$350 + $50 Seniors (50+) No Limit Hold'em
Two newly minted "Seniors" finished 1-2 in this event, just ahead of "Miami" John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NJ), one of poker's wily veterans.
Mike Gorman (Summit, NJ) beat Marc Ginsberg (Scotch Plains, NJ) heads up, but the bigger storyline was the camaraderie the players had throughout this event at the Borgata Fall Poker Open.
"I had a great time," said Ginsberg despite his second place finish for $7,787. "I got to play with John which was a real pleasure."
"Miami" John is a three time WSOP bracelet winner who enjoyed the change of pace this event brings to the series.
"The young kids make too many moves," said the 68-year-old Cernuto, who finished fifth. "This is more straight forward, but these guys were tough too. This is the first time I cashed in the Seniors so that says something."
On the final hand, Gorman had Ginsberg drawing dead after he flopped the nut flush with A♠ 2♠ to win $14,155 and the trophy.
"It's the first time," said Gorman about playing in the Seniors event, "I had a great time." The 54-year-old retired businessman added that he "got the right cards at the right time."
That was certainly the case when the final three players were all in and Gorman's AQ overcame Ginsberg's AK and the AJ of David Gutfreund (Chicago, IL). Gorman hit a queen on the turn to knock out Gutfreund while getting a double-up from Ginsberg to take the chip lead.
Ginsberg was also playing in his first Seniors event and the recently turned 50-year-old said, "I couldn't pass up playing in my first Seniors I was eligible for." While there's no minimum age requirement, it's suggested that only players who are 50+ enter the event.
Ginsberg was truly a force at the final table as he knocked out six players. "It was a fun day," said Ginsberg, who won $7,787. "I just wish it was a bounty tournament."
139 players entered the tournament for a total buy-in of $48,650.
The field featured last year's winner of this event Arthur Bressler (Manalapan, NJ), who finished 6th this time around. Cernuto's good friend and WSOP bracelet winner Mike "Little Man" Sica (North Brunswick, NJ) also played, but failed to cash.
The Seniors event is always one of the more cordial events at Borgata and this one didn't disappoint as the final table was more like a home game than one played for serious money.
Final Table Results
1 Mike Gorman (Summit, NJ) $14,155
2 Marc Ginsberg (Scotch Plains, NJ) $7,787
3 David Gutfreund (Chicago, IL) 4,483
4 Sal Busacca (Colts Neck, NJ) $3,775
5 John Cernuto (Las Vegas, NJ) $2,831
6 Arthur Bressler (Manalapan, NJ) $2,360
7 Alan Lee (Columbia, MD) $1,888
8 Doug Pinto (Princeton, NJ) $1,416
9 Thomas Ennis (Turnersville, NJ) $1,062
10 William Petty (S Plainfield, NJ) $944
FINAL RESULTS
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