Event 18: AK No Good For Queen

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Alex Great Run Ends

Just back from break and we lose back to back players on table 2. First Lee Kirsch (Cold Spring Harbor, NY) runs into pocket aces, then it's defending champion Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA) who hits the rail.

Queen puts his last 110k all in with AK against the JJ of Yury Parad (Chicago, IL), but can't connect and is out in 47th place. "We'll see you next time," he says while heading out of the Poker Room.

46 players remain and play is now hand-for-hand as we're one spot from the money.

Event 18: Little Action

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Since returning from dinner break at 8:20 the field has only dropped 10 players in three hours.

On the last hand before break, chip leader Adam Cook bets 63k into a nice sized pot and James St. Hilaire goes into the tank. 5 minutes into the dinner break clock, Hilaire reluctantly folds.

Cook now has 807k and is followed by Bart Dowling (605k) and Mark Wahba (520k) as the top three stacks. Cook and Wahba are both on table 5.

49 players remain (45 cash) and when play resumes blinds will be 4k/8k/500 ante.

Event 20: Dirty Dozen

$500 + $60 6-Max NL

The remaining 12 players are on the final 2 tables. Wazir Baksh (Queens, NY) is still the chip leader with 452k. Ian Polomo is also in the field.

Event 18: Royal Sweat

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hill, PA) has K♦ K♣ and is all in against his opponent who has a shorter stack while holding A♠ J♠.

The flop is a monster K♠ Q♠ K♥ giving Glantz quad kings, but he still has to sweat the royal flush draw.

Glantz' opponent needs the 10♠, and the poker gods we're awfully close as the turn and river are 10♥, 10♦.

Glantz survives the sweat and we're now down to 49 players, three from the bubble, four from the money.

Event 18: Final 6 Tables

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Tournament Arena

The first elimination after the break sets the field at 54 players and we're down to 6 tables, which are all now in the tournament area of the Poker Room.

Normally there are 9 tables in this section, but three were removed for the stadium bleachers.

Joanne Monteavaro (New York, NY) is glad to be moved from the last outer table and says she sets small goals and making into the tournament area has been accomplished.

Next step is to cash as we're nine from the money.

Event 18: Speed Limit

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

The field is down to 55 players as Jason Deutsch (Staten Island, NY) busts a player holding 99 vs KK. Deutsch flops a set of nines and finds out it's the last 9 in the deck as another player says he folded a nine.

Players are on a 10 minute color up break as the black (100 chips) are being removed from play. Play resumes with Level 19 (3k/6k/5oo ante) as we're still 10 spots from the money.

Event 18: Dentale Doubles Through Eriquezzo

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Dentale & Eriquezzo

Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY) and Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, CT) have been side-by-side all day with Eriquezzo sitting to Dentale's left.

After Eriquezzo three-bets preflop, they both check the flop of J♣ 9♥ K♦. The turn is the 8♥, Eriquezzo bets 45k, Dentale calls. The river is the 4♦ and Eriquezzo moves all-in for Dentale's last 133k.

Dentale goes into one of his patented speeches on how "he's about to get coolered." He shows Eriquezzo 8♦ 8♣ and debates out loud if he wants to go out on this hand and is partially convinced that Eriquezzo flopped a bigger set.

After about a minute, Dentale calls and Eriquezzo says, "good call," and mucks. The hand takes Dentale to more than 400k, while Eriquezzo drops to about 400k as well.

Event 18: Aces Hold

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Mike Noda (Philadelphia, PA) and Wai Cheng (Paramus, NJ) see a flop of 10♠ 6♦ 7♥. Cheng moves all in and Noda snap calls.

Noda: A♥ A♦
Cheng: A♠ 10♦

Cheng doesn't get any help on the turn or river as Noda's pocket aces doubles him to 300k, while Cheng drops to 130k.

Event 18: Queen Moves in Again

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Defending Borgata Spring Poker Open Champion Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA) has moved all in twice in three hands. His stack is at 70k and both times the table folds. Queen is well below the chip average of 235k and only has 15 big blinds as Level 18 (2.5k/5k/400 ante) continues.

Event 20: Bubble Breaks

$500 + $60 6-Max NL

The field has been thinning rapidly since returning from dinner break and Taylor Shpur (Witherbee, NY) breaks the bubble when he puts the big blind all in with Q♣ 9♥.

The BB calls with only 8k behind (blinds 2k/4k) and has 7♥ 3♣.

The board runs out 6♣ 8♣ 8♠ 10♥ 7♠ and the big blind hits a pair 7s, but it gives Shpur the 10 high straight. Shpur won this event in the 2010 Borgata Winter Poker Open, earning more than $23,000.

The final 18 players are redrawing for seats as they're guaranteed $1,222 as they chase the top prize of $24,444.

Event 18: Bubble Looming

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

The remaining 59 players (227k avg.) are back from break as the bubble is right around the corner.

The top 45 players cash for a minimum of $5,420 as they chase the top prize of $276,949.

Level 18 (2,500/5k/400 ante) is underway.

Event 18: Chip Leaders at Dinner

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

Players are on a one hour dinner break as play resumes at 8:20 pm.

Big Stacks

Ryan Eriquezzo 725k
Adam Cook 656
Jeff Cholikul 565
Aaron Overton 500k
May Siu 422
Salah Siraj 417

Notables

Adam Agaev 385k
James St. Hilaire 358k
Matt Matros 334k
Steve Russell 300k
Alex Bolotin 270k
Mike Dentale 260k

Recently Busted

Mike "Little Man" Sica

Event 18: Chop It Up

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

The board shows a straight 9♥ Q♠ 10♦ 8♣ J♠ with Alex Bolotin and Aaron Overton posturing
for the pot.

Bolotin checks, Overton bets 40,400 and Bolotin calls. Neither player has a king and it's a chopped pot, but the hole cards are interesting:

Bolotin: 9♦ 9♠
Overton: J♥ 10♥

Bolotin flopped a set of nines, while Overton turned the straight and says, "if that jack doesn't come I get value on the river."

Bolotin and Overton are the last two players in the room as the hand spilled over into the dinner break, which is officially underway.

Event 18: Lakatosh, Klier, and Kirsch Double

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship   

On a flop of T 5 3, John Lakatash (Red Lion, PA) was all-in against a player holding AT (top/top).  John held pocket 3s for the set and was way ahead.  The last two came A K and John doubled up to nearly 200k.

Ben Klier and John Lakatosh

Ben Klier was all-in with pocket 7s against a player with pocket Queens.  The flop came A A 7 and Ben took the lead with a full house.  The last two were bricks and Ben doubled up.

'Lucky' Lee Kirsch's pocket Kings held up all-in against pocket Tens.  He doubled up to ~170k.

Players are getting restless as the dinner break is just a few minutes away.

Event 20: Chip Leaders

$500 + $60 6-Max NL

After winning a big pot before the break, Wazir Baksh (Queens, NY) is the chip leader with 280k. 33 players remain with an average stack of 76k. With 18 making the money, it'll be
a dash for the cash when play resumes at 7:50 pm.

Big Stacks

Wazir Baksh 280k
Reggie Franklin 181k
Mark Ioli 140k
Brett Jungblut 127k
Ian Palomo 112k
Angelo Fields 107k
Rich Murnick 102k

Event 18: Power Poker

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship   

Shane Gosline (Bensalem, PA) went to the flop with Matt Matros, on his immediate left in the hijack.  The flop was T T 5 with two diamonds.  Shane checked, Matt bet 25k, Shane check-raised to 70K, and Matt announced he was all-in (having Shane covered).

Shane took a few seconds, then surrendered.  Matt's now up to ~285k.

'Lucky' Lee Kirsch was all-in pre-flop with pocket 8s against a player with AK.  The dealer burned and the door-card on the flop was an Ace. 

It looked like curtains for Lucky Lee, but remember the trend today?  Pairs win the flips. 

An 8 appeared on the river, giving Lee a set and saving him.  He doubled up to ~80k.

Event 20: Big Stacks Collide

$500 + $60 6-Max NL

With only on 5 players at the table, the two big stacks collide before the table breaks.

Mark Ioli (Long Island, NY) has 270k and pocket kings, but is against the pocket aces of Wazir Baksh (Queens, NY) who's sitting with 135k.

Baksh flops a set of aces and Ioli is drawing thin. The turn brings a king, but when the river fails to give Ioli quads, a big chunk of his stack goes to Baksh who doubles into the chip lead with 275k. Ioli is cut in half to 135k.

Event 18: BUNYE (Not Easter Related)

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship  

Bill Gazes scoops a pot and yells "BUNYE!"

(No one has any idea what the heck that means.)

Bill is up to ~140k.

Eight tables remain with 69 players.  45 will get paid.  Average is over 194k.

Event 18: Cook Cracks Leaderboard

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship 

Adam Cook

Adam Cook's pocket Kings busted a player holding pocket Jacks.  With that pot, Adam chipped up to 535k, good for the chip lead.

Matt Matros held AK against a short-stack all-in with AQ suited.  His opponent flopped a flush draw, but bricked the last two and Matt took the pot.  He's up over 200k.

Blinds are up to 2k/4k with 400 antes for level 17.  They'll go to dinner at the end of this level, which will be at about 7:20pm.

Event 18: 400 Club

$2500 + $200 Double Play NL Championship

75 players remain.  Average stack is almost 179k.

 Lee Kirsch

'Lucky' Lee Kirsch doubled up a short while ago -- to about 50k.  

Aaron Overton is up to ~460k and may have overtaken the chip leaders.

Meikat 'May' Siu is up to ~400k.

Adam Cook (Glen Burnie, MD) is up to ~380k and may be joining the 400k club soon.