2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Event 9: $300 $100,000 Guaranteed Big-Stack NLHE Reentry
Day: 1
Event Info

2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
8x6x
Prize
$33,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$260
Prize Pool
$212,605
Entries
843
Level Info
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
30,000

Saunders Spikes

Level 24 : 15,000/30,000, 4,000 ante

Jeff Saunders put his last 240,000 or so into the middle before the flop with a suited ace, but his {A-Hearts}{5-Hearts} would need to come from behind against {10-Diamonds}{10-Hearts}.

Flop: {a-Clubs}{5-Spades}{5-Clubs}

Overkill to be sure, but the flop connected perfectly with Saunders' hand, and his full house held up through the turn ({7-Diamonds}) and river ({3-Spades}).

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Jeff Saunders
Jeff Saunders
485,000

Tags: Jeff Saunders

Level: 24

Blinds: 15,000/30,000

Ante: 4,000

The Pool is Shrinking

Level 23 : 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
The big money payouts are coming up
The big money payouts are coming up

There are just 30 players remaining in contention for the title, and soon enough the final three tables will be set.

All of the players left with chips are guaranteed to cash for at least $914, but everybody has their sights set on the $48,895 prize up top.

Silver Bullet

Level 23 : 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante
David Silverstein
David Silverstein

David Silverstein continues to chip up, after coming from behind to snatch another stack from the ether.

According to Silverstein, he opened for 50,000 from early position holding {K-}{q-} and an opponent three-bet jammed for his last 240,000 or so.

Silverstein made the call with more than enough chips to afford the gamble, and after flopping a queen and rivering another, he notched the knockout to move above the 1 million chip mark.

"It's my birthday on Saturday," he told us as he stacked the spoils of war. "I can get lucky once in a while."

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of David Silverstein
David Silverstein
1,100,000
565,000
565,000

Tags: David Silverstein

Playing Ruff

Level 23 : 12,000/24,000, 3,000 ante

Rick Ruffman came out on top of a titanic three-way confrontation, after his {k-}{k-} held up over {10-}{10-} and {q-}{9-}.

His cowboys connected on the {k-}{a-}{2-} flop, and another {a-} on the turn cinched the win.

Ruffman now holds an above average chip stack with the final table in his sights.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Rick Ruffman
Rick Ruffman
675,000
395,000
395,000

Tags: Rick Ruffman

Level: 23

Blinds: 12,000/24,000

Ante: 3,000

Break Time

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 3,000 ante

The clock is stopped and the 36 players remaining have headed off for a short 15-minute break.

Basic Cable

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 3,000 ante

A player open-shoved for his last 82,000 from under the gun, and next to act Joe Cable three-bet to 175,000 for the isolation move.

The rest of the table folded around dutifully, leaving Cable to roll over his {5-Diamonds}{5-Clubs} looking to flip a coin. Sure enough, his opponent tabled the {q-Spades}{9-Spades} for suited overcards, and when the flop came down {q-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds} it appeared he had called the right side of the coin.

"Seven of diamonds..." called another player at the table, looking to sweat the action vicariously.

Turn: {3-Diamonds}

"My bad, my bad..." offered the interlocutor. "I'm sorry..."

Knowing he had summoned the deck's demons, the player who called for a sweat cringed as the river card fell {4-Diamonds} to complete Cable's runner-runner flush. For his part, the player who just went bust could only hold his hands to his head in shock, before heading to the payout desk to collect his cash.

"I was trying to give you action," offered Cable, trying to console the man whose dream he had just torn asunder. "Sorry man."

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Joe Cabel
Joe Cabel
375,000
375,000
375,000

Tags: Joe Cable

Dominant Domain

Level 22 : 10,000/20,000, 3,000 ante
Dom Gaccino
Dom Gaccino

Whenever several players simultaneously scream aloud, chances are the rare two-out suckout has just been sighted.

Sure enough, after hearing one player shout out "oh my God!" while his tablemates buzzed excitedly around the scene, we headed over to find a 5 percent miracle had been delivered.

The final board read {a-Hearts}{a-Spades}{q-Clubs}{6-Spades} and Dom Carlo has what appeared to be the winner tabled with his {a-}{10-}. Despite flopping trip aces though, Carlo's hand was second-best, what with Dom Gaccino holding the {2-Clubs}{2-Hearts}.

According to Gaccino, his appropriately named opponent had shoved his last 100,000 or so into the middle before the flop, coming over the top of Gaccino's open to 60,000.

Gaccino called to bring on the race, but he stumbled out of the gates when Carlo flopped trip aces. Carlo's lead was lengthened when the turn came down {6-Spades}, but he tripped over the last hurdle on the track when the river fell {2-Spades}.

With the win, Gaccino extended his chip lead to a staggering 1.35 million, which is good for more than three times the current average at the moment.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Dom Gaccino
Dom Gaccino
1,350,000
1,350,000
1,350,000
Profile photo of Dom Carlo
Dom Carlo
Busted

Tags: Dom CarloDom Gaccino