Event 14: Flying Aces on Table 3

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

McColgan & Engel

Jamie Kerstetter runs KK into the AA of Kevin McColgan to give him a double-up, while another player hits the rail when his QQ runs into the AA of Ari Engel.

Kerstetter is out a few hands later to set the field at 19 players who are now playing hand-for-hand on the money bubble.

Event 15: Chipping Away

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Chapman Needs Chips

More than half the field is gone as 46 of the starting 96 players remain.

The average stack is 25k (8 big bets) as the limits are 1,500/3k.

On a slower paced night we have time to feature a couple of players who enjoy the blog, so here's some coverage for Andrew Chapman (Westerly, RI) and Stefan Bowles (Charlottesville, VA)

Bowles slightly above the chip average with 30k, while Chapman is getting short with 18k.

Bowles About Average

;

Event 15: Failla Scoops Kessler

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

On a board of 3 8 A 5 5, two Borgata trophy holders are in a sizable pot.

Allen Kessler makes a crying call on the river and Will Failla, says "I have a full house and 2 4," as he spreads A♠ 2♠ 4♠ 5♠ for the scoop.

"Nearly had a straight flush in my hand, put that in your blog," says Failla, who is now the chip leader with 60k.  The hand knocks Kessler down to 15k.

Event 14: Three Tables

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Two players are knocked out just before the break, setting the field at 26 on three tables.

The average stack is 101k (34 bb) with blinds now at 1.5k/3k/400 ante. This is the last 40 minute level of the tournament with time increasing to 50 minutes the rest of the way.

We're eight spots from the money as 18 players cash.

Event 14: Kerstetter Doubles Through Engel

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Kerstetter (left) and Chip Leader Al Wasserberger 

Jamie Kerstetter (Monroe Twp. NJ) gets a 66k double up through Ari Engel (Las Vegas, NV) with pocket aces against Engel's pocket 5s. 

Players are on a 15 minute break.

Event 14: Stacks on Table 3

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

There are a ton of chips on Table 3 and Al Wasserberger (Chicago, IL) is now the big stack with more than 300k. "I don't know," he says, "I stopped counting when I had everyone covered."

A quick count reveals 315k for Wasserberger. Also at the table is former chip leader Elliott "Comrade" Vasserman who is up to 250k, while Ari Engel is at 190k.

We've been stuck on 28 players for the last 30 minutes.

Blinds 1k/2k/300 ante

Event 15: Kessler Looking to Defend

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

 Chainsaw Buzzing Along

Two time Borgata trophy winner Allen "Chainsaw" Kessler (Las Vegas, NV) is in great position to make a deep run in this event.

With 55 players remaining he has 40k (20 big bets), which is nearly double the chip average. 

Kessler won this event in September for $17,000 and would love to add his name to the short list of three-time trophy winners.

Event 14: Engel Shooting

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Blinds: 1k/2k/300 ante

Ari Engel (Las Vegas, NV) has ~115k and is part of a three way all in.

Engel: KK
Andrew Interdonato: AK
Player 3: 78

The board is clean for Engel who takes out two players and adds 90k to his stack.

28 players remain with average stack of 94k (47 bb).

Event 14: Still Grinding

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

34 players remain with an average stack of 77k (39 bb); blinds are now 1k/2k/300 ante.

Still in the running for the $25,462 top prize:

Chris Farley
Aaron Massey
Austen Johnson
Shawn Busse
Jason Deutsch
Paul Vacchio
Howard Wolper
Jeff Lee
Greg Ostrander
Dilip Ravindran
Ari Engel
Andrew Interdonato
Len Vizirov
Elliott Zaydman
Jamie Kerstetter
Kevin McColgan

Event 15: Daily Double

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B    

Mike Borovetz (Pittsburgh, PA) is one of several players who will bust out of both tournaments today.  After getting knocked out of the No Limit event, he's now a railbird in the Omaha.

"I have no idea what I'm doing," says Borovetz who is all in with his last 800 chips.  "Everybody at the table hates me."

Borovetz flops top set, but loses to a flush to bring his second tournament to an end.

Events 14 & 15: Dinner Break Complete

Back in Action

Both tournaments have returned from their one hour dinner break.

The No Limit event returned with 43 players and are 25 spots from the money, while the Omaha has 79 remaining, just 17 knocked out from the starting field.

Event 15: Numbers Game II

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B    

Number of Entries:   96
Players Remaining:  79
Chips in Play:  1.2 million

Average Stack:  14,500 (12 big bets)
Big Stack:  41k (34 bb)

Next Limits: 600/1,200

Total Buy-In:  $38,400
First Prize:  $13,038
Places Paid: 9 ($1,117 min cash)

Event 14: Numbers Game

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

Entries:  175
Total Buy-In:  $87,500

Number of Entries: 175
Players Remaining:43
Chips in Play: 2.6 million

Average Stack: 61k (38 bb)
Big Stack: 190k (119 bb)

Next Blinds: 800/1,600/200 ante

Total Buy-In: $87,500
First Prize:  $25,462
Places Paid: 18 ($1,273 min cash)

Event 14: Dinner Break Tweets

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

Chris Farley ‏@farley2508
have 80k on dinner break coming back to 8/1600

Austen Johnson ‏@aje221
56k at dinner. Returning to 800/1600. Around 45 left. 18 pay

kevin benitez kevin benitez ‏@highrisk18
Nursing my short stack about the whole tournament. All in twice. First I chop and 2nd I double. Super short but dinner break in 2 min.

Events 14 & 15: Bon Appétit

Dinner Break

Both tournaments are on a one hour dinner break.

No Limit returns at 8:20 pm, while Omaha is back at 8:30 pm.

Event 14: Busto for Vinny

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Fresh off last night's final table (Event 12, 5th place / $10,001) Vinny Pahuja (Hicksville, NY) reports via twitter he's on the rail after losing boat over boat.

Vinny Pahuja ‏@vinpahuja

Busted in absurd pot w 44 < 99 on 95254 board. I check raised OTR and guy jammed. Probably could have folded meh @BorgataPoker 560NL

Event 15: Double Dipping

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B    

Pilgrim Playing Omaha

Players who busted in the NL event are taking advantage of the late start of the Omaha tournament. Dwyte Pilgrim, one of the most gregarious players in the room, is double dipping.

"Just grinding," says the 2010 WPT Borgata Championship event winner, as the the ~90 remaining players are on their last level (limits 500/1k) before dinner break.

Event 15: Slow Go

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

Walker (right) Watching Movies on the Ipad

The late start, deep structure and split pots has the Omaha players in a more soothing tempo than the blitz of the no limit tournament.

Many of the players are glued to their mobile devices to help pass the time.

"Don't worry things will pick up next level," says Antonio Walker (Willingboro, NJ), referring to when the limits increase to 500/1k.

Here's what some of the players are helping pass the time:

Antonio Walker - playing Words with Friends
Bo Toft - watching Sherlock Holmes tv show
Ilya Dyment - playing Simpsons video game
Jermane Reid - watching movie Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting

Event 14: Comrade Keeps Climbing

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

(l-r) Shawn Busse, Elliott Zaydman and Aaron Massey

"They keep giving me chips," says "Comrade" Elliott Zaydman, who adds another 20k to his stack when his AQ beats AK with a queen on the river.

The chip leader is now up to 200k as the 500/1k/100 ante level is winding down.

Event 15 - Payouts

Borgata Fall Poker Open
Event 15: $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B
November 15-16, 2012

Entries:  96
Total Buy-In:  $38,400


PAYOUTS:
1:    $13,038
2:      $7,077
3:      $4,470
4:     $3,352
5:     $2,607
6:     $2,235
7:     $1,862
8:     $1,490
9:     $1,117

Event 15: Early Chip Leader

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B     

Mark Matz

Mark Matz (King of Prussia, PA) scooped a pot from Frank Rasile (Staten Island, NY) with deuces full, beating Frank's trip 3s.

Mark appears to be the current chip leader with almost 30k.

Event 14: Breaking Good

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Another 9 players are gone and we're down to 54 players on 6 tables.

Chip leader Comrade Zaydman has been moved with his 160k to the direct left of Shawn Busse.


Wade Woelfel and Jamie Kerstetter landed at the table of Kevin McColgan, Harry Korotki and Paul Vacchio.


Blinds are now 500/1k/100 ante.

Event 14: AJ beaten by Buzgon's AJ

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

On a flop of J 7 5, Austen Johnson (Woodsboro, MD) bets 2200.  Daniel Buzgon (Marlton, NJ) goes in the tank and moves all in for 25,500, Johnson snap calls.

Johnson: 5 7 (two pair)
Buzgon: A J (top pair, top kicker)

Turn: K (no change)

River: J (Buzgon trip jacks)

The river jack gives Buzgon the double-up, while Johnson drops to 30k.

63 players remain with an average stack of 42k (52 bb) with blinds at 400/800/75 ante.

Event 15: Late Arrivals

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B    

Level 5:  Limits 200/400.

Registration has closed, but we've got some late arrivals:

Bo Toft
Anthony Caruso
Amnon Filippi

and after busting out of event 14:

Bruce Yamron
Coco Teknici

And sneaking in just under the wire:
Damon Sita

Event 14: Break Time Tweets

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      
Level 9:  400/800 with 75 ante.

Some news from the Twitter-verse:

Matt Iles ‏@mattyiles
26k @ 400 800/75. 63 left

Al Wasserberger ‏@AlWasserberger
53k @ 3rd break coming back to 100/500/800 #borgata

Robert Hwang ‏@ActionBobNJ
22k playing 400-800.

Daniel Buzgon ‏@WiLDmAn_75
Just got mangled last hand before break. Co opens I 3 bet ak. He flats with 87o. A87 flop. 18k at 400/800.

Ari Engel ‏@realAriEngel
83k going to 4/800. 63/175 left, ave is 42k

Event 14: Break Time

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)      

End of level 8 and time for another break.

63 players remain.  Average stack is ~42k.

Comrade Zaydman still leads with about 130k.

Event 15: Break Time

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B   

End of level 3 and players are taking a break.

Unofficially, 93 entries so far, with late registration available for one more level.

Not a lot of Tweets coming from this field, but one Omaha player is keeping us in the loop:

kevin benitez ‏@highrisk18:

On my way to borgata to play the $450 O8 fall classic tourney. #shippingit

Borgata is just the best casino hands down, their free wifi is super clutch #pandora

Kid just limped in 2294 rainbow. I better fckin win this!!!!! #donkfest

J26T just called a raise pre lmao. Playing O8

Just got unreal suckout in 5 handed pot. #loverivers #idiots

Event 14: Dropping Like Flies

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)     

Level 8:  Blinds 300/600 with 75 ante.

Already down to only 73 players.

Busted:

Coco Teknici
Adam Lippert
Alex Smith
Daniel Chan
Jim Wiley (winner of event 13 earlier this morning)
Alyson Parker
Jonas Wexler
Tim Reilly

Event 14 - Payouts

Borgata Fall Poker Open
Event 14:  $500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em
November 15-16, 2012

Entries:  175
Total Buy-In:  $87,500


PAYOUTS:
1:            $25,462
2:            $14,004
3:              $8,063
4:              $6,790
5:              $5,093
6:              $4,244
7:              $3,395
8:              $2,546
9:              $1,910
10 - 12:     $1,698
13 - 15:     $1,485
16 - 18:     $1,273

Event 15: More Familiar Faces

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B  

Almost done with

Level 2:  Limits 50/100.

The Omaha H/L event is filling out with ten tables in action.

More familiar faces have been spotted in the crowd:

Richie Rubinstein
Leonardo Palermo
Mike Moore
Michael Wang
David Pacheco
Adel Shakerian
Jinglen Chen
Mike Gabarick
Jordan Diamond
Yuebin Guo
Ron 'Schifty' Schiffman
Dwyte Pilgrim
Candi Verrastro

Event 14: 99 Remain

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)    

99 players remain of the (unofficial) 175 entries.

They're back to the felt after a break.

Level 7:  Blinds 250/500 with 50 ante.

Looks like Comrade Zaydman is the early leader with about 130k.

Gonzo:

Mike Borovetz
LukeVrabel
Jeff Papola
Chris Leong
Dwyte Pilgrim
Stephen Reynolds
Dave Hurwitz
Amanda Musumeci
Matt Matros

Borgata Leaderboard Update (11/15)

Borgata Fall Poker Open Leaderboard
By participating in any Borgata Fall Poker Open event (November 8-21, 2012), players earn points based upon the Borgata Fall Poker Tournament Leaderboard Formula.

Below are the top scores for the 2012 Borgata Fall Poker Open Leaderboard*

(Final Results from events: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)


466.075:  JEDIAL PIRES
387.500:  DANIEL WALSH
357.910:  EMANUEL FAILLA
297.650:  MATTHEW ILES
256.875:  KHALED ALWAN
253.063:  WARREN WIGGINS
248.125:  ROBERT GOTTFRIED
246.750:  ASHER CONNIFF
245.600:  TOBY KASSER
237.750:  MOHAMMAD AMJADI
236.250:  HYON KO
235.400:  AUSTEN JOHNSON
232.575:  DILIP RAVINDRAN
230.100:  BRUCE YAMRON
229.338:  DOUGLAS MACKINNON
223.088:  TONY TRAN
211.925:  PAUL VACCHIO
202.488:  XIAOFENG HU

Event 15: Omaha-lics

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

Allen 'Chainsaw' Kessler is making his Borgata Fall Poker Open debut today in this event.

Also in the field:

Chris Reslock
Robin Lee  (winner of Ladies event a few days ago)
Marc Matz
George Krafft
Frank Rasile
Eddy Vataru
Joe Loguidice
Gloria LoRusso
Gil Sacks
Jeff Hunter

And playing this event after busting out of event 12:

Will 'the Thrill' Failla  (3 final tables already in this series, totaling over $49,000)
Michael Borovetz

Event 15: Omaha!

$400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B

Today's other trophy event is Omaha High/Low.

Players start with 12k chips.

Levels 1-10 are 30 minutes long, then they increase to 40 minutes for the rest of the tournament.

Level 1:  Limits 25/50.

Cards will be in the air in a couple of minutes.

Event 14: Another Tough Table

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)   

Table 15 is another example of what happens when the sharks all arrive late to register and land at the same table.

Seated there are:
Seth Berger
John Hinds
Jason Min
Jonas Wexler
Austen Johnson
Chris Farley
Daryl Boatright (re-entry)

Paul Vacchio was seated at this table, but he busted out.  He's re-entered and is now at table 10.

Also re-entering:

Thomas Hoglund
Dilip Ravindran
Jeff Lee

Event 14: Late Arrivals & Early Departures

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

These folks arrived late (or I missed them on earlier passes):

Matt Matros
Sardot Gaziev
Abe Faroni
Andrew Interdonato
Jason Deutsch
Stephen Reynolds
Paul Vacchio

Goners:

Sean Knitter
Antonio Payne
Roman Valerstein

Event 14: Break Time Tweets

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)  

Level 5:  150/300 with 25 ante.

Players are back on the felt and they can no longer re-enter if they bust out.

Time to check the Tweets from the break:

Jason Estock ‏@JasonEstock
Late regged @BorgataPoker $560 NL

John G ‏@JohnGsss
2nd break 22k frm 15k ss

Kevin McColgan ‏@Buk101Poker
Was back up to 9k down to 4k and now at 25k :/ going to 150/300 25a

Amanda Musumeci ‏@TheReaLMander
13k goin into 150/300(i think)

Chris Leong ‏@ChrisLeongPoker
18.6k at 25/150/300

Al Wasserberger ‏@AlWasserberger
Borgata Fall Poker Open event #14 32k from 15k ss at 1st break coming back to 25/100/200

James Tedrow ‏@teddyrowe
Doubled to a little over starting stack hand before re-entry ended, AT>A2

Event 14: Tough Late Reg Table

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

You register late, you take your chances at drawing a table full of sharks.

Table 17 is just such a table.

Seated there are:

Jeff Papola
Alex Rocha
Aaron Massey
Josh Brikis
Wade Woelfel
Bruce Yamron (not pictured; winner of event 9)

End of level 4 and time for a break.  The end of the break is also the end of the registration/re-entry period.

Event 14: Korotki Out and In Again

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Harry Korotiki (Owings Mills, MD) got all-in with AQ and was dominating his opponent's AJ, but a Jack came and that was it for Harry's first entry.

Harry won event 10 yesterday ($16,358) and is hoping to go back-to-back.

He has re-entered and is now at Table 16 with these late arrivals:

Jamie Kerstetter
Will 'the Thrill' Failla
Erik Cajelais
Dallas Williams (re-entry)

Event 14: Tough Table

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Table 14 fired up with quite a lineup of players:

James 'Suits' Salters
Vinny Pahuja
Vitaly Kovyazin
Adam Lippert
Action Bob Hwang
Shawn Busse
Michael Vails

In early action, Vinny Pahuja busted Suits Salters.  Vinny had A7 and flopped two pair on the A 7 6 K x board.  They were all in on the river and Suits didn't show, but the table speculated he had AQ.

Blinds up!

Level 4:  100/200.


** Update:  Table 14 has broken and those players are now scattered around the room.

Event 14: Break Time Tweets

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Keeping tabs via Twitter:

Chris Leong ‏@ChrisLeongPoker
20k at first break

Matt Iles ‏@mattyiles
15k from 15k @ 75 150. Borgata $560. Gonna try to make it 5 in a row :)

Amanda Musumeci ‏@TheReaLMander
On first break with 21k from 15k ss comin back at 75/150...

kou vang ‏@killatyven
just lost 23k pot aa < kt off allin pre.. blinds are 100-200. 9k left

John G ‏@JohnGsss
@ borgata playing $560 on my 2nd bullet...

Event 14: Back From Break

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Level 3:  Blinds 75/150.

Players have returned from their first break of the day.

Latest arrivals:

'Lucky' Lee Kirsch
Chris Leong
Dilip Ravindran
Tim Reilly
Joe Liberta
Harry Korotki
Mathew Iles
James 'Suits' Salters
Shawn Busse

Event 14: Zaydman Zaps Payne

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Despite dodging quads earlier, Antonio Payne ran top pair into Elliot Zaydman's flopped set.  This time Elliot got all Antonio's chips.  Elliot is up to ~30k.

Antonio fired bullet #2 and is back in action at a new table.

Thirteen tables are up and running now.

Also re-entering is Kou Vang.  He tweeted this:

done punted 1st bullet of this 560buyin, knew he had it and still couldn't fold..2nd barrel looks good do far, 15k startingstack. 25k now 

Event 15: Payne Dodges Quads

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) 

Level 2:  Blinds 50/100.

During the previous level:

On a board of J 8 5 8 8, Antonio Payne just flat-calls Elliot Zaydman's 400 bet with pocket Jacks for Jacks full.  Elliot showed A8 for quads.  Antonio somehow managed to not go broke on that hand.

Two players that have gone broke are Dan Buzgon and Air Engel.  They have both re-entered.

Event 14: Early Bird Tweets

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Checking in via Twitter:

Dallas williams ‏@1DallasWilliams
Playing borgata 560 today. Played ante only yesterday out 16th.

Kevin McColgan ‏@Buk101Poker
Borgata FPO $560 re-entry starting now

Antonio Payne ‏@Anthony_1Payne
@BorgataPoker Event 14. Come on 7's. Third time I've got this in 4 months pic.twitter.com/hD6VEAIq

Daniel Buzgon ‏@WiLDmAn_75
Didn't win ante only. $500 reentry today. 15k ss. Have the pca winner and @CherishAndrews here. Need that min cash.

James Tedrow ‏@teddyrowe
$560 today, small turnout

Amanda Musumeci ‏@TheReaLMander
BFO $560r ....

Event 14: Early Birds

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Compared to yesterday's $260 No Limit $100k guaranteed frenzy, today is quite sedate.

Ten tables are in action, but they're very quiet here in the Poker Room.  Of course it could be that the players are still half asleep.

These folks have turned up early today:
Mike Borovetz
Howard Wolper
Coco Teknici
Michael Morgousky
Neville Darrell
Sean Knitter
Jim Wiley
Elliot Zaydman
Alyson Parker
Ari Engel
Dwyte Pilgrim
Thomas Hoglund
Cherish Andrews
Dan Buzgon
Daryl Boatwright
Dave Hurwitz
Jeremiah McKenna

Event 14: Deal 'Em!

$500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Today's first trophy event today is a regular No Limit Hold'em with no frills.  No bounties, no Deep Stacks, just 15k in starting chips.

The upside is that levels 1-10 last 40 minutes, then increase to 50 minutes for the rest of the event, giving lots of play.

Registration and re-entry is available through level 4, so until about 1:50pm.

Level 1:  Blinds 25/50.

Cards are in the air!

Thursday, November 15

TODAY'S EVENTS (Poker Room & The Signature Room) 

11AM: Event 14 - $500 + $60 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)

• Players start with 15,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-15: will last 40 minutes each | Levels 16+: will last 50 minutes each 
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 4 
• 2-Day event with two starting days.  Day 2 begins Friday at 1PM

3 PM: Event 15 - $400 + $50 Omaha H/L 8B 

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• Levels 1-10: will last 30 minutes each | Levels 11+: will last 40 minutes each 
• 2-Day event with two starting days.  Day 2 begins Friday at 1PM

7 PM: Event 33 - $150 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty NLH (Re-Entry) 

• Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips 
• This is a Bounty tournament. Players must have their Bounty chips clearly displayed on table in order to remain active in tournament 
• Levels will last 20 minutes each
• Players may Re-Enter through Level 6 
• 1-Day event

Event 12 Recap

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

A chip and a chair was more than a cliche in this event at the Borgata Fall Poker Open.

Not only did two players at the final table get down to their last antes earlier in the tournament, but winner Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY) felt like he was free rolling most the night.

"On break I thought, 'I shouldn't even be here'", said Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY), who felt fortunate to beat James Blankenship (Circleville, OH) and Ila Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) three-handed to win the title. "It hasn't sunk in yet," he said about winning the trophy and the $42,182 top prize.

Conniff's good fortune came after the money bubble broke and he was at risk for his tournament life with AK against pocket aces. But when K Q J 10 hit the board, he got new life with the chopped pot.

Conniff's run-good vibes continued three-handed when Dyment was poised for the knockout with pocket queens, but Conniff hit a straight on the river with A 5 to stay alive.

Shortly after Dyment was eliminated in third place for $15,002, Conniff seized the chip lead when Blankenship bluffed with 8 high and Conniff won a 10 million chip pot.

"I'm disappointed," said Blankenship, an accountant, who only plays poker a few times a year. "I was tired and made a few mistakes at the end."

The stacked final table included Roman Valerstein (4th), Dave Inselberg (7th) and former Borgata trophy winner Vinny Pahuja (5th), who shouldn't have made the money, much less the final table.

Pahjua was down to two antes when the blinds were 500/1k/200 ante, and managed to not only double-up several times, but had the chip lead late in the tournament.

But the true chip and a chair belonged to David Hurwitz, who had one 500 ante chip with 100 players remaining. Hurwitz not only doubled multiple times, but also knocked out Grace Sun, who went from the dinner break chip lead to an early 58th place exit.

Hurwitz turned his good fortune into a 10th place finish and was eliminated by Dyment on the first hand of the final table.

721 players entered the tournament to create total a buy-in of $187,460.

Familiar faces who cashed in the event included 2010 WPT Borgata Poker Open Champion Dwyte Pilgrim (67th), former Tournament Leaderboard winner Austen Johnson (61st) and Event 4 winner Matt Iles (22nd).

Conniff is a 24-year-old who plays poker full time and has now scored this, the largest live tournament win of his career.


Final Table Results
1 Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY) $42,182
2 James Blankenship (Circleville, OH) $25,544
3 Ila Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) $15,002
4 Roman Valerstein (Philadelphia, PA) $12,365
5 Vinny Pahuja (Hicksville, NY) $10,001
6 Bryan Miller (Bensalem, PA) $8,183
7 Dave Inselberg (Long Beach, NY) $6,546
8 David Sanders (Mt. Laurel, NJ) $5,001
9 Kenny Moyer (Hatfield, PA) $3,445
10 David Hurwitz (West Berlin, NJ) $2,273

FINAL RESULTS

Event 12 Winner - Conniff

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY) 

$42,182

In a pivotal hand, Asher Conniff wins a 10 million chip pot to take control of heads up play against James Blankenship before winning the tournament a few hands later.

Blinds 80k/160k/30k ante


Asher Conniff raises to 325k, James Blankenship calls.

Flop J♣ 10♦ 5♣

Blankenship bets 700k, Conniff makes it 1.5 million, Blankenship calls

Turn: 3♠

Blankenship checks, Conniff bets 850k

River: 5♦

Blankenship moves all in for 3.5 million, Conniff calls.

Blankenship: 7♥ 8♣
Conniff: J♠ 10♠

"I was too strong to fold there," says Conniff to Blankenship about his open-shove on the river.

"It feels great to finally get one," he adds, "I've fired a lot of bullets here at Borgata."

Conniff plays poker full time and this is his largest win in a live tournament and matches his biggest online payday.

Event 12: 2nd place - Blankenship

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

James Blankenship (Circleville, OH) 

$25,544

A bad bluff heads up leads to a runner up finish for James Blankenship.

On a board of J 10 5 3 5, Blankenship moves all in with 7 8 a missed straight draw, against Asher Conniff who had flopped two pair. Conniff doubles his last 3.5 million in what turns out to be a 10 million chip pot.

A few hands later, Conniff finishes the job to win the tournament.

"I'm disappointed," says Blankenship, an accountant from nearby Columbus, OH. "I was tired and made a few mistakes at the end."

Event 12: 3rd Place - Dyment

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

Ila Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) 

$15,002

Blinds 80k/160k/30k

Ilya Dyment is crippled against Asher Conniff and is eventually eliminated in third place.

On the pivotal hand Conniff is all in for 3.4 million and at risk.

Dyment: Q♣ Q♥

Conniff: A♣ 5♠

Flop: 2♥ 9♦ 3♦d (Conniff gutshot straight draw)

Turn: 3♠ (no change)

River: 4♣ (Conniff straight)

The straight on the river gives Conniff the double-up and drops Dyment to 1 million chips.  He busts one hand later with A 5 against the Q 10 of James Blankenship when a 10 hits the turn.

Event 13 Recap

$350 + 50 ANTE ONLY NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

A new and interesting tournament was rolled out as Borgata continues to provide players with innovative formats. The structure featured no blinds, but antes every hand and it's Jim Wiley (N. Bergern, NJ) who won the inaugural event.

"It was great," said Wiley who earned $6,111 and the trophy at the Borgata Fall Poker Open. "It created a lot of action and people can't hang around."

While the format was new, there were old faces were at the final table, including Will Failla (Commack, NY) and Brian O'Donoghue (Bayside, NY), who both came up short in their quests for their third Borgata trophy.

After Wiley hit a straight on the river to knock out O'Donoghue in place, he never let Failla get traction or double-up in heads up play.

"I beat one heck of a man there," said Wiley who was thrilled to beat Will "the thrill" Failla with a pair of queens on the final hand while holding A♥ Q♣.

"He's obviously no slouch," said the retired government official, "he's got a great reputation. I can now tell my friends that I beat him the next time he's on tv."

Failla's, who will add to his 5th place point total in the Tournament Leaderboard standings, flopped straight and flush draws, but couldn't connect.

45 players entered the event for a total buy-in of $15,750.

Mike Morgovsky (Brooklyn, NY) and George Cicak (Bloomfield, NJ), finished 4th and 5th respectively, while John Lyons, Alex Rocha, Stephen Reynolds and Mike Marder made the final table, but missed the money.

Tournament Results
1 Jim Wiley (N. Bergern, NJ) $6,111
2 Will Failla (Commack, NY) $3,819
3 Brian O'Donoghue (Bayside, NY) $2,292
4 Mike Morgovsky (Brooklyn, NY) $1,681
5 George Cicak (Bloomfield, NJ) $1,375

FINAL RESULTS

Event 12: 4th Place - Valerstein

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

 Roman Valerstein (Philadelphia, PA) 

$12,365

After shipping a double-up to James Blankenship, Roman Valerstein is part of a three-way all in with Blankenship and Asher Conniff. 

Blinds 60k/120k/20k ante

Blankenship raises to 250k, Conniff moves all in for 3.5 million, Valerstein is all in for slightly less and Blankenship is all in for 960k.

Blankenship: 8♥ 8♦

Conniff: Q♥ Q♠

Valterstein: 9♣ 9♦

Flop: 10♣ 8♣ 3♣ (Blankenship set of 8s, Valerstein flush draw)

Turn: K♥ (no change)

River: 10♠

Blankenship gets a triple-up to 3 million with his winning set of 8s, while Conniff wins the side pot to knock out Valerstein.

Conniff is up to 4.7 million after the exchange, while Ila Dyment avoids the carnage and has the chip lead three-handed with 7 million.

Event 12: Everybody Double-in

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

The short stacks keep surviving with their double-ups.

Asher Conniff, Ila Dyment and James Blankenship have all double-up at least once in the last hour.

Roman Valerstein is the chip leader with 7 of the 14 million chips in play, as the other player continue to trade chips.

Event 12: 5th Place - Pahuja

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)  

 Vinny Pahuja (Hicksville, NY) 

$10,001

Vinny Pahuja is all in for his last 1.3 million with K J vs the A 3 of Ilya Dyment.

Dyment flops a three to win the hand and knock Pahuja out in 5th place.

Pahuja was down to two antes when blinds were 500/1k/100 ante. He built his two chips and a chair to more than 2 million and the chip lead before reaching the final table as one of the big stacks.

Dyment now has 6 million of the 14 million chips in play.

Event 12: 6th Place - Miller

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)

Bryan Miller (Bensalem, PA) 

$8,183

Blinds 40k/80k/10k ante

The board is showing 10 4 2 2 A, when Roman Valerstein puts Miller all in for his last 500k.

Miller tanks and calls only to see he's crushed by Valerstein's A 2 for a full house. Miller mucks his cards as he finishes in 6th place.

Event 12: 7th Place - Inselberg

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)

 Dave "Coldstone" Inselberg (Long Beach, NY) 

$6,546

Blinds 40k/80k/10k ante

Dave Inselberg is all in with 8♠ 10♠ for his last 1 million chips against James Blankenship's K♥ Q♦.

Flop: Q♣ 4♣ J♠ (Blankenship pair of queens, Inselberg gutshot straight draw)

Turn: 10♣ (Inselberg pair of 10s, Blankenship OE straight draw)

River: 7♦(no change) 

Blankenship wins the hand with a pair of queens to knock Inselberg out in 7th place.

Event 12: 8th Place - Sanders

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

 David Sanders (Mt. Laurel, NJ) 

$5,001

After swapping double-ups with Vinny Pahuja, Sanders net result is 460k. He ships it with K♥ J♥ and is called by the big stack of Ilya Dyment and his A 10.

Event 12: 9th Place - Moyer

 $260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)  

Kenny Moyer (Hatfield, PA) 

$3,445

Kenny Moyer moves all in with 8♥ 8♠ vs the A♣ K♣ of Roman Valerstetin, who flops a king to win the hand. Moyer is out in 9th place.

Event 12: 10th Place - Hurwitz

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

David Hurwitz (West Berlin, NJ) 

$2,273

Blinds 25k/50k/5k ante 

There are fireworks on the first hand of the final table. Ilya Dyment raises to 125k from middle position and David Hurwitz calls from the big blind.

Flop: K♦ 9♦ 9♥

Hurwitz checks, Dyment c-bets 150k, Hurwitz moves all in for 2 million, Dyment snap calls.

Dyment: A♦ 9♠ (trip 9s, ace kicker)

Hurwitz: 8♣ 9♣ (trip 9s, 8 kicker

Turn: A♥ (Dyment full house, Hurwitz drawing dead)
River:3♠

Hurwitz is stunned on his way to a 10th place finish. Quiet an accomplishment considering he was down one 500 ante with 100 players remaining.

Dyment is the chip leader with more than 4 million.

Event 12: Final Table

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

Seat-Name-Chip Count
1 Vinny Pahuja (Hicksville, NY) 2.1 million
2 David Hurwitz (West Berlin, NJ) 2 million
3 Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY) 1.1 million
4 Roman Valerstein (Philadelphia, PA) 2.2 million
5 Kenny Moyer (Hatfield, PA) 470k
6 Ila Dyment (Brooklyn, NY) 2.1 million
7 Dave Inselberg (Long Beach, NY) 1.5 million
8 Bryan Miller (Bensalem, PA) 2 million
9 James Blankenship (Circleville, OH) 500k
10 David Sanders (Mt. Laurel, NJ) 900k

Event 12: More in da Money

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)

11 JEREMIAH MCKENNA (NORWALK, CT) $2,273
12 JAMES SLOAT (HALETHORPE, MD) $2,273
13 DOV OPPENHEIM (LAKEWOOD, NJ) $1,637
14 SCOTT SHOYER (FLOURTOWN, PA) $1,637
15 ALBERT FRAMPTON (MAPLE SHADE, NJ) $1,637
16 FLORENTINO DELEON (JOPPA, MD) $1,127
17 ROBERT KLAUS (FLUSHING, NY) $1,127
18 BERT HOR (FREEHOLD, NJ) $1,127
19 JEFFREY EPSTEIN (OMAHA, NE) $964
20 MIRON AGAMIYEV (GALLOWAY, NJ) $964
21 JAMES SMITH (OCEAN CITY, NJ) $964
22 MATT ILES (ATCO, NJ) $964
23 GRAHAM CLEVERLEY (RIDGEWOOD, NJ) $964
24 JIMMY ALIMONOS (BETHPAGE, NY) $964
25 ARI ENGEL (LAS VEGAS, NV) $964
26 LUIS CHILUIZA (NEW YORK, NY) $964
27 MOSHE SCHOENWALD MIAMI BCH FL $964

Event 12: 28th-36th Places ($855)

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

28 TERRY GRIMES (NEW ROCHELLE, NY)
29 MICHAEL LEON (PLAINVIEW, NY)
30 LAWRENCE GOMEZ (DUNELLEN, NJ)
31 MATTHEW BUTCH (CLARKSBURG, NJ)
32 MICHAEL REES (FLORAL PARK, NY)
33 BRANDON FISHER (GLEN ALLEN, VA)
34 SCOTT SCHLEIN (OWINGS MILLS, MD)
35 JOHN LAKATOSH (RED LION, PA)
36 JAVIER FERNANDEZ (SAN JUAN PR)

Event 12: Places 36-45 ($764)

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee)

37 RICHARD GREENBERG (VENTNOR CITY, NJ)
38 RONNY BARNEA (NEW YORK, NY)
39 DAWN LUCARELLI (ELDERSBURG, MD)
40 KORI HUNTER (ELLICOTT CITY, MD)
41 JAMES TURRISI (STATEN ISLAND, NJ)
42 TONY SINISHTAJ (FLUSHING, NY)
43 JASON EDELMAN (MONROE TWP, NJ)
44 DAVE SCHLETTER (SUCCASUNNA, NJ)
45 ANDY KVITELMAN (BROOKLYN, NY)

Event 13 Winner: Wiley

$350 + 50 ANTE ONLY NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

 Jim Wiley (N. Bergern, NJ) 

$6,111

On a flop of 3♣ 4♥ 5♣, Will Failla moves all in and Jim Wiley snap calls.

Failla: 9♣ 6♣ (flush draw, OE straight draw)

Wiley: A♥ Q♣

Turn: Q♥ (Wiley pair of aces)

River: 5♠ (no change)

Wiley wins the title, trophy and cash with a pair of queens.  "I beat one heck of a man there," says Wiley who was thrilled to beat Will "the thrill" Failla.

"He's obviously no slouch," adds the retired government official, "he's got a great reputation. I can now tell my friends that I beat him the next time he's on tv."

Event 12: 2nd Place - Failla

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

Will Failla (Commack, NY) 

$3,819

Will Failla misses two draws and ends up finishing in second place to Jim Wiley.  Failla had a flush draw and OE straight draw while holding 9♣ 6♣, but is beaten by Wiley's pair of queens while holding A♥ Q♣.

Failla, who was looking for his third career Borgata trophy, was unable to get a double-up while being short stacked all of heads up play.  

Despite finishing runner-up, the deep run will help Failla stay in the top 10 of the Tournament Leaderboard where he was 5th to start the day.

Event 12: Sweet 16

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

The final 16 players have new seats on the final two tables.  Vinny Pahuja still has the chip lead with 2 million, a remarkable run considering he was down to two antes (200 total) with blinds at 500/1k.

The other two big stacks are Roman Valerstein and Dave Inselberg who both have 1.7 million.

Event 13: 3rd Place - O'Donoghue

$350 + 50 ANTE ONLY NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Brian O'Donoghue (Bayside, NY) 

$2,292

Brian O'Donoghue's bid for a third Borgata trophy in the last two months comes to an end with a third place finish.  O'Donoghue starts the hand with 140k and is all in on a board of 7 8 5 A against

Jim Wiley.

O'Donoghue: 7 8 (two pair)

Wiley: 10 9 (OE straight draw)

River: 6 (Wiley straight)

Wiley hits a straight on the river to knock out O'Donoghue in third place.

O'Donoghue won back-to-back NL tournaments in September during the Borgata Poker Open for a total of $102,000.

Event 12: 46th-54th Places ($673)

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

46 ANTHONY KIETRYS (BEACH LAKE, PA)
47 CATHY PISATURO (SILVER SPRING, MD)
48 KEVIN LUTZ (BELLMAWR, NJ)
49 EDDY VATARU (NEW YORK, NY)
50 JAMES FREEBODY (WESTBURY, NY)
51 JOSEPH MIRABILE (PERRY HALL, MD)
52 ANTHONY CLEMENTI (BLUE BELL, PA)
53 VINCENT NUZZO (SEWELL, NJ)
54 ANDREY KOSTENKO (SAYREVILLE, NJ)

Event 12: 55th-63rd Places ($600)

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

55 MATTHEW DAMON (ASTORIA, NY)
56 PAUL PAEZ (HAMMONTON, NJ)
57 ANDY ANDREJEVIC (MIAMI, FL)
58 GRACE SUN (MERRICK, NY)
59 GREGG KENNEDY (RUMSON NJ)
60 ILYA VASSERMAN (HUNTINGDON VY, PA)
61 AUSTEN JOHNSON (GREENSBORO, NC)
62 JEREMY KUSNIR (PENNSAUKEN, NJ)
63 RICKY CAMPANELLI (MONTREAL, CANADA)

Event 12: 64th-72nd Place ($527)

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

64 THOMAS MCGARRY (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ)
65 RAFFAELE IMPERIALE (TOMS RIVER, NJ)
66 THOMAS LAWLER (GLEN HEAD, NY)
67 DWYTE PILGRIM (BROOKLYN, NY)
68 MARIO CONCEPCION (PASSAIC, NJ)
69 JOHN GULINO (BROOKLYN, NY)
70 DANIEL BEAVERS (WHITE PLAINS, MD)
71 ROBERT TRAUTNER (ELIZABETH, NJ)
72 ANTONIO PAYNE (HAZLET, NJ)

Event 12: Fast & Furious

$260 + 40 Big Stack NL Hold'em ($100,000 Guarantee) 

The field has gone from 72 to 40 so fast, it's hard to keep up with the payouts, let alone all the action.

The chip leaders are Vinny Pahuja and Dave Inselberg who are both with more than one million

Other players still in the running for the $42,182 top prize include:

Matt Iles
David Sanders
Jeremiah McKenna
Terry Grimes

Event 13: 4th Place - Morgovsky

$350 + 50 ANTE ONLY NL Hold'em (Re-Entry)

Mike Morgovsky (Brooklyn, NY) 

$1,681

Mike Morgovsky moves all in for 45k with A 8 against the pocket jacks of Brian O'Donoghue.

The flop is J55 to give O'Donoghue a full house and he knocks out Morgovsky out in 4th place.