2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open: Madsen, Meyer, and Zhu Win Over the Weekend
Over the weekend, three more events concluded at the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open. In Event 11: $1,090 $100,000 Guaranteed Six-Max NLHE Reentry, well known poker professional and three-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Jeff Madsen emerged victorious. Then, John Meyer took the title in Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guaranteed NLHE Reentry, and Andrew Zhu won Event 13: $300 Deeper-Stack NLHE.
Event 11: $1,090 $100,000 Guaranteed Six-Max NLHE Reentry
From a field of 192 entries, Madsen fought his way to the victory to earn the $52,150 top prize. It wasn't easy, though, as Madsen had to conquer a tough field of competitors that included a final table with Alex Rocha, Jonathan Gottlieb, Justin Young, and the runner-up Kevin Saul.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Madsen | $52,150 |
| 2 | Kevin Saul | $30,823 |
| 3 | Magaly Descalzi | $23,746 |
| 4 | Justin Young | $18,624 |
| 5 | Joshua Sisak | $14,434 |
| 6 | Michael Cohen | $10,243 |
| 7 | Elliott Zaydman | $7,915 |
| 8 | Jonathan Gottlieb | $5,587 |
| 9 | Alex Rocha | $3,725 |
After Magaly Descalzi busted in third place, Saul had better than a 3-1 chip lead entering heads-up play against Madsen. Madsen battled back, though, and eventually took the lead during Level 24 with the blinds at 12,000/24,000/3,000. Madsen opened with a raise to 55,000, and Saul reraised to 143,000. Madsen four-bet to 310,000, and Saul called.
The flop produced the A♦5♦5♥, and Saul checked. Madsen bet 187,000, and Saul called to see the 3♦ land on the turn. Both players checked, and the 5♣ landed on the river. Saul fired 290,000, but he was met with an all-in shove from Madsen. Saul quickly folded, and Madsen won the pot to take the lead.
From there, Madsen kept the pressure on before eliminating Saul later on in the same level.
On the final hand, the two players got all the money in on the turn with the board reading Q♥7♣2♥9♦. Saul had the 9♥9♣ for a turned set of nines. Madsen had the second-best hand at the time with the J♥7♥, but he held a flush draw that could give him the win. The 3♥ on the river did just that and sealed the deal for Madsen. Saul was eliminated in second place for $30,823.
For Madsen, this win marked the third of 2014 for him. He previously won side events at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the L.A. Poker Classic in January and March, respectively.
Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guaranteed NLHE Reentry
In Event 12, Meyer topped a big field of 484 entries to earn $41,977. The $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guarantee paid out 45 places and took just one day to complete, but it was the final table that provided the real excitement.
After the final nine was set, play lasted roughly an hour before Meyer earned the victory. That's right, eight players were busted in right around 60 minutes. In the last 15 minutes of play, a whopping six players were eliminated to leave Meyer on top when the dust settled.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Meyer | $41,977 |
| 2 | Gene Mulroy | $24,237 |
| 3 | Atesa Pacelli | $14,789 |
| 4 | Dick Galarza | $11,913 |
| 5 | Mark Cleverly | $9,366 |
| 6 | Joe Rodriguez | $7,805 |
| 7 | Roland Israelashvili | $6,244 |
| 8 | Dave Elliott | $4,765 |
| 9 | Irwin Reiter | $3,286 |
Seven of the nine final table competitors were busted by Meyer. The champion won two three-way all-in pots, busting Irwin Reiter on the first and then Joe Rodriguez and Mark Cleverly on the second. When it came down to heads-up play, Meyer had to face off against Gene Mulroy.
On the final hand, Meyer's Q♦Q♣ was well out in front of Mulroy's 6♣5♣ after the money went in on the K♥K♦5♠ flop. The turn was the Q♥ to officially leave Mulroy drawing dead, and then the 9♦ completed the board on the river. For his runner-up finish, Mulroy earned $24,237.
Event 13: $300 Deeper-Stack NLHE
The last event wrapping up over the weekend was Event 13. After attracting 242 entries and creating a prize pool of $61,033, Zhu walked away victorious to earn the $17,092 top prize.
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Zhu | $17,092 |
| 2 | Ivan Polanco | $10,073 |
| 3 | Satish Surapaneni | $5,798 |
| 4 | Nick Marino | $4,700 |
| 5 | James Boyle | $3,662 |
| 6 | Emad Alabsi | $3,052 |
| 7 | Miguel Borrero | $2,441 |
| 8 | Jinwei Wang | $1,831 |
| 9 | Alex Katsman | $1,221 |
The top 27 spots were paid, but everyone had their eyes set on the top three spots where the real money would be won. Entering the final table, Zhu had the lead, and he didn't do much looking back from there. After seven eliminations that included Miguel Borrero in seventh place and Emad Alabsi in sixth place, Zhu was heads up with Ivan Polanco. Unfortunately for Polanco, he was up against the much larger stack of his opponent and couldn't get much done in the form of a comeback.
On the final hand, Polanco made his final push with the K♥10♠. Zhu called with the A♥10♥ and held as the board ran out A♠K♣5♣4♦J♥. For his finish in second place, Polanco earned $10,073.
The 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open continues on Monday with the start of the biggest and baddest event of them all — the $15,400 World Poker Tour World Championship. That event garners a massive $5 million guarantee and will feature the best of the best. Be sure to stay tuned to the PokerNews Live Reporting section for all your live coverage needs.
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