WPT Borgata Poker Open Day 3: Jean Gaspard Big Chip Leader with 31 Remaining
What began with 1,226 entries in the World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open is down to the final 31 players. On Wednesday, 150 players returned for Day 3 action, during which time the money bubble burst and players began laying claim to the $3,924,426 prize pool.
By the end of the night, Jean “Prince” Gaspard found himself in the best position to make a run at the $843,744 first-place prize by holding a huge chip lead of 5.464 million, which was nearly twice as much as his next closest competitor, Blake Bohn, who sits with 2.951 million. Rounding out the top five chip counts are Zo Karim (2.28 million), Nicholas Gerrity (1.906 million), and Darren Elias (1.77 million).
Top 10 Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Gaspard | 5,646,000 |
| 2 | Blake Bohn | 2,951,000 |
| 3 | Zo Karim | 2,280,000 |
| 4 | Nicholas Gerrity | 1,906,000 |
| 5 | Darren Elias | 1,770,000 |
| 6 | Kane Kalas | 1,679,000 |
| 7 | Ray Qartomy | 1,665,000 |
| 8 | Richard Munro | 1,632,000 |
| 9 | Ory Hen | 1,491,000 |
| 10 | Riley Fuller | 1,442,000 |
According to the WPT live blog, 30 players had to fall before the money was reached at the top 120 players, and among those to leave empty handed were Jared Hamby, Cliff Josephy, Russell Crane, and Day 1a chip leader Ben Bianco.
The money bubble burst in Level 18 (3,000/6,000/1,000) when Tom Dobrilovic got his stack all in on a flop of 7♦3♥2♠ and found himself at risk against Scot Masters.
Dobrilovic: 7♥8♥
Masters: J♥J♣
Dobrilovic had flopped top pair, but it was no good as Masters held an overpair. Neither the 5♣ turn nor the 10♥ river helped Dobrilovic and he exited empty-handed in 121st place while the rest of the field was guaranteed a minimum payday of $6,750.
Once the bubble burst, the in-the-money eliminations began to mount and included 2005 World Series of Poker runner-up Steve Dannenmann (120th - $6,750); reigning WPT Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja (104th - $6,868); WPT commentator Mike Sexton (85th - $7,378); Day 1b chip leader Darlene Lee (66th - $8,438); and defending champ Anthony Zinno (65th - $8,438).
Zinno was eliminated in Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000) when he shoved all in for 152,000 from early position and Karim called from the cutoff. The rest of the field folded and the cards were turned up.
Karim: 9♦9♥
Zinno: A♠8♣
Zinno was behind and in needed of some major help, but it didn’t happen as the board ran out Q♣10♦4♦8♠K♠.
Another player who fell on Day 3 was 2013 WSOP Main Event Champ Ryan Riess. He exited in Level 23 (10,000/20,000/3,000) when Gaspard opened for 51,000 from the cutoff and then called when the WSOP champ three-bet all in for roughly 240,000 from the small blind.
Riess: A♣J♦
Gaspard: K♣Q♦
Riess got it in good, but Gaspard pulled ahead on the Q♥J♣9♠ flop. The 3♥ turn meant Riess needed either an ace or jack on the river to stay alive, but it was not meant to be as the K♥ improved Gaspard to two pair. Riess took home $13,147 for his 39th-place finish while Gaspard went on to bag up the chip lead.
Some players who will return for Day 4 include Barry Shulman (1,158,000), Daniel Weinman (849,000), Justin Zaki (774,000), Aaron Overton (760,000), Erik Cajelais (747,000), Bobby Oboodi (371,000), Cornel Cimpan (358,000), and Matt Glantz (309,000).
The remaining 31 players will return at 12 p.m. ET on Thursday and play down to the televised final table of six. PokerNews will have a recap upon completion of play and each day until a winner is determined.
*Data courtesy of WPT live blog.
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