2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open Event 1: Final Two Flights Easily Surpass $1M Guarantee
The final two flights of the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open $560 Opening Event came to a close on Thursday. The unofficial combined entrants between Day 1c and Day 1b was 1,655, bringing the total number of entries to an unofficial 2,483. That total exceeded the $1 million guaranteed prize pool by a substantial margin.
As the night came to a close it was Kirkor Tekneci who topped the Day 1d leader board after bagging 333,000 in chips. Rounding out the top three in the final flight were Tuan Vuong (311,000) and Marcus Cohen (308,500). Other large stacks included well known poker pro Brett Richey (289,500), Hieu Tran (284,000) and Mike Jarvela (267,000). Others to make it through the day included Sean Wallace, Jeffrey Papola, Maggie Morris, Allard Broedelet, Michael Marder, and Anna Khait.
Earlier in the day, Matt O'Flynn topped the Day 1c field with 315,500 in chips, while Philip Neiman ran a close second with 282,500. Other players who bagged big stacks after 15 levels of play were Max Anjadi (276,000), Krzysztof Perka (268,500), Melissa Burr (266,000), Sergei Rylkov (265,000), Walt Jones (259,000), and Matt Cooper (250,000).
Notable players, local legends and touring pros who will return for Day 2 include Darren Elias (199,000), Paris Borden (199,000), Kenny Nguyen (132,000), and Ted Goldbergh (91,000).
Late on Day 1c a true chip-and-a-chair story developed, as Gerard Kane (114,500) managed to mount a furious comeback after falling all the way to 1,200 chips midway through the day.
Several well-known players weren't as fortunate. Micah Raskin, Cherish Andrews, Joseph Stiers, Jason Rivkin, Brian Ali, Timothy Little, Cecilia Doyle, Daniel Buzgon, Steve Dannenmann, Russell Crane, Jamie Kerstetter, and 88 year old Dr. Stanley Graham hit the rail after firing one or more bullets. Raskin in particular suffered through yet another rough patch, recording at least three reentries to bring his total above 10 for the entire tournament.
Here's a look at the unofficial top 10 stacks entering Day 2:
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Martone | 366,500 |
| 2 | Kevin Grabel | 353,500 |
| 3 | Kirkor Tekneci | 333,000 |
| 4 | Matt O'Flynn | 315,500 |
| 5 | Tuan Vuong | 311,000 |
| 6 | Marcus Cohen | 308,500 |
| 7 | Brett Richey | 289,500 |
| 8 | Hieu Tran | 284,000 |
| 9 | Philip Neiman | 282,500 |
| 10 | Bill Kontaratos | 281,500 |
All of the remaining players will join forces on Friday as the action gets underway at 12 pm. With somewhere between 525 and 550 players, they will have their work cut out for them before they make the money. The PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand from start to finish, providing live continuous coverage of all the Borgata Spring Poker Open events, so keep it here throughout the day to follow all of the action.
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