2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guaranteed NLHE Reentry
Day: 1
Event Info

2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
qq
Prize
$41,977
Event Info
Buy-in
$350
Entries
484
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
5,000

Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guaranteed NLHE Reentry

Day 1 Completed

John Meyer Wins Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guarantee ($41,977)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
John Meyer - Champion
John Meyer - Champion

In roughly an hour, the final table in Event 12: $400 Saturday Series $100,000 Guarantee went from 10 players to one. In the last 15 minutes of play, six players were eliminated, and the last five all fell at the hands of champion John Meyer.

In total, Meyer, who earned $41,977 and the trophy for winning the event, eliminated seven of his nine competitors. He won two three-way all ins, the first to eliminate Irwin Reiter in ninth place, and the second to knock out Joe Rodriguez and Mark Cleverly in sixth and fifth places respectively.

"I need to get a room now," Meyer said after the win.

Gene Mulroy survived long enough to finish runner-up, earning $24,237 for his efforts. Mulroy started the final table seventh in chips, but quickly doubled through Dave Elliot. While Meyer was annihilating his fellow tablemates Mulroy avoided the crosshairs, and entered heads-up play at a 17-to-1 disadvantage. Meyer made quick work of him, eliminating Mulroy with two queens in five minutes or so.

Paul Spitzberg was the first player to exit the final table, earning $2,136 for tenth place. This is Spitzberg's second final table at the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open, and he will be looking for his third appearance next week in the Season XII World Poker Tour World Championship.

Meyer outlasted 484 entries in this one-day reentry tournament on Easter Eve, which generated a total prize pool of $164,318. Among the players who busted in the money, but weren't fortunate enough to reach the final table, were Armando Then, Tommy Flanagan, Kevin McGee, and Yuri Takhalov. Then won Event 2: $550 Black-Chip Bounty NLHE Reentry, earning $28,420.

Not every player was fortunate enough to cash, including Robert "Uncle Krunk" Panitch, Ralph Massey, Amanda Musumeci, Olga Petrovskaya, and Katya Grishakova. Musumeci lost a race with {4-}{4-} against Danny Lala's {a-}{9-} - the latter made a straight on a board of {q-}{5-}{6-}{7-}{8-}.

Be sure to return on Easter Sunday for coverage of Event 13: $300 Deeper-Stack NLHE, beginning at 11 a.m. EST, and on Monday for the $15,400 buy-in WPT World Championship right here on PokerNews!

Tags: John Meyer

Gene Mulroy Eliminated in 2nd Place ($24,237)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
Gene Mulroy - 2nd Place
Gene Mulroy - 2nd Place

John Meyer doubled the big blind on the button, Gene Mulroy defended his big blind, and the dealer fanned {k-Diamonds}{5-Spades}{k-Hearts}. Mulroy pushed all in, and Meyer instantly called.

Meyer: {q-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}
Mulroy: {6-Clubs}{5-Clubs}

"I'm drawing dead," Mulroy chuckled.

This wasn't true - he could still win the hand with a five on the turn or river - but perhaps he was simply foreshadowing, because the turn was the {q-Hearts}, giving Meyer a full house and a mortal lock on the hand.

The {9-Diamonds} completed the hand, and the tournament was over. Just like that.

Every remaining person in the Signature Room was truly stunned, offering their congratulations to the newest 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open champion. Even Mulroy had to clap him on his back and shake his hand.

Mulroy avoided Meyer's crosshairs just long enough to finish runner-up for $24,237. According to Hendon Mob, this is his second career cash.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
9,680,000
525,000
525,000
Profile photo of Gene Mulroy
Gene Mulroy
Busted

Tags: Gene MulroyJohn Meyer

Atesa Pacelli Eliminated in 3rd Place ($14,789)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
Atesa Pacelli - 3rd Place
Atesa Pacelli - 3rd Place

Make that four eliminations in under 10 minutes for John Meyer.

Atesa Pacelli raised to 200,000 out of the small blind, Meyer set here all in from the big blind, and Pacelli anguished for around a minute before calling.

Meyer: {a-Hearts}{q-Diamonds}
Pacelli: {10-Diamonds}{10-Spades}

Meyer fist-pumped with authority when the {a-Diamonds} appeared in the window of the {k-Clubs}{5-Diamonds}{a-Diamonds} flop, and Pacelli was unable to hit a ten or running straight cards as the board completed {9-Spades}, {j-Spades} respectively.

We are inexplicably heads up after being seven-handed around 15 minutes ago, and Meyer commands a discernible lead.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
9,155,000
4,155,000
4,155,000
Profile photo of Gene Mulroy
Gene Mulroy
525,000
-975,000
-975,000
Profile photo of Atesa Pacelli
Atesa Pacelli
Busted

Tags: Atesa PacelliJohn MeyerGene Mulroy

Dick Galarza Eliminated in 4th Place ($11,913)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
Dick Galarza - 4th Place
Dick Galarza - 4th Place

Dick Galarza was first to act, and moved all in. John Meyer re-shoved on the button, and the two players in the blinds folded.

Galarza: {k-Clubs}{7-Clubs}
Meyer: {a-Clubs}{q-Hearts}

Meyer increased his lead on the {5-Clubs}{5-Hearts}{q-Spades} flop, removing Galarza's {7-} outs, and the {4-Spades} on the turn left Galarza one card away from elimination.

Only a king would save him, and his tournament officially ended when the {9-Clubs} completed the board. Meyer has now eliminated three players in around five minutes, and has over five million chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
5,000,000
600,000
600,000
Profile photo of Dick Galarza
Dick Galarza
Busted

Tags: Dick GalarzaJohn Meyer

Joe Rodriguez Eliminated in 6th Place ($7,805); Mark Cleverly Eliminated in 5th Place ($9,366)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
Mark Cleverly - 5th Place
Mark Cleverly - 5th Place

Well, that escalated quickly.

While we were just finishing up Roland Israelashvili's elimination post, there was another three-way preflop all in.

Joe Rodriguez: {k-Clubs}{q-Hearts}
Mark Cleverly: {k-Diamonds}{q-Spades}
John Meyer: {a-Clubs}{j-Diamonds}

Meyer had both parties covered, and held as the flop, turn, and river produced {8-Diamonds}{j-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}{4-Spades}. Rodriguez and Cleverly busted in sixth and fifth places respectively, while Meyer now has a mountain of chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
4,400,000
2,000,000
2,000,000
Profile photo of Mark Cleverly
Mark Cleverly
Busted
Profile photo of Joe Rodriguez us
Joe Rodriguez
Busted

Tags: John MeyerJoe RodriguezMark Cleverly

Roland Israelashvili Eliminated in 7th Place ($6,244)

Level 27 : 30,000/60,000, 5,000 ante
Roland Israelashvili  - 7th Place
Roland Israelashvili - 7th Place

Roland Israelashvili open-shoved in early position, Gene Mulroy re-shoved in middle position, and the rest of the players folded.

Israelashvili: {a-Clubs}{6-Diamonds}
Mulroy: {k-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}

The 2012 $50,000 Poker Players Championship finalist failed to improve as the board rolled out {5-Clubs}{4-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{q-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}, and was eliminated in seventh place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Gene Mulroy
Gene Mulroy
1,500,000
-50,000
-50,000
Profile photo of Roland Israelashvili us
Roland Israelashvili
Busted

Tags: Gene MulroyRoland Israelashvili

Level: 27

Blinds: 30,000/60,000

Ante: 5,000

Dave Elliott Eliminated in 8th Place ($4,765)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Dave Elliott - 8th Place
Dave Elliott - 8th Place

Dave Elliott limped in from the cutoff, John Meyer raised to 140,000 on the button, and Atesa Pacelli cold-called in the big blind. Elliott called as well.

The dealer fanned {6-Clubs}{a-Diamonds}{q-Diamonds}, Pacelli and Elliott both checked, and Meyer cut out 400,000. Pacelli folded, Elliott moved all in, and Meyer shrugged, then called.

Elliott: {k-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}
Meyer: {a-Clubs}{5-Spades}

Meyer held top pair, but Elliott could double through with a diamond or running straight cards. The {10-Clubs} on the turn kept one of Elliott's straight draws alive - a jack would give him Broadway - but the {4-Hearts} bricked off on the river.

Meyer exited in eighth place, while Meyer is up over two million chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
2,400,000
605,000
605,000
Profile photo of Atesa Pacelli
Atesa Pacelli
2,300,000
300,000
300,000
Profile photo of Dave Elliott us
Dave Elliott
Busted

Tags: Atesa PacelliDave ElliottJohn Meyer

Irwin Reiter Eliminated in 9th Place ($3,286)

Level 26 : 25,000/50,000, 5,000 ante
Irwin Reiter - 9th Place
Irwin Reiter - 9th Place

After a series of preflop raises, three players were all in - Irwin Reiter, John Meyer, and Joe Rodriguez - and they all had an ace.

Reiter: {a-Clubs}{10-Hearts}
Rodriguez: {a-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}
Meyer: {a-Spades}{k-Hearts}

The flop fell {q-Hearts}{2-Hearts}{a-Diamonds}, and the case ace gave everyone top pair. The turn was the {q-Diamonds}, giving Reiter and Rodriguez two outs to chip, but the river was a meaningless {6-Spades}.

Meyer shipped the main pot, more than doubling to 1.795 million, and Rodriguez shipped a small, 450,000-chip side pot. Reiter was eliminated in ninth place, earning $3,286.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of John Meyer
John Meyer
1,795,000
965,000
965,000
Profile photo of Joe Rodriguez us
Joe Rodriguez
450,000
-725,000
-725,000
Profile photo of Irwin Reiter us
Irwin Reiter
Busted

Tags: Irwin ReiterJoe RodriguezJohn Meyer