2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Event 6: $300 Ladies Deep-Stack NLHE Reentry
Day: 1
Event Info

2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
k8
Prize
$8,651
Event Info
Buy-in
$260
Entries
98
Level Info
Level
25
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000

Gromenkova Stays Aggressive

Level 15 : 2,000/4,000, 400 ante

Svetlana Gromenkova checked to Karen Harris on a flop of {7-Diamonds}{6-Spades}{q-Spades}, and Harris fired out a bet of 14,000. Gromenkova grabbed a stack of olive T5,000 chips, check-raising to what looked like 50,000 or so, and Harris tanked before folding.

Gromenkova dragged the pot, and is up to 250,000 chips. Harris dipped to 97,000.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Svetlana Gromenkova us
Svetlana Gromenkova
250,000
45,000
45,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Profile photo of Karen Harris us
Karen Harris
97,000
-8,000
-8,000

Tags: Karen HarrisSvetlana Gromenkova

Collusion Commotion

Level 15 : 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
The suspected collusion culprits discussing the situation immediately after the hand in question
The suspected collusion culprits discussing the situation immediately after the hand in question

Nancy Martin's last hand of the evening just took place, and although the action on that confrontation was standard, what happened a few minutes prior really had her steamed.

Apparently, the players in the eight and nine seats were both involved in a pot, along with professional Svetlana Gromenkova. The nine seat was short-stacked and all in, with Gromenkova and Diane Shamshoum in the eight seat both calling to put her at risk.

Both Gromenkova and Shamshoum made the standard check on the flop, looking to double-team the all-in nine seat, but when the turn came down and Gromenkova knuckled for a second time, Shamshoum broke protocol. She grabbed a handful of the gold T5000 chips and placed them forward, effectively forcing Gromenkova out of the hand. While this scenario is not uncommon when a player makes a strong hand against an all-in player with another hand standing in the way, what happened next was far from conventional.

After Gromenkova got out of the way, Shamshoum announced that she hadn't even looked at her hand, while tabling {4-}{5-} to prove her point. She held no pair and no draw, and although the at-risk nine seat held just ace-high herself, the pot was shipped her way upon showdown.

Martin and Gromenkova immediately called for the floor to protest the suspected act of collusion, claiming that one neighbor had conspired to keep the other in the game. Gromenkova claimed to have held at least one pair - which would have been sufficient to dispatch the short-stack and claim the pot.

"All of those chips should be mine..." she said during the dispute, retaining her composure like a seasoned vet should. "That is not right."

The situation apparently stemmed back to an earlier spat between players at the table, wherein the nine seat had been called out for taking too long by Martin, with the clock being called multiple times. Attempting to stick up for her tablemate, Shamshoum had admittedly tried to send her the pot - a clear violation of poker ethics and the rules of the game - but no official ruling on the situation was made.

Play rolled on, with Martin still upset over the trickery, and proving that poker can be the cruelest of games, the last of her stack was lost to her nemesis Shamshoum just a deal or two later.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Svetlana Gromenkova us
Svetlana Gromenkova
205,000
40,000
40,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Profile photo of Diane Shamshoum
Diane Shamshoum
135,000
135,000
135,000
Profile photo of Nancy Martin
Nancy Martin
Busted

Tags: Diane ShamshoumNancy MartinSvetlana Gromenkova

Level: 15

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 400

Harris Wins Race to Double

Level 14 : 1,500/3,000, 400 ante

Before the level change, Karen Harris opened for a raise to 7,500, a player called in the hijack, and Dawn Wilno re-raised to 27,500 from the big blind. Harris moved all in for 47,100, the player in the hijack folded, and the three-bettor called.

Harris: {a-Spades}{k-Diamonds}
Wilno: {j-Spades}{j-Hearts}

Harris took the lead in the race on a flop of {a-Hearts}{6-Hearts}{2-Hearts}, but Wilno held the only heart. The turn was red, but the {a-Diamonds} gave Harris trip aces, and the river was a little red brick; the {2-Diamonds}.

Harris doubled to over 100,000 chips.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Karen Harris us
Karen Harris
105,000
105,000
105,000
Profile photo of Dawn Wilno
Dawn Wilno
73,000

Tags: Dawn WilnoKaren Harris

Level: 14

Blinds: 1,500/3,000

Ante: 400

Stealthy Svetlana

Level 13 : 1,200/2,400, 300 ante

We just spotted an enormous stack that had previously escaped our notice, and after a bit of investigation, it turns out longtime poker pro Svetlana Gromenkova was the proud owner.

Gromenkova has earned more than $400,000 in live earnings over a long and storied career, one which includes a World Series of Poker gold bracelet win at the 2008 Ladies event in Las Vegas.

With just a few tables standing between her and another Ladies event championship, we'll be sure to keep track of Gromenkova's progress from here on out.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Svetlana Gromenkova us
Svetlana Gromenkova
165,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Svetlana Gromenkova

Krebs With the KO

Level 13 : 1,200/2,400, 300 ante

Maria Krebs opened for a raise in early position, an opponent moved all in from the blinds, and Krebs called.

Krebs: {9-Spades}{9-Clubs}
Opponent: {k-Spades}{7-Clubs}

Krebs held as the board came {2-Spades}{4-Hearts}{j-Diamonds}{4-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}, pushing her stack to 70,000 chips, while her opponent was eliminated.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Maria Krebs
Maria Krebs
70,000

Tags: Maria Krebs

Mother Russia

Level 13 : 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
Olga Petrovskaya has built one of the biggest stacks in the room with just 38 players remaining
Olga Petrovskaya has built one of the biggest stacks in the room with just 38 players remaining

On her way to enjoy the recent break, Olga Petrovskaya was kind enough to stop by the PokerNews Live Reporting desk to update us on her progress. And we're glad she did, as her stack is now one of the largest in play with just 37 players between her and the title.

According to the Russian native and Brooklyn resident, her run was propelled by a key hand in which her {J-}{J-} connected perfectly with the {a-Spades}{9-Spades}{j-Clubs} flop. The action on the hand began when a player holding the button opened to 3,600 (the blinds were set at 600/1,200 when this hand went down).

Petrovskaya elected to flat from the big blind looking to trap, and after flopping her set she led out for 7,000. The opponent called to see the turn come {3-Spades}, and this time Petrovskaya shipped her whole stack forward to put the pressure play on any potential flush draws. Sure enough, her opponent flashed the {k-Spades}, but could not call off for her tournament life with just one card to come.

Later on, Petrovskaya woke up with the {A-}{K-} and her big slick held up over a dominated {A-}{q-}. The player with the weaker ace shipped about 35,000 into the pot preflop, only to ship her whole stack to Petrovskaya when she failed to catch a queen.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Olga Petrovskaya
Olga Petrovskaya
155,000
83,500
83,500

Tags: Olga Petrovskaya

Level: 13

Blinds: 1,200/2,400

Ante: 300