2013 WPT Borgata Poker Open Day 3: Pham Back in Front; Selbst Eyes First Title
Season XII of the World Poker Tour continued on Tuesday with Day 3 of the WPT Borgata Open. Action began with 174 of the original 1,189 players attempting to sneak through the money bubble and beyond. After a long day on the felt, only 36 players remained with Day 1a chip leader Cong Pham back on top of the leader board. Other notables in contention for the $825,099 top prize include David Randall, Vanessa Selbst, Cliff Josephy, and Matt Glantz.
WPT Borgata Poker Open End-of-Day 3 Top 10
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cong Pham | 2,548,000 |
| 2 | Jake Schwartz | 2,145,000 |
| 3 | David Johnston | 2,050,000 |
| 4 | David Randall | 2,020,000 |
| 5 | Vanessa Selbst | 1,739,000 |
| 6 | Jeremy Kottler | 1,734,000 |
| 7 | Anthony Zinno | 1,643,000 |
| 8 | Richard Tatalovich | 1,506,000 |
| 9 | Alexander Rocha | 1,473,000 |
| 10 | Zachary Kottler | 1,443,000 |
The money bubble burst early on Day 3, securing a payday for the top 110 finishers. After Cherish Andrews busted in 112th place when she ran pocket sevens into queens, Josh Levkov landed directly on the bubble. With the board reading J♦6♣5♥4♦, Daniel Howe bet 225,000 from late position, and Levkov moved all in with pocket jacks (top set). Howe called and turned over 7♦3♦ for a turned straight, and the 7♥ on the river sent Levkov to the rail empty-handed.
The eliminations came quickly from there. Among the players sent packing before the end of the day were Scott Seiver (95th), Jamie Kerstetter (94th), Victor Ramdin (80th), Eric Baldwin (78th), Ryan Riess (68th), Allen Kessler (63rd), David Diaz (62nd), Dan Buzgon (60th), Jonathan Little (59th), Amir Babakhani (51st), Justin Zaki (50th), Christina Lindley (49th), Bobby Oboodi (47th), Matt Salsberg (46th), and Ebony Kenney (41st).
Pham finished Day 3 with a sizable lead over the field after winning a big pot against Josephy and Day 1b chip leader Paul Volpe. According to the WPT Live Updates, Joseph Gibson raised from early position and was called by Josephy (early position), Pham (hijack), and Volpe (big blind). On the 9♥8♦3♠ flop, Volpe jammed his last 73,000 into the pot, and both Josephy and Pham called. The 10♠ hit the turn and Josephy fired 160,000. Pham called, and the Q♦ arrived on the river. Josephy checked and Pham moved all in for effectively 864,000, putting Josephy to a decision for his tournament life. Josephy tank-folded 3♥3♣ for a set, which turned out to be the correct laydown as Pham tabled J♠8♠ for a straight. Volpe showed A♦9♦ and was eliminated in 39th place.
Selbst, seeking her first title on the WPT, put herself in great position late on Day 3 when she picked off a bluff by Fernando Halac. With the blinds at 6,000/12,000 and a 2,000 ante, Dan Heimiller raised to 30,000 from under the gun and Selbst called directly behind. Action folded over to Halac in the big blind, and he moved all in for 387,000. Heimiller folded, but Selbst called with the 10♣10♦. She was up against the lowly 5♦2♦ of Halac, and her pair held up through the Q♥J♠3♦Q♠7♠ board. That pot put her above 2,000,000 in chips, and she finished the day with 1,739,000.
Others returning on Thursday include David Randall (2,020,000), Josephy (1,007,000), Raj Vohra (702,000), Heimiller (592,000), and Matt Glantz (452,000).
Day 4 will commence at noon EDT on Thursday, and the plan is to play down to the six-handed final table. Stay tuned to PokerNews for a full recap upon the completion of play.
Data and photo courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.
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