.

Also at table 12 is Maxwell Harris (Brooklyn, NY) who looks to be the current chip leader with about 100k.

Event 4: Remote PLOers

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Got a report on the PLO'ers in the other room.

Glenn Englebert is one of them.  He's won a couple of events here at Borgata and specializes in Omaha and Stud.

Manh Nguyen was also seated over there.  He won the $500 No Limit event here during the Borgata Poker Open in September ($39,941).

David Inselberg was playing over there, but has busted out.

Level 4 is done, so registration is closed.

Level 5 blinds are 100/200.

Event 4: Late Arrivals in Action

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Play has resumed after the break with level 4 and blinds of 75/150.

Among the late registrants are WPT title holder Kevin "BeL0WaB0Ve" Saul.  He tweeted this shortly after his arrival:

"Playing borgata $400 pot-limit omaha 20k start showed up 10min ago played 1 hand and busted a guy. 31,250 1st break"

Also before the break, Eric 'Clownfish' Doerr was dispatched to the rail.  John Lakatosh doubled through him first, leaving Eric short.  John is up to ~37k.

Larry Gold then took the last of Eric's chips.  Larry is up to about 26k.

Event 4: Break Time

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha 

Level 3 is done and PLO players are taking ten.

There are still about a dozen people in line at registration.  Late entries will be accepted through the end of level 4 (one more level after the break).

Event 3: Kings for Chess Queen

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Carmine Napolitano (Waxham, NC) opens for 2,300 in the highjack, the button calls (11k behind), and Jennifer Shahade (Philadelphia, PA) reraises all in for 18k.

Napolitano goes in the tank and eventually folds, the button calls.

Button: JJ
Shahade: KK

Shahade's pocket kings hold as the two-time American Women’s Chess Champion gets a much needed double up.

Napolitano says he folded pocket 8s and, with two 8s on the board, would have hit quads.
The a few hands later Napolitano hits a big hand and takes his stack to 80k.

Level 9 (500, 1k, 100 ante) is in the books and players are on a 15 minute break to color-up the green (25) chips. When play resumes levels will be 40 minutes long.

Event 4: More Faces

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Roland Israelashvilli has joined Chris Reslock and James Boyle at table 3.

 Roland Israelashvilli & Chris Reslock

Eric Doerr is now sharing the felt on table 12 with Freddy Rouhani, John Lakatosh, and Larry Gold.

More tables have been opened up for this event over in the Signature Room since all the tables in the Poker Room are in use.

Event 3: Chip Leader

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Jim Parascandola
As the field shrinks to 160 players, Jim Parascandola (Hoboken, NJ) has emerged as the chip leader after fading a flush draw to take his stack to 122k.

Parascandola puts his opponent, who is on a flush draw, all in for 60k. Parascandola's AK, for top pair, top kicker, holds as the turn and river brick.

Another big stack is Grace Sun (Merrick, NY), who has 87k.

Grace Sun

Event 4: Honoring Our Veterans

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

Level three is underway with blinds of 50/100. 

There are quite a few veterans playing Omaha today and I want to take the opportunity to thank all of them for their service.


Event 4: Blinds Up, Tables Up

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

The blinds are up to 25/50 for level 2 (they're halfway through the level already) and more very well known players have arrived.

WSOP bracelet holders Chris Reslock and Freddy Rouhani have joined the field.

Also in action:

Larry Gold
Adam Varrenti
John Lakatosh

Cards are in the air on table 12 and they're calling for more tables as late arrivals need seats.

Event 4: Familiar Faces

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

There are several familiar faces among the 11 tables currently in action:

James Boyle
Austen Johnson
Bo Toft
Miami John Cernuto - 3-time WSOP bracelet winner
Tony Sinishtaj

 Austen Johnson & Miami John Cernuto

Poker4Life.org founders Ethan Ruby and Jeremy Schwartz are also in the field.

Event 4: PLO Underway

$350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha

The Omaholics are underway now in the back of the poker room.  They started with 20,000 chips and levels are 30 minutes long.

Level 1 blinds are 25/25.

Event 3: Chipping Up

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Daniel Yoo (Palisades Park, NJ) raises to 6,500 from the SB and an opponent three-bets all in for 9k more.

Yoo makes the call and is ahead with A 3 vs K♠ Q♠ and hits an ace on the flop to seal the deal.

Yoo now has 65k, about three times the chip average with 240 (of ~350 starting) players remaining.

Event 3: The Merge

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Josh Brikis and Daniel Yoo Relocating

The remaining tables in the Poker Room have been transferred to the Signature Room as all 25 tables are now in the same room.

This helps clear the way for Event 4 (PLO) which kicks off at 3 pm.

Level 7 (250/500/50) is underway.

Friday at Borgata

Poker & Puck

The Veteran's holiday weekend is bringing in a lot of players to Borgata and the Poker Room is hopping this Friday afternoon.

There are currently 47 live tables running with 13 game choices including, NL, Omaha, Stud, and Mixed Games. This is in addition to the 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm tournaments.

You can always find out Live Games running at Borgata with their Live Game Report


And when players take a break they can check out the final day of Savor Borgata, restaurant week. Specialty menus are available at Old Homestead, Izakaya, Fornelletto, SeaBlue, Bobby Flay, and Wolfgang Puck in both three and four course meals.

Wolfgang is next to the Poker Room, while several options are down the hall from the Signature Room.

Savor Borgata

Forget Leaves, Rake chips! And experience fine dining at Borgata.

Event 3: More Vets

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Hector Dominguez (Carteret, NJ)
Vietnam Veteran

John Kern (Harrisburg, PA)
Honoring brother Captain David Kern, Retired U.S. Navy

Dave Goldstein (Vorhees, NJ)
Honoring Pat Tillman, the "Ultimate Vet"

Kerr sums up how most American's feel, "honoring all those who served so we can enjoy the freedom."

Event 3: Case Closed

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

Level 4 is in the books which means registration is closed. More than 350 players are in the field and once the cage verifies the final numbers we'll update the final head count and prize pool.

Level 5 (100/200) is underway.

Event 3: Veteran's Day

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

John Hatalovsky

There are several Veterans playing at Borgata on this Veteran's Day, as we honor the men and women who have served this country.

Meet John Hatalovsky (Roebling, NJ) who served in the Army in the "'40s and '50s," as the exact years are a bit fuzzy from his tour of the Philippines and South Korea.

"I turned 35, yesterday," jokes the senior most player at the table.

Hatalovsky is appreciative of the kind words he's getting today, the anniversary of the end of World War I.

Also known as Armistice Day, November 11 commemorates the armistice, or cease fire, signed between the Allied nations and Germany on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Hatalovsky says he's only been playing poker five years and after "hopefully winning this (tournament)," he'll clear his calendar and make it back for the $1 Million Guaranteed Championship Event (Nov. 20-23).

From all of us on Media Row we thank the Veteran's for their service on this November 11, which, at the time in 1918, was regarded as the conclusion of “the war to end all wars.”

Event 3: Running Good

$400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

The chips are all in on a board of K2♣ 10.

George Ninos: J 5 (flush draw)
Seat 5: A♣ A (pair of aces)

Turn: A (set for Seat 5)

River: 4

"Come on," says the utterly disgusted player who sees his set of aces blown up by the river flush as he's eliminated.

Ninos (Belleville, NJ), who wins the 20k pot, has been running good, as it's the second time this level he's beaten aces.

Marinko Matura (Franklin Square, NY) tells the table that he folded pocket aces on Ninos' river bet when Ninos flopped a full house with a suited K 6.

Ninos is looking for back-to-back cashes after finishing 30th ($666) in Event 2.

Level 3 (75/150) is in books and players are on a 10 minute break.

Leaderboard Update (11/11)

Borgata Fall Poker Open Leaderboard Update

By participating in any Borgata Fall Poker Open event (November 9-23, 2011), players will earn points based upon the Borgata Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Winners will be announced Monday, November 28:
  • 1st Place: $3,500 entry into Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event (January 29 - February 3, 2012) 
  • 2nd - 4th Place: Apple iPod Touch 
  • 5th - 7th Place: Keurig coffee maker 
  • 8th - 10th Place: Nikon digital camera
    Below are the top scores for the Borgata Fall Poker Open Leaderboard contest through November 10th events* (Final Results from events 1, 2, 22 23, 24, 25)

    264.000 PTS:  MICHAEL LYDON (MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY)
    226.150 PTS:  AMANDA MUSUMECI (FLEETWOOD, PA)
    194.175 PTS:  ERIC LISICA (GLEN BURNIE, MD)
    185.888 PTS:  NAVEEN THORATI (MARLBOROUGH, MA)
    184.800 PTS:  MICHAEL MICHNIK (HOLLYWOOD, FL)
    153.025 PTS:  SAHU HABIBI (NEW YORK, NY)
    152.750 PTS:  CHARLES BARRETT (DUNKIRK CAL, MD)
    135.888 PTS:  JOHN DEGEORGE (TOMS RIVER, NJ)
    132.000 PTS:  SON NGUYEN (ELKRIDGE HO, MD)
    128.175 PTS:  ENNIO SORGINI (HOBOKEN, NJ)
    116.160 PTS:  JOHN HINDS (WINTERVILLE, NC)
    113.075 PTS:  CHRISTIAN FARLEY (WEST DEPTFORD, NJ)
    107.868 PTS:  TEDDY WAY (LINCOLN UNIV, PA)
    106.085 PTS:  MICHAEL PETER GREEN (PASADENA, MD)
    104.650 PTS:  TRAY BARNARD (NEWARK, NJ)
    103.688 PTS:  MARK VIDETTO (VERONA, NJ)
    100.320 PTS:  BRYAN MOSSEY (ORLANDO, FL)

    Event 3: New Faces

    $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

    The weekend is bringing out some new-old faces, Borgata regulars who are making their Borgata Fall Poker Open debut.

    George Medrano, Gordon Eng and Barry Leventhal are just some of the heavy hitters who are in the field.

    Other notables spotted in the early going include:

    Adam Lippert
    Larry Gold
    Lee Kirsch
    Jennifer Shahade
    Joey "The B" Brooks
    Cathy Dever
    Austen Johnson
    Dave "Z" Zeitlin
    Roland Israelashvili
    Mike Sica
    Ryan Eriquezzo
    Josh Brikis

    Level 2 (50/100) is underway.

    Event 3: 11/11/11

    $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

    Dealer Tom Z. & Masone Ready to Play

    Human tendency is to find meaning in random data, so some people think today's date, 11/11/11, will be extra special. Unfortunately for the players on table 11, nothing out of the ordinary happened at 11:11 am.

    They players joked that the player in seat one was dealt pocket aces and lost. "Yeah I've been getting eleven," laments Mike Masone (Boston, MA) about his less than stellar starting hands, "7-4, 8-3, 6-5,"

    But the rest of the Borgata gamblers love the number 11.

    In blackjack, it's usually time to double down. In craps, an eleven on the come-out roll is beautiful. And eleven is always popular on the roulette wheel.

    Nothing dramatic happened at eleven seconds after 11:11 am, but we still have the rest of the day and then there's always 11:11:11 pm on 11/11/11.

    Official Media Row Clock

    Event 3: No Second Chances

    $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

    After crowning two champions early this morning, players get a fresh shot at a Borgata Fall Poker Open title. But this time there are no second chances, as this is not a re-entry tournament.

    Tables 1-25 are in the Signature Room and another 10+ are in the Poker Room. Players start with 12k in chips and levels last 30 minutes.

    Blinds start at 25/50 and the cards are in the air!

    Friday, November 11

    Today's Events (Poker Room/The Signature Room)

    11AM: Event 3 - $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em
    • Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
    • Levels 1-10: each will last 30 minutes | Levels 11+: each will last 40 minutes
    • 1-Day event
    3PM: Event 4 - $350 + $50 Big Stack Pot Limit Omaha - High Only
    • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
    • Levels will last 30 minutes each 
    • 2-Day event

    7PM: Event 26 - $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty No Limit Hold'em
    • Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips 
    • This is a Bounty No Limit Hold'em tournament.  Players must have their Bounty Chip clearly displayed in order to remain active in tournament.
    • Levels will last 20 minutes each 
    • 1-Day event

      Event 2 Recap

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      For a great affordable buy-in of $300, 480 total entries were in the field, but only one came out on top.

      Her name is Amanda Musumeci. She was the second to last woman standing at the 2011 WSOP Main Event but at Borgata she is a Champion.

      It was a tough field as she had to navigate through Borgata notables such as, Austen Johnson, Adam Lippert, Al Riccobono, Eric Siegel, Kelly Armentrout, Lee Kirsch, Mike Summers, Larry Gold, Eric Doerr, Mike Castaldo, James Boyle, and Mike Dentale.

      Dentale ended up being the triple bubble in 48th place while former Borgata Champ, Russel Crane was the bubble boy in 46th place. Adam Lippert flirted with the chip lead then had JJ run into QQ. But in a sea of Bro-gata's, who put up their share of the $124,800 total buy-in, it was a woman from North Philly who shined.

      Amanda basically ran the final-table and always seemed to have one better when the cards flipped over.

      Sahu Habibi will add 2nd place money, $17,856, to his wedding fund scheduled for next August. Third place of $10,895 went to Christian Farley .

      But once again your Event 2 Champion is Amanda Musumeci who hoisted the trophy for her mom and dad and added $30,925 to her live tournament bankroll. Amanda runs well in on-line turbos, adjusted her game according to today's 30 minute blind structure, and took down all 5,760,o00 chips in play.

      She zigged when she should have zigged and zagged when she should have zagged. Full of in-your-face attitude but with a certain smile and charm, Amanda is the definition of EAST COAST POKER.

      Event 2: 1st Place - Musumeci

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Amanda Musumeci (Northeast Philly, PA)
      $30,925

      Congratulations to Amanda Musumeci who was the last woman standing and also the last player standing. Amanda outlasted all 480 entries and just took down her first major live tournament.

      She was especially happy to take home the hardware which she'll showcase for Mom and Dad (Lisa London & Michael Karff) who can't have any more doubts that their daughter can play.

      So was Amanda running good? I'd say she knew what to do with good cards the times she was fortunate enough to get them. She was able to induce action when needed. She definitely has game and used everything in her arsenal.Link
      Quite frankly the boys didn't stand a chance.

      Jeff "Gorilla" Shurilla's earlier post recaps Amanda's journey thus far. I'm sure we'll be seeing her at many more Borgata final tables.

      Event 2: 2nd Place - Habibi

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Sahu Habibi (New York, NY)
      $17,856

      Sahu Habibi finished in 2nd place earning $17,856.

      Event 2: 3rd Place - Farley

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Christian Farley - $10,895

      Christian Farley adds $10,895 to his wedding fund. He's getting married next August and is using his Borgata winnings to put something special together for his fiancee.

      Once Scott hit the rail the action increased rapidly and a tournament conclusion came quickly.

      Christan Farley finished in 3rd place earning $10,895.

      Event 2: 4th Place - Armon

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Scott Armon (Haymarket, VA)
      $8,777

      In just a couple hands Scott Armon went from fourth place chips to first place back to fourth then out.

      First he won a race and doubled thru against another short stack, Christian Farley. Scott's A-8 vs. Christian's 10-J. Scott improved on a board of Q-5-8-4-Q.

      Then he was so crippled it took a few minutes to get an accurate count. Here's what happened.

      Armon limped with A-10 and Amanda raised. Scott jammed all-in and Amanda insta-called.

      Scott's A-10 vs. Amanda's A-Q. Board of 2-5-A-K-A spelled near defeat for Scott who commented he didn't realize how many chips he had before the hand.

      His last 100,000 tumbled in the next hand while all three other players called and check it down.

      This is Scott's biggest Borgata payday. Keep watching him for the rest of the Fall Poker Open as he'll be here for the duration. He'll be taking home the cake to share with wife Michele and daughter Daniella. Scott says, "Luv ya" to both!

      Scott Armon finished in 4th place earning $8,777.

      Event 2: 5th Place - Byrd

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Timmy Byrd (Hamden, CT)
      $6,900

      The very next hand after Eli's departure had Timmy Byrd raising with Q-J in the small blind only to mix it up with Opponent's A-K. Big slick held up sending Timmy to the showers.

      Byrd is a contractor who also runs a poker podcast called filthylimper.com

      Timmy Byrd finished in 5th Place earning $6,900.

      Event 2: 6th Place - Loewenthal

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Eli Loewenthal (Indianapolis, IN)
      $5,750

      Amanda opened for 175,000 and Eli re-shoved for 900,000. Amanda called.

      Eli's K-Q of hearts vs. Amanda's A-Q off.

      Board bricked out except for a meaningless queen on the river.

      Amanda is running the table and takes out another victim.

      Eli Loewenthal finishes in 6th place earning $5,750.

      Event 2: 7th Place - Gatmaitan

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Joe Gatmaitan (Philadelphia, PA)
      $4,600

      Joe held the chiplead several different times today but just ran into the current chip leader, Amanda Musumeci.

      Joe shoved two hands back to back. In hand 1) he shipped 400,000 and nobody called. In hand 2) he jammed again. Amanda took a moment then called tabling 6-6 in the big blind.

      Joe Gatmaitan was not out of line - in fact he was pretty strong holding A-K.

      Off to the races with Joe's life on the line. Board ran out, 8-4-5-Q-J.

      Joe works for Union Steamfitter LU420 and wanted to say hi to his co-workers and friends.

      He'll be back for more Borgata Fall Poker Open fun tomorrow.

      Event 2: 8th Place - Wiley

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Jim Wiley- $3,511

      End of the road for Jim Wiley who got it in with A-4 but ran into Scott Armon's 5-5.

      Jim Wiley finished in 8th place earning $3,511.

      Event 2: 9th Place - Phung

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Cuong Phung (Atlantic City, NJ)
      $2,421

      Now it's Amanda Musumeci's time to get A♣ A♠ and have them hold up. Amanda pads her tournament chip leading stack to 1,750,000 after felting Phung.

      Cuong Phung raised, Amanda paused then quietly said, "I'm all in". Everyone folded except Cuong who called and tabled A K.

      "What a cooler" said Cuong once the board of 24 4♣ 4♠ 6♠ ran out.

      With the blinds at 20,000 / 40,000 Phung said there's no way he could fold AK suited there with his size stack (about 300,000).

      He'll take home $2,421 for his day at the office.

      Players are on a ten minute color-up break.

      Cuong Phung finished in 9th place, earning $2,421.

      Event 2: 10th Place - Golden

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Sean Golden (Centreville, VA)
      $1,574

      You're at the final table looking to make a move and you wake up to pocket aces. That's what just happened to Sahu Habibi. Sean Golden also had a quality hand with A-J and called off his remaining 340,000 after Sahu's UTG shove.

      Sahu had to sweat out a gutterball but in the end knocked out Golden in 10th place.

      Event 2: Final Table Chip Counts

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Final Table of Brogata's And one Poker Chick

      Seat....Name....Chips
      1. Cuong Phung...200,000
      2. Scott Armon...600,000
      3. Amanda Musumeci...870,000
      4. Eli Loewenthal...690,000
      5. Joe Gatmaitan...900,000
      6. Christian Farley...600,000
      7. Timmy Byrd...560,000
      8. Sean Golden...340,000
      9. Jim Wiley...590,000
      10. Sahu Habibi...400,000

      Joe Gatmaitan is your chip leader with Cuong Phung the short stack.

      Playing this out until its conclusion.

      Don't forget that cool engraved Borgata trophy that will also be awarded to the winner along with $30,925 smackers.

      Event 1 Recap

      $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      The $400 + $50 Deep Stack No Limit opening event of the inaugural Borgata Fall Poker Open drew a massive field.  After all the entries and re-entries were counted, there were 970 entries for the opener.  Total buy-ins of $388,000 crushed the $200,000 guarantee.

      Notables who played, but busted out on day one:
      Dave Zeitlin; Ryan Eriquezzo; Mayor of Lakewood, NJ, Steven D. Langert; Josh Brikis; Eric Siegel;  Keith Crowder; WPT title holder Kevin Saul; and Matt 'Muffins' Mazzeo.

      Play continued for about 15 hours on day one until the money bubble burst and only 90 players remained.  The final 90 returned for day two, guaranteed to take home at least $828.

      Among the returning 90 were three WSOP bracelet holders:
      'Syracuse' Chris Tsiprailidis was the first to go.  He finished 25th ($1,769).
      Mike 'Little Man' Sica was next.  He took 19th place ($1,769).
      Arkadiy Tsinis busted out in 17th place ($2,145).

      Ben Klier made the WPT TV final table of the Borgata Poker Open in September 2010, finishing 6th for over $148k.  Today, his luck ran out in 22nd place ($1,769).

      Brothers Bryan and Donald Mossey both played this event and both made it all the way to the final table.  Older brother Donald busted out in 6th place ($16,748) and younger brother Bryan finished 5th for $20,700.

      The final three came down to Son Nguyen, Michael Michnik, and Mike Lydon.

      Son Nguyen (Myrtle Beach, SC) was third in chips at the start of day two and wound up finishing in third place.  Son is 28 years old and this was his first ever live tournament.  Poker is just a hobby for him -- he owns two restaurant franchises and that's how he makes his living.

      After doing so well on day one, he washed his lucky shirt in the sink and hung it up in the room overnight so he could wear it again on day two.  Now that he's picked up $30,109 for third place, he plans to play some more tournaments over the next few days.

      Michael Michnik (Hollywood, FL) is a local poker pro who plays tournaments and cash games ($5/$10 No Limit and higher).  He's been playing for about 10 years and has amassed over $375k in reported tournament earnings.

      Over the last two years, he had 11 cashes and 2 final tables at the WSOP, but hadn't had much luck here at Borgata.  Perhaps the birth of his son David two weeks ago has changed all that.  Michael was 74th out of 90 players returning on day two but made it all the way to second place, good for $49,868.

      Mike Lydon (Woodside, NY) is a field tech for Verizon and poker is just a hobby for him.  He's been playing for about five years, without many reported results.  He had one small cash and a final table during the Borgata Summer Open in June 2011, finishing 5th for $5,219.

      Mike was 15th in chips at the start of day two and ran with the pack until shortly before the dinner break. WSOP bracelet holder Arkadiy Tsinis was all-in and ahead with pocket Jacks.  Mike held pocket Tens and spiked a Ten to bust Tsinis and take the chip lead.

      He held on to that chip lead for the remainder of the tournament, busting five of his nine opponents at the final table, and wound up sitting behind all 24 million chips in play.  For winning this event he earned $84,682 and his largest tournament cash ever.

      Mike has to return to his day job, but hopes to come back and play some of the other Deep Stack events during the Borgata Fall Poker Open.

      Event 2: Lockwood Buzzsawed

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Phil Lockwood (Suffern, NY)
      $1,574

      Phil Lockwood is out in 11th place. He picked up A-J and jammed his short stack. Unfortunately for Phil, Amanda Musumeci woke up to A-K in the big blind and snap called.

      Amanda's A-K held as she absorbed all of Phil's chips. Right before going to two tables, Phil kept getting whacked on close races. He'd bleed 100,000 here and another 100,000 there.

      The teacher and avid Jets fan told me he'll see everyone tomorrow. For all of Phil's fans following the blog, he played well and just fell short of the final table of ten players.

      Both Flop Straight Flush Draws

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Neil Destefano (Lindenhurst, NY)
      $1,574

      Wild last hand for Neil Destefano who was down to just a few thousand and called Phil Lockwood's 225,000 shove.

      Neil shows 6 6 up against Phil's 10 8 .

      Both players pick up a straight flush draw on a flop of 7 4 5 but Phil holds some blockers.

      Board finishes runner, runner 10♣ 10♠ giving Phil Lockwood the scoop and knock-out.

      Good run for Neil who finishes in 12th place. He'll be back to try again in a few more Borgata Fall Poker Open tournaments.

      Neil's brother Robert was sweatin him on the rail and Neil says hi to his daughter Gia.

      Event 1: 1st Place - Lydon

      $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Mike Lydon sent the last WSOP-bracelet-holder-sitting, Arkadiy Tsinis, home shortly before the dinner break and in the process, claimed the chip lead.

      Mike held on to that chip lead and used his big stack to crush the competition.  He busted five of his nine opponents at the final table, never relinquishing the lead.

       Mike Lydon (Woodside, NY)
      $84,682

      Event 1: 2nd Place - Michnik

      $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      At the start of heads-up play, Mike Lydon had almost a 3 to 1 lead over Michael Michnik.  Mike had about 18 million chips to Michael's 6.4 million.

      They traded jabs a little, then Michnik moved all-in from the button for ~7 million.

       Michael Michnik (Hollywood, FL)
      $49,868

      Lydon called, showing K4.  Michnik held pocket 2s for a very slight lead.

      A King hit the board giving the lead, the pot, and the tournament to Mike Lydon.

      Michael Michnik finished in 2nd place, earning $49,868.

      Event 2: Gone But Not Forgotten

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Larry Ribaudo - (Fairlawn, NJ) - $1,211

      Larry Ribaudo was down to 2 big blinds when he was forced in with 9-3 off vs. Timmy Byrd's Q-2. 9-3 didn't improve and Larry gets lanced in 13th place.

      14th - Peter Devito - $1,211
      15th - Lee "Lucky" Kirsch - $1,211
      Lee turned a flush but Cuong Phung called and rivered a bigger flush.
      16th - Joakam Brochard - $956
      17th - Bryce Fox - $956
      18th - Katherine Baxter -$956

      Katie Baxter got it in good with 10-10 but never felt confident up against A-8. She said she's been losing those flips all day and sure enough a river 8 brought the pain and the 18th place finish.

      That makes Amanda Musumeci our Last Woman Standing.

      Event 1: 3rd Place - Nguyen

      $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Here are the rough chip counts at the start of three-handed play:

      Mike Lydon - 11.6 million
      Son Nguyen - 6.8 million
      Michael Michnik - 5.8 million

      It didn't take long...

      Son Nguyen (Myrtle Beach, SC)
      $30,109

      Son Nguyen was all-in holding pocket 4s and way behind Mike Lydon's pocket Queens.  They both improved to a set when the flop came Q J 4.  Only the case 4 would save Son, but it did not appear.

      Son Nguyen finished in 3rd place, earning $25,216.

      Event 1: 4th Place - Hinds

      $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      In a battle of the blinds, John Hinds was all-in from the small for about 1 million.

      Michael Michnik looked him up from the big, showing T6 off.
       
      John Allen Hinds (Winterville, NC)
      $25,216

      John was ahead with Q8 suited, but by the river, Michael had trip Tens and over 5 million chips.

      John Hinds finished in 4th place, earning $25,216.

      Event 2: Final Two Tables

      $260 + $40 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

      Table 1

      1. Scott Armon
      2. Lee "Lucky" Kirsch
      3. Cuong Phung
      4. Christian Farley
      5. Joakim Brochard
      6. Timmy Byrd
      7. Larry Ribaudo
      8. Sahu Habibi
      9. Sean Golden

      Table 2
      1. Phil Lockwood
      2. Peter DeVito
      3. Jim Wiley
      4. Katie Baxter
      5. Joe Gatmaitan
      6. Bryce Fox
      7. Neil Destefano
      8. Eli Loewenthal
      9. Amanda Musumeci

      Congrats to everyone for making the final two tables.