Anthony Zinno Defeats Vanessa Selbst to Win 2013 WPT Borgata Poker Open for $825,099
On Friday, the final six players of a 1,189-player field returned to battle down to a winner in the 2013 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open. It took nearly eight levels of play, but eventually 32-year-old Anthony Zinno, a poker pro from Cranston, Rhode Island, defeated Team PokerStars Pro Vanessa Selbst in heads-up play to win the $825,099 first-place prize, a $25,000 seat in the WPT Championship, and etch his name on the WPT Champions Cup.
WPT Borgata Poker Open Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Anthony Zinno | $825,099 |
| 2nd | Vanessa Selbst | $492,569 |
| 3rd | Cong Pham | $301,225 |
| 4th | Jeremy Kottler | $251,968 |
| 5th | David Randall | $208,394 |
| 6th | Eric Fields | $168,610 |
According to the WPT live blog, action resumed in Level 31 with the blinds at 50,000/100,000/10,000. The first elimination of the day happened on Hand #15 of the final table and began when Jeremy Kottler min-raised to 200,000 from the button. Cong Pham called from the small blind, and then the short-stacked Eric Fields moved all in from the big for 1.685 million. Kottler thought for a minute before making the call only to muck when Pham moved all in over the top. Kottler then folded.
Pham: A♦K♣
Fields: J♣J♦
It was a classic flip, and according to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Fields had a 56.20% chance of surviving the hand while Pham would win 43.31% of the time. The 9♥7♦5♦ flop failed to help Pham and his chances of winning dropped to 26.77% while Fields’ jumped to 71.72%. The 6♦ turn actually bumped Pham’s chances up to 29.55% with the added flush draw, but it’d be the non-diamond A♠ on the river that gave him the win. Fields, a 22-year-old poker pro from Greensboro, North Carolina, exited in sixth place and took home $168,610 for his efforts. Not a bad payday for the man who graduated from the University of Alabama back in May with a degree in Business Management.
On Hand #44, which took place in Level 32 (60,000/120,000/20,000), 26-year-old poker pro David Randall raised to 300,000 from the small blind only to have Kottler three-bet all in. Randall called off for 3.15 million and was in good shape as his J♦J♠ was out in front of Kottler’s A♥9♥. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t rewarded for his good call as the A♥K♣8♥ flop gave Kottler a pair of aces. Neither the 10♦ turn nor 10♣ river helped Randall, the boyfriend of Christina Lindley, and he hit the rail in fifth place for $208,394.
Four-handed play was an extended affair, and Selbst used it to her skillful play to go from the short stack to second in chips. On Hand #84 (Level 32: 100,000/200,000/30,000), action folded to Selbst in the small blind and she moved all in to put the pressure on Kottler in the big blind. The 33-year-old poker pro from Cleveland, Ohio called off for 2.71 million and it was off to the races.
Kottler: 5♠5♣
Selbst: A♥6♣
Kottler got it in good, but considering he found an ace against Randall, it only seemed fitting that Selbst did the same on the A♣8♦4♠ flop. The A♦ turn gave Selbst trips, which meant Kottler needed a red five on the river to stay alive. The dealer burned and put out the 7♠, the last card Kottler would see before taking his leave in fourth place for $251,968.
During three-handed play, Zinno managed to double through Selbst on Hand #96 and captured 55 percent of the chips in play. Not to be outdone, Selbst doubled back on Hand #107 and essentially swapped positions. All the while, start-of-the-day chip leader Pham, a 29-year-old from Naples, Florida, waited patiently. Eventually he picked a spot in Level 35 (120,000/240,000/40,000) on Hand #111.
It happened when Zinno opened for 500,000 from the button and Pham, who is married with a child, three-bet to 1.3 million from the big blind. Zinno ended up four-betting and then called when Pham shoved for 8.125 million. Pham tabled the A♠Q♥, but it was dominated by the A♦K♠ of Zinno. The K♣6♥5♥ flop paired Zinno’s king and left Pham drawing to running cards. The 4♣ turn took away any chance of that happening, and the 10♣ river officially eliminated Pham in third place for $301,225.
Heads-up play began with Selbst holding a slight lead over Zinno, and over the next 20 hands or so she pulled out to a more than 2-1 lead. In Level 37 (200,000/400,000/50,000) on Hand #134, Selbst min-raised to 800,000 and then moved all in when Zinno three-bet to 2.1 million. Zinno tanked for a minute and then called off for 11.3 million with the A♠10♣. Selbst rolled over the A♣8♣. The board ran out A♦7♣3♥2♣10♥ and suddenly Zinno was in the lead.
Nine hands later, which was the first hand in Level 28 (250,000/500,000/50,000), Zinno opened for 1.2 million and then called when Selbst moved all in for 7.775 million.
Selbst: K♠10♣
Zinno: A♣6♦
Selbst was behind and in need of some help, but she would be left wanting as the board ran out Q♣9♣7♠5♥4♣. Selbst, who just missed out on becoming the first woman to win an open buy-in WPT event, finished as runner-up for $492,569 while Zinno, who graduated from WPI with a degree in chemical engineering, claimed victory and the $825,099 first-place prize.
Data and photo courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.
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