Sunday, November 13, 2011

Event 6 Recap

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Congratulations to Craig Feldherr who practically drove down his entire home game from Long Island to Borgata and just took down Event 6.

In the end Craig beat out 362 players all vying for a chunk of the $94,120 Total Buy-In.

Everyone started at 11am with 25,000 deep stack chips but the first 15 levels were only 15 minutes long, making this Event a turbo. Beginning with level 16, blinds increased to 30 minutes transforming the structure into a semi-turbo.

This event also allowed re-entry, which meant any player who busted out during the first 8 levels (two hours of play) could re-enter (as many times as their bankroll allowed).

Some familiar faces in the poker world and Borgata community Craig had to contend with included: Jerry Maher, Tony Sinishtaj, Lee Childs, Sirous Jamshidi, Paul Spitzberg, Howard Wolper, Kelly Armentrout, Guyana Petrossian, Son Nguyen, Chris Edwards, Matthew Piccolo, Joe Boatwright, Sumit Kumar, Marguerite Spagnuolo, Steven Levy, and Michael Buttacavoli.

36 players all cashed once chip leader John Del Rossi (Mantua, NJ) won a hand with two pairs, kings over fours knocking out a short stacked bubble boy.

Joe Santoro (Franklin Square, NY) was the chip leader on dinner break with nearly 1.5 million. Joe went on to final table, finishing in 6th place for $4,474. Santoro's big score came when he called the all-in bet of Gionni Demers (Jackson, NJ) with AK against Demer's pocket 2s. Santoro spiked a king on the river to win an 800k chip pot. Demers cashed but fell short of the final two tables.

The 2011 Borgata Fall Poker Open has already ushered in several WSOP heavy hitters including Demers who finished 20th in this year's Main Event.

The final table included Jonathan Diolosa, Borgata regular Wooyang Lin, John Del Rossi, Poker Pro Sirous Jamshidi, Chris Deoliveira, Vinny Pizaro, Joseph Santoro, Arkado Gadelov, Craig Feldherr, and Nam "David" Sou.

Lots of people watched this one from the rail in the Signature room and they certainly got thrill after thrill. These dealers were dishing out more suck outs than I've seen since the Open began.

Ironically enough, Nam and Craig came down together and play in the same home game. Nam finished 6th in a sick hand where he flopped the nut flush then lost to a runner, runner full house. A couple other of Craig's home game railbirds were Michael "3-Queens" who finished 33rd, and Stevie-B.

Del Rossi was in a ton of pots, tanked frequently, and was controlling the final table until he went out in 4th place after flopping top pair against Vinny's flopped set of deuces.

As you would expect in a turbo event the action was fast and furious. It felt like "All-In's" every other hand as the blinds kept ballooning. Even the heads up was wrapped up in three or four total hands and these guys had plenty of chips to play some poker.

Right before the clock struck midnight, third place of $8,491 went to veteran poker pro, Sirous Jamshidi and $13,694 was awarded to Plant Operator, Vinny Pizaro who got it in good holding A-Q but couldn't outluck Craig Feldherr who hit his Q-5 three-outter on the flop.

When you're hot, you're hot! With that hand, Craig Feldherr reached a goal he set for the Borgata Fall Poker Open. He stated that he just wanted to make a five-digit cash. How about $2-4-6-4-6 to take back to your Long Island home game representing your largest cash ever?

As Craig sat in front of all 9.1 million tournament chips and hoisted the trophy, he said out loud, "I love this place". Borgata thanks you and loves you back! Congratulations again.

Event 6: 1st Place - Feldherr

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Craig Feldherr (Long Island, NY)
$24,646

Congratulations to Craig "Black Mariah" Feldherr who just earned his largest cash ever in a Borgata or any poker tournament.

"I love this place" said Craig who set a goal to earn a five digit cash during the Fall Poker Open. With $24,646 first place prize I'd say that goal was definitely met.

Craig was also psyched to take home the trophy. Good bragging fodder for his home game in Long Island. Some of the boys were playing and rooting Craig on to the victory from the rail including, Michael "3 Queens", Stevie-B, and Nam "David" Sou.

In fact Nam Sou finished in 5th place. Both home game pals were playing for a ton of money at the final table in Event 6. And Stevie-B finished in 33rd for $548.

Craig credits a key early double up as the hand that started a run that just kept going. "I turned a flush then made a tough call for all my chips, fortunately I was right" explained Feldherr.

Craig applauded and complimented many of his opponents, sometimes after hitting a miracle card against them. Since he was so gracious to everyone else, I now applaud his game and the way he took down Event 6 and the top prize of $24,646. Congrats again!


Borgata Is My New Home Game!

Craig Feldherr finished in 1st Place earning $24,646.

Event 6: 2nd Place - Pizaro

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Vinny Pizaro (East Meadow, NY)
$13,694

Vinny Pizaro is a plant manager from East Meadow, NY.

The first thing he said when he lost heads-up against Craig Feldherr was, "I want a cigarette...I've been waiting so patiently".

Midway through the tournament Vinny was down to only 2000 chips and made an incredible comeback all the way to the Final Table.

Seemed like the best hand going in at this final table rarely would hold up. In Vinny's case he shipped with A-Q and got called by Craig's Q-5. Vinny had the entire deck except for three outs.

You know how this story ends.

Board of 5-10-8-Q-2 gave Feldherr the win and Pizaro second place.

Vinny Pizaro finished in 2nd Place earning $13,694.

Event 6: 3rd Place - Jamshidi

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Sirous Jamshidi (Philadelphia, PA)
$8,491

Sirous Jamshidi jammed his last 1,000,000 with A-7 and was feeling good until a six hit the river.

Craig Feldherr called his all-in holding K-6 and knocked out Jamshidi on fifth street.

Sirous is a Borgata Regular who admitted this tournament had his stack up and down. He made some great moves at the final table and his big hands held up when necessary.

"If that six doesn't hit then maybe it's a different ending" said Sirous.

Sirous Jamshidi finished in 3rd Place earning $8,491.

Event 7 (Ladies) Recap

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Oh, baby! Lana O'Brien's incredible weekend came to an end with a victory in the Ladies tournament. It comes just 48 hours after she finished second in Event 3 and 6 days before she's due to give birth.

"I'm playing well and obviously running well, definitely running hot," says the soon to be first time mom. "I'm excited and relishing the time I have now, because I won't have any when the baby comes."

O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) beat Canadian Tracy Rouse (Toronto) heads up, when her pocket 3s held against AQ, to take the title and the $6,694 first prize.

"I was patient most of the day and never really in jeopardy until the end," says Rouse, who took home $3,861. "That's where you have to get lucky to win."

Rouse and O'Brien traded the big stack back and forth at the final table until O'Brien had a 6 to 1 chip lead after knocking out Beverly Engelbert (Erial, NJ) in third place ($2,119). That hand was another case of "run good," when her pocket 2s survived her first of back-to-back coin flips to win the title.

The field featured a lot of notables and Borgata regulars, and several of them made the final table including Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ) 6th/$1,116, author Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ) 7th/$892, and Cecelia Garrander (Manalapan, NJ) 8th/$669.

Notables who cashed, but missed the final table included Jamie Kerstetter 18th/$335, Patti Haggerty 16th/$335, Nancy Martin 14th/$390, Jane Gold 13th/$390, and Amanda Musumeci 11th/$446, who won Event 2 ($30,925).

The day began with 115 ladies, who put up the $23,000 total buy-in. Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ), who has three final tables in the last five ladies events, was the early chip leader, but faded down the stretch and missed the money.

The rest of the final table included: Jeanine Royce (New York, NY) 4th/$1,785, Xhevahire "Joanna" Telag (New York, NY) 5th/$1,339, Mona Montal (Rockland, NY) 9th/$502, and Christine Familetti (Broomall, PA) 10th/$446.

A couple of interesting family poker connections include Engelbert's husband, Glenn, who won two Borgata events this year. Gold (Paramus, NJ), the mother of 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion Jamie Gold, while Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) is the mother of professional player Michael Martin, who has $3.2 million in career earnings.

But the most important mother of the day is soon to be grandmother Frances Maier, O'Brien's mom. She was the designated driver and chauffeur for the 1 1/2 hour trip from south-central Jersey.

O'Brien spent the day in Atlantic City, despite not knowing a thing about poker, to support her daughter and the families first grandchild.

"Even though I'm a week away, I don't feel like kid is ready to come out," said O'Brien, who carried a boy to the Ladies final table, "But it was nice to have my mom here for the win."

O'Brien said the weekend was fueled by poker adrenaline and that the $27,000+ earned this weekend, including nearly $21,000 in Event 3, will be a big help for her and husband Kevin.

Event 7 Champion: O'Brien

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ)
$6,694


O'Brien's remarkable weekend run ends on a high note when her pocket 3s holds against the AQ of Tracy Rouse to take the Ladies title. It comes on the heels of her second place finish ($20,777) in Event 3 and as she's nine months pregnant.

Special assist goes to her mother, Frances Maier, who was designated driver and chauffeur. Maier spent the day in Atlantic City, despite not knowing a thing about poker, to support her daughter and the families first grandchild.

Lana O'Brien wins the title, the trophy and the $6,694 first place prize.

Lana & Mom

Event 7: 2nd Place - Rouse

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Tracy Rouse (Toronto, Canada)
$3,681

After trading chips with Lana O'Brien at the final table, Rouse doesn't overcome a 6 to 1 chip disadvantage to finish in second place.

This is Rouse's first trip to Borgata and says that the more poker she plays, the more she's traveling to play in ladies events.

Tracy Rouse finishes in second place and takes home $3,681.

Event 7: 3rd Place - Engelbert

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Beverly Engelbert (Erial, NJ)
$2,119

Engelbert is all in against Lana O'Brien for a one million chip pot.

Engelbert: A♠ 4
O'Brien: 2 2♣

Engelbert doesn't win the flip and is done for the day. She's the wife of Glenn Engelbert who's won two events at Borgata in 2011.

Beverly Engelbert finishes third for $2,119.

Beverly & Glenn

Event 7: Lana Gets'em Back

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Lana O'Brien gets her chips back with a double-up through Tracy Rouse.

O'Brien: A♣ K♣
Rouse: Q♠ Q

O'Brien flops a king, turns two pairs, and rivers a flush to double 323k and vault into the chip lead, while dropping Rouse to 250k.

Event 6: 4th Place - Del Rossi

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

John Del Rossi (Mantua, NJ)
$6,847

Nobody could believe John Del Rossi was out. Dealer had to count to make sure but when the dust settled, John was covered by Vinny Pizaro and made an honorable exit.

Here's the hand that took him out. Vinny's 2-2 vs. John's K-Q.

Action flop for both players where Vinny spiked a set of deuces and John hit his King.

Turn and River bricked out giving Vinny a monster pot and sending Del Rossi to the rail.

As he left, some players applauded John saying, "You're a great player".

The Borgata regular told me he was happy to cash.

Every time I looked up John Del Rossi was in the tank making an important decision.

Look for more Del Rossi in upcoming Fall Poker Open Events.

John Del Rossi finished in 4th Place earning $6,847.

Event 6: 5th Place - Sou

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Nam Sou is out of Event 6. He's a little camera shy so no exit picture.

This was easily the hand of the tournament - really the hand of the entire FALL POKER OPEN.

People were literally jumping out of their seats and running around the Signature Room. This is why we all play the game.

Unfortunately for Nam Sou, he went on some serious emotional swings with the turn of two runner, runner cards.

Nam was all in and tabled K 8 .

John Del Rossi flipped A 10 .

Nam let out a sigh of relief and a fist pump after flopping the nut-flush.

Flop: 5 2 A .

The table holds their breath when the board pairs on the turncard 2 .

Then WHAM, another Ace spikes the river giving Del Rossi the full house.

Nobody could believe the dramatic exit hand.

Nam Sou finishes in 5th Place earning $5,295.

Event 7: 4th Place - Royce

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Jeanine Royce (New York, NY)
$1,785


Royce makes her last stand for 130k with K J, but doesn't connect against Beverly Engelbert's pocket 7s.

Royce is out in 4th place, earning $1,785.

Event 6: 6th Place - Santoro

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Joseph Santoro (Franklin Sq Long Island, NY)
$4,474

Joseph Santoro's roller coaster ride comes to an end. He had the shortest stack in a three way all in between John Del Rossi (A-K) and Sirous Jamshidi (K-K).

John opened for 200,000 causing Sirous to ship all of his 700,000. Joseph called his short stack with 10-10 and John called the 500,000 extra.

The boys tabled three quality hands but Sirous' K-K held up on a board of 4-9-Q-8-9.

"Some of these guys are professional players, I'm here for fun" said Joseph as we chatted.

He certainly had fun today but won't be able to return to any other Borgata Fall Poker Open Events due to his schedule.

Joseph Santoro fished in 6th Place earning $4,474.

Event 6: 7th Place - Deoliveira

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Chris Deoliveira (Hawthorne, NJ)
$3,606

7th Place for #teambinkNJ's Chris Deoliveira who got his remaining chips in with A-10 up against Sirous Jamshidi's 3-3.

Board ran: K-8-4-4-2.

Chris looked like he didn't want a call after he shoved but got one anyway.

Borgata notable Matthew Piccolo sweatin his good friend Chris out on the rail.

Chris Deoliveira finishes in 7th Place earning $3,606.

Event 7: Break Time

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Tracy Rouse doubles 216k through Lana O'Brien when her pocket aces hold against AK.

Players are on a 10 minute break.

Updated Chip Counts:

Beverly Engelbert 491k (25 BB)
Tracy Rouse 455k
Lana O'Brien 225k
Jeanine Royce 208k

Next blinds: 10k/20k/3k

Event 6: 8th Place - Lin

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Wooyang Lin - (Morristown, NJ)
$2,693

Wooyang Lin explained that the blinds were going up, he was short stacked, and was ready to take a race with any two live cards.

He shoved his small blind with 8-10 off and ran into A-6 suited of big blind John Del Rossi.

No sweat for Del Rossi as the board ran K-A-2-2-A.

Wooyang laughed it off as he plays many tournaments and knows he'll be back.

Wooyang Lin finishes in 8th Place for $2,693.

Event 7: Final Four Chip Counts

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Name - Chip Count

Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) 420k
Beverly Engelbert (Erial, NJ) 415k
Jeanine Royce (New York, NY) 300k
Tracy Rouse (Toronto, Canada) 245k

Blinds: 8k/16k/2k ante, as all four players are between 15 and 25 big blinds.

Event 7: 5th Place - Telag

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Xhevahire "Joanna" Telag (New York, NY)
$1,339

After losing back-to-back hands to double up two opponents, Telag loses the last of her chips in a race against Jeanine Royce.

Telag: Q♠ Q♣
Royce: AK

Royce hits an ace on the turn to take Telag's last 170k and now has more than 300k.

Joanna Telag's bad run takes her right out the door in 6th place for $1,116.

Event 6: 9th Place - Diolosa

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jonathan Diolosa (New City, NY )
$1,826
Classic race for Jonathan Diolosa who did not have a ton of chips going into the final table.

Craig Feldherr opened for 180,000 and Jonathan jammed with A-K.

Craig tabled 5-5 and saw a 5 in the window.

Board ran out: 8-7-5-6-6.

Diolosa had "Uncle Tony" on the rail for support and wanted to say hi to the "poker crew" back home.

Jonathan Dilosa finished in 9th place earning $1,826.

Event 7: Telag Bleeding Chips

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Joanna Telag is bleeding chips after getting coolered on back-to-back hands.

She first doubles-up Jeanine Royce who hits an ace on the river to stay alive in a 150k chip pot.
That's followed by an all in showdown with Beverly Engelbert.

Engelbert: QQ
Telag: AA

Unfortunately for Telag, Engelbert not only flops a queen, but rivers quads and takes 100k from Telag, who's now down to less than 200k.

Lana O'Brien is still the chip leader.

Event 6: 10th Place - Gadelov

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Arkado Gadelov - (New York, NY)
$1,187

Arkado Gadelov jammed his short stack in after a flop of J-8-K causing John Del Rossi to tank hard. Gadelov starting chirping, "Isn't anyone gonna call a clock on this guy?" Right after that, Del Rossi called and tabled J-9 for top pair.

Arkado flipped Q-10 for an open ended draw with an over.

Board bricked out with a 6 and another King.

With that hand, Del Rossi chips up over 2,100,000.

Arkado Gadelov exits in 10th place earning $1,187.

Event 5 Recap

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty  

The bounty hunters were out in full force on Saturday for day one of the $500 + $60 + $500 Purple Chip Bounty No Limit tournament.   After all the entries and re-entries were counted, there were 304 generating total buy-ins of $152,000.

Only the final 36 players got paid (not counting their bounties).  The money bubble burst close to 1am after 14 hours of play.  One of the first players to cash was Borgata tournament regular 'Action' Bob Hwang, (Barnegat, NJ) who finished 32nd for $885.

When day one ended about an hour later, only 23 players were left to return for day two.  One of those was 2011 Borgata Poker Open $500 No Limit champion Manh Nguyen (Munhall, PA) who was hoping for a repeat win.  He busted out 20th ($1,106).

Another Borgata regular Dajuan 'DJ' Whorley made a final table at the WSOP this summer playing Pot Limit Hold'em (finished 3rd - $91,212) and today made another final table here, finishing 10th and earning $1,917.

Travis Greenawalt (Landisville, PA) finished 2nd in the 2011 Borgata Poker Open Heads-Up event ($30,846) narrowly missing the title.  He found himself heads-up again today, but this time he faced a three-to-1 chip deficit that turned out to be insurmountable.  Greenawalt walked away with 2nd place, $22,116, and eight $500 bounties he claimed over two days of play.  He has three other cashes at Borgata including one final table in the $400 No Limit Bounty event during the 2011 Summer Poker Open (7th - $4,035).   Bounty hunting must be in his blood.

After two days of play it was Harry Korotki of Owings Mill, MD, who took the top prize of $39,804 and the engraved Borgata trophy -- not to mention the ten $500 bounties he collected along the way.

Korotki just started playing poker this year -- tournaments, not cash games.  He learned how to play by watching the World Poker Tour on TV.   This is his first cash in a major event.

He serves on the board of the Baltimore Humane Society and plans to give a portion of his winnings to that charity.  "They're an all volunteer organization" he said, and he donates his time as well as his money to the cause.  He also has five cats at home, all rescues.

"I find playing poker very relaxing"  Korotki said.  Quite the opposite of what I hear from most players.  He's been married for 17 years and his wife supports him coming out to play.  He's not a gambler, so no chance of losing his winnings in the casino on the way out.  Korotki plans to return next week and play in the main event, so we'll see more of him.

Other notable players who entered but did not cash in this event:
WSOP bracelet holders Jason Young, Arkadiy Tsinis, Mike 'Little Man' Sica, and Jeffrey Papola;
WPT title holder Kevin Saul; and Borgata champions Roland Israelashvilli, Gordon Eng, Ryan Eriquezzo, Russell Crane, Mike Dentale, David Inselberg, Josh Brikis, Keith Crowder, and Austen Johnson.





Event 7: 6th Place - Wilno

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ)
$1,116

Wilno goes out with AQ against the pocket 6s of Joanna Telag. The 6s hold and Wilno wins the 200k chip pot.

Dawn Wilno finishes in 6th place and earns $1,116.

Event 6: Final Table

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Final Table
1. Jonathan Diolosa...420,000
2. Wooyang Lin...615,000
3. John Del Rossi...1,600,000
4. Sirous Jamshidi...338,000
5. Chris Deoliveira...540,000
6. Vinny Pizaro...1,160,000
7. Joseph Santoro...1,530,000
8. Arkado Gadelov...233,000
9. Craig Feldherr...1,250,000
10. Nam Sou...1,000,000

Break is looming.

Most everyone has one person on the rail rooting them in.

Good luck to the final turbo table of ten.

Playing it out in the Signature Room until we have a winner who'll take home the Borgata Fall Poker Open trophy and $24,646.

Event 6: Jesse Jacked

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jesse Elliot (Fairline, NJ)
$1,187

Jesse Elliot gets his chips in with the best hand but in the end loses a key race.

Elliot's A-10 vs. Vinny Pizaro's K-Q.

Board ran out: 7-3-4-Q-9.

Pizaro was extremely excited to turn the queen and make his hand.

Good run for Jesse who signs out in 11th place, one short of the final table.

Congrats to the final ten who have new seats for the final.

Event 6: Sims Sinks

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Brian Sims (South Jersey)
$1,187

Brian Sims shoves his short stack with A-Q but runs into A-A of John Del Rossi. Pocket Rockets hold on a board of Q-4-9-8-7.

Brian hit his queen but failed to hit another one.

Brian Sims adds $1,187 to his Borgata Bankroll and goes out in 12th place.

Event 7: 7th Place - Bykofsky

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ)
$892

Lana O'Brien makes a small raise with her big stack and Bykofsky, who starts the hand with 150k, calls.

Flop: 3 6 7

O'Brien c-bets, Bykofsky moves all in, and O'Brien calls.

O'Brien: 3 6 (two pairs)
Bykofsky: 10 10 (over pair)

O'Brien's two pairs hold and Bykofsky is eliminated saying, "it's a brutal way to go out after playing well all day."

Sheree Bykofsky finishes in 7th place for $892.

Event 7: 8th Place - Garrander

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Cecelia Garrander (Manalapan, NJ)
$669

Garrander is all in for 75k with a suited A 4, but she runs into Lana O'Brien's pocket kings, which hold.

"If I'm going to lose to any player, I'm glad it was to the mommy to be," says Garrander, who's a payroll manager that plays at Borgata "all the time."

O'Brien's due date is this Saturday, November 19th and Garrander's good friend Alyson Parker joked that there was an "infiltrator at the final table." Meaning that this tournament is ladies only, as O'Brien is expecting a boy.

Cecelia Garrander finishes in 8th place for $669.

Event 7: 9th Place - Montal

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Mona Montal (Rockland, NY)
$502

Montal is all in for 115k with pocket 5s against the pocket 9s of Joanna Telag. Not only is Montal ahead, but she flops a set to end the suspense. It's Telag's second straight knockout and she's now challenging Lana O'Brien for the chip lead.

Mona Montal finishes in 9th place for $502.

Event 6: Carter Impeached

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Jason Carter - 13th Place - $913

Arkado Gadelov shoved loudly with A-J begging for everyone to fold. Unfortunately for Jason Carter, he woke up to 9-9, called, and lost his tournament life.

Board ran out: K-5-K-3-J. Arkado can smell the final table and was very happy once he realized he actually won the hand. "I have a jack" said Gadelov.

Jason had a good run. Was picking up a ton of pairs but just couldn't hold on and win the final race.

Event 7: 10th Place - Familetti

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Christine Familetti (Broomall, PA)
$446

Familetti completes from the small blind and she sees a flop with Joanna Telag. After the flop, Familetti moves all in and Telag calls with a pair of 9s while holding 9 6.

Familetti shows A 5 and never catches up as Telag ends up with a full house.

Christine Familetti finishes in 10th place for $446.

Event 5: 1st Place - H. Korotki

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

When his pocket Kings held up against Travis Greenawalt's AQ, Harry Korotki claimed his first major event title.

 Harry Korotki (Owings Mill, MD)
$39,804

Not to mention the $39,804 first place prize and the beautiful Borgata engraved trophy.

And the icing on the cake:  he collected 10 purple bounty chips over his two-day run, which adds another $5,000 to his take.


Event 6: Going Home

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Just a few hands after dinner break and three players from table two are gone.

First Jerry Savnio busted in 16th place for $776 followed by Daniel Orgil in 15th place for $913 followed by Paul Lestingi for $913 in 14th place.

Jason carter won a big hand with 8-8 then reloaded and lost a big hand with 8-8 vs. Sirous Jamshidi's wired kings.

Carter moved from Table 1 to Table 2 and quickly built his short stack up to 340,000.

Down to 13 players. Seems like one shove in the room every hand.

Event 7: Final Table

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) is the clear chip leader (290k) as the remaining ten ladies take their final table seats.

This is O'Brien's second straight final table just days before she due to give birth to her first child. O'Brien finished second ($20,777) in Event 2.

Final Table

Seat - Name

1 Cecelia Garrander (Manalapan, NJ)
2 Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ)
3 Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ)
4 Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ)
5 Beverly Engelbert (Erial, NJ)
6 Christine Familetti (Broomall, PA)
7 Xhevahire "Joanna" Telag (New York, NY)
8 Monal Montal (Rockland, NY)
9 Tracy Rouse (Toronto, Canada)
10 Jeanine Royce (New York, NY)

Event 5: 2nd Place - Greenawalt

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

With fewer than 1 million chips, Travis Greenawalt was below that magical 20-big-blinds mark and he came back from break firing.  His pre-flop all-ins were getting Harry Korotki to fold.

Travis Greenawalt (Landisville, PA)
$22,116

Then a few hands in, he was all-in from the button and Harry did call.

Travis held AQ offsuit.

Harry held pocket Kings.

The board ran out T 7 4 6 6 and it was over.

Travis Greenawalt finished in 2nd place, earning $22,116 (along with 8 bounties for $4,000).

Event 7: 11th Place - Musumeci

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Amanda Musumeci
$446

Event 6: Final Two Tables

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Table 1:
1.Craig Feldherr...640,000
2. Chris Deoliveira...1,000,000
3. Jason Carter...500,000
4. Wooyang Lin...560,000
5. Nam Sou...1,160,000
6. John Del Rossi...1,060,000
7. Brian Sims...290,000
8. Sirous Jamshidi...330,000

Table 2:
1. Vinny Pizaro...570,000
2. Joseph Santoro...1,550,000
3. Daniel Orgil...70,000
4. Jesse Elliot...140,000
5. Jerry Savino..16th place
6. Paul Lestingi...460,000
7. Jonathan Diolosa...287,000
8. Arkado Gadelov...420,000

Congrats to our two final tables. Playing to conclusion in the Signature Room.

Event 7: 12th Place - Bryk

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Ali Bryk (Northfield, NJ)
$446

Event 5: Break Time Chip Counts

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Another level ticked away and players took a short break.   Chip Counts

Harry Korotki - 3.6 million
Travis Greenawalt - 900k

Play resumed with blinds of 25k/50k with 5k antes.

Event 7: 13th Place - Gold

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Jane Gold (Paramus, NJ)
$390

Event 5: Back and Forth

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Harry Korotki limped on the button and Travis Greenawalt raised 100k more.  Harry called.

Flop was T 6 5 and Travis fired 200k.  Harry folded.  Travis - 1.3 million.

Travis opened for 100k on the button and Harry called.  The flop was A 8 2 -- all spades --.  Harry checked, Travis fired 200k, and Harry called. Turn was an offsuit 7 and both checked. 

River was an offsuit 6 and both checked.  Travis said "King-high".  Harry showed pocket Tens (no spade) to take the pot.  Travis was back to just over 1 million.

Event 5: Greenawalt Doubles

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

They're playing small-ball at this final table, with more limping than raising pre-flop.

Harry Korotki was chipping away at Travis Greenawalt's stack and had him down below 1 million again.  Then this hand...

On a flop of J 3 2, Travis bet 100k and Harry called.  Turn was an 8 and Travis said "all-in".  Harry said "call", but then said he thought Travis had said "100".  Didn't matter and he was forced to call the all-in, which was for 698k.

Travis showed J2 for two pair (river was a 3) to double up to about 1.6 million.  That leaves just under 3 million for Harry.

Event 7: Bust Outs/Dinner Break

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

The remaining 13 players are on dinner break as play resumes at 8:10 pm.

Here are the first players to hit the cashier:

14th Nancy Martin $390
15th Kathy Waterhouse $390
16th Patti Haggerty $335
17th Beth Russo $335
18th Jamie Kerstetter $335

Event 5: Greenawalt Down, Blinds Up

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

On the last hand of the level, they got to the river with a board of K 5 2 4 4.  Travis Greenawalt bet 200k and Harry Korotki called.

Harry showed 64 for trip 4s and Travis mucked.  After that hand, Travis was back down to ~1.1 million.

Blinds are up to 20k/40k with 4k antes.

Event 6: Chip Leader at Dinner Break

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Santoro Staying Hungry

Joe Santoro (Franklin Square, NY) is the chip leader on dinner break with nearly 1.5 million (50 BB).

Santoro's big score came when he called the all-in bet of Gionni Demers (Jackson, NJ) with AK against Demer's pocket 2s. Santoro spiked a king on the river to win an 800k chip pot.

Demers, who finished 20th in this year's WSOP Main Event, became a big stack when his pocket ducks hit a set against pocket jacks to jump up to 900k.

The final 16 players are on dinner break and the average stack is 563k (19 BB).

Play resumes at 8:25 pm with blinds at 15k/30k/4k.

Chip Leaders

Joe Santoro (Franklin Square, NY) 1.45 million
Stevie B 1.32 million
Chris DeOliveira (Hawthorne, NJ) 1 million

Event 5: Greenawalt Gets Some Back

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

On the river with a board of A 9 5 3 6, Travis Greenawalt bet 200k and Harry Korotki called, showing AK for top/top.

Travis rolled over A3 for Aces-up to claim the pot.

After that hand, Travis was up to about 1.5 million, leaving Harry with about 3 million (4.56 million total chips in play).

Event 7: Chip Leaders

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Kerstetter & Musumeci

Lana O'Brien, who finished 2nd ($20,777) in Event 3, is the the chip leader with 18 players left.

Also in the field is Event 2 winner Amanda Musumeci ($30,925), who, along with Jamie Kerstetter (Monroe Twp., NJ), cashed in the WSOP Main Event. Those two are quick to point out that they first met on Day 4 of that tournament and before the bubble broke were side-by-side once again.

Here's a look at the big stacks:

Lana O'Brien (Englishtown, NJ) 140k
Mona Montal (Rockland, NY) 135k
Sheree Bykofsky (Atlantic City, NJ) 127k
Christine Familetti (Broomall, PA) 110k

Event 5: Greenawalt Gives It Up

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Travis Greenawalt was making a little headway against Harry Korotki, but then this hand came down:

Travis completed on the button and Harry raised 50k from the big.  Travis called the raise and the flop came A K 5.  Both players checked. Turn was a Ten.  Harry led for 75k, Travis raised to 300k, Harry announced he was all-in.

 Harry Korotki & Travis Greenawalt Heads-Up

Travis gave it some thought, speculated that Harry flopped a set of Aces, then open-mucked his KT (two pair).  After surrendering that pot, Travis was down to ~880k.

Event 7: Bubble Girl

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Claire Chiang

"I wasn't afraid of the bubble," says Claire Chiang (New York, NY), but unfortunately her fearlessness to move all in cost her in the end.

Chiang's AJ is up against the AK of Patti Haggerty, but Chiang doesn't catch up and is out in 19th place, one spot off the money.

The final 18 are now redrawing for new seats on the final two tables.

Event 5: Heads-Up Play Begins

  $500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

The final two players took a break and have now returned to finish this off.

Harry Korotki leads with about 3.4 million.

Travis Greenawalt is second with about 1.1 million.

Blinds are now 15k/30k with 4k antes.

Event 5: 3rd Place - Chou

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Allen Chou was all-in for his last ~300k holding A2 and was dominating the K2 of Travis Greenawalt.

 Allen Chou (Metuchen, NJ)
$13,712

Then the board came A K K 9 7 and Travis took the pot with trip Kings.

Allen Chou finished in 3rd place, earning $13,712 (and one bounty)

Event 6: Killer Corner

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

(l-r) Sinishtaj & Gurfinkel Keep an Eye on John Del Rossi

Three of the top six chip stacks are on table 4 and all seated next to each other in seats 7, 8, and 9.

Chip leader John Del Rossi (703k) has the best position over Jeffrey Gurfinkel (6th/410k) and
Tony Sinishtaj (3rd/457k), but the trio won't be together long as this is the next table to break.

Blinds continue 8k/16k/2k ante.

Event 5: Korotki Extends Lead

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

On a flop of J 6 2, Harry Korotki (sb) bet 100k, Travis Greenawalt (bb) raised 200k on top, and Harry called.  Turn was a 4 and Harry fired another big bet.  Travis called.

River was checked down and Harry showed J4 for turned two pair.  Travis open-mucked his 62 (flopped two pair) in disgust.

Harry took the huge pot and Travis was down to about 900k.  Harry has about 3 million now.

If his name sounds familiar, it's because Harry is the son of Borgata tournament regular Abraham Korotki.

Event 6: Chip Leaders

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Here are the big stacks as players return from break:

Name - Chip Count

John Del Rossi (Mantua, NJ) 703k
Gionni Demers (Jackson, NJ) 501k
Tony Sinishtaj (Queens, NY) 457k
Chris Deoliveira (Hawthorne, NJ) 431k
Kevin McColgan (Dougalssville, PA) 414k
Jeffrey Gurfinkel (Brooklyn, NY) 410k
Vinnie Pizaro (Long Island, NY) 408k

Event 5: Chip Counts for Final Three

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Blinds are up to 12k/24k with 3k antes.

Rough chip counts for the final 3:

Harry Korotki - 2.1 million
Travis Greenawalt - 1.6 million
Allen Chou - 800k

Event 6: Money Time

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

UTG player moves all in for his last 8k, which is equal to the SB, and is called by 4 players who all check it down.

When the hand is over John Del Rossi (Mantua, NJ) wins the hand with two pairs, kings and fours. The knockout sends the final 36 players into the money as the short stack is the bubble boy.

Del Rossi is the clear chip leader with 703k as players are on a 15 minute break as the purple (500) chips are colored up.

Event 6: Bubble Time

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Orgil Avoids the Bubble

Play is now hand-for-hand as 37 players remain, one spot of the money.

The fast structure has the bubble two hours before dinner and one player quips, "we might be done in two hours." While another player is hoping to be home in time for the Jets game (8:20 pm vs Patriots).

Daniel Orgil (Staten Island, NY) survives his all in with A 9 and doubles up through Tom McNutt (West Chester, PA) who's forced to call from the big blind with 10 5.

"Look he's got my picture already," Orgil laughs as the hands are tabled.

Blinds are 8k/16k/2k ante.

Event 5: 4th Place - McGuinness

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

John McGuinness (bb) was all-in pre-flop against Harry Korotki (button).  John's pocket Tens were in bad shape against Harry's pocket Kings.

 John McGuinness (Toms River, NJ)
$11,058

The board came 5 4 3 3 7 and changed nothing.  Harry is now up to ~2.2 million.

John McGuinness finished in 4th place, earning $11,058 and all those bounties (11 or 12, he lost count).

Event 7: Payouts

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Entries: 115
Total Buy-In: $23,000

Place - Amount

1st $6,694
2nd $3,681
3rd $2,119
4th $1,785
5th $1,339
6th $1,116
7th $892
8th $669
9th $502
10-12 $446
13-15 $390
16-18 $335

Event 5: New Chip Leader

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

After Harry Korotki limped on the button, Travis Greenawalt completed the small blind, then John McGuinness raised 100k on top from the big.

Harry folded, then Travis announced he was all-in (~945k).  John called quickly, showing A7 suited.  Travis was ahead with AJ offsuit.

The board came Q Q T 5 2 and Travis' hand held up.  He doubled up to about 2 million chips and the chip lead.

John McGuinness was left with about 550k.

Event 7: Lingering Ladies

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Dawn Dominates

36 players remain and Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ) leads the way with 150k.

Here's a look notable woman still in the field:

Nancy Martin
Jamie Kerstetter
Sheree Bykofsky
Lana O'Brien
Stephanie Hubbard
Jane Gold
Amanda Musumeci
Jen Shahade
Patti Haggerty

Event 5: Chip Counts

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Chip Counts for the final four:

John McGuinness - 1.8 million (90 big blinds)
Harry Korotki - 1.087 million (54 big blinds)
Travis Greenawalt - 940k (47 big blinds)
Allen Chou - 770k (38.5 big blinds)

Blinds are now 10k/20k with 3k antes.

The next player to bust out will earn $11,058.

Event 5: 5th Place - Patterson

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty  

On the last hand of the level, Brian Patterson was all-in holding pocket 8s.  Travis Greenawalt looked him up with AT off.

 Brian Patterson (Pittsburgh, PA)
$8,552

The board ran out A Q 7 2 2 and Travis took the pot with Aces-up.

Brian Patterson will pick up $8,552 for 5th place (plus bounties).

The final four took off for a ten minute break.

Event 6: Payouts

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Entries: 362
Total Buy-In: $94,120

Place - Amount

1st $24,646
2nd $13,694
3rd $8,491
4th $6,847
5th $5,295
6th $4,474
7th $3,606
8th $2,693
9th $1,826
10-12 $1,187
13-15 $913
16-18 $776
19-27 $685
28-36 $548

Event 5: Chou Doubles Again

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

On a flop of K♣J♣2, Allen Chou was all-in for 351k and called by Travis Greenawalt.

Allen held A♣4♣ for the nut flush draw.  Travis was way ahead with AK for top/top.  Allen would have to improve to survive.

The turn was the 5 giving Allen more outs with a gutshot to the wheel.

The river 3 completed the wheel for Allen.  He doubled up to over 800k.  Travis was left with about 700k.

 Allen Chou with Patricia watching over his shoulder

Allen's railbirds, including his wife, Borgata tournament regular Patricia Barsanti-Chou, went wild.  "You're a contender now" she told Allen.

With 5 players remaining, the average stack is 912k (57 big blinds).

Event 6: Numbers Game

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entrants: 362
Players Remaining: 50
Chips In Play: 9.1 million

Average Stack: 182k (18 BB)
Big Stack: 490k (49 BB)

Blinds: 5k/10k/1k ante

Total Buy-In: $94,120
First Prize: $24,646
Places Paid: 36

Event 5: 6th Place - Dugan

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

On a flop of 8 6 3, William Dugan moved in and got the call from big blind and big stack John McGuinness.

 William Dugan (Ventnor, NJ)
$7,225

William's QJ suited (two overs) needed help to survive John's Q8 (top pair).

The last two came running 7s and John took the pot and yet another bounty.  He's up to about 1.7 million.  When asked how many bounties that makes, John said "11 or 12.  I've lost count".

William Dugan finished in 6th place, earning $7,225.

Event 6: 7s Heaven

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Gurfinkel with Nearly Half a Mill

Jeffrey Gurfinkel (Brooklyn, NY) says that he made a "great call" with pocket 7s on a board of J 5 4 to win a 275k chip pot. Gurfinkel's opponent misses on the turn and river with A 10 offsuit as Gurfinkel now has the chip lead at 485k.

Event 5: Chou Doubles; Dugan Short

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Allen Chou shoved for 184k utg and got a quick call from William Dugan on his left.

Allen was ahead with pocket Tens versus William's pocket 7s.

The door card on the flop was a 7, giving William a set, but as the flop was spread, there was a Ten right behind it.

The full board was T 7 3 6 4 and Allen doubled up with set-over-set.  William was left with about 185k.

The next player to bust out will earn $7,225.

Event 7: Stolen Hearts

$200 + $30 Ladies No Limit Hold'em

Familetti Flushes Two

Three ladies on table 3 are loving the flop of 7 6 2, but only Christine Familetti (Broomall, PA) likes the turn and river.

Player 1: 7♠ 7 (flopped set of 7s)
Player 2: 2♣ 2(flopped set of 2s)
Familetti: 8 8♣ (over pair, flush draw)

Turn: K (Familetti flush)

River: 10

Familetti hits her flush on the turn and dodges the full house and quad draws on the river to take down the 50k pot.

Familetti is now one of the bigger stacks, but trails Stephanie Hubbard who continues to lead with 75k.

More than half of the 115 player field is gone as 53 players remain with an average stack of 26k (26 BB).

Blinds are 500/1k/100 ante.

Event 5: 7th Place - Campbell

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Alan Campbell got his last chips in holding pocket 6s and was racing against John McGuinness' AQ.

Alan Campbell (Midlothian, VA)
$5,824
An Ace hit the flop and that was all it took for John to collect another bounty.
Alan Campbell finished in 7th place, earning $5,824 -- and not a single bounty.

Allen Chou was all-in for 142k holding AK.  Brian Patterson looked him up with A9.  The board came K 7 3 A 5 and Allen doubled up.

Blinds have gone up to 8k/16k with 2k antes.  

Six players remain.  Average stack is 760k (47.5 big blinds).

Event 5: 8th Place - Tekneci

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty

Coco Tekneci got all-in holding A9 against the pocket Queens of Harry Korotki. 

 Kirkor 'Coco' Tekneci (Whitestone, NY)
$4,349

The board changed nothing and Coco was busted.  Harry chipped up to almost 1.2 million.

Kirkor 'Coco' Tekneci finished in 8th place, good for $4,349 (plus bounties).

Event 5: 9th Place - Yarlapati

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Maruti Yarlapati got his short-stack in with A8, running smack into Brian Patterson's AQ.

 Maruti Yarlapati (Pine Brook, NJ)
$2,949

A Queen hit the board, (not that he needed it) and Brian took the pot and another bounty.

Maruti Yarlapati finished in 9th place for $2,949.

8 players remain.  Average stack is 570k (47.5 big blinds).

Event 6: New Chip Leader

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Tony Sinishtaj (Queens, NY) is the first player to crack the 300k mark, but has double a couple of players up to drop to 270k. The stacks are moving fast, so we'll still call Sinishtaj the unofficial chip leader.

110 players remain (of ~360) and the average chip stack is 83k (10 BB).

Level 16 (3k/6k/500 ante) is in the books and players are on a 15 minute break as the black (100) chips are colored-up.

Event 5: Chip Counts

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty

Here are the approximate chip counts for the final 9:

John McGuinness - 1.08 million
Harry Korotki - 830k
Travis Greenawalt - 690k
William Dugan - 570k
Coco Tekneci - 415k
Brian Patterson - 330k
Alan Campbell - 310k
Maruti Yarlapati - 200k
Alan Chou - 160k

Play resumed after the break with blinds of 6k/12k with 2k antes.

Event 5: Chou Doubles

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty

Allen Chou's 73 suited rivered a flush to double up through Coco Tekneci, who held A9 (top pair on the flop).  Allen is up to ~215k.  Coco's still got about 360k.

After 3 limpers, Maruti Yarlapati moved all in from the button.  Everyone folded and Maruti picked up the pot.

End of level and the final 9 players are taking ten.

Event 5: 10th Place - Whorley

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty

DJ Whorley got his short-stack in holding K9 suited against Brian Patterson's AJ.

 Dajuan 'DJ' Whorley (Accokeek, MD)
$1,917

The board bricked and Brian's Ace-high was good to take the pot and collect DJ's bounty.

DJ Whorley finished in 10th place ($1,917)

Event 6: 200k Club

$260 + $40 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo NLH (Re-Entry)

Ambrosi in Action

The fast blinds are creating lots of all-in action and we've found three stacks that have passed the 200k mark.

Jack Ambrosi (Tolland, CT) leads the way with 210k, followed closely by Jeremy Stein and Chris Deoliveira. Here's a look at some of the bigger stacks:

Name - Chip Count

Jack Ambrosi (Tolland, CT) 210k
Jeremy Stein (Washington, DC) 207k
Chris Deoliveira (Hawthorne, NJ) 203k
Ken Stulik (Clifton, VA) 198k
Jeff Pye (Brooklyn, NY) 165k
Arkado Gadelov (Queens, NY) 145k
Nick Amorates (Philadelphia, PA) 140k

Event 5: Final Table Time

$500 + $60 + $500 NLH Purple Chip Bounty 

Kevin Rostor was all-in holding pocket 6s against the pocket Kings of Brian Patterson.

 Kevin Rostor

The board blanked out -- Q T 3 3 5 -- and Brian collected the pot and another bounty.

Kevin Rostor finished in 11th place ($1,917).

The final ten drew seats and moved to a single table.  Here's the lineup:

Seat - Player
1 - DJ Whorley
2 - William Dugan
3 - Harry Korotki
4 - Travis Greenawalt
5 - John McGuinness
6 - Maruti Yarlapati
7 - Brian Patterson
8 - Alan Campbell
9 - Coco Tekneci
10 - Allen Chou

Blinds have also gone up to 5k/10k with 1k antes.