Event 11: 4th Place - Kavowras

$300 + $50 HOSE

Kenny Kavowras (Brooklyn, NY)

$1,938

Kenny Kavowras is all in for 61k in the round of Stud H/L. Sharad Mehta makes the call with rolled up queens. Kavowras needs a low card on 7th street to chop the pot, but a king is the final blow and he's out in 4th place.

"I had a great 12 hours," says Kavowras as he walks toward the cage to pick up his nearly $2,000 payday.

Event 11: 5th - Frankowski

$300 + $50 HOSE

Matt Frankowski (Mt. Ephraim, NJ)
$1,507

Matt Frankowski is puts his last 45k all-in with pocket 8s and is up against the pocket 3s of John Reiss. Reiss hits his set on 4th street to eliminate Frankowski in 5th place

Event 8: Chris Wilson - 4th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Chris Wilson - 4th Place - $13,418

Chris Wilson's A-6 ran into Alek Givotovsky's 9-9.

Wilson failed to improve on a board of 2-2-J-Q-5 and was knocked out in 4th place for $13,418.

Event 10: 8th Place - Taleisnik

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Photo Unavailable
Camera Shy

Scott Taleisnik (New York, NY)
$1,519

Scott Taleisnik and Craig Hunkele are both all in and at risk with Carmen Fiore making the calls for 60k and 90k respectfully.

Taleisnik: 4 4
Hunkele: A 9
Fiore: A J

Hunkele admits he got "lucky" when a 9 flops and he doubles through Fiore, plus adds Taleisnik's chips, who's out in 8th place.

Event 8: Final Four

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Our final four players include:

Alek Givotovsky (New York, NY) - 2,600,000
Chris Wilson (Vineland, NJ) - 1,900,000
Sammy Elkassir (Fort Lee, NJ) - 4,300,000
Matt Deluca (East Meadowa, NY) - 2,300,000

Blinds: 80,000 / 160,000 ante 20,000

Event 10: 9th Place - Rogers

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Barbara Rogers (Lock Haven, PA)
$1,139

Barbara Rogers is all in for 18k and flops bottom two pairs, 3s and 2s. She's against Carmen Fiore who has A♦ K♦ and hits a flush on the river to knock Rogers out in 9th place.

Event 8: Chris Valsamos - 5th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Chris Valsamos - 5th Place - $10,550

After two days of superior poker play, Chris Valsamos' dream comes to an end.

He held the chip lead from time to time and at one point was down to 20,000 on Day 1A.

He shipped his final 1.6 million in good holding 7-7 vs. Sammy Elkassir's 8-10.

An eight in the window was enough to topple Valsamos.

Board ran: K-Q-8-4-5.

"Nobody thinks I'm tight any more" said Sammy Elkassir who made the somewhat loose pre-flop call.

Down to four and they're ready to play it out!

Event 10: 10th Place - Farley

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Chris Farley (West Deptford, NJ)
$1,013

Chris Farley is all-in with Q♥ 10♦ and is dominated by the Q♠ Q♣ of Salvatore DeSimone. Farley gets no help and is the first elimination at the final table.

Event 11: 6th Place - Durante

$300 + $50 HOSE

Ron Durante (Philadelphia, PA)

$1,292

After losing most of his last 100k in the Stud round, Ron Durante is down to his last 3k and out on the first hand of hold'em to finish in 6th place.

Event 8: Claudius "The Beast" Ferris - 6th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Claudius Ferris - 6th Place - $8,792

I'm learning that when Chris Wilson stands up and claps it means he just won another hand.

Wilson's A-K saw an ace on the turn to edge out Claudius "The Beast" Ferris (Hollis, NY) who held pocket fours.

The two heavyweights got it all in pre-flop. Wilson had Ferris's 560,000 easily covered and won the race.

Hollis won 4k in a Survivor event and will add another $8,792 to his Borgata Bankroll.

Look for "The Beast" to make a run in the Championship Event.

Event 10: Final Table

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

After blitzing through eliminations 15-11, the final table is set:

Seat-Name

1 Chris Cruz (Whitestone, NY)
2 Leonard Cologna (Union Beach, NJ)
3 Josh Weizer (Philadelphia, PA)
4 Wazir Baksh (Queens, NY)
5 Chris Farley (West Deptford, NJ)
6 Scott Taleisnik (New York, NY)
7 Barbara Rogers (Lock Haven, PA)
8 Carmen Fiore (Philadelphia, PA)
9 Athanasios Diakos (Jersey City, NJ)
10 Craig Hunkele (Allison Park, PA)

Event 11: 7th Place - Somma

$300 + $50 HOSE

Mike Somma (Queens, NY)
$1,077

Mike Somma has AQ 10 in the stud round, but can't connect for a pair or the flush. His last 90k is ousted by the rolled up 5s of Sharad Mehta.

Event 10: Eliminations

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Place-Name-Amount

11 James Davison (Netcong, NJ) $1,013
12 Paul Longo (White Plains, NY) $1,013
13 David Chou (Hoboken, NJ) $866
14 Michael Einhorn (Rydal, PA) $866
15 Frank Libassi (Brooklyn, NY) $866

Event 11: 8th Place - Michael

$300 + $50 HOSE

Philip Michael (Stroudsburg, PA)
$861

The blinds and limits catch up to Philip Michael and he puts his last 30k in the pot during the Omaha H/L round. Matt Frankowski wins the hand to eliminate Michael in 8th place.

Event 8: Richard Woodall - 7th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Richard Woodall - 7th Place - $7,033

Richard Woodall had his eye on first or second to help pay for some 10K buy-ins but will settle for 7th place and a $7,033 pay day.

He never recovered after flopping tens and losing to broadway.

The final hand had him drawing to three outs when his A-8 was crushed by Wilson's A-Q.

Board ran: 6-6-2-7-3.

"No regrets" said a gracious Richard as he bowed out.

Event 8: Roland Israelashvili - 8th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Roland Israelashvili - 8th Place - $5,368

Out chipleader from day 1A and overall chipleader starting this morning is out in 8th place.

Roland played great both days. He bet half his 700,000 stack with AA and Sammy Elkassir jammed all in with 77. Of course Roland called as the two awaited the flop.

Bad news for Israelashvili as Elkassir flops a full house seeing 7-4-4.

Turn 10 and river Q was no help to Roland who's aces were cracked and is heading home.

Roland was happy he never had to re-buy, was the chipleader to start day 2, and got some good cards.

Congrats on your 8th place $5,368 prize.

Oh, by the way, Richard Woodall folded 7-4. Wow!

Event 8: Broadway 2.1 Million Dollar Box Office

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Alek Givotovsky and Richard Woodall spar for 2.1 million with Alek getting the final blow but not a knock-out.

Classic race of Richard's 10-10 vs. Alek's A-Q.

Richard outflops Alek when it falls 9-J-10 giving him the set of tens for the lead.

But the river King would give Alek Broadway and a mountain of chips.

Event 11: 9th Place - Muccaiaccio

$300 + $50 HOSE

CJ Muccaiaccio (Queens, NY)

$647

CJ Muccaiaccio is all in for 22k and gets 4 callers during a round of Omaha H/L. Muccaiaccio has a low draw to split the pot and needs a gutter ball jack to scoop. The turn and river both brick and Hollywood Dave Stann boats up on the river to eliminate Muccaiaccio.

Event 10: Brutal Way to Hit the Money

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Just before the money Joshua Palmer (Hamptonville, NC) has his A♠ A♦ cracked by Greg Kolo (Rocky River, OH) when his 3♣ 3♦ hits the 3♥ on the flop.

The set of threes doubles Kolo and keeps him in the game, while Palmer is down to just 25k.

After the bubble breaks, Palmer goes out in 18th place, followed by Kolo in 17th.

David Eliers (Rocky Mount, NC) is 16th as all three players take home $760.

Event 10: Bubble Breaks

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Gordon Eng (Cliffside Park, NJ) is all-in for 57k and at risk with KK vs the QQ of Frank Libassi (Brooklyn, NY).

The board four flushes and Kolo holding the Q♠ wins the hand to eliminate Eng in 19th place.

The remaining 18 players are in the money and earn at least $760.

Event 11: Final Table

$300 + $50 HOSE

Seat-Name-Chip Count

1 John Reiss (Omaha, NE) 51k
2 Mike Somma (Queens, NY) 210k
3 Philip Michael (Stroudsburg, PA) 119k
4 "Hollywood" Dave Stann (Hollywood, CA) 116k
5 Ron Durante (Philadelphia, PA)30k
6 Sharad Mehta (Cherry Hill, NJ) 180k
7 CJ Muccaiaccio (Queens, NY) 42k
8 Kenny Kavowras (Brooklyn, NY) 52k
9 Matt Frankowski (Mt. Ephraim, NJ) 114k

Event 11: Bubble Breaks

$300 + $50 HOSE

Steve "The Wrecking Ball" Fiorentini (Winchester, MA) is the bubble boy when he missed his straight draw. "I was getting blinded off, but I'll be back," says one of the more gregarious players in the room.

The remaining 9 players are now in the money as they draw for their final table seats.

Event 8: Jarrod Hits Subway Home - 9th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Jarrod Fulton - 9th Place - $3,702

The hand that crippled Jarrod Fulton (Washington, PA) was when he woke up to JJ and Matt Deluca woke up to pocket aces.

That blow left Fulton with only 100,000 and a few hands later he was forced all in and couldn't make a miracle comeback happen.

When I asked what he does other than play poker, Jarrod thought about it, laughed, and said, "I sleep".

He'll now be able to stuff $3,702 into his mattress for some pleasant dreams.

Event 8: Abul Moborrod - 10th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Abul Moborrod - 10th Place - $2,406

Abul is out in tenth place after his deuces failed to hold up against opponent's A-Q.

"He hit an ace on the river to beat me" explained Moborrod.

Abul will add $2,406 to his Borgata bankroll.

Abul made the final table as the last 10 players just formed.

Down to nine.

Event 8: The End For Zem - 11th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Zem Mustefa - 11th Place - $2,406

With only two and a half big blinds, Zem decided Q-J was the hand to go with.

It was an uphill battle against two opponents.

Board ran 9-8-3-8-2 and somebody was holding an eight.

Our "Last Woman Standing" will take home $2,406 for her two days of hold-em.

Zem was a good sport and fun to cover. I'm sure we'll see her again.

Event 11: Bullet Busts

$300 + $50 HOSE

Bob "Bullet" DeMartino (Manahawkin, NJ) hits a set of 5s in the hold'em round and is all in for his last 32k. CJ Muccaiaccio (Queens, NY) makes the call and hits running straight cards to knockout DeMartino in 11th place.

We're officially on the bubble as 10 players remain and 9 cash. Here's what they're playing for.

Entries: 74
Total Buy-In: $22,200

Place - Amount

1 $7,537
2 $4,091
3 $2,584
4 $1,983
5 $1,507
6 $1,292
7 $1,077
8 $861
9 $647

Event 8: Carpentier Sheds Tears

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Marc Carpentier - 12th Place - $2,406

It was a runner runner boat that sank our chip leader leaving him with 100,000.
A couple hands later - he's out in 12th place.

Marc was first in chips and held A♦ 9♦ and saw a miracle flop of 6♦ 2♦ 4♦ but his opponent, Chris Valsamos, second in tournament chips, didn't know that and was holding pocket sevens.

A 2♣ hit the turn and Chris jammed all in. Marc snap called looking the win the 2.8 million pot and be the commanding chip leader.

An upset Chris started packing his things up, stood up and started walking away, only to be brought back to the crowd screaming when the board paired with another 2♥.

The runner runner full house felted the nut flush and crippled Carpentier who is now out in 12th Place.

Our neighbor from the North (Montreal) was sick about it. He couldn't believe #2 in chips would risk his entire tournament against the chip leader with only a pair of sevens.

Carpentier will be back for more Events but this one will go down as the one that got away.

Nobody said poker is fair. This one will certainly smart for quite a while.

Event 8: Llorente Calls It A Day - 13th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Mark Llorente - 14th Place - $1,851

Mark Llorente's A-7 was was in against opponent's 8-8 on a board of 4-5-J-3-10.

Another relatively short stack in the blinds who felt the pressure. Mark was reconsidering a bit though, "maybe I didn't have to get it in there".

Event 8: Small Smashed - 14th Place

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Kerry Small - 14th Place - $1,851

On the first hand back from break big blind Kerry Small shipped his 450,000 with A-3 up against Chris Wilson in the small blind holding K-Q of spades.

Not only did Chris hit his Queen, he also made his flush.

When asked if Kerry Small from Ventnor, NJ would be back for more Events he said, "Every one that I can".

Event 8: Two Tables - Chip Counts

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Table 1:
Seat Player Chips
1. Matthew Deluca - 640,000
2. Roland Israelashvili - 495,000
3. Abul Moborrod - 800,000
4. Jarrod Fulton - 1,320,000
5. Richard Woodall - 560,000
6. Christopher Wilson - 355,000
7. Kerry Small - 450,000

Table 2:
Seat Player Chips
1. Marc Carpentier - 1,400,000
2. Chris Valsamos - 1,100,000
3. Claudius Ferris - 1,000,000
4. Sammy Klkassir - 1,000,000
5. Mark Llorente - 880,000
6. Alek Givotovsky - 1,300,000
7. Zem Mustefa - 370,000

Our final fourteen players are returning from dinner and just began.

Your chip leader is Marc Carpentier and the short stack is Christopher Wilson.

I anticipate a lot of action as we approach a final table.

Blinds: 25,000 / 50,000 with 5000 ante

Event 11: Dinner Break

$300 + $50 HOSE

The chip leader heading to dinner is Sharad Mehta (Cherry Hill, NJ) with 162k. On the last hand before break he hit quad queens to bust a player.

Matt Frankowski (Mt. Ephraim, NJ) is second with 125k, while Philip Michael (Stroudsburg, PA) is third at 107k.

18 players remain (49k avg.) as they're 9 spots from the money. Play resumes with Level 13 (4k/8k limits) at approximately 7:40.

Event 10: Dinner Break

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

The chip leader heading to dinner is Josh Weizer (Philadelphia,PA) with 205k.

Antoine Payne (Baltimore, MD) is second with 144k, while there are several stacks in the low 100k range.

23 players remain (76k avg.) as they're 5 spots from the money. Play resumes with Level 14 (1.5k/3k/400 ante) at approximately 7:40.

Event 8: 15th place - Patterson

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry) 

Sammy Elkassir got all-in for 475k against Bill Patterson.  Sammy held 87 suited.  Bill had pocket 7s.  The board came 8 4 3 8 K and Sammy doubled up to ~1 million.  Bill was left short and busted out soon after.

 Bill Patterson

Bill Patterson finished in 15th place, earning $1,851.

With 14 players remaining, the dinner bell has rung.  Players will enjoy 50 minutes of freedom, then return at about 7:45pm to resume play.

Event 8: What's At Stake

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

A look at what the remaining 15 are playing for:

Entries: 477
Total Buy-In: $190,800

Place - Amount

1 $47,287
2 $27,299
3 $16,657
4 $13,418
5 $10,550
6 $8,792
7 $7,033
8 $5,368
9 $3,702
10-12 $2,406
13-15 $1,851

Where's the Steak?

All three Main Event tournaments are closing in on dinner break which will hit at approximately 7 pm.

Event 8: $450 DS Double Play
Players Remaining: 15
Next Payout: $1,851

Event 10: $350 NL
Players Remaining: 29
Spots Paid: 18

Event 11: $350 HOSE
Players Remaining: 24
Spots Paid: 9

Event 8: Woodall More Than Doubles

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)           

Kerry Small doubled through Mark Llorente when his pocket 2s held up against KQ.

On a flop of 8 5 3 with two spades, Abul Moborrod led out for 150k, Jarrod Fulton kicked it up to 350k, then Richard Woodall shoved for ~450k straight.  Abul waited for the count, then opted out.

Jarrod called the extra 86k and showed pocket 9s.  Richard held AT of spades and was thrilled to see he had two live overcards to go with his flush draw.  A Ten hit the turn to give Richard the lead and the Jack on the river sealed the deal.  Richard chipped up to over 1 million.  Jarrod was left with ~860k.

Event 11: Payouts!

$300 + $50 HOSE

Entries: 74
Total Buy-In: $22,200

Place - Amount

1 $7,537
2 $4,091
3 $2,584
4 $1,983
5 $1,507
6 $1,292
7 $1,077
8 $861
9 $647

Event 8: 16th place - Iles

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)           

Alek Givotovsky doubled up with pocket 3s, which held up against two overs and a flush draw.

Chris Valsamos doubled up with pocket 4s (set on the river) then doubled again with Jacks versus deuces.  He's now over 1 million.

 Matthew Iles

Matthew Iles busted out in 16th place, picking up $1,463.

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

15 players remain.  Average is now 795k.

Event 10: Payouts!

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Entries: 174
Total Buy-In: $52,200

Place - Amount

1 $15,190
2 $8,354
3 $4,810
4 $4,050
5 $3,038
6 $2,532
7 $2,025
8 $1,519
9 $1,139
10-12 $1,013
13-15 $866
16-18 $760

Event 8: 17th place - D'Alessandro

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)          

 Tim D'Alessandro

Tim D'Alessandro got all-in with AK offsuit against the pocket 5s of Marc Carpentier.  The board came Q 7 4 4 9 and the small pair held up.

Tim finished in 17th place, picking up $1,463.

Event 8: 18th place - Lee

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)         

 Yen Lee

Yen Lee made his last stand with KQ, getting action from Alek Givotovsky, who held A8.  The board brought no help for Yen and he was busted.

He'll collect $1,463 for 18th place.

Event 10: Spades are One Guy's Best Friend

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Antoine Brings the Payne

Antoine Payne (Baltimore, MD) just hit two big hands, both ending with a spade on the river to give him the winning flush.

First Payne wins a three-way all-in with K♠ 3♠ which knocks out two players and takes his stack to 90k. Shortly after that Payne's at risk with Q♠ J♠ and again hits his flush on the river for a true double-up taking his stack to 185k.

Payne is clearly the big stack as 40 players remain on 4 tables.

Event 8: 19th place - Kaufman

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)        

On a flop of K 6 3, Michael Kaufman was all-in against Jarrod Fulton (bb).  Michael's pocket Tens had been out-flopped by Jarrod's K3.  The last two came J 7 and no help for Michael.

Jarrod is now over 1.3 million.

Michael finished in 19th place, earning $1,147.

With his departure, the final 18 redrew for seats and moved to the final two tables.

Event 8: New Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)        

Matthew Iles raised from the button, Marc Carpentier three-bet from the small blind, Matthew shoved (having Marc covered) and Marc insta-called all-in for 826k, showing pocket Kings.  Matthew held 86 suited.

Marc doubled up to over 1.6 million to claim the chip lead.  Matthew was left with ~140k.

Event 11: Final 40

$300 + $50 HOSE

The field is down to 5 tables as only 40 players remain. Larry Gold (Medford, NY), the runner-up in this event in January is out, as is Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler.

Still in the hunt is January's 6th place finisher Bob "The Bullet" DeMartino and Steve "The Wrecking Ball" Fiorentini.

Event 8: Chip Leaders

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)       

19 players took a break and are now back to business with blinds of 8k/16k with 3k antes.

Looks like Bill Patterson is the chip leader with 1.16 million.  Also over 1 million chips are
Richard Woodall
Claudius Ferris
Matthew Iles

Roland Israelashvilli is very close, also.

Event 8: 27th - 20th places

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)      

Lisa Porpiglia finished in 27th place.

Bob Fogarty finished in 26th place.

Thomas Beccari finished in 25th place.

Joseph Brand finished in 24th place.

Daniel Cherlow finished in 23rd place when his 98 failed to outrun his opponent's pocket 5s.

Salah Levy finished in 22nd place.

Brandon Setzer finished in 21st place.

Yat 'Tony' Cheng finished in 20th place.

Each collected $1,147.

19 players remain.  Average stack is over 627k.

Event 11: Thinning the Heard

$300 + $50 HOSE

Nick Chipping-up

The HOSErs are flying along as more than 1/3 of the 75 player field is gone. There's a big disparity between the haves and have-nots. The big stacks are in the 30-35k range and include
Nick Frangos (Mays Landing, NJ), Ron "Schifty" Schiffman (Cherrry Hill, NJ), Gloria LoRusso (Staten Island, NY) and Bob "Bullet" DeMartino (Manahawkin, NJ), who finished 6th in this event in January during the Winter Open (BWO).

Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler (Nevada, LV) and Larry Gold (Medford, NY), who finished 2nd during the BWO, are short short stacks (less than 5k) hanging on for dear life.

Notable eliminations include John D'Agostino (Egg Harbor Township, NJ) and Chris Reslock (Atlantic City, NJ).

Event 8: Three More Departures

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)      

Taylor Shpur was short after doubling up Tony Cheng and he busted out soon after.  His reward was $1,018 for 30th place.

Yen Lee got all-in with pocket 2s against Daniel Cherlow, who held AQ.  The flop came 6 6 2 and gave Lee a boat.  He doubled up.

Bernie Dominiak was eliminated in 29th place ($1,018).

Sirous Jamshidi was busted by Sammy Elkassir.  Sirous will collect $1,018 for 28th place.

With 27 players remaining, they are breaking table 4.  The next 9 players to depart will pick up $1,147 on the way out.

Event 8: Short-Stacks Stayin' Alive

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)      

David Albis finished in 31st place ($1,018).

Ever since he busted, the short-stacks have come out on top of the all-ins:

Sirous Jamshidi was all-in (~64k) and short (bb) against Sammy Elkassir (sb) and Bob Fogarty (button).  Sirous held pocket 8s; Sammy had AT off; Bob had AK off.  Board came 9 8 7 3 2 and Sirous tripled up with a set of 8s.  Bob took the side pot with nut-no-pair.

Taylor Shpur shoved from the cutoff, then Tony Cheng called all-in for 146k from the big blind.  Tony's pocket Jacks were ahead of K7 off.  Board came T 5 5 3 J and Tony doubled up.

Event 8: 31 Players Remain

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)     

Randy Bozeman finished in 34th place.

Anthony 'Tone' Luong was eliminated in 33rd place.

Bob Waite, Jr. got his chips in with KT against A4 suited.  Bob paired his Ten on the turn, but his opponent made a flush on the river to scoop the pot.  Bob finished in 32nd place.

All three of these players earned $1,018.

Event 10: The Few, The Proud, The Marines

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Gunny Barr is Going Good

For some players poker is their livelihood, for others it's simply recreation, but for Randy Barr, it's a necessary distraction while serving his country in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"It's something to help pass the time," says the Gunnery Sargeant, who's been with the Marines for 14 years. "You've got nothing else to do anyway."

Barr is on leave from the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, NC and this is his first trip to Borgata. So far he's running well in this tournament as he finds a way to survive a three-way all-in with pocket queens.

"Lucky, I guess," says Barr who's Q Q hangs on against K J and 6 8, taking his stack to 17k.

Barr is on leave until May 1st and will be at Borgata "indefinitely." His next deployment will be to Afghanistan in August.

To Barr and all those who serve our nation, the players and bloggers thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!

Event 8: 34 Players Remain

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)     

Mike 'Little Man' Sica busted in 37th place ($925).

Phillip Phan busted in 36th place ($1,018).

Daniel Chan busted in 35th place ($1,018).

Break Time!

34 players remain.

Event 10: Big Stacks

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

It's been a slow and steady climb for the big stacks, but nobody has a monster stack.

Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo (East Williston, NY) is one of several players in the 45-50k range. The list includes David Eillers (Rocky Mount, NC) and Charles Jones (Pittsburgh, PA).

The field is down to 80 players and the average stack is 22k.

Event 8: Beats Abound

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)    

Daniel Chan ships ~130k across the table when a short-stacked Alek Givotovsky's J9 made a straight on a board of 5 5 8 6 7.

On a flop of 3 3 x, Michael McQuaid (button) was all-in against Claudius Ferris (bb).  Michael's pocket Queens had been out-flopped by Michael's J3.  Claudius took the pot with trips and Michael took 38th place.

37 players remain.

Event 10: That's It

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Level 6 is in the books, re-entry is closed and players are now on their own. There are no more second chances to bounce back from a bad beat or bad play, eliminations are now permanent.

Players are on a 10 minute break, play resumes with Level 7 (300/600/75 ante).

Event 8: Down to 40

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)   

Thing settled down a bit after the bubble burst, but now action seems to be accelerating again. 
DJ Whorley busted in 43rd place.

Dennis McGlynn busted in 42nd place.

Sheree Bykofsky was all-in with pocket Jacks against AK of hearts.  She flopped a set of Jacks, but her opponent turned a flush to take the pot.  Sheree took 41st place.

Event 8: In The Money

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)   

Yen Lee got all in with pocket 6s against William Schmidt's AK.  The board was 9 6 2 K 4 and Yen doubled up, leaving William short.

On the next hand, William was all-in and busted, becoming this event's bubble-boy.

The remaining 45 players are now all in the money!

The next nine players to bust out will each collect $925.

Event 10: Late Arrival Leaves Early

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Marguerite Spagnuolo (Staten Island, NY) hustled to Borgata to play in this no limit tournament, only to find herself on the rail an hour after arriving.

Spagnuolo has top-top and is all-in with A J on a jack high flop. Tony Licastro (Long Valley, NJ) calls with Q J and hits a queen on the river for two pairs.

"That's okay, I'm starving," says the Borgata regular who entered the event one hour late. Spagnuolo, who finished 5th ($6,163) in a NL event during the 2010 September Poker Open, has opted to skip the re-entry, and instead is grabbing some food before playing in the 3 pm Survivor tournament ($200 + $30, ~1 in 10 wins $2,000).

Licastro, who has more than $1 million in career earnings, including a $55,000 first place payday in the 2009 September Poker Open, has a healthy stack as level 6 winds down.

Event 8: Bubble Time

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)  

Down to 46 players now, which means it is bubble-time and the beginning of hand-for-hand play.

There have been several all-ins, but the short-stacks are holding on.

Event 11: Colorful Characters

$300 + $50 HOSE

Stann & Masusosk

This group of Hosers is an eclectic group that includes Steve "The Wrecking Ball" Fiorentini, Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler and WSOP Bracelet holder Chris Reslock.

But the most colorful players, "Hollywood" Dave Stann and Phil Masusosk, are side-by-side.
The photo speaks for itself, as Stann is a West Coast pro who's orange spiked hair is a temporary "change of pace." While, Masusosk is a Brookhaven, PA resident who's sporting the permanent ink.

Both are enjoying themselves in the mixed game event as Level 3 winds down.

Event 8: 49 Players Remain

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)   

The bust-outs and double-ups were coming too fast to keep up with.

They're down to six tables with 49 players now.

Tone Luong has more than tripled up since play began.  He's now got about 300k.

Yat 'Tony' Cheng is up to ~650k and possibly the chip leader.

End of level and time for a break.

Event 8: Kaufman KO's Two

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)  

Another big three-way all-in.  Jenny Nguyen held A8, Thomas LeFort held KJ suited, and Michael Kaufman held pocket Kings and had both players covered. 

The board blanked for everyone.  Jenny and Thomas were sent packing while Michael collected the pot and the double-knockout.  He's now up to ~360k.

Down to 60 players now.

Event 8: Crazy Action

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)  

The chips are flying like crazy.

Three-way all-in on table 3.  Taylor Shpur held pocket 9s, Ian Palomo held pocket Queens, and short-stacked Mehrez Querghi held AJ.  It was all Mehrez as the board came A K 8 4 J.  He tripled up and Ian took the small side pot.

Ian later got his chips in with A2 an ran into the pocket Tens of Matthew Iles.  Ian was busted.

Frank Gangemi, William Wood, Joe Cramer, Matt Galluzzo, Creighton Kodak, Wendy Rubin, and Curtis McCowan have all departed.

Down to seven tables now with 63 players remaining.  Blinds are up to 4k/8k with 1k antes.

Event 8: Double, Double

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry) 

On a King-high flop, Salah Levey was all-in against Michael McQuaid.  Salah's AK had Michael's KJ out-kicked.  The last two changed nothing and Salah doubled up.

William Wood's pocket Aces were all-in against Patrick Nestor's JT suited.  The Aces held and William collected the double.

Peter Luo, Joanne Monteavaro, and Joe Cramer have busted out.

71 players still in.  26 to go to reach the money.

Event 8: Little Man Doubles Twice

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Very soon after play began, Mike 'Little Man' got his little stack all-in, then Matt Wallace moved in over the top.  Everyone else got out of the way.

Little Man's AK was racing against Matt's pocket 7s.  An Ace on the flop was all Little Man needed to survive and double up.

 Mike 'Little Man' Sica

A few hands later, the flop was 4 3 3 and Little Man was all-in again, this time with a call from Matt Deluca.  Mike's pocket Tens were ahead of Matt's AK.  The last two cards fell Q 8 and Little Man doubled again to nearly 200k.

Event 11: HOSErs Underway

$300 + $50 HOSE

Butts are in the seats and cards are in the air for event 11.

Players began with 12,000 chips and limits of 50/100.  All games in the four-game rotation are played in LIMIT format.  Each table will play eight hands of each game, then move to the next in this order:

Hold'em
Omaha
Stud
Eight or Better (Stud)

Which is how it gets the name HOSE!

Levels last 30 minutes.  Late registration will be allowed through the first four levels.

This is a one-day event, so they will play all night, if necessary, to reach a winner!

Event 8: Back in Business

$400 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (2 Re-Entry)

Cards are in the air with 74 returning players, hoping to claim a piece of the $185k prize money.

Only the last 45 will get paid, so they've got a way to go.

Blinds started at 3k/6k with 500 antes.

Event 10: Seat Open

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

At least one player has already busted out and requested a re-entry ticket.

Eleven tables are currently in action with about a dozen standing in line at registration.  The ten seat at each table is reserved for the initial re-entries and a couple are now in use.

Familiar faces in the field:

Barbara Rogers
Gordon Eng
Ted Geier
Wooyang Lin
and Borgata blogger Bradley Utz.

 Bradley Utz

People always expect that doing this job (covering poker tournaments) makes people better poker players.  That hasn't been my experience, so far (LOL).   We'll see how Bradley does.

Currently playing in level 2 with blinds of 500/100.

Event 10: Always Smiling

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry) 

There are many faces becoming very familiar in the No Limit Hold'em events.  I see the same smiling faces at the start of many of these events, players who arrive filled with anticipation and excitement, ready to play some poker and maybe win some money.

'Smiley' Chin

Many of those smiles fade as the day progresses, but not 'Smiley' Chin's.  He's always got a smile for me, not matter how dire the poker situation (hence the nickname). 

Event 10: Cards Are In The Air

$300 + $50 NL (1 Re-Entry)

Cards are in the air for event 10.

Players began with 10,000 chips and blinds of 25/50.

Levels 1-10 last 30 minutes, then increase to 40 minutes.

Late registration will be allowed through the first six levels.

Players who bust out during the first six levels may re-enter once.

This is a one-day event, so they will play all night, if necessary, to reach a winner!

Tuesday, April 19

Today's Events in the Poker Room

11AM: Event 10 - $300 + $50 No Limit Hold'em (1 Re-Entry)

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Levels 1-10 last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+ last 40 minutes each
• Players that are eliminated within the first four Levels may Re-Enter one more time
• 1-Day event

12PM: Event 11 - $300 + $50 H.O.S.E.

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Levels last 30 minutes
• 1-Day event

3PM: Event 36 - $200 + $30 SURVIVOR No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Levels last 20 minutes each
• Approximately 1 in 10 wins $2,000 CASH
• 1-Day event

7PM: Event 37 - $150 + $30 No Limit Hold'em

• Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Levels last 20 minutes each
• 1-Day event