Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Event 12: Vlad Is Glad

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

23 players remain. Redraw once we have 18 players and two tables.

Vlad Geykhman (Brooklyn, NY) won a blind battle against the mystery chip leader.

Vlad's A-7 took down A-5 on a board of 10-6-10-K-3.

The seven kicker played giving Vlad a much needed double-up.

Just like that he goes from short stack up to 900,000.

We're still at the $878 payout for a 19-27th place finish.

16-18 places will earn $1,065.

Event 12; Mack Is Stacked

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Minh Nguyen (Harrisburg, PA) goes out in 25th place earning $878.

Minh held A-Q and jammed a flop of K-Q-8.

He didn't put his Opponent, Kevin Mack on a King and hoped he would fold with so much pressure.

But Mack read the situation right and made the tough call.

Mack tabled K-J and absorbed all of Nguyen's stack.

Kevin Mack up over 1,300,000.

Friend Frank Pasquale is watching from the rail and helped provide the hand details.

Event 12: John Toth - Set Miner

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

John Toth flops a set of sixes to felt Frank Pyzik in 30th place for $766.

John wanted to give a shout out to his wife Sue reading the blog at home in Washington Township, NJ.

"Hey honey, I'm up over 7 hunge" said John.

John had 6-6 vs. Frank's A-Q off.

Board ran: 6-2-J-8-2.

Down to three tables of nine.

The big stacks are getting higher and higher.

Event 12: White Shark

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Construction worker Duane White drove East from Williamsport, PA out to Borgata and has played in 4 Fall Poker Open Tournaments including this one so far. He's in good shape after knocking out two shorties in back to back hands.

Duane's stack is second in the room at 1,800,000. All his gray and orange chips are stacked in 100,000 and 20,000 stacks so he's running out of room.

"I had A-J the first hand and beat out A-5, then I picked up JJ and felted a 2-4" explained Duane.

30 players remain. The room has quieted down a bit as many of the short stacks have gone.

Event 13: Rasile Still Leads

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Frank Rasile continues to lead the pack with 61k, while a couple of notables Bill Blanda, Charlie Townsend, and Chris Reslock are on the rail.

Still in the Field

Barry Levy (Omaha H/L, Event 9 winner)
Guy Tull (2 Borgata Fall Poker Open cashes)
Larry Gold
Miami John Cernuto
Glenn Engelbert
Stephen Jacobs

Tournament Numbers

Number of Entries: 104
Players Remaining: 62
Chips In Play: 1.6 million

Average Stack: 25k (8 Big Bets)
Big Stack: 61k (20 BB)

Blinds/Limits: 1,500/3k

Total Buy-In: $41,600
First Prize: $12,107
Places Paid: 18

Event 12: New Chip Leader

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

New Chip Leader - Seat 9 (Ihavechipsville, NJ)

Frank Pyzik (Manalapan, NJ) is sitting at the same table with the tournament chip leader who has 1,700,000.

Frank came close to a double-up and knocked the player to his left out.

It was a hand worthy of several players standing up and sweating it out.

Frank had 10-8 in the small blind against Opponent's K-J off-suit.

Spade heavy flop of 2-9-6 gave Frank a non-spade gutterball and Opponent a flush draw.

Board paired when another 6 hit the turn.

Then boom - a non-spade seven spiked the river giving Frank the scoop and sending his Opponent to the rail.

Frank now has 300,000 and is the short stack at table two. On the flip side, he'll be looking to double up thru the monster 1,700,000 stack in seat-9.

We have a photo of our chip leader but he refused to give his name. "I'm superstitious" said the leader. We'll call him Seat-9.

Event 12: Quad Queens Triple Up

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Danny Dagostino (Belleville, NJ) - 400,000

Danny Dagostino (Belleville, NJ) held Q-10 with his last 140,00 in after the flop.

Jimmy Wong had 3-3 and made the call as did a third Opponent in the hand, at risk, holding 7-7.

Danny hits a Queen on the flop then goes runner-runner Q-Q for quads.

Danny triples up to 400,000 and celebrates with a loud fist pump.

"First time I got quads in the Fall Poker Open" said Dagostino who admitted he hasn't seen quads in a very long time.

Back from the break blinds: 12,000 / 24,000 with 3000 antes.

30 minute levels.

Everyone is playing for the $42,044 first place prize money and the Borgata trophy.

983 began the day and we're currently down to 40 on five tables.

Event 12: Last Woman Standing

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Cherish Andrews (St. Thomas, PA) had A-9 up against A-Q with her tournament life at risk.

The cards were flipped over and she was behind. Sherry Parks (Henderson, MD) was watching the action from the table next door. Sherry and Cherish were the last two women in the tournament.

Sherry has 670,000 and Cherish was short stacked down to 150,000.

The board ran out: 10-3-3-5-3. Someone yelled, "Chop it up" but was incorrect as the Queen kicker played.

So poker pro (locally from Brigantine, NJ) Cherish Andrews went out around 40th making Sherry Parks your Event 12 Last Woman Standing.

Sherry drove up from MD with her husband Ricky and her brother John. All three played in this Event but only Sherry is still in.

Trying to get a picture from her but she's a little camera shy.

Players are on a ten minute break.

Event 12: Kong Is Still King

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Thomas "King Kong" Ross.....1,300,000
Dean Chen..............................1,120,000
Robert Woods.........................1,000,000
Jimmy Wong............................800,000

Kong is still King as his tower of chips continue to grow.

Dean Chen is in a close to the lead with 1.12 million.

47 players remain - playing Event 12 until conclusion tonight.

Event 13: Horse Leader

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

Edward Espino (Piscataway, NJ) - 48,000

With ten tables remaining, your chip leader is Edward Espino with 48,000.

A couple other stacks are in the 30,000 range but we still have a long way to go.

The H.O.R.S.E tournament will play until 2am then finish up tomorrow at noon.

We are currently set up in the Signature room. Event 13 ten tables in the back.

Event 12 tables up front.

Event 10 Recap

  $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

This event has been rising in popularity over the last couple of years since the entire tournament is played short-handed -- six players at most per table (until the final table is formed with the final seven players).  During previous Borgata Open series, this has been a one-day event, but inevitably ran into the early hours of the following day.

This time the event was expanded to be a two-day event.  Out of the 299 players who ponied up the $400 + $50 to enter, 23 of them survived 15 hours of play on day one and returned for day two.

The final 30 players would eventually claim a piece of the $119,600 total buy-ins.  Some notable names that did not make it that far are WPT titleist Kevin Saul, Gordon Eng, Matt Brady, Austen Johnson, David Inselberg and last woman standing, Amanda Musumeci.

Notables among the 23 players that returned for day two are
James Boyle - 22nd ($870)
Mike Castaldo - 15th ($1,160)
Harry Korotki (winner of event 5) - 13th ($1,160)
Daniel Chan - 9th ($1,740)
Mike Lydon (winner of event 1) - 4th ($10,731)
Kalid Ali was the chip leader coming into day two, but busted out 17th ($1,160).

Michael Michnik (Hollywood, FL) was hoping to improve on his 2nd place finish in event 1 ($400 Deep Stack NLH, $49,868) but once again had to settle for second when his A3 was dominated by Mark Sykes' A8.  For his 2nd place finish in this event, Michael added $17,576 to his already impressive tournament earnings.

Mark Sykes (Hamden, CT) walked away with the top prize of $28,586 and the beautiful engraved Borgata trophy.  Mark sliced through the final table of six, busting three of his five opponents and eventually accumulating all 7.475 million chips in play.

Mark started playing tournament poker a couple of years ago when he decided he needed a hobby.  He was a professor of clinical psychology and says he uses some of the data gathering skills from that field in his poker play.  He learned the game mostly playing online and chatting with poker-playing friends.

"The structure for the six max is really good"  he commented.  "I definitely made some mistakes, but I like the way I played overall".

Mark has definitely changed careers for the better.  He already has one other cash during the Borgata Fall Poker Open.  In event 3 ($400 NLH) he finished 5th for $8,034.

Event 12: Keeping Pace

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

David Bergenvack - Still Ticking

Players are dropping like flies as the all-in action is fast and furious.

72 players remain and it's only been a half-hour since the bubble broke.

This game and environment can be a stressful if you let it get to you.

You'd think after three heart attacks and a pacemaker installed you might want a less stressful career. That's exactly what happened to David Bergenvack but he knows how to handle the emotional ups and downs that poker offers. His heart attacks were not poker related.

David plays poker for a living but only tournaments. He figures if you lose, it's only the buy-in.

Blinds 8000 / 16000 with 2000 antes.

Event 12: King Kong Chip Lead

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Thomas "King Kong" Ross & Randy "Ranzilla" Verrilli

Thomas Ross from Brooklyn says "King Kong is on the loose" then goes on to win the giant bubble busting pot.

What are the odds King Kong is sitting next to Godzilla, or at least Ranzilla - Randy Verrilli (Sparta, NJ).

Both gentlemen are trying to build up monster chip stacks but only one is the first to 1,000,000.

Ranzilla reported that King Kong said to him, "Watch this" calls an all-in and tables A-A. Then he says, "Got em." Sure enough his A-A improved on a board of 10-7-2-K-A.

Opponent's 7-8 was his last of the tournament.

Kong is now right around a million and the chip leader.

Event 12: Rapid Fire Bubble Breaks

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

On one table a three-way all in with David Inselberg's A-J vs. Bubble Boy's K-9 vs. Thomas Ross' JJ.

Board runs: 10-Q-3-3-8.

JJ from Thomas "King Kong" Ross (Brooklyn, NY) takes down a monster pot knocking out David Inselberg and another Opponent.

Ross had 500,000 before the three-way pot.

Simultaneously on another table, Ray Don is all in with A-5 on a board of 4-J-4-3-Q.

Ray's Opponent's 3-3 held up.

Since we were not hand for hand it took a few moments to figure out who the bubble way. It was the man with K-9 on the three-way all-in pot.

Top 90 make the cash including Inselberg and Ray Don.

Ray Don - 90th Place - $411

Ray gives a shout out to all the RGPers (Recreational Gambling Poker).

Event 12: Chip Leaders

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Play has resumed sevens spots off the money. Meet the chip leaders:

Tom Pomponio (Tuckerton, NJ)
649k

Minh Nguyen (Harrisburg, PA)
553k

Vlad Geykhman (Brooklyn, NY)
525k

Event 12: Lanapallooza

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Lana O'Brien has one eye on the Overall Tournament Leaderboard and one eye on Event 12. She said a couple guys in the 6-max may have jumped over her #1 leader position. "Right now, I think I'm still in first place" said Lana.

O'Brien already took down the Ladies tournament along with 2nd in Event 3.

She's currently sitting just north of 200,000 after sucking out with A-Q vs QQ.

She kind of deserved that one after her aces were cracked early on by tens.

Mike "Little Man" Sica is at the same table in seat-6.

Event 13: Dinner Break/Payouts

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

90 players remain of the 104 that started and they're all on dinner break
until 9 pm.

Here are the payouts:

Entries: 104
Total Buy-In: $41,600

Place - Amount

1st $12,107
2nd $6,658
3rd $3,833
4th $3,228
5th $2,421
6th $2,018
7th $1,614
8th $1,211
9th $908
10-12 $807
13-15 $706
16-18 $605

Event 10: 1st Place - Sykes

$400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

Mark Sykes sliced through the final table, busting three of his five opponents.

Mark Sykes (Hamden, CT)
$29,586

On the final hand, his A8 was dominating Michael Michnik's A3 and the best hand held up to claim the pot, the tournament, and the top prize of $29,586.

Event 10: 2nd Place - Michnik

$400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

On the final hand, Michael Michnik was all-in with A3, but dominated by Mark Sykes' A8. 

The board fell 9 7 5 7 4 and it was over!

 Michael Michnik (Hollywood, FL)
$17,576

Michael Michnik again must settle for second place (he finished second in event 1, the $400 Deep Stack NLH event less than a week ago for $49,868).  Today he'll take home $17,576 more.

Event 12: Dinner Break Numbers

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

Number of Entries: 963
Players Remaining: 97
Chips In Play: 19.3 million

Average Stack: 199k (17 BB)
Big Stack: 649k (54 BB)

Play Resumes: 8:25 pm
Next Blinds: 6k/12k/2k

Total Buy-In: $192,600
First Prize: $42,044
Places Paid: 90

Event 10: Still Heads-Up

$400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

The final two have been trading pots back and forth, but have yet to get to a called all-in.

Mark Sykes still leads with ~5.3 million.

Michael Michnik has about 2.2 million.

Blinds have increased to 40k/80k with 10k antes.

Event 13: Thoroughbreds

$400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

The big stacks so far are Frank Rasile (Staten Island, NY) and Bill Blanda (Galvenston, TX).

Frank Rasile
Chip Leader, 50k


Bill Blanda
2nd in Chips, 37k

Event 12: Moving Time @ Dinner Break

$200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

The remaining tables in the Poker Room are walking their chips across the hall to the Signature Room. There are ~100 players left, 10 spots from the money, and they're on an extended dinner break until 8:25 pm.

Event 10: 3rd Place - Scaglione

$400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

Chuck Scaglione opened for 140k from the button and Mark Sykes asked for his remaining chip count (about 700k) and then announced he was all-in.

Chuck gave it some thought, then called.

Charles 'Chuck' Scaglione (Mars, PA)
$13,341

Mark was ahead with pocket 8s.  Chuck held A5 suited.

The board came J 9 2 7 2 and Mark's pair was good.

Chuck Scaglione finished in 3rd place, earning $13,341.

Mark Sykes chipped up to 5.8 million, leaving about 1.7 million for Michael Michnik.  The final two are taking a short break before beginning heads-up play.

Remaining Payouts:
1st      $29,586
2nd    $17,576

Event 10: 4th Place - Lydon

$400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

Mike Lydon was on the small blind and got all-in against Mark Sykes in the big.

 Mike Lydon (Middle Village, NY)
$10,731

Mike's A7 was dominated by Mark's AK.  The board came T 5 4 2 8 and Mark took the pot with Ace-King-high.

Mike Lydon finished in 4th place for $10,731.

Blinds are up to 30k/60k with 5k antes.

Leaderboard Update (11/16)

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 15th events* (Final Results from events 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)

    303.250 PTS:  LANA OBRIEN (ENGLISHTOWN, NJ)
    281.800 PTS:  MICHAEL LYDON (MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY)
    259.225 PTS:  AMANDA MUSUMECI (PHILADELPHIA, PA)
    245.525 PTS:  HARRY KOROTKI (OWINGS MILLS, MD)
    235.200 PTS:  MICHAEL MICHNIK (HOLLYWOOD, FL)
    224.575 PTS:  ROBERT BROWN (MILFORD, NH)
    220.025 PTS:  ERIC LISICA (GLEN BURNIE, MD)
    216.000 PTS:  HAYONG ZHOU (BALTIMORE, MD)
    209.770 PTS:  JOHN DELROSSI (MANTUA, NJ)
    208.575 PTS:  THOMAS FORMICHELLA (BROOKLYN, NY)
    206.600 PTS:  MICHAEL SICA JR (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)
    205.350 PTS:  ERIC DOERR (NEWARK, DE)
    199.475 PTS:  AUSTEN JOHNSON (WOODSBORO, MD)
    195.700 PTS:  CHARLES BARRETT (DUNKIRK CAL, MD)
    193.150 PTS:  SON NGUYEN (ELKRIDGE, MD)
    192.000 PTS:  PAUL LONGO (WHITE PLAINS, NY)
    188.000 PTS:  CRAIG FELDHERR (MERRICK, NY)

    Event 13: Decisions, Decisions

    $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

    Robinson Running with the HORSES

    Nelson Robinson (Winston-Salem, NC) was a late night grinder in the 6-max and missed the money by 15 spots. So this morning he had a choice between the 11 am Big Stack or the afternoon HORSE event.

    "I saw the lines were long and I'm lazy," so I'm playing this, says Robinson, while winning the low in the Omaha H/L round.

    "Actually after going deep last night, I wasn't about to stand in line. I'd much rather play this."

    More than 100 players are in the field and the dinner break will be at 8 pm.

    Event 12: Thanks, Now Go Home

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Spevak Sends Player Packing

    On back-to-back hands David Spevak (New York, NY) not only doubles-up, but then busts the player who kept him alive.

    First Spevak flops a set of jacks to win a 290k pot, then wins a flip to take his opponents last 50k, as he now has 340k.

    Players are starting to watch the clock and keep an eye on not only the 7:30 dinner break, but the money bubble which is starting to loom as 150 players remain, 60 from the money.

    Event 10: Final Four Chip Counts

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    The final four have returned from break to blinds of 25k/50k with 5k antes.  Here are their approximate chip counts:

    Mark Sykes - 2.3 million
    Charles Scaglione - 2.19 million
    Mike Lydon - 1.6 million
    Michael Michnik - 1.55 million

    Remaining Payouts:
    1st      $29,586
    2nd    $17,576
    3rd     $13,341
    4th     $10,731

    Event 12: Payouts

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Entries: 963
    Total Buy-In: $192,600

    Place - Amount

    1st $42,044
    2nd $24,755
    3rd $14,946
    4th $10,275
    5th $8,314
    6th $8,314
    7th $6,632
    8th $5,044
    9th $3,456
    10-12 $2,242
    13-15 $1,681
    16-18 $1,065
    19-27 $878
    28-36 $766
    37-45 $691
    46-54 $617
    55-63 $560
    64-72 $504
    73-81 $448
    82-90 $411

    Event 10: 5th Place - Ludwick

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Charles Scaglione was all-in with pocket Tens against the A8 of Jordan Ludwick. Nothing came on the board for Jordan and Charles doubled up to about 2 million.  Jordan was left with about 840k.

    Michael Michnik shoved from the button and Jordan called from the big blind.

    Michael's KQ was dominating Jordan's K5 suited.  The board bricked off 9 4 2 8 8 and Michael doubled up to about 1.6 million  Jordan was left with less than 100k.

     Jordan Ludwick (Cherry Hill, NJ)
    $8,411

    Jordan is all-in dark from the small blind on the next hand and Mike Lydon (bb) looks him up with J5.  Jordan has 42 suited.  The board fell A Q 4 7 6 and Jordan doubled up.

    Jordan was then all-in again against Mike.  Jordan had A8; Mike had AK.  Board was 4 4 2 J 8 and Jordan doubled again to about 360k.

    A couple of hands later, Jordan was all-in from the button and Mike Lydon called from the small blind.  Jordan had 97 off and Mike had A4.  Board came Q 5 4 3 8 and Mike took the pot with a pair of 4s.

    Jordan Ludwick finished in 5th place, earning $8,411.

    Event 12: BIG Big Stack

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Sam, I am - Chip Leader

    Samuel Cicchine (Fords, NJ) has such a big stack that losing a postflop all in for 127k barely puts a dent in his stack. "Don't worry," he says, "I'll get it back," after losing the hand to Vlad Geykhman (Brooklyn, NY).

    Cicchine's stack is so volatile that he calls an all in for 30k from the big blind with 10 2 offsuit and spikes a deuce on the river to take his stack to 465k.

    Players are on a 15 minute color-up break as the black (100) chips are off the table.

    180 players remain with an average stack of 107k (18 BB); blinds resume at 3k/6k/500 ante.

    Event 10: 6th Place - Massey

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Jordan Ludwick opened for 115k and action folded around to Aaron Massey in the big blind.  Aaron gave it some thought, then raised.  Jordan announced he was all-in and Aaron snap-called.

     Aaron Massey (Elmwood Park, IL)
    $6,091

    Jordan held AT off.  Aaron was ahead with AK off.

    The board came J T 3 3 3 and Jordan paired his Ten on the flop, then boated-up on the river, to take the pot.  He's up to almost 2 million.

    Aaron Massey was busted in 6th place.

    Event 10: Blinds Up

      $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Aaron Massey three-bet all-in, but got no call.

    Michael Michnik three-bet all-in, but got no call.

    Blinds went up to 20k/40k with 4k antes.  Still 6 players.

    Event 10: Double, Double

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Michael Michnik doubled through Charles Scaglione.

    Aaron Massey doubled through Jordan Ludwick.

    It appears the final six are settling in for a while.

    Blinds: 1,500/3,000, 4k antes
    Players Remaining: 6
    Chips In Play: 7.475 million
    Average Stack: 1.24 million (41 big blinds).

    Remaining Payouts:
    1st      $29,586
    2nd    $17,576
    3rd     $13,341
    4th     $10,731
    5th       $8,411
    6th       $6,091

    Event 12: Less than 300

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Dyer Situation with Aces

    Tables are breaking fast as less than 300 players remain. Several tables are still in the Signature Room and one of the bigger stacks belongs to Kevin Dyer (Yonkers, NY), who's taking good natured ribbing.

    Dyer admits he took some time to call two all-in shoves from the button with no action behind him, but eventually calls with pocket aces.

    Dyer wins the hand and now has 215k, but can't escape the table's ridicule. Angel Modica (Astoria, NY) is the ringleader and says, "it was a slow roll and the best part was he asked, 'what do you have,' like he was behind."

    Level 15 (1,500/3k/400 ante) is winding down.

    Event 13: Horse Plays

    $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

    Munley & Engelbert Playing Omaha H/L

    It's another strong field and there's a couple of interesting table draws.

    Chris Reslock and Larry Gold are side-by-side with Gold holding position. Across the room it's Glenn Engelbert with position on Bill "Bumperino" Munley.

    Also in the field is the Omaha H/L, Event 9 winner Barry Levy ($13,153), Charlie Brahmi, and making Bill Blanda, who's making his Borgata Fall Poker Open debut.

    Signature Horses

    Event 10: Still Six

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Another level was completed without any major fireworks. 

    The final six players are enjoying a 15 minute break.

    After the break, play will resume with blinds of 1,500/3,000 with 4k antes.

    Event 13: And They're Off!

    $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

    Today's second event is the five-game mix of HORSE:
    Hold'em
    Omaha Hi/Lo
    Razz
    Stud
    Eight or Better (Stud Hi/Lo)

    Games are played in rotation, 8 hands of each, and are all played in Limit format.

    Players began with 15,000 chips and level 1 limits are 50/100.

    Level 1-10 are 30 minutes long; levels 11+ will be 40 minutes long.

    Cards are in the air!

    This is a two-day event, so they'll play until about 2am, then bag and tag and return Thursday at noon to play it out.

    Event 10: 7th Place - Ladny

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Eric Ladny and Charles Scaglione took a flop, which included two spades, and then got all their chips in the middle.

    Eric was ahead with pocket Tens, but Charles had a lot of outs with the AK of spades.  He caught his flush card on the turn and it was all over for Eric.

    Eric Ladny (Mercerville, NJ)
    $4,640

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

    Here are the final six with some rough chip counts:
    1 - Mark Sykes - 1.3 million
    2 - Michael Michnik - 500k
    3 - Aaron Massey - 1 million
    4 - Charles Scaglione - 1.7 million
    5 - Jordan Ludwick - 1.4 million
    6 - Mike Lydon - 1.5 million

    Event 10: 8th Place - Leong

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Eric Ladny shoved holding KJ and Christopher Leong called all-in holding pocket 4s.  A King on the flop spelled the end of Christopher's tournament.

    Christopher Leong (New York, NY)
    $3,190

    The final 7 players drew seats and moved to the final table.

    Blinds are up to 12k/24k with 3k antes.  Average stack is now over 1 million.

    Event 13: Stable Situation

    $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

    A couple of veteran HORSE players, including Chris Reslock and Bill "Bumperino" Munley, are looking for their stalls as the tournament is pushed back to 4 pm. Their stable will be housed in the Signature Room as more than 80 players are already registered.

    The Poker Room is simply a mad house and as the tournament tables break the live cash games will fill up fast. Check here for live updates throughout the night.

    And for the person who stopped by Media Row to ask about the 7 pm tournament, it's great that Borgata is bursting at the seams, but before our heads explode we can tell you it's a NL Black Chip Bounty ($150 + $30 + $100).

    Event 10: 9th Place - Chan

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Mark Sykes opened for 42k, then Daniel Chan raised to 109k.  Mark announced he was all-in.  Daniel tanked for a a couple of minutes, then called.

    Daniel Chan (far left) in the tank; Mark Sykes (far right) is all-in;
    Charles Scaglione (middle) looks on

    Mark held A♠7♠.  Daniel was ahead with pocket 9s (with the 9♠).  The flop came 9♣8♠2♠ and Daniel improved to a set, but Mark picked up the flush draw.

    Turn was the 3♠, completing the flush for Mark.  Daniel needed the board to pair on the river, but the Q fell.

    The stacks were close, but Mark had Daniel covered.  Mark is now up to over 1.5 million.

    Daniel Chan (New York, NY)
    $1,740

    Event 12: Less than 500

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Registration is officially closed as the massive field of nearly 1,000 players is starting to settle down. Surprisingly the field is down to 480 players as Level 12 (1k/2k/300 ante) is underway.

    At the completion of this level the green (25) chips will be colored up.

    Event 10: November Nine

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Eli Loewenthal (Carmel, In)  got his last 22 big blinds in with A6 and ran into A9.  He busted out in 10th place ($1,450).

     Eli Loewenthal

    Christopher Leong is up to ~1.1 million and second in chips.

    End of level; time for another break.  Approximate chip counts:

    Table One
    1 - Mike Lydon - 900k
    2 - Eric Ladny - 800k
    5 - Christopher Leong - 1.3 million
    6 - Aaron Massey - 300k

    Table Two
    1 - Daniel Chan - 660k
    3 - Charles Scaglione - 900k
    4 - Mark Sykes - 600k
    5 - Jordan Ludwick - 1.5 million
    6 - Michael Michnik - 440k

    After the break, play resumed with 10k/20k blinds and 3k antes.

    Event 10: Down to 10

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Playing 8k/16k with 2k antes:

    Kevin McColgan busted out in 12th place ($1,450).

     Kevin McColgan

    David Johnston (Brigantine, NJ) was all-in with AQ suited, but ran into the pocket Aces of Jordan Ludwick.  The Aces held and Jordan chipped up to ~1.5 million, good for the chip lead.

    David busted out in 11th place ($1,450).

    Ten players remain.  Average stack is 747k (46 big blinds).

    Event 13: HORSE Delayed

    $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.

    The HORSE event that was scheduled to start at 3pm has been pushed back to 4pm due to the insane number of players that showed up to play event 12 that started at 11am.

    Event 12: Break Time Tweets

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Time to check the tweets!  Just some of the tweets from the break:

    Flashgordon227 Gordon Eng
    16k now lol blinds going to 500 1k. Fast structure

    SugDpoker David Zeitlin
    Just over 50k at end of re entry period, we're going to 500-1k.

    leechilds Lee Childs
    46k. End level 8. 500/1000/100 coming up.

    aje221 Austen Johnson
    Uneventful last 4 levels. 35k returning to 100 500/1000. The scene in the poker room is outrageous.

    KevinSauLivePro Kevin Saul
    2nd breaak, had to re-enter but ran my new 20k stack up to 44.8k goin to 500-1k of borgata 230 turrbo

    lanaob22 Lana O'Brien
    37k at 2nd break borgata

    Event 12: Level 9 Begins

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Level 8 is done.  Break is done.  Registration and re-entry is closed, but those standing in line will still get in.  Still a long line at the re-entry window.  Still a few people in the registration line.
     
    Play has resumed with level 9 blinds of 500/1,000 and 100 antes.

    The clock says 910 entries and is still ticking higher.

    Event 10: Dozen Redraw

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Harry Korotki (Owings Mill, MD) busted out in 13th place ($1,160).  This is his second cash in this series -- he won event #5, the $500 Purple Chip Bounty event, and over $39,000 just a couple of days ago.

    The final twelve drew for seats and moved to the final two tables:

    Table One
    1 - Mike Lydon
    2 - Eric Ladny
    3 - Kevin McColgan
    4 - Eli Loewenthal
    5 - Christopher Leong
    6 - Aaron Massey


    Table Two
    1 - Daniel Chan
    2 - David Johnston
    3 - Charles Scaglione
    4 - Mark Sykes
    5 - Jordan Ludwick
    6 - Michael Michnik

    Event 10: Chip Counts

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em 

    Charles Townsend (Dagboro, DE) finished 14th ($1,160).

     Charles Townsend

    David Johnston was all-in with pocket Queens and behind the pocket Kings of Aaron Massey.  A 2-outer Queen hit the river, saving David's tournament life and doubling him up.

    The final 13 made it to the break.  Here are their rough chip counts:

    Table One
    2 - Mark Sykes - 820k
    3 - Eric Ladny -600k
    4 - Michael Michnik -  440k
    5 - Eli Loewenthal - 630k

    Table Two
    1 - Jordan Ludwick - 790k
    3 - Kevin McColgan - 300k
    5 - Christpher Leong - 545k
    6 - Daniel Chan - 750k

    Table Three
    1 - Charles Scaglione - 880k
    3 - Aaron Massey - 418k
    4 - Mike Lydon - 600k
    5 - Harry Korotki - 165k
    6 - David Johnston - 567k

    Play resumed after the break with blinds of 6k/12k with 2k antes.  Average stack is 575k (48 big blinds).

    Event 10: Latest Departures

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Kalid Ali (Silver Spring, MD) busted out in 17th place.

     Kalid Ali

    Roman Valerstein (Newtown, PA) was all in with the best of it -- pocket Aces -- against Jordan Ludwick's pocket 4s.

    The board came Q 9 8 4 8 and Jordan caught his miracle on the turn to make a set, then boated on the river.  Jordan chipped up to about 800k.

    Roman finished 16th.

    Mike Castaldo (Palisades, NY) was all-in with AJ offsuit, but ran into the pocket Jacks of Eric Ladny.  The board ran out T 7 2 4 J, delivering the case Jack on the river, but it was no good for Mike as Eric improved to a set.

    Mike finished 15th.

    All three players earned $1,160 for their efforts.

    Charles Scaglione is the chip leader with about 900k.

    Event 10: 17 Remain

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Ariel Albilia (Syosset, NY) busted out in 19th place ($870).

     Ariel Albilia

    That left 18 players at three tables.

    Then is was Brian Adragna (E Meadow, NY) who was next to go.  For 18th place he earned $1,160.

    Daniel Chan's pocket Jacks held up against Kevin McColgan's pocket 7s and Daniel doubled up.

    17 players remain.  Average stack is about 440k.

    Event 12: First Break

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    After four levels of play, it's break time.  Ten minutes away from the grind is their reward.

    There is still a line at registration, but they have been given tickets so more people cannot join the line (effectively cutting off registration at the end of the line when tickets were handed out).

    Re-entry is still allowed until level 9 begins and surrendering your stack in favor of re-entering is an option.

    Play resumed after the break with level 5, blinds 150/300 with 25 antes.


    Event 10: Early Departures

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Four players are already history in the Six Max:

    23rd - Daniel Pignataro (Fairfield, NJ)
    22nd - James Boyle (Havre de Grace, MD)
    21st - Gregory Kolo (Rocky River, OH)
    20th - Jonas Wexler (Southampton, PA)

    All will pick up $870 for their efforts.

    Event 10: Six Max Resumes & Payouts

    $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em

    Day two is underway in the High Limit area in the back of the Poker Room.

    Play resumed with 23 players and blinds of 4k/8k with 1k antes.

    Here's a reminder what they're playing for:

    Place - Amount

    1st     $29,586
    2nd   $17,576
    3rd    $13,341
    4th    $10,731
    5th      $8,411
    6th      $6,091
    7th     $4,640
    8th     $3,190
    9th     $1,740
    10-12 $1,450
    13-18 $1,160
    19-24    $870

    Event 12: Signature Faces

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    These folks are enjoying the relative quiet of the Signature Room (tables 1-25):

    Wooyang Lin
    Arkadiy Tsinis
    Adam Lippert
    Lana O'Brien (9 months pregnant and currently at the top of the Borgata Leaderboard!)
    Gordon Eng
    Larry Gold
    Lisa Pickell
    Andrew Klein

    I ran into Steven Rodgriguez, 3rd place finisher in yesterday's event 8, in the registration line.  He could have registered last night when there was no line, but "I wasn't planning to play today" was his excuse.

    Lots of players are telling me they just came out because it's raining outside. 

    Event 12: Mostly Unfamiliar Faces

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

    Today's event has brought out a massive field of players (Over 500 already and still climbing).

     Registration Line

    The registration line still stretches as far as the eye can see down the hall outside the poker room.  (There is a separate, much shorter, line for re-entries.)

    Tables 26-70 are all in the Poker Room and they're filling them as fast as they can get through the line.  Here are some of the faces I spotted in the Poker Room:

    Dave Zeitlin
    Tony Shurilla
    Steven Levy
    Howard Wolper
    Tommy Colamaria
    Jay Johnson
    Mickey Woll
    Austen Johnson

    Event 12: Underway

    $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
    $100,000 GUARANTEED


    The registration line stretches outside the Poker Room and down the hall as far as the eye can see.

    Today's $100,000 guarantee and affordable $200 + $30 price tag, and 20,000 chip starting stacks are bringing out the players out in droves.

    This is also a re-entry event.  Players who are felted during the first 8 levels may opt to re-enter as many times as they can afford.  (Usually the 10 seats are held open for re-entries, but they need those seats for the starting field today, so all ten seats are in use.)

    Levels 1-10 are 20 minutes long.  Levels 11+ will be 30 minutes long.

    Tables 1-25 are in the Signature Room; tables 26+ are in the Poker Room.

    This is a one-day event, so they'll play as long as it takes tonight to determine a winner.

    Level 1 blinds are 25/50 and cards are in the air!

    Wednesday, November 16

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

    11AM: Event 12 - $200 + $30 Big Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
    $100,000 GUARANTEED

    • Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips 
    • Players that "bust" within first 8 Levels may Re-Enter (unlimited Re-Entries)
    • Levels 1-10: each will last 20 minutes | Levels 11+: each will last 30 minutes
    • 1-Day event


    3PM: Event 13 - $400 + $50 H.O.R.S.E.
    • Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
    • Levels 1-10: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each
    • 2-Day event


    7PM: Event 34 - $150 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NLH
    • Players start with 12,000 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 25 minutes each 
    • 1-Day event

      Event 10: End Of Day Chip Counts

      $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack No Limit Hold-Em



      Kalid Ali - 686,000 - Chipleader


      After two players bust-out on the last hand of the night, the top 23 bag and tag their chips.

      Here's a count of each remaining player.

      Players Name......Chip Stack
      1. Kalid Ali................ 686,000
      2. Michael Michnik.. 653,000
      3. Eric Ladny............ 592,000
      4. Chuck Scaglione.... 491,000
      5. Mark Sukes........... 463,000
      6. Eli Loewenthal....... 462,000
      7. Jordan Ludwick........ 392,000
      8. Charlie Townsend.... 352,000
      9. Michael Lydon.......... 335,000
      10. Aaron Massey......... 328,000
      11. Dan Pignataro.......... 326,000
      12. Kevin McColgan....... 317,000
      13. Greg Kolo................. 284,000
      14. Daniel Chan............. 280,000
      15. Jonas Wexler........... 224,000
      16. Ari Albilia................. 197,000
      17. David Johnston........ 196,000
      18. Brian Adragna.......... 177,000
      19. Harry Korotki.......... 177,000
      20. Christopher Leong..... 174,000
      21. Roman Valerstein........ 152,000
      22. Michael Castaldo.......... 148,000
      23. James Boyle.................. 80,000

      Look for an exciting finish tomorrow beginning at 12 noon.

      28 minutes remain in the 4000 / 8000 Blind Level with 1000 ante.

      Everyone is playing for the top prize of $29,586.

      Great job on making it this far. Good luck tomorrow!

      Event 10: Double Busto On Final Hand

      $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

      Chuck Scaglione (Pittsburgh, PA) Busts Two

      In poker, anything can happen at any time. You'd figure it's the last hand of the night, how much damage could really be done. But the cards come when the cards come.

      Chuck Scaglione (Pittsburgh, PA) wakes up with QQ in the big blind and has an open shove and a call already on the felt. Chuck re-shoves forcing Arjanit Ojedukaj to commit the rest of his stack.

      It was Chuck's QQ vs Arjanit's A♣J♣ vs. Jesse Cohen's 2-2.

      Chuck had to sweat out two clubs on the flop of 8♣ 4♣ 10 but in the end his QQ held up and two players hit the rail.

      A chip countdown was necessary to see who had more at the start of the hand and who would jump up to the next pay level. Jesse had more chips.

      Arjanit Ojedukaj finished in 25th Place earning $696.

      Jesse Cohen finished in 24th Place earning $870.

      Play-clock froze as the remaining stacks prepared to bag and tag chips.

      Event 10: Payouts 26-30

      $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

      Place-Name-Amount

      26 Anthony Maio $696
      27 Travis Chapman $696
      28 Edward Shtrahman $696
      29 Salvatore Giambrone $696
      30 Robert Parker $696

      Event 11 Recap

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      It may be past their bedtime but the Seniors still played well past midnight into the wee hours of the morning. One thing that can't be denied is that each Senior playing in Event 11 had the most fun one can have playing poker. Tons of jokes and laughs and friendships forged.

      149 players hit the felt at high noon all battling for the $52,150 Total Buy-In. But the Senior who took down every one of the 1,490,000 tournament chips along with $15,175 was retired Civil Engineer, Arthur Bressler.

      Arthur had to beat out some old-school Borgata regulars such as James Boyd, Bill Seymore, and Sheree Bykofsky - none of whom made the cash.

      Final table of ten included, Kevin Smith, Alan Moon, Padraic Bradley, Joseph Pellicone, Jim Paluszek, William Halpern, Dean Potashner, Henry Porcaro, John Whitworth, and Arthur Bressler.

      Quad Aces made an appearance at the final table as did the phrase "Bada Bing". Kevin Smith would say it every time he won a hand - usually against Arthur. But Arthur had the last laugh as his K-Q won the final all-in race against Kevin "Bada Bing" Smith.

      Third place prize money of $4,806 went to Henry Porcaro (Warwick, NY) while 2nd place went to Jim "Mailman" Paluszek (Philadelphia, PA). Jim enjoyed the chip lead from dinner break thru most of the final table but fell to Arthur in a quick heads up match.

      Once again the big winner of the $15,175 and the trophy was 911 survivor, Arthur Bressler from Manalapan, NJ. His stack was up, down, up, down, and finally up.

      It's been five years since Arthur took down a major Borgata tournament. Does that mean I'll be blogging again about Bressler in 2016? He's been on a rush lately so I think more winning is projected in his more immediate future.

      Congratulations again on being the best Senior NLH player on the East Coast.

      Event 11: 1st Place - Bressler

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Arthur Bressler (Manalapan, NJ)
      $15,175

      It's been a few years since Arthur Bressler took down a Borgata tournament. Rewind back to 2006 when he won $45,500 in a limit Borgata holdem Event. So tonight's score is huge but not his largest cash.

      Arthur says hi to his wife and two married kids, two grandsons and tells us another grandchild is on the way. First place finish couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

      Arthur was short stacked at the final table after his all-in pre-flop 9-9 call ran into a set of sixes from Jim Paluszek. Arthur then battled back and won a key K-Q vs JJ all-in race against Kevin Smith.

      Finally, I watched him fold 6-6 in the big blind after Jim jammed all in on the button. "I just didn't want 6-6 to be the hand that did me in" confessed Bressler. Turned out to be the right fold. If Arthur called and lost that flip he would have be gone. But Arthur Bressler knows what it's like to survive and win.

      The retired Civil Engineer for the Port Authority of NY & NJ is a 911 survivor. Arthur was in the first World Trade Center tower on the 82nd floor. He got out 20 minutes before it collapsed. As he exited the building, the 2nd tower came crashing down causing what felt like a hurricane vacuum.

      Arthur was scooped up in the whirlwind, thrown and knocked unconscious. A NY firefighter found and rescued him.

      God bless you Arthur - looks like Lady Luck was and still is on your side.

      In today's Senior tournament Arthur was down to 4500, soared up to 10,000, dropped back down to 4500, then rebuilt again. The roller-coaster ended with Bressler on top with first place money and the Borgata trophy.

      Congratulations again!

      Champion!

      Arthur Bressler finished in 1st Place earning $15,175.

      Event 11: 2nd Place - Paluszek

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Jim "Mailman" Paluszek (Philadelphia, PA)
      $8,347.

      Jim had the chip from after dinner thru most of the final table. The hand that crippled his monster stack? Jim had A-8 vs. Opponent's J-K. Jim had a made hand with all the chip in but his Opponent spiked a Jack on the river for the better hand and huge scoop.

      Jim Paluszek finished in 2nd Place earning $8,347.

      Event 11: 3rd Place - Porcaro

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Henry Porcaro (Warwick, NY)
      $4,806

      Henry absolutely loves playing the Borgata Senior Tournaments. "I had a great time" exclaimed Porcaro who says hello to his home game the Big Slick Poker Club in Washingtonville, NY.

      Henry Porcaro finished in 3rd Place earning $4,806.

      Event 11: 4th Place - Whitworth

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      John Whitworth (Myrtle Beach, SC)
      $4,047

      John Whitworth was short stacked and figured he'd make a move with J-3 in position. Little did he know he was gonna run into Opponent's AA. To really stick the knife in him, another ace hit the board.

      John flies up to Borgata once a month from Myrtle Beach to play poker. He's flying down to Orlando tomorrow for some more fun in the sun.

      John Whitworth finished in 4th Place earning $4,047.

      Event 11: 5th Place - Moon

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Alan Moon (Syracuse, NY)
      $3,035

      Board game designer, Alan Moon will add $3,035 to his poker bankroll.

      Rough exit as his K-J found two Jacks on the board only to lose to Opponent's one better kicker, A-J.

      Alan enjoyed the chip lead before dinner break and played well at the final table.

      Alan said he enjoys reading our Borgatapokerblog each morning before playing poker - for that we thank him!

      Alan Moon finished in 5th Place earning $3,035 worth of moon rocks!

      Event 10: Bubble Breaks

      $400 + $50 Six-Max Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

      Wayne's World Just Misses the Money

      Hand-for-hand play only lasts 12 minutes and is over after Wayne Temples (North Myrtle Beach, SC) moves 70k all in and Eric Ladny (Brigantine, NJ) makes the call.

      Temples: J♣ Q♣
      Ladny: K K♣

      The K on the turn seals the deal and Temples is out in 31st place, one spot off the money.

      "It's been fun, but a long day," says the 62-year old Vietnam Veteran. "I get tired real easy because of the Agent Orange." As he left he Signature Room, Temples was thanked for his years of service, just days after the U.S. celebrated Veteran's day.

      The 30 remaining players are guaranteed $696 as they chase the $29,586 first place prize.

      Ladny is one of the big stacks with 475k (80 BB) as blinds are 3k/6k/500 ante.

      Play continues tonight until 2 am.

      Event 11: 6th Place - Bradley

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Padraic Bradley (Kingston, NY)
      $2,529

      Padraic "Paddy Power" Bradley was shocked at his 6th place finish as he told me, "I'm used to winning these things". Still a good run for the avid poker player.

      Jim and KC were faithful supporters on the rail.

      Padraic's last hand had him hitting a queen on the flop then his Opponent spiking an ace in the big blind after slo playing.

      Bradley likes the Senior because he says it's easy pickings for him. I also overheard a funny joke from Padraic. When the Borgata candy lady would come around Padraic would holler out, "Candy, Cigarettes, Depends, Polident...".

      As I found with many of the Seniors, Padraic has a great sense of humor.

      Padraic Bradley finished in 6th Place earning $2,529.

      Event 11: 7th Place - Smith

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Kevin Smith (Tuckerton, NJ)
      $2,023

      End of the road for Kevin Smith - Bada Bing!

      Good run for the man who made the final table a lot of fun. He got it in good shipping with JJ only to be called by Arthur Bressler holding K-Q off.

      Dearler showed a K in the window. Board ran: K-3-5-6-4.

      Kevin had a couple railbirds trying to root him in.

      Smith says his daughter Brittany who will help Dad find this blog post.

      Kevin Smith finished in 7th Place earning $2,023.

      Event 11: Magnificent Seven

      $350 + $50 Seniors NLH

      Seven Strong

      Everytime Kevin Smith jams all in and survives he yells out, "Bada-Bing". Others have now joined in on the fun.

      For example Kevin jammed on a spade heavy 10-6-8 flop holding 5-7 with one spade.

      Arthur Bressler mumbed, "I'm not sure you have anything" then folded the winner.

      Kevin slammed down his 5-7 straight flush draw and said "Bada-Bing" as he scooped.

      Current chip counts:
      1. Kevin Smith...180,000
      2. Alan Moon...200,000
      3. Padraic Bradley...330,000
      4. Jim Paluszek...165,000
      5. Henry Porcaro...300,000
      6. John Whitworth...340,000
      7. Arthur Bressler...175,000

      Jim was at risk holding 6-6 behind Arthur's 9-9. Jim hit a miracle two-outter six on the river and ended the hand with a full-house.

      Even after the short stack double-up our once chip leader Jim "Mailman" Paluszek is nursing a 165,000 stack.