Sunday, January 22, 2006

Borgata Winter Open: Event #3 $1000 NL and Event #2 $750 NL Day 2 & Final Table

We're back in the ballroom for day three of the Winter Poker Open at the Borgata Hotel Spa & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Be sure to check out the Winter Poker Open tournament schedule as well as the Super Satellite schedule. The Super Satellites give you an opportunity to win tournament chips and even a seat into the $10K main event. The friendly staff here are also running single table satellites (for as low as $65) and there's a nightly second chance cash tournament starting at 11pm.

As soon as I walked onto the casino floor this morning, I was bombarded by the loud sounds of a slots jackpot that someone had won. Yeah, even at 11am, the Borgata was buzzing with excitement. I suppose that jubilation spilled over from last night. Saturday nights at the Borgata are always a wild one. Just ask Ravi Anand from New York City. He won his first ever live poker tournament and took home over $170K in Event #1 $500 NL.

Today we will be concluding Event #2 $750 NL. There are 38 players remaining out of 864, who are fighting it out for a prize pool of $648,000. Daniel Baldev finished up last night as the chipleader. He has 328K. First place will win almost $177K and the Top 81 places paid prize money. Event #2 will conclude at 2pm today.

Event #3 $1000 NL began at 11am today. 340 players registered in today's event hoping to survive the day and avoid brutal suck outs and river bad beats. First place should win around $100K. Event #3 is a two day tournament.

I will be covering two events today. They will be color coded to help you follow them.
Event #2 $750 NL Day 2 & Final Table = Red font
Event #3 $1000 NL Day 1 = Black font
***** Live Blogging Updates *****

11:05am... Event #3 $1000 NL update: Cards are in the air. Level 1 is $25/50 blinds. Players started with $5,000 in chips. Paul Darden, Arnold Spee, and Bill Blanda are a few of the 340 players who are in today's event. I also spotted Billy "Turtle" Hill in the tournament. He took 2nd last night int Event #1.

12:05pm... Event #3 $1000 NL update: We're now on Level 2. Blinds are $50/100. Arnold Spee had an early exit and has been eliminated.

1:00pm... Bouncin Round the Room: I just met two fans of the Tao of Poker. Mirza Nagji, a fellow New Yorker, is one of the 38 remaining players in Event #2. He and his buddy stopped by to chat. I'll keep tabs on him today.

1:15pm... Event #3 $1000 NL update: We're now on Level 3. Blinds are $75/150.

1:44pm... Event #3 $1000 NL update: There are about 250 players left on 25 tables.

2:00pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: Cards are in the air. We're on Level 13. Blinds are $3K/$6K with a $1K ante. The chipleader is Daniel Baldev with 328K. 38 players remaining.
Here are the official payouts for Event #2:
1. $176,968
2. $94,932
3. $51,840
4. $45,360
5. $38,880
6. $32,400
7. $25,920
8. $19,440
9. $12,960
10-12. $7,776
13-15. $5,832
16-18. $3,888
19-27. $3,240
28-36. $1,620
37-45. $1,426
26-51. $1,231
55-63. $1,167
64-81. $972
2:15pm... Event #3 $100 NL update: We're on Level 4. Blinds are $100/200.

2:30pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: Here are some pictures that I took from Event #2.


The final four tables


Mirza moves all in


Ezra "Bowtie" Teitelbaum - Started 8th in chips today


Rich Ruffman


Is Blaise Ingolia on tilt?
3:10pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: 28 players remain. We're on Level 14. Blinds are $4K/8K. Anes are $1K. Mirza has about 60K.

3:15pm... Event #3 $1000 NL update: 180 players are left on 18 tables. Players are on a break. When they come back we'll be on Level 5. Blinds are $200/400 with $25 antes.

3:45pm... Event #2 $750 NL update. We're down to 26 players and the action has been consolidated to three tables. Mirza was shortstacked and made a move in early position with A-3o. He moved all in and someone with A-K called him. Mirza was behind until the river when he spiked a 3. One of his table mates announced to that he mucked a 3, so Mirza nailed one of his two outs to double up. He has over 120K now.
Money Winners in Event #2 that were eliminated yesterday:
39. Matthew Falks $1,426
40. Michael Ciacciarelli $1,426
41. Brandon Barton $1,426
42. Hugh Wheeler $1,426
43. Brian Tarrant $1,426
44. Jay Jaffe $1,426
45. Steve Freifeld $1,426
46. Angelo Gionis $1,231
47. Justin Lunin-Pack $1,231
48. Jonathan Limbert $1,231
49. Erich Fischer $1,231
50. Tadevsz Bak $1,231
51. Deeangelo Seng $1,231
52. Matthew Brady $1,231
53. Gavin Agushi $1,231
54. Douglas Lauretano $1,231
55. Margat Singh $1,167
56. Howard Wolper $1,167
57. Lucas Binder $1,167
58. Jvinny Carchietta $1,167
59. Peter Grosso $1,167
60. Eric Bisdroff $1,167
61. Michael Kaneris $1,167
62. Louis Giele $1,167
63. James McGee $1,167
64. Gregory Katrogis $1,102
65. Ilya Ochakovsky $1,102
66. Scott Glaze $1,102
67. Arnold Spee $1,102
68. Pierre Sirois $1,102
69. Anthony Arcuri $1,102
70. Robert Gray $1,102
71. Alan Sansone $1,102
72. John Miraglia $1,102
73. James English $972
74. Daniel Mulhall $972
75. Anthony Argila $972
76. Salvatore Simeone $972
77. James Newton $972
78. Brett Shoop $972
79. Craig Reichard $972
80. Akio Ishige $972
81. David Goldberg $972

Here's who has been eliminated today:
38. Michael Kafka $1,426
37. Benjamin Gatzleo $1,426
36. John Malko, Jr. $1,620
35. Charles DeRosa $1,620
34. Ed Needham $1,620
33. Alan Findellow $1,620
32. Joe Schwartz $1,620
31. Armado Grabrielli $1,620
30. Theodore Goldberg $1,620
29. Paul Scatunro $1,620
28. Ezra "Bowtie" Teitelbaum $1,620
27. Michael Zelin $3,240
4:00pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: 150 players are left on 15 tables.

4:20pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: 19 players remain. Mirza has built up his stack to 160K. His 3-3 held up against a shortstack with A-Qs.
Recent Bustouts:
26. Edgar Collado $3,240
25. Anthony Casagrande $3,240
24. Damon Kaufman $3,240
23. Bart Seeman $3,240
22. Dipen Patel $3,240
21. Dean Schultz $3,240
20. Arthur Gabriel $3,240
5:00pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: 108 players remain on 11 tables. Action is gong fast.

5:30pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: 15 players are left on 2 tables.
Here's a list of recent bustouts:
19. Rob Siegal $3,240
18. Raymond DiDonado $3,888
17. David Sloane $3,888
16. Victor Johnson $3,888
6:00pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: 11 players remaining. New York City's Mirza Nagji busted out in 13th place when his 9-9 lost a race to Big Slick. He won $5,832 for his efforts. Frank Pasquale's A-Q lost to 8-9s and he was eliminated in 12th place.
Recent Eliminations:
15. Vincent Devita $5,832
14. Chance Ingeness $5,832
13. Mirza Nagji $5,832
12. Frank Pasquale $7,776
6:30pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: There are 79 players left on 8 tables. The action has been going fast in Level 6. Blinds are $300/600 with $50 antes.

6:45pm... Event #2 $750 NL update: Thomas O'Hara was eliminated in 11th place when his 10-10 ran into Sung Cho's Hilton Sisters. O'Hara won $7,776. The players redraw for seats at the final table. Michael Teich is the chipleader.
Final table seating and chip counts:
Seat 1: Kenny Schuyler 215K
Seat 2: Michael Hickman 453K
Seat 3: Blaise Ingoglia 250K
Seat 4: Daniel Baldev 492K
Seat 5: Michael Teich 657K = chipleader
Seat 6: Drew Russell 108K
Seat 7: Rick Ruffman 236K
Seat 8: John Yiovahakos 404K
Seat 9: Sung Cho 498K
Seat 10:Steve Cohen 280K

Event #2 final table
7:00pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: Players are on a dinner break. There are seven tables left.

7:40pm... Event #2: $750 NL final table update: After a short break, we had our first elimination. Drew Russell was eliminated in 10th place by Michael Teich. He won $7,776.

8:20pm... Event #2 $750 NL final table update: Kenny Schuyler busted out in 9th place when his Q-9 lost to Sung Cho's 8-8. He won $12,960. Michael Teich is the chipleader with 920K.


8:30pm... Bouncin Round the Room: Let's meet some of the people who are working hard to make the Borgata Winter Open run smoothly.


Tournament Director Tab Duchateau


Some of the Borgata's friendly floor staff: Ozzie & Byron

8:42pm... Event #2: $750 NL final table update: Rick Ruffman from Colts Neck, NJ was eliminated in 8th place when his A-9 lost to Michael Hickman's 7-7. Rick Ruffman won $19,440.

8:45pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: There are five tables remaining. We're on Level 9. Blinds are $800/1600 with $200 antes.

9:00pm... Event #2 $750 NL final table update: We're on Level 18. Blinds are $15K/$30K with $5K antes. Seven players are still remaining. Michael Teich is still the chipleader. He almost has $1M.

9:30pm... Event #2 $750 NL final table update: Blaise Ingoglia from Spring Hill, FL was eliminated in 7th place when his K-J ended up dominated by Michael Hickman's K-Q. Blaise Ingoglia won $25,920. John Yiovahakos from Norwalk, CT had been the shortstack and survived a few all in attempts. His 7-7 lost to Sung Cho's pocket Queens. John Yiovahakos won $32,400.

Here's an updated chipcount:
1 Michael Hickman 1.02M
2 Michael Teich 760K
3 Daniel Baldev 590K
4 Sung Cho 570K
5 Steve Cohen 450K
9:45pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: 38 players remain on 4 tables. We're on Level 10. Blinds are $1K/2K with $300 antes.

10:00pm... Event #2 $750 NL final table update: Daniel Baldev from Hillsboro, NJ was eliminated in 5th place. He moved all in with 9-9 and a shortstack. All four other players flat called and checked it all the way down to the river. Steve Cohen won with two pair Aces and sixes. Daniel Baldev won $38,880. Sung Cho has 1.3M in chips. Hickman and Cohen have 850K each and Teich is the shortstack with 390K.


10:30pm... Event #3 $1K NL update: 34 players are left on 4 tables.

10:35pm... Event #2 $750 NL Final Table update: Michael Teich doubled up with A-8 versus Sung cho's J-J. Tiech flopped two pair and now had over 700K.

10:39pm... Event #2 $750 NL Final Table update: Blinds are now $30K/60K with a 10K ante. Michael Teich from Chappaqua, NY was eliminated in 4th place. Michael Hickman raised on the button with K-Qs. Teich moved all in with pocket tens and was outflopped when a Queen hit. Hickman's hand held up and Teich won $45,360 and will promptly party it up with his neighbor Bill Clinton upon his arrival back home. There are now three players left.

Meet the Final 3 in Event #2:


Sung "The Cooler" Cho (left), Michael Hickman (center), and Steve Cohen (right)

10:46pm... Event #2 $750 NL Final Table update: Steve Cohen doubled up against Michael Hickman when he flopped two pair with 10-8s against A-4s.

11:00pm... Event #2 $750 NL Final Table update: Sung "The Cooler" Cho from Fort Lee, NJ was busted in 3rd place by Michael Hickman. On a board of Q-8-6, Hickman bet out for 200K. Sung moved all with K-8 and second pair. Hickman quickly called with Q-7. Hickman's hand held up and Sung Cho was eliminated. Cho won $51,840. We're now heads up between Michael Hickman and Steve Cohen are heads up and fighting it out for a $176,968 first place prize and the coveted bracelet. Hickman holds a slim chiplead 1.85M to 1.69M.

11:15pm... Event #2 $750 NL Final Table update: After five minutes of heads up play, we have a champion. On a board of J-J-J-5-7, both players moved all in on the river with full houses. Steve Cohen had 5-3 and Michael Hickman showed 4-7 for a bigger boat. Cohen from New York City won $94,932 for second place. Michael Hickman from Media, PA won $176,968 and the bracelet. Congrats to Michael!


Michael Hickman (Media, PA) - Event #2 $750 NL Champion - $176,968


Tom Bates presents Michael Hickman the bracelet

Michael Hickman is a project manager for a construction company. This is his 5th major tournament. He played in the 2005 WSOP main event and made the final table at the WSOP circuit event at Harrah's one year ago. He was busted in 8th by a brutal suckout and feels vindication with this victory. He's strictly a live NL cash game player and loves playing in tournaments.

"I wouldn't have come if I didn't think I had a shot of winning," he confidently said as he showed off his new bracelet to his friends.

Congrats again to Michael Hickman!
Event #2 $750 NL Top 10 Results:
1. Michael Hickman (Media, PA) $176,958
2. Steve Cohen (New York, NY) $94,932
3. Sung Cho (Fort Lee, NJ ) $51,840
4. Michael Teich (Chappaqua, NY ) $45,360
5. Daniel Baldev (Hillsboro, NJ) $38,880
6. John Yiovahakos (Norwalk, CT) $32,400
7. Blaise Ingoglia (Spring Hill, FL) $25,920
8. Rick Ruffman (Colts Neck, NJ) $19,440
9. Kenny Schuyler (Long Branch, NJ) $12,960
10. Drew Russell (Smithtown, NY ) $7,776
12:01am... Event #3 $1k NL update: We're down to three tables. 29 players left. The top 36 players will win prize money.
Here's a payout list for Event #3 $1K NL:
1. $103,700
2. $57,210
3. $27,710
4. $23,800
5. $20,400
6. $17,000
7. $13,600
8. $10,200
9. $6,800
10-12. $4,420
13-15. $3,400
16-18. $2,380
19-27. $1,700
28-36. $1,530
1:07am... Event #3 $1K NL update: 20 players are left on 3 tables. We have about 33 minutes left of play tonight.
Here's who made the money in Event #3:
36. Stephen Benton $1,530
35. Bartholomew Simpson $1,530
34. Dick Carson $1,530
33. Stephen Ross $1,530
32. Randy Lowert $1,530
31. Anthony Brigandi $1,530
30. Charles Goldhammer $1,530
29. V.Eyzeriwvich $1,530
28. Brian Hollywood $1,530
27. Brian Haveson $1,700
26. John Hockbart $1,700
25. Eugene K. Ji $1,700
24. Douglas Dickson $1,700
23. Andrew Palmer $1,700
22. Saul Brooks $1,700
21.George Mullen $1,700
2:00am... Event #3 $1K NL update: Play has been suspended for today. There are 20 players remaining. The chipleader is Dan Weissman with $221K. Action will resume at 2pm.
End of Day 1 Chipcounts for Event #3:
1. Dan Weissman 221,000
2. Jimmy Mitchell 202,000
3. Anthony Losardo 157,000
4. Abraham Korotki 108,000
5. Lance Turner 102,000
6. Richard Marshall 98,000
7. Bandon Barton 95,000
8. Vinod Vangimalla 87,000
9. Sharif Wahba 85,000
10. Craig Conway 74,000
11. Carlos Zambrano 68,000
12. Matt Smith 65,000
13. Nicholas Caltabiaro 65,000
14. Chase Kirchner 58,000
15. Brad Rathbone 53,000
16. Darrell Blaine New 52,000
17. Dennis Frederick 49,000
18. Greg Camberari 40,000
19. Richard Besserman 22,000
20. Sandra Billot 8,000

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