Six-Figure Scores for 4 Players as Justin Leeds Wins 2018 BPO Opener
The Borgata Poker Open wrapped its first event over the weekend with the conclusion of Event #1: $600 DeepStack NLH, which attracted 3,106 entries over five flights. That surpassed the $1.5 million guarantee by generating a $1,626,932 prize pool.
In the end, the final four players – Daniel Park, Justin Leeds, Jacob Naumann, and Donny Maloney (pictured above left to right) – agreed to a deal in which they all locked up $170,535. In addition, Leeds was awarded the trophy and official champion designation.
Prior to the win, Leeds had just $5,216 in live tournament earnings.
| Position | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Leeds | $170,535* |
| 2 | Daniel Park | $170,535* |
| 3 | Jacob Naumann | $170,535* |
| 4 | Donny Maloney | $170,535* |
| 5 | Kevin Lutz | $81,753 |
| 6 | Dustin Lee | $64,263 |
| 7 | Doug Shirk | $47,181 |
| 8 | Mike Lavenburg | $31,725 |
| 9 | Piere Deissler | $22,777 |
*Denotes four-way deal
According to updates from the event, the first final table elimination came when Naumann jammed the button holding pocket fours and Pierre Deissler called off from the big blind with ace-six suited. The board ran out with an ace, but unfortunately for Deissler, it also contained four clubs. Naumann had the only club in his hand and scored the knockout.
Not long after, Naumann sent Mike Lavenburg out the door. The latter got it in with ace-jack suited but fell to the former’s king-ten, which flopped two pair and rivered a full boat. Doug Shirk was the next to fall after he bluffed a nine-high flop with ace-high. Maloney had pocket queens and that was all she wrote for Shirk.
Dustin Lee then got his short stack in with ace-jack against Lutz’s ten-nine but failed to hold when the board ran out in such a way that it gave the inferior hand the nut straight.
The tournament’s final elimination came when Lutz moved all in holding six-five and Naumann called with king-jack. Lutz took the lead by pairing his six on the flop, but running jacks on the turn and river put an end to his run in fifth place.
In other 2018 BPO news, MSPT champ and WSOP Circuit ring winner Blake Whittington navigated a field of 781 runners to win Event #3: $500 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack.
Whittington defeated Jackie Liu in heads-up play, a match in which he never relinquished the chip lead. Liu received $35,795 for her runner-up finish while Whittington received $61,518 and the trophy for a run that saw him collect 10 bounties.
The 2018 Borgata Poker Open runs now through September 21 and will culminate with the $3,500 buy-in World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Championship ($3 million GTD) from Sunday, September 16 through Friday, September 21. That event will be live streamed.
Images courtesy of 2018 BPO
