Event 7: Jules Jewels

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Jules Mencher (Long Island, NY)

At Borgata Spring Poker Open Blog we honor and encourage superstitions. Jules Mencher (Long Island, NY) didn't want to talk to me or let me take his picture until he made the cash.

A deal's a deal. When the bubble was about to burst, Jules was forced all in only to flip pocket rockets.

It's been like that every orbit since. When I snapped this photo he was forced all in then flipped over A-9 and spiked his man on the flop.

Jules is proudly wearing his Borgata Spring Open 2008 bracelet. He has fond memories taking down that tournament which took place the day after Father's Day (a gift from his kids).

Uh-oh, here comes Jules to Media Row...looks like he's out in 38th place for $747.

"The first time I voluntarily put my chips in, I lost" said Jules from the rail.

His 99 vs. 66 vs. A-Q. Nines fell to a set of sixes and to Aces over Queens.

Maybe I should have waited a little longer to take that picture. Just saying...

Event #6: Money Bubble

$,1000 + 90 NL

The 1K Final Table waits for the bubble to burst.

10 players left,
9 will get paid.

Payouts
1 $30,555
2 $16,587
3 $10,476
4 $7,857
5 $6,111
6 $5,238
7 $4,365
8 $3,492
9 $2,619

Event #6: Final Table

$1,000 + 90 NL

The 1K Final Table

Seat 1 - Alex Torres - 142,000
Seat 2 - James Casement - 381,000
Seat 3 - Mike Bitzelberger - 151,500
Seat 4 - Joe Liberta - 192,100
Seat 5 - Matt Kennedy - 23,500
Seat 6 - Focios Nicoles - 71,000
Seat 7 - Jacobo Fernandez - 73,500
Seat 8 - Paul "Team X Factor" - 176,000
Seat 9 - Jennifer So - 76,000
Seat 10 - Jack Barnes - 111,500

Event 7: Bubble Busted

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Mike Ackrish is your Event 7 bubble boy.

In Mike's final hand he shoved all in pre-flop for 32,000.

He held A-4 up against Vincent Nuzzo's 4-6.

Mike improved to three aces but Vincent ran him down catching a straight.

With the bubble broken, the next person out will take home $747 for 45th place.

Event 7: Shorty Survives

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Hand for hand with seconds ticking down towards a break.

Gerald Taylor (Brooklyn, NY) is all in holding only a king and a deuce.

He's up against a much larger stack looking down at A-6 off-suit.

Can Gerald survive - just one away from the bubble?

Both get a piece of the flop - Taylor is still behind.

Flop: 7-2-A

King on the turn for two pair - holds up giving Gerald Taylor a much much needed miracle bubble surviving double up.

He's now up to 146,000 and has some breathing room.

Break Time! 47 players remain - 45 get the cake!

Event 7: Last Woman Standing

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Patricia Barsanti-Chou - Last Woman Standing

This isn't Patricia's first rodeo as she's won the Last Woman Standing title many times before.

Dawn Pincus went down when her opponent sucked out on the river.

We're playing hand for hand looking just two away from the bubble bursting.

Patricia Barsanti-Chou (Metuchen, NJ) took a hit to her chip stack and is looking to make a run up the cash board, all the way to first place.

Congrats on being the last woman standing.

Event #6: Quick Break

$1,000 + 90 NL

All players on a 10-minute break.

When play continues, Blinds increase to 1,200/2,400/300a.

11 players remaining.

Event 7: Three Away From Cash

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

It's an all-in fest with 6 tables remaining.

Down to 48 players and we're paying the top 45.

Average stack is 179,000.

Blinds are 5000 / 10,000 with 1000 antes.

Who will be the bubble?

You'd think play would tighten up but in the last five minutes I heard all-in five times.

Event #6: GI Joe

$1,000 + 90 NL

Joe Liberta is starting to show the signs of stress from a 12-hour poker day.

He sits amongst the Chip-Leaders with 12 players left.

Event 7: Tanico Triples

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Vincent Tanico (Long Island, NY) Triples Up

Vincent Tanico's kings hold up on a board of 4-4-5-6-Q up against A-K and A-J.

Tanico scoops the 250,000 pot that knocked out Johnny "Stroker" who had the A-J and was already committed with 75,000 pre. I heard Tanico say, "my heart was pumping".

Vincent loves his family and is wearing a shirt to honor all of them along with some great memories.

"To my kids, wife, and family, may you always have my back and I'll always have yours" said Vincent.

Vincent thought maybe one of the other all-in's had aces and was happy when the cards were tabled.

Event 7: Sica Picked Off

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Pavel Myndrov (Brooklyn) - 300,000

Fan favorite Mike "Little Man" Sica is out of the tournament.

Board ran 3-7-9-7-9 and "Little Man" shipped the rest of his 55,000 on the river, representing a spade flush, a nine, or a seven.

But Pavel Myndrov (Brooklyn) must have saw through the play as he called Mike down holding only Ace high.

Sica shook hands and bowed out graciously saying "good hand, good luck" to Pavel.

The table lauded Pavel's call and were probably glad to see such a great player out of their way to the prize money.

Pavel is currently sitting on 300,000.

"Little Man" is truly becoming littler as he lost 27 pounds towards a 50K prop bet he has with his poker buddy that concludes at the start of the 2011 WSOP Main Event.

Keep losing Mike - not in poker, just in lard.

Event #6: Big Game James

$1,000 + 90 NL

Chicago poker grinder, James Casement Jr, has emerged
as the Chip-Leader.

He sits with 281,000 with only 12 players remaining.

Event 7: Three Ladies Left

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Amongst the 68 players remaining, three of them are women.

Christine Nelson (Norristown, PA) - 69,500
Dawn Pincus (Jersey) - 120,000
Patricia Barsanti-Chou (Metuchen, NJ) - 195,000

Dawn won a Borgata tournament on March 14th and took 5th in the 2009 Poker Open Ladies tournament.

Earlier today she folded a hand that would have boated by the river and knocked three players out. "It was the right fold at the time but it did make me mad," confessed Pincus.

She just got moved to Patricia's table (T-2) and the two of them got tangled up in a hand heads-up.

Dawn flopped a set and Patricia chased her straight and caught lucky on the river.

Who will be the last woman standing?

All three are worthy contenders.

Event #6: The 1K Moves On

$1,000 + 90 NL

Gus Shotker keeps his final table hopes alive after doubling his A♦8♣ through the K♦Q♦ of Matt Kennedy. The short stack lives on.

Miller Marco loses some traction after trying a steal a pot on the river. He stabs on the end with 9♠6♠ and gets called by third pair to lose the pot.

The 14 remaining players will play down to 9 or until 2am.

Event 7: Modica vs. Gorilla?

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Angelo "Pinky" Modica - 280,000

Angelo kept most of his chips by making good laydowns.

How about QQ vs. AA pre-flop?

Modica has been picking his spots and not losing at showdown.

Angelo cashed well in 2011 BWO - Event 22 where he took home $10,963 for second place.

Sr. Borgata Blogger, Jeff "Gorilla" Shurilla gave Angelo the name "Pinky". Perhaps this is the reason Modica just challenged Jeff to a heads up game for a dinner.

We'll see if Jeff has the guts to take Angelo on.

Event #6: Two Tabling

$1,000 + 90 NL

14 players remaining
Blinds - 800/1600/200a

Table #1
Seat 1 - Jack Barnes
Seat 2 - Jacobo Fernandez
Seat 3 - James Casement
Seat 4 - Miller Marco
Seat 5 - Jennifer So
Seat 6 - Joe Liberta
Seat 7 - Grigoriy Shvarts

Table #2
Seat 1 - Mike Bitzelberger
Seat 2 - Gus Shotker
Seat 3 - Fotios Nicoles
Seat 4 - Alex Torres
Seat 5 - Matt Kennedy
Seat 6 - Dave Weisberger
Seat 7 - Paul "Team X Factor"

Event 7: Back From Break

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Players are back from a brief 100 and 500 color off break.

Average stack is 103,000 with 85 players remaining on ten tables.

Top 45 get paid.

Event 7: Ali Taj Out Front

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Ali Taj - $400,000

Ali Taj is sitting on a monster stack of $400,000 thanks to a nice double up earlier through Michael Dichiaro.

Taj had 8-8 vs. Dichiaro's A-J.

"I flopped a set then turned quads" said Ali who used the double up to build his wall of chips.

Ali is originally from Ethiopia and has played three tournaments a day for the past five years.

Now relatively short, Michael is currently plotting his move at table 26 which boasts two giant chipleaders including Ali.

"I'm at a table with a ton of chips. That can be good or bad," explained Dichiaro who cashed in both 2011 Borgata Spring Poker Open tournaments he played in.

"Gonna be tough to go three for three" at least up against Ali.

Event #6: Tips from Tablemates

$1,000 + 90 NL

Live tournament regular, Alex Torres and Union worker, Matt Kennedy share some poker strategy on Table 2.

16 players remaining...

Event 7: Playing Rags

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Bruce Frank's Interesting Headgear

Devoted Borgata Blog reader, Bruce Frank sports the colorful tie-dye top.

"I wanted to wear something that would make me look kind of stupid" said Bruce who plays with it all the time. I guess it brings him luck.

Bruce plays poker with friend and Borgata regular Rich Murnick.

Bruce's Borgata Best was 33rd in WPT season V Borgata Poker Classic.

99 players remain - average stack is 88,888

Event #6: Chit Chat

$1,000 + 90 NL

Rutgers student, Jennifer So, and self-made entrepreneur James Liberta enjoy some friendly table talk.

17 players remaining as the chatter continues...

So and Liberta

Event 7: Stroker Poker

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Johnny "Stroker" (Bronx, NY)

Mike Ackrish (Staten Island, NJ) limped in with aces and got two callers.

Flop: 4♥ 6♠ 9♥

Johnny "Stroker" jams the flop and Mike snap calls, easily covering Johnny.

The third player folds, claiming to have 10-10.

Stroker tables J-9 and Ackrish flips over Aces.

Turn: Q♣

Stroker needs a nine or a jack or his tournament dreams are over. Just like that the J♣ falls and he more than doubles up to 100,000.

Mike Ackrish, a poker veteran knows aces getting cracked is all part of the game.

In this case Stroker beat both big pairs pre-flop catching lucky on the river.

Event 7: Weekend Warrior

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Justin Ying - 270,000

Meet Justin Ying (Matawan, NJ) who works all week then plays poker every weekend.

He likes to play Borgata's big weekend tournaments during each season of their Poker Opens.

Justin might be the chip leader with 270,000.

"I hit a lot of rivers today and am running good" explained Ying.

Event #6: Two Tables

$1,000 + 90 NL

We're down to 2 tables in the 1K.

18 players remaining with $90,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Blinds at 600/1,200/200a

Event 7: Women Representing

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Class Act Christine Nelson

I counted five women remaining, all at separate tables.

Christine Nelson took a hit earlier but is holding her own with 30,000.

No stranger to deep stacks, Christine took 18th during the 2011 Borgata Winter Poker Open DS.

Event #6: GG James

$1,000 + 90 NL

We caught the action late to find James Ming shoving his remaining 57k on the river.

Joe Liberta in Seat 4 tanks, but finally calls and shows 8♣8♦ for a flopped set and a winner.

Our 22nd place finisher mucks instantly claiming he folded a huge hand, good game James.

Event 7: Carter Looking For Comeback

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Short Stack Jabari Carter

Jabari Carter (Reading, PA) lost 42,000 right before dinner leaving him with only 19,000. As one of the shortest stacks in the room, Carter's first goal is to survive to 45th place for a min cash.

Jabari's buy in comes courtesy of Riverchasers Poker Tour as he won their Tournament of Champions held here at Borgata.

He'll also be playing in a 10K invitational freeroll from Riverchasers starting tomorrow morning at 10am. Hmmm, I wonder if this one will be finished by then.

Event 7: Back From Dinner

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Everyone from Borgata Poker Room have bagged their chips and brought them over to The Signature room.

Dinner is over and we're all in the same room, ready to play this baby out until it's over.

Vincent Nuzzo appears to have the chip lead after pocket aces hold up four times.

Vincent Nuzzo - 231,000 - amongst the leaders

Some big stacks I noticed include:
Table 5 - Seat 2 - 235,000 - Vincent Nuzzo (Washington Township, NJ)
Table 26 - Seat 3 - 197,000 - Mohamed Radwon
Table 30 - Seat 2 - $135,000 - Philip Sarcacino

Level 13: Blinds 1200 / 2400 with 300 antes.

Event 6: Dinner Break

$1,000 + 90 NL

The 1K field is on a 1-hour Dinner Break,
here's your Chip Leaders:

Miller Marco (Atlantic City, NJ) - 158,000
James Casement Jr (Chicago, IL) - 119,000
Jennifer So (Galloway, NJ) - 109,000
Joe Liberta (Berlin, NJ) - 108,000

Event 6: Black Jack

$1,000 + $90 NL

Nicoles & Rhode

The starting field of 90 players is down to Black Jack, as 21 players remain. The latest elimination comes from Brett Rhode (Philadelphia, PA) who used pocket kings to eliminate a player holding pocket jacks.

Just before that Fotios Nicoles (Clifton, NJ) busted a player with AK vs AJ.

The final three tables are evenly balanced with the jackpot wheel of 7-7-7.

Players are getting restless as the dinner break is right around the corner.

Empty Seat Image

Drinks, Music and Poker...

Event 7: Dinner Break

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

All players have been moved into the Signature Room.
The field will return after a 1-hour Dinner Break.

Number of Entrants: 440
Players remaining: 159

Total Prizepool: $154,000
Players "in the Money": 45

Chip-Leader: 191,000
Average Stack: 78,000

Event 7: Mikey mucks

$350 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Mikey Dentale, Champion of Spring Open Event #1, struggled to stack chips today and busts in Level 12.

So long "Big Guns."

Event 4 Recap

$500 + $60 NL

One of the fastest tables in Borgata Open history saw few double ups and rapid knockouts as
Marcelia "Peachez" Keene (Maplewood, NJ) is the last player standing on her way to the first place prize of $28,372. Keene defeated Chris King (Powder Springs, GA) heads-up when her 5♠ 5♣ flopped a set to take the title to end the final table that lasts less than three hours.

"This is great," says Keene. "I've been laid off and this what I do now full time." Keene lost her job off as manager of a non-profit two years ago and needed the windfall which exceeds her
lifetime tournament earnings of $19,000. Ironically, it's work in the technical field that brought King to New Jersey from the Atlanta area.

"I decided to come early and play in some tournaments," says King, who earned $15,604. "It was real work the first five hours," he says after surviving multiple all-ins after dropping to 3,300 chips during level 4.

The final table featured three players named Tony and two woman. The women outlasted those men as Kim Edmonds (Toms River, NJ), joined Keene at the top of the pay sheet by finishing third ($8,984). "It's great to see the woman doing well," said King, "there's no reason they can't play (well)."

"More woman are starting to win major tournaments," added Keene, who noted the recent
win by Vanessa Selbst, that gave her back to back NAPT titles. "I want to be one of the few that's next in line."

The quick moving Day 2 began with back to back knockouts on the second and third hands as
short stacks Robert Chung-Shui (New York, NY) and Jon Sorscher (Lynbrook, NY) hit the rail in 10th ($1,892) and 9th places ($2,128) respectively.

The rapid fire knockouts continued with two Tony knockouts. Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL) 8th/$2,837 and Anthony Hill (Egg Harbor City, NJ) 6th/$4,729 sandwiched the elimination of Day 2 chip leader John Lee (Westwood, NJ) 7th/$3,783, who never got anything going after his strong Day 1 start.

The tournament began with 195 entrants competing for the $97,500 total buy-in. The field featured two of the final six players from the 2010 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship Event including Champion Dwyte Pilgrim and 6th place finisher Ben Klier, but neither one cashed.

Those who did hit the money included Borgata regular "Action" Bob Hwang (Barnegat, NJ) who finished 15th and dinner break leader Chris Valsamos (Long Island, NY), 13th, as both earned $1,655. Other notables in the field included WSOP Bracelet holder Mike "Little Man" Sica (North Brunswick, NJ), Event 1 Champion Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY) and Dave Zeitlin (Brooklyn, NY), but none of them made the money.

The remaining final table payouts went to Marc Lunenfeld (Virginia Beach, VA) 4th/$7,566 and Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY) 5th/$5,674. But in the end it was Keene who's day turned out
"Peachez."

"I played really well," she said. "I didn't take many chances, but was aggressive when I had to be."

A Poker Movie

Multi-tasking at Borgata, Seat 2 finds time to watch a movie.

Event 7: Out in Front

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Chip Counts and one-liners.

Vincent Nuzzo (Washington Township, NJ) - 186,000
"Final Table or Bust"

Gunnar Gross (Raleigh, NC) - 171,000
"A tornado just hit my hometown, but I'm OK"

Justin Ying (Matawan, NJ) - 169,000
"I've gotta' long way to go"

Lewis Ackrish (Staten Island, NY) - 141,000
"It's too early to tell..."

Jason Gardner (Hoboken, NJ) - 137,000
"I'm on the grind, it's brutal"

Event 6: Marco Takes Out Two

$1,000 + 90 NL

After the utg player and the small blind limped, Miller Marco (Atlantic City, NJ) exercised his big-blind option and raised.  This set off a flurry of action that ended up with the small blind all-in for 38,650 more.  Both Miller and the utg player flat-called the all-in.

 Miller Marco

The flop came A 9 3 with two clubs.  Both players checked the side and the turn was the Ten of clubs.  Miller checked and his opponent moved all-in (about 15k).

Miller called, showing pocket Tens for a set.  His opponent held AK suited in spades and was drawing dead.  The small blind held AK offsuit and was also drawing dead.

Miller collected the pot, busting two players in the process.  He's up to about 180k.

Event #6: Lucky No. 3

$1,000 + 90 NL

Fotios Nicoles (Clifton, NJ) is making his local restaurant patrons proud. The jersey local flops a set of 3's to scoop a nice sized pot in Event #6.

"I'm representing the Tick-Tock Diner off Route 3, wish me luck,"
he says.

Event 6: Heavy Eyes

$1,000 + 90 NL

A shoulder massage puts Colin Ciota (Long Island, NY) to sleep as he grinds out Day 1 of the 1K.

The field shrinks as players eagerly await the Dinner Break.

Event #6: My Cousin Vinny

$1,000 + 90 NL

Vincent Teutonico (Staten Island, NY) finds gin on the river to double-up and stay alive in the 1K.

He was all-in with J♣9♣ on the Q♣ 4♦ 8♣ board and found the K♣ on the river to keep the dream alive.

33 players remain, Level 8 begins with Blinds at 400/800/75a.

Event 6: Agard Ousted

$1,000 + 90 NL

Sherwin Agard, (Boston, MA) the self-annointed "Chip Taker from New England", picked the wrong time to make a move.

 Sherwin Agard

He found himself short-stacked and needed to pick up some chips, but his shove with air ran smack into pocket Queens. 

We'll be seeing more of Sherwin during this series and depending on how things go, possibly in the main event.

Event 7: Bald and Beautiful

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

The retired military (Air Force) man takes a break from the action and poses for a picture.

Thanks for your service and best of luck on the felt.

Steve Tindle (Hyattsville, MD)

Event 7: Payouts

$300 + 500 NL (Big Stack)

Entries: 440 players
Total Prizepool: $154,000

Place - Amount

1 - $38,166
2 - $22,033
3 - $13,444
4 - $10,830
5 - $8,515
6 - $7,096
7 - $5,676
8 - $4,332
9 - $2,988
10-12 $1,941
13-15 $1,494
16-18 $1,180
19-27 $926
28-36 $822
37-45 $747

Event 6: Payouts

$1,000 + 90 NL

Entries: 90
Total Buy-In: $90,000

Place-Amount

1 $30,555
2 $16,587
3 $10,476
4 $7,857
5 $6,111
6 $5,238
7 $4,365
8 $3,492
9 $2,619

Event 6: Top Two

$1,000 + 90 NL

Grigoriy Shvarts (Brooklyn, NY) flops two pair, cracks Aces, frustrates Adam Lippert and scoops a nice sized pot.

His Q♠ J♠ hunts down the big pair and forces "Lippy" to lay
down A♥ Q♠.

Players on a 10-minute break.

Event 7: Chips Flying

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Seats continue to shuffle as big stacks bully
and short stacks cling to life.

Number of Entrants: 440
Players Remaining: 301
Blinds: 500/1000/100a

Event 6: Min "the Master"

$1,000 + 90 NL

Jason Min (Queens, NY) becomes one of the chipleaders after scooping a three-way pot with Q♠ Q♣. Min eliminates "Action Bob" Hwang and another player after getting the big pair to hold.

Event 6: Poker Can Be Brutal

$1,000 + 90 NL
 
Playing 200/400 with 50 antes:

On a flop of Q 4 2, Richard Woodall (Houston, TX) managed to get all-in for ~12k against David Jones (York, PA). 

 Richard Woodall & David Jones

Richard held 53 suited and had flopped an open-ender.  David held pocket deuces and had flopped a set.

Turn was a Jack and changed nothing.  Then the ubiquitous Ace on the river gave Richard the wheel and the double-up.   David was left with about 12k.

Event 6: Chainsaw Out of Gas

$1,000 + 90 NL

Playing 150/300 with 25 antes:

Allen Kessler opened for 750, got one caller, then Matt from New York raised to 4,100.  When the action got back to Allen, he shoved for ~20k.

 Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler

The caller folded and Matt snap-called with pocket Aces.  Allen showed his 'initial' hand, AK (big slick).  The board brought no miracles for Allen and he was busted.

If his pattern holds, he'll go out into the casino and hit a multi-thousand dollar jackpot playing video poker.

Down to 6 tables with fewer than 60 players remaining.  These folks are still in the hunt:

Miguel Borrero
Sherwin Agard
George Medrano
Adam Lippert
Gordon Eng
Bob Hwang
Jacobo Fernandez
Russell Green

Event #7: Hand History

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Action from the Signature Room, play continues into Level 6.

Bruce Frank (Montclair, NJ) rolls over the A♥10♦ to scoop a nice pot before the break. His opponent stacked off with A♠K♦ after the flop came down A♦ 10♠ 6♠.

Ronald Lucas (Beachwood, NJ) has 6♠ 6♥ hold up versus the K♣ Q♣ after the draw-heavy flop comes down 8♣ 7♥ 6♣. The local card player is all smiles after dodging clubs on the turn and river.

Gregory Facci (Westbury, NY) turns the nut flush to scoop a nice pot on Table 1. The Long Islander flips up the A♥4♥ and shows the table like a true gentleman.

Event 6: Chainsaw Crying Call

$1,000 + 90 NL

On the river, the board read A K 4 T 7.  Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler checked to his opponent on the button, who bet 6k.  Allen tanked for a bit, then made the crying call (almost literally) tossing his 6k in chips across the table in front of his opponent. 

The button showed A7 suited for rivered two-pair.  Allen never showed his hand.  Just started commenting on how lucky his opponent got to pair his kicker on the river.

Event 6: Over the Hill

$1,000 + 90 NL

Dressed to impress, PPI Poker Representative and Borgata regular, Charlie Townsend spends his 50th birthday in style.

Charlie Townsend - Dagsboro, DE

Event 4 Champion - Keene

$500 + $60 NL

Marcelia "Peachez" Keene

$28,372

Heads up play lasts only a few hands when all the chips are in the middle. Chris King opens for 60k, Marcelia Keene makes it 220k and King re-pops all-in putting his tournament life on the line.

Keene stands up, surveys the situation, sees she has King covered and makes the call.

King: A♥ 7♥
Keene: 5♠ 5♣

Flop: 8 7 5 (Keene set of 5s, King pair of 7s)
Turn: 2 (King drawing dead)
River: K

When the deuce hits the turn it's all over as King takes the championship and the $28,372 first prize.

King finishes second and takes home $15,604

Event 4: 2nd Place - Chris King

$500 + $60 NL

Chris King (Powder Springs, GA)
$15,604

Event 4: 3rd Place - Edmonds

$500 + $60 NL

Kim Edmonds (Toms River, NJ)
$8,984

"Peachez" Keene opens 100k from the button. Kim Edmonds 3-bets all-in for 545k total and Keene snap calls.

Keene: JJ
Edmonds: AQ

Flop: K 6 4
Turn: J (Kenne set of jacks, Edmonds needs a 10 for a straight)
River: 5

With a brick on the river Edmonds is out in third place, earning $8,984.

Keene (1.3 million) and Chris King (1.1 million) are heads up and dead even in chips with 50 big blinds at 10k/20k/3k ante.

Event 4: 4th Place - Lunenfeld

$500 + $60 NL

Marc "Doc" Lunenfeld
$7,566

Marc Lunenfeld shoves all-in for 150k from the button. Kim Edmonds calls.

Lunenfeld: K J
Edmonds: A 10

Lunenfeld doesn't get any help from the board and Edmonds' ace high takes the pot. Lunenfeld, the chiropractor known as Doctor Marc, is 4th ($7,566).

Edmonds now has 65ok, while Chris King continues to hold the chip lead with more than 1 million.

Event 7: By the Numbers

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Late Registration is officially closed
as Level #5 begins.

Blinds: 150/300/25a
Number of Entrants: 440 players

Event 7: Poker Radio

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Philly Sports Radio, 97.5 The Fanatic, sent Anthony Dimauro (Conshohocken, PA) and Ben Masur (Island Park, NJ), to Borgata for a weekend of poker. The lucky winners of the radio contest will enjoy an all expense paid mini-vacation.

Strangely enough, they're seated beside each other on Table 2. Good luck guys.

(Masur and Dimauro)

Event 4: 5th Place - Sinishtaj

$500 + $60 NL

Tony Sinishtaj (Flushing, NY)
$5,674

The last remaining Tony is all-in for 230k and Marcelia Keene makes the call.

Sinishtaj: A 9
Keene: K J

A jack hits the flop and Sinishtaj hits the rail in 5th place ($5,674).

Event 4: Chip Counts

$500 + $60 NL

Seat - Name - Chip Count

1. Tony Sinishtaj - 277k

5. Marcelia "Peachez" Keene - 580k

8. Marc Lunenfeld - 190k
9. Kim Edmonds - 250k
10. Chris King - 1.1 million

Event 4: Big Hand

$500 + $60 NL

Kim Edmonds raises from the button and Chris King reraises to 100k from the SB. Edmonds
calls.

Flop: 10♠ 8♣ 3♣

King c-bets 140k, Edmonds shoves all-in, King snap calls.

King: 10♥ 10♦ (set of 10s)
Edmonds: A♣ Jc♣ (nut flush draw)

Turn: 2♦
River: 4♠

The set of 10s holds and Edmonds ships 422k on the river, dropping her stack to 200k.
King is now the chip leader after the one million chip pot.

Event 4: 6th Place - Hill

$500 + $60 NL

Anthony Hill (Egg Harbor City, NJ)
$4,729

After his stack is down to 20k and a double-up, Anthony Hill is all-in for 40k. He tables A 7 vs the K 2 for Marc Lunenfeld.

The turn is a 7 to keep Hill in the lead with a pair of 7s, but a river king gives Lunenfeld a pair of kings and the winner. Hill is out in 6th place ($4,729).

Event #6: The 1K Field

$1,000 + 90 NL

Big names and previous Borgata champions headline today's 1K field.

Dwyte Pilgrim - Table 5
"Action Bob" Hwang - Table 7
Gordon Eng - Table 1
Allan "Chainsaw" Kessler - Table 6
Adam Lippert - Table 1

The field reaches close to 100 players with Late Registration open until the end of Level #4.

Blinds at 75/150 as Level #2 comes to an end.

Event 4: 7th Place - Lee

$500 + $60 NL

John Lee (Westwood, NJ)
$3,783

John Lee, the late arriving big stack has been bleeding chips. A raise/fold here, a pot committed call/double a short stack there, and is stack is cut in half to 250k.

Peachez Keene raises to 32k and Lee flat calls.

Flop: Q 8 2 (check, check)
Turn: 9 (check, check)
River: J

Keene shoves all-in for 200k and Lee calls.

Keene: K 10 (nut straight)
Lee: Q J (river two pairs, after flopping top pair)

Lee is out in 7th place for $3,873.

Keene now has 650k.

Event 7: Familiar Faces

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

David Zeitlin dons his Jim Brown throwback jersey in hopes of a deep run today. His twitter page claims he's a "supernit", but the poker pro has over $1 million in career earnings and plenty of past success at Borgata.

Mike "Litte Man" Sica is another friendly face in the room. The salty veteran plays a rock-solid game and never leaves home without his trusty card protector, the toothpick case.

Level #3 begins, Blinds at 75/150.

Event 7: Early Stages

$300 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

New Yorker, Nicholas Schmidt, hits running cards on the turn and river to make a full house and scoops a big pot early. Play is still tight as Level #2 comes to an end.

Nicholas Schmidt (New York)

Event 4: 8th Place - Antonious

$500 +$60 NL

Tony Antonious (Redington Shores, FL)
$2,837

The final table began with three players named Tony, we're now down to two after the pocket 2s of Tony Antonious are dominated and vanquished by the pocket queens of Kim Edmonds.

Edmonds is now challenging for the chip lead with more than 500k, while Antonious finishes 8th, earning him $2,837.

Event 6: Tough Call

$1,000 + 90 NL

Seasoned tournament veteran, Adam Lippert, gains momentum early with a tough call on the river.

"Lippy" called all 3 streets on the 5♣ 4♥ 4♣ 3♥ 8♥ board before turning over pocket Aces to collect the pot.

He "triple barreled and I can't beat much, it's a pretty tough call," says the Borgata regular and East Coast tournament pro.

Adam enjoys a laugh with tablemate and friend, Gordon Eng, after scooping the big pot early in the day.

Late Registration still open...

Event 4: 9th Place - Sorscher

$500 +$60 NL

Jon Sorscher (Lynbrook, NY)

$2,128

It's only the third hand of the day, but we've now seen back to back knockouts. Jon Sorscher shoves his 100k short stack all-in and Anthony Hill makes the call.

Sorshcer: Q♥ Q♣
Hill: A♣ Q♦

The flop is clean, but the A♠ on the turn is the end for Sorscher as Hill wins the hand with a pair of aces. Sorscher finishes 9th, taking home $2,128.

Chip leader John Lee, the last to arrive, plays the hand, but looks like he just woke up from a deep sleep.

Blinds are up and now 5k/10k/1k ante.

Event 4: 10th Place - Chung Shui

$500 +$60 NL

Robert Chung-Shui (New York, NY)
$1,892

On the second hand of play, Robert Chung-Shui shoves less than 50k into the pot Marcelia "Peachez" Keene isolates with a reraise.

Chung-Shui: A♥ K♠
Keene: A♣ Q♠

Flop: Q♦ J♣ 2♣ (Keene, pair of queens)
Turn: 2♠
River: 3♥

Chung-Shui misses his three outer on the river and finishes in 10th place good for $1,892.

Keene takes her stack to 300k.

On a side note, Tony Antonious has arrived and played the hand out of breath. He limp folded after the shove and isolation by Keene.

Antonious shows Ryan his My Borgata Card
Better Late than Never

Event 7: Split 'em Up

$350 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

The large number of entrants for the big stack means the field we be divided between the plush Signature Room and the Poker Room.

This tournament has a 20k starting stack with 30 minute levels and is a one day tournament.

Larry Gold (Long Island, NY) and Jason Warriner (Absecon, NJ) are anxious to hit the felt as the stacks are out and play is about to start.

Event 4: Final Table

$500 + $60 NL

Seat - Name - Chip Count

1. Tony Sinishtaj - 149,000
2. Tony Antonious - 200,000
3. Anthony "Tony" Hill - 236,000
4. Robert Chung-Shui - 51,000
5. Marcelia "Peachez" Keene - 223,000
6. John Lee - 544,000
7. Jon Sorscher - 102,000
8. Marc Lunenfeld - 180,000
9. Kim Edmonds - 329,000
10. Chris King - 332,000

Coincidentally all three players named Tony are in seats 1, 2 and 3.

Event 4: Two Players MIA

$500 +$60 NL

Final Table, Minus Two

Eight of the final ten players are in their seats and ready to go. Tony Antonious and John Lee are the two later comers.

Play begins with only 6 minutes left on Level 18 (4k/8k/1k). Lee is the big stack with 544k, while Robert Chung-Shui (51k) and Jon Sorscher (102k) are the short stacks looking to make a move.

A reminder of what they're playing for:

Entries: 195
Total Buy-In: $97,500

Place-Amount

1 $28,372
2 $15,604
3 $8,984
4 $7,566
5 $5,674
6 $4,729
7 $3,783
8 $2,837
9 $2,128
10 $1,892

Event 7: Flood Gates Open

$350 + 50 NL (Big Stack)

Tournament Director, Tab Duchateau, gives Borgata security staff the nod and the "flood gates" open into the Signature Room.

Saturday's Big Stack No Limit Hold Em' event starts with around 250 players with late registration still open.

Good Luck to the field.

Event 6: Chainsaw Buzzing into Town

$1,000 +$90 NL

Kessler (left) Back at Borgata

Fresh off another WPT final table, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) made a special trip to Borgata just to play in the $1k. After a catnap in his limo ride to the Casino, Kessler is ready to roll.

Kessler has more than $2 million in career earnings thanks to his recent 8th place ($40,000) score that was just short of the televised final 6.

He's joined by Gordon Eng, Charlie Townsend and Adam "Lippy" Lippert as notables to start the day. Lippert and Eng are at the same table, the one right next to Kessler's.

Event 6: Big Money

$1,000 +$90 NL

The first of multiple 4-figure buy-ins during the Borgata Spring Poker Open is underway with today's $1k. The poker room is buzzing as the players are anxious to sink their teeth into the well structured 15k starting chips, 50 minutes levels tournament.

Table signs are down, button is in the 4 seat, blinds are 25/50, and the cards are in the air.

Here's a list of the other big money tournaments and the full Main Event Schedule.

Hustle, Hustle, Hustle

With large fields expected for today's Event 6 ($1k) and Event 7 ($350 Big Stack), plus the final table for Event 4 ($500), the Borgata staff is hustling to get the dealers and players into place.

The influx creates a need for Signature Room, so there will be lots of poker action from both rooms. Stand-by for all the action, as we're waiting for the first cards to fly.

Borgata Leaderboard Update

BORGATA SPRING POKER OPEN LEADERBOARD

By participating in any Borgata Spring Poker Open event from April 13 – 23 (events 1–17 and 24–46), players will earn points based upon Borgata’s poker tournament leaderboard formula.

Borgata Tournament Leaderboard Points are calculated by multiplying point factors from the following three criteria: Total Event Buy-In, Total Event Entries, and Place Finished.

Below are the top 150 leaders for the Borgata Spring Poker Open Leaderboard contest through April 15 events*
*(Final Results from events 1, 2, 3, 5, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 & Participation Points for Event 4 - Day 2 today)

255.950 POINTS: DENTALE, MICHAEL (BROOKLYN, NY)

223.375 POINTS: SABOGALI, ALBERTO (BROOKLYN, NY)

199.050 POINTS: SACKS, GILBERT (BALA CYNWYD, PA)

170.500 POINTS: RAGO, JONATHAN (N BABYLON, NY)

168.000 POINTS: HECK, DAVID (COLTS NECK, NJ)

161.000 POINTS: GANGEMI, FRANK (LONG BEACH, NY)

141.000 POINTS: VOVCHIK, IGOR (BROOKLYN, NY)

132.728 POINTS: URIOSTE, LUIS (CORONA, NY)

132.000 POINTS: ZACKS, JUSTIN (NEW YORK, NY)

124.288 POINTS: GANDHI, NIKUNJ (STAMFORD, CT)

124.150 POINTS: MOORE, STAR (BROOKLYN, NY)

123.700 POINTS: KOSAKOWSKI, GARY (NEWARK, NJ)

120.000 POINTS: MUNLEY, WILLIAM (THROOP, PA)

120.000 POINTS: PEREZ, MARIANO (HILLSBOROUGH, NJ)

108.875 POINTS: SCHOFER, JEREMY (WASHINGTON, DC)

105.600 POINTS: HAYDUK, JAMES (JOHNSTOWN, PA)

101.950 POINTS: ZUCKER, JORDAN (E ATLANTIC BEACH, NY)

99.350 POINTS: DEGEORGE, JOHN (TOMS RIVER, NJ)

98.700 POINTS: CAMBRIA, RICHARD (LTL EGG HBR, NJ)

95.750 POINTS: DELUCA, MATTHEW (EAST MEADOWA, NY)

94.418 POINTS: MONTANO, ROMEO (EATONTOWN, NJ)

91.200 POINTS: GEORGOUS, DEMETRIOS (LITTLE FALLS, NJ)

91.200 POINTS: ZOLDAK, JOHN (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

86.780 POINTS: VOCCIA, DANIEL (WESTHMPTN BCH, NY)

86.250 POINTS: KLEIN, ANDREW (OCEAN, NJ)

84.950 POINTS: CRAMER, JOSEPH (CARLISLE, PA)

84.000 POINTS: PALUSZEK, JAMES (BENSALEM, PA)

79.200 POINTS: NUNZIATA, KRISTOPHER (YONKERS, NY)

77.810 POINTS: RYAN, STEVE (NEW YORK, NY)

74.838 POINTS: ROSENBLATT, LEANNE (BRIGANTINE, NJ)

74.750 POINTS: TAN, ZHUO (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

73.540 POINTS: FOX, BRYCE (PITTSBURGH, PA)

72.775 POINTS: MICHAEL, TODD (LANCASTER, PA)

70.500 POINTS: HAND, THOMAS (S BOSTON, MA)

67.200 POINTS: PERKA, KRZYSZTOF (RIDGEWOOD, NY)

66.830 POINTS: TRUONG, HUNG (BROOKLYN, NY)

66.200 POINTS: CIAMPA, PIETRO (ELMONT, NY)

66.000 POINTS: MCMAHON, WILLIAM (CEDAR GROVE, NJ)

65.588 POINTS: FORCA, MICHAEL (BABYLON, NY)

64.518 POINTS: TUERK, SHELDON (MARLBORO, NJ)

62.838 POINTS: CORUM, CEDRIC (W ORANGE, NJ)

62.400 POINTS: HANRAHAN, JOSEPH (AMHERST, NH)

61.498 POINTS: SUH, JUNGMIN (PALISADES PARK, NJ)

60.950 POINTS: VITELLO, RONALD (NEW YORK, NY)

60.075 POINTS: URBAN, JUDITH (PLYMOUTH MTNG, PA)

60.033 POINTS: CORNING, JOHN (SYRACUSE, NY)

60.000 POINTS: DUONG, MICHAEL (FLUSHING, NY)

59.388 POINTS: GOVERNA, JAMES (RICHBORO, PA)

59.113 POINTS: ADRAGNA, BRIAN (E MEADOW, NY)

58.085 POINTS: RINALDI, DOMINIC (MANORVILLE, NY)

57.825 POINTS: COHEN, SETH (NEW YORK, NY)

57.825 POINTS: MUNYON, WILLIAM (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)

57.600 POINTS: MORIELLO, ALBERTINO (SPRINGFIELD, NJ)

57.388 POINTS: EHLERT, KONSTANTI (EDISON, NJ)

56.810 POINTS: CRONAN, GARY (OWINGS MILLS, MD)

56.750 POINTS: CHAN, DANIEL (NEW YORK, NY)

56.588 POINTS: JONES, CHARLES (PITTSBURGH, PA)

54.825 POINTS: SVEC, RONALD (WALL TWP, NJ)

54.300 POINTS: BAK, TADEUSZ (WALLINGTON, NJ)

54.300 POINTS: MOHR, ROBERT SCOTT (INDIANAPOLIS, IN)

53.580 POINTS: BUZZEL, ROBERT (SOUTH RIVER, NJ)

52.875 POINTS: NEYIR, JON (WAYNE, NJ)

52.875 POINTS: WILLIAMS, JAMES (ASHLAND, VA)

52.800 POINTS: LOGUIDICE, JOSEPH (ATALNTIC CITY, NJ)

51.750 POINTS: RICE, RICHARD (HAYMARKET, VA)

51.638 POINTS: LIN, WOOYANG (MORRISTOWN, NJ)

51.480 POINTS: GIBEAU, GUY (MONMOUTH, NJ)

51.450 POINTS: THEN, ARMANDO (NEW YORK, NY)

50.838 POINTS: BRESSLER, ARTHUR (MANALAPAN, NJ)

50.788 POINTS: ABENDSCHEIN, EDWARD (MTN LKS, NJ)

50.363 POINTS: BAKSH, WAZIR (QUEENS VILLAGE, NY)

50.250 POINTS: VAN DRIESEN, ROGER (WHITING, NJ)

50.160 POINTS: WASSERMAN, JOSHUA (MIDDLETOWN, NJ)

50.113 POINTS: GUSIKOFF, STEVEN (FLUSHING, NY)

50.065 POINTS: BROWNE, DONALD (BLACKWOOD, NJ)

49.335 POINTS: RAPP, MICHAEL (GALLOWAY, NJ)

48.960 POINTS: ECKSTROM, BRIAN (MARLTON, NJ)

47.963 POINTS: PARISIS, ZACHARY (FORT LEE, NJ)

47.863 POINTS: ANTONIOUS, NASHAAT (REDINGTON SHORES, FL)

47.588 POINTS: ZAYDMAN, ELLIOTT (GLEN ROCK, NJ)

46.530 POINTS: PINTO, DOUG (LINCROFT, NJ)

45.825 POINTS: KAHN, ROBERT (EARLYSVILLE, VA)

45.825 POINTS: PATEL, RAHULKUMAR (WOOD BRIDGE, VA)

45.600 POINTS: BEGELMAN, LEONARD (CHERRY HILL, NJ)

45.275 POINTS: BALLA, THOMAS (BELLEROSE, NY)

44.700 POINTS: JANNES, EMMANUEL (WEST HEMPSTEAD, NY)

44.700 POINTS: TELIAS, HENRY (N WOODMERE, NY)

44.425 POINTS: ANDERSON, MICHAEL (CHESAPEAKE, VA)

43.588 POINTS: SURAPANENI, SATISH (NEW YORK, NY)

43.588 POINTS: VASSERMAN, ILYA (HUNTINGDON VY, PA)

43.560 POINTS: LUONG, ANTHONY (BROOKLYN, NY)

43.200 POINTS: COHEN, STEVEN (NEW YORK, NY)

43.200 POINTS: MONDSCHEIN, MARK (NAZARETH, PA)

43.163 POINTS: BUI, DAO (STERLING, VA)

42.713 POINTS: LEBLANC, PHILIP (MARSHALLS, PA)

42.300 POINTS: BELFOURE, DEREK (CLEAR SPRINGS, MD)

42.300 POINTS: DUNMORE, KEITH (DEVONSHIRE, BER)

42.300 POINTS: MASTRANGELO, VINCENT (FARMINGDALE, NY)

41.750 POINTS: KAPLAN, JAMES (BOCA RATON, FL)

41.750 POINTS: LACHIANA, JOSEPH (BARDONIA, NY)

40.475 POINTS: HERNANDEZ, ERIC (BELLMORE, NY)

40.388 POINTS: GOLDSTEIN, LAURENCE (MEDFORD, NY)

38.750 POINTS: FARLEY, CHRISTIAN (WEST DEPTFORD, NJ)

38.400 POINTS: MICH, DYLAN (TUCKERTON, NJ)

38.275 POINTS: FERNANDEZ-HERNANDEZ, JACOBO (BRONX, NY)

37.550 POINTS: DEFILIPPO, JOSEPH (INDIAN TRAIL, NC)

37.538 POINTS: VERMA, VISHAL (SYOSSET, NY)

37.475 POINTS: SUSSMAN, WILLIAM (RIVERDALE, NY)

37.388 POINTS: GIL, ALEX (CORONA, NY)

37.388 POINTS: PALERMO, LEONARDO (ORTLEY BEACH, NJ)

37.225 POINTS: LEE, JOHN (WESTWOOD, NJ)

37.225 POINTS: LUNENFELD, MARC (VIRGINIA BCH, VA)

37.225 POINTS: TAE, SUNGWOO (PALISADES PK, NJ)

36.350 POINTS: ISRAELASHVILI, ROLAND (FOREST HILLS, NY)

36.113 POINTS: BROWN, RONALD (CHARLOTTE, NC)

36.113 POINTS: GOLDBERGER, DAVID (MONROE, NY)

36.113 POINTS: ROBERTS, LIONEL (SNEADS FERRY, NC)

36.113 POINTS: SONDEJ, JONATHAN (CHESAPEAKE, VA)

35.950 POINTS: GOVONI, DARREN (HAYMARKET, VA)

35.880 POINTS: SABATINI, JAMES (GLOUCESTERCTY, NJ)

35.838 POINTS: LUCE, ANTHONY (ADVANCE, NC)

35.838 POINTS: RICCOBONO, ALBERT (OSSINING, NY)

35.688 POINTS: DELAFUENTE, CARLOS (MINEOLA, NY)

35.688 POINTS: RICHARDONE, FRANK (STATEN ISLAND, NY)

35.588 POINTS: MARZARELLA, PAUL (ANNANDALE, NJ)

35.525 POINTS: ANTONACCI, ALDO (NEW YORK, NY)

35.525 POINTS: IBRAIMOVIC, IBRAIM (BROOKLYN, NY)

35.525 POINTS: ROSENBERG, GARY (CANADENSIS, PA)

35.525 POINTS: UZAN, EPHRAIM (VALLEY STREAM, NJ)

34.550 POINTS: CASTAGNA JR., OSCAR (NEW Y0RK, NY)

34.163 POINTS: BOCK, GREGORY (NEW YORK, NY)

33.600 POINTS: BASILICATA, VINCENT (LITTLE NECK, NY)

33.000 POINTS: AGAEV, ADAM (BROOKLYN, NY)

32.863 POINTS: DEVITO, PETER (W HEMPSTEAD, NY)

32.863 POINTS: PIZARO, VINCENT (EAST MEADOW, NY)

32.750 POINTS: DICHIARO, MICHAEL (HOBOKEN, NJ)

32.750 POINTS: SICA JR, MICHAEL (N BRUNSWICK, NJ)

32.750 POINTS: ZEITLIN, DAVID (BROOKLYN, NY)

31.638 POINTS: BETLOW, EDWARD (MORRIS PLAINS, NJ)

31.638 POINTS: TRAN, DAVID (ANNANDALE, VA)

31.475 POINTS: GAGG, CHRISTOPHER (LAKE GROVE, NY)

31.063 POINTS: BEN-ATAR, YEHUDA (N POTOMAC, MD)

30.600 POINTS: GLYNN, MYLES (ASTORIA QUEEN, NY)

30.000 POINTS: BROWN, DONALD (WESTBURY, NY)

30.000 POINTS: HARVILLA, JOHN (MINERSVILLE, PA)

30.000 POINTS: KOSTENKO, ANDREY (SAYREVILLE, NJ)

30.000 POINTS: LILLIS, JAMES (ROBINSVILLE, NJ)

30.000 POINTS: NGUYEN, PHONG THAN (BRISTOW, VA)

30.000 POINTS: SCORCE, ERIC (ALEXANDRIA, VA)

30.000 POINTS: SILBERZWEIG, MATTHEW (ELMONT, NY)

The Points Leader at end of day Saturday, April 23 will win entry into the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship event.

Winner will be announced Sunday, April 24 and has choice of entering either:
- Day 1A (Sunday, April 24) or
- Day 1B (Monday, April 25)