Three Events Crown Winners on Day 6 of the 2019 Borgata Poker Open

Brandyn Trenholm
Live Reporter
Tim Kelliher
Tim Kelliher
3 min read
Gabriel Berkland

Sunday was a busy day at the 2019 Borgata Poker Open as not only did three new events kick off, they all played down to winners. The tournaments include the popular Annual Mike Sica Memorial Seniors (50+), a pot-limit Omaha event, and the no-limit hold'em deeper stack. Here's a look at highlights from each of three tournaments.

Gabriel Berkland Takes Down 2019 Event #8: $340 PLO for $7,741

The eighth tournament of the 2019 BPO saw a total of 76 entrants walk through the doors to take a shot at some four-card poker. After roughly ten hours of play, it was Gabriel Berkland (pictured above) emerging as the champion of Event #8: $340 PLO.

Berkland outlasted a tough final table to take down the first-place prize of $7,741 and a prestigious Borgata trophy. It marked the biggest cash on Berkland's resume as well as his first-ever tournament win.

The St. Louis, Missouri native started the final table third in chips and continued to climb throughout the next seven eliminations. Once heads-up play started it was a back-and-forth venture for both Berkland and Robert Levy.

Levy, unlike Berkland, started the final table with peanuts, having just seven big blinds. Levy took that 40,000 stack and spun it up almost instantly. Once Levy neared the top he never looked back until the final two started their battle. Levy drew first blood and took a commanding 2-to-1 chip lead in just a few hands. Berkland fought back and retook the lead shortly after, not knowing that he would soon be the last player standing.

During the last hand of the night, Levy opened from the button and Berkland defended his big blind. Berkland then check-raised all in on the flop and Levy obliged. Berkland tabled a straight draw and Levy top pair. The turn paired the board as Levy was still ahead but the river came down in favor of Berkland, completing his straight and Levy was eliminated in second for a respectable $4,202.

Finale Table Results

PlacePlayerEarnings
1Gabriel Berkland$7,741
2Robert Levy$4,202
3David Elyazyan$2,654
4Hyndi Khomutetsky$1,990
5Dan Sweeney$1,548
6Peter Ippolito$1,327
7David Prociak$1,106
8Joe Rowe$885
9Peter Walsworth$664

Final Four Chop the $350 6th Annual Mike Sica Memorial Seniors

Ken Weinstein, Dave Hollenberg, Mark Smolley, and Henry Porcaro.
Ken Weinstein, Dave Hollenberg, Mark Smolley, and Henry Porcaro chopped it up.

The 2019 BPO Event #6: $350 6th Annual Mike Sica Memorial Seniors drew 89 entries and when the field whittled down to the final four a deal was made.

The players took an even chop of $4,856 each, with Dave Hollenberg taking the trophy home. Hollenberg was very clear that he wanted to take the trophy before any talks were started as he wanted to surpass his son (Michael Hollenberg) in Boragata trophies.

The other three players obliged and Hollenberg added a second trophy to his resume. Henry Porcaro, Ken Weinstein, and Mark Smolley also took home an even piece of the remaining prize pool. Each pocketed $4,856 for their piece of the four-way chop in the seventh event of the night.

Event #6 Final Table Results

PlacePlayerHometownPrize (USD)
1Dave HollenbergRockaway, NJ$4,856
2Henry PorcaroWarwick, NY$4,856
3Ken WeinsteinChatham, NJ$4,856
4Mark SmolleyWolcott, CT$4,856
5Peter SennonBronx, NY$1,813
6Larry GurneyKingston, TN$1,554
7Marc GinsbergScotch Plains, NJ$1,295
8Ben LavesSomerset, NJ$1,036
9David ApostolicoWest Chester, PA$777

Final 7 Make a Deal in Event #7: $230 Deeper Stack NLH

Final seven strike a deal.

With the elimination of Josias Santos in eight place, the final seven players or a 292-entry field in Event #7: $230 Deeper Stack NLH began to discuss an adjusted payout deal. The stacks were counted down and it didn't take long for them to come to terms.

Steve Nooralian, who was holding a slight chip lead at the time of the deal, took first place earning $7,872 and his second Borgata Poker Open trophy.

"Now I have a Deeper and a Deepest Stack Borgata Poker trophy," said Nooralian with a smile.

Peter Zarriello was playing nearly an identical stack and earned $7,871 for his runner-up finish.

Event #7 Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1Steve Nooralian$7,872+BPO Trophy*
2Peter Zarriello$7,871*
3Allan Moore$6,343*
4Rob Licchelli$5,853*
5Nate Stokes$5,627*
6Sam Preis$5,020*
7Wazir Baksh$4,865*
8Josias Santos$1,699
9David Brodsky$1,113
10Joe Demieri$735

*Denotes seven-way deal.

PokerNews will be on-site for the entire 2019 Borgata Poker Open. Click here for everything concerning one of the biggest tournament series of the year.

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Brandyn Trenholm
Live Reporter
Tim Kelliher
Tim Kelliher

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