Event #17: $3,125 Heads-Up NLH
Day 2 Completed
2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event #17: $3,125 Heads-Up NLH
Day: 2
After three heads-up matches, Qi Hu won the 2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open Heads-Up event by defeating Matthew Emmel in the final for $67,512. The tournament attracted 58 entries to create a prize pool of $168,780. Eight players cashed for at least $8,439 for reaching the quarter-finals.
It was Hu’s second-biggest live cash ever after finishing in second place during the World Series of Poker Circuit in Montreal for $143,015 behind Joe Pellegrino almost six months ago. This result will take him closer to the $500,000-mark according to The Hendon Mob. Emmel gets to take home $33,756, which is his third-biggest live cash ever with his biggest ever taking place in this same event back in 2016 for $49,664 when the buy-in was a lower amount of $2,150.
Heads-Up Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qi Hu | Canada | $67,512 |
| 2 | Matthew Emmel | United States | $33,756 |
| 3 | Jeffrey Hong | United States | $16,878 |
| 3 | Sandeep Pulusani | United States | $16,878 |
| 5 | Christopher Abela | United Kingdom | $8,439 |
| 5 | David Forbes | United States | $8,439 |
| 5 | Timothy Rutherford | Canada | $8,439 |
| 5 | Arian Stolt | United States | $8,439 |
Quarter-Finals All Go Down to the Wire
- Arian Stolt vs Matthew Emmel
Arian Stolt was the first player to claim a match to his name when all the chips went in on a six-eight-queen-king board. Emmel held queen-ten for a flopped pair of queens, but Stolt had two pair with his queen-eight. The second game went Emmel’s way when he rivered a flush and got all the chips to go to a decider. Shortly after, Stolt bluff-shoved on the jack-ace-king-seven-ace board and got called by Emmel, who had turned trip aces to take him into the semi-finals.
- Christopher Abela vs Jeffrey Hong
On the ace-eight-five all-diamond flop, Christopher Abela check-shoved with jack-five with one diamond and a pair of fives. He was called by Jeffrey Hong, who had the queen of diamonds accompanied with a seven. No help came on the board for Hong as Abela won the first game. Hong then won the second game when he rivered a flush and called the shove of Abela, who had turned two pair. In the end, Abela shoved after Hong had limped in on the button with ace-jack. Abela held king-jack so was alive until the jack-ace-jack flop fell. No running kings on the turn and river meant Abela’s tournament run had come to an end.
- David Forbes vs Sandeep Pulusani
2013 WSOP bracelet winner Sandeep Pulusani snap-called the three-bet shove of David Forbes with ace-queen and held throughout the board against the ace-three of Forbes in the first game. In game two, the flop had come down jack-queen-four and Forbes shoved on Pulusani’s bet to be called with jack-deuce, but Forbes had flopped top two pair with queen-jack and held through the turn and river to get to game three. In the final game, Forbes shoved with king-ten and was called with ace-nine. He bricked the whole board to be sent to the rail.
- Timothy Rutherford vs Qi Hu
In the first game, Hu shoved after Timothy Rutherford had raised with ace-nine. Hu’s pocket sevens held to take the first game. In the second game, Rutherford shoved with fours and was looked up by Hu, who held sevens again. This time Rutherford was saved by a four on the river to make it one-one. Rutherford was then eliminated when he flopped top pair but Hu turned a higher pair.
Both Semi-Finals Need a Third Game
- Matthew Emmel vs Jeffrey Hong
Emmel caught Hong’s bluff with nine-five on a trey-seven-ten-jack-four board while holding jack-trey himself. Shortly after, they had to go to a third game when Hong shoved on a ten-eight-five-eight-queen board with a full house as he had ten-eight and his shove got called. Hong limped in during the final game, Emmel raised, Hong shoved, and Emmel called with ace-jack. Hong had ace-ten and the higher kicker played to send Hong out in third place.
- Sandeep Pulusani vs Qi Hu
In the first game, Pulusani’s aces beat the turned two pair of Hu. During the second game, Pulusani had limped in and Hu shoved for Pulusani to call for 15,000. The ace-ten of Pulusani couldn’t beat the king-jack of Hu who found another king on the flop to pair up to go to a third game too. In the final game, the flop came down trey-four-five when Pulusani check-tank-shoved and was called by Hu, who held pocket kings. Pulusani had a gutshot to a straight and turned a pair but got no help on the river.
The Final
A deal was discussed for a while but nothing official came out of it. They started playing and the first game would take almost 90 minutes when the chips went in with Hu at risk holding ace-queen. Emmel held pocket kings, Hu flopped an open-ended straight draw but Emmel held on to take the first game. The second game would take almost two hours. The board read six-trey-trey-nine when Emmel check-raised and got called by Hu, who held ten-trey for trips. Emmel had ten-nine for two pair and the river didn’t change things as another game was needed.
In the final game of the night, it took a mere 45 minutes before it was over. Emmel four-bet shoved for just under 50% of the starting stack with ace-four of diamonds. Hu held pocket jacks, and even though the flop brought a flush draw to Emmel, he bricked the turn and river. The two players shook hands and talked things over for a bit more before making their way to the payout desk to collect their winnings.
This concludes the PokerNews coverage of the Heads-Up event but Day 1b of the $3,500 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship is set to start at 11 a.m. local time on Monday, January 27. So make sure to return to see what happens in that event!
Matthew Emmel opened to 700 from the button and Qi Hu then three-bet to 2,200. Emmel announced all-in for just under 10,000 and Hu snap-called in what was the last hand of the tournament.
Matthew Emmel: 
Qi Hu: 
The flop rolled out 
and Hu was still leading with his pair of jacks but Emmel did add a flush draw to his outs.
A 
turn was of no help and Emmel had one last chance for romance on the river.
The 
completed the board, failing to improve Emmel as he was eliminated in second place for a respectable $33,756.
Congratulations to Canada's Qu Hi on taking down Event #17: $3,125 Heads-Up of the 2020 BWPO for $67,512, along with a prestigious Borgata trophy.
A recap of the event will be posted shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
40,000
10,800
|
10,800 |
|
Busted |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,200
2,200
|
2,200 |
|
|
10,800
-2,200
|
-2,200 |
The board read 
and the pot contained 3,200. Qi Hu pushed in 3,200 and Matthew Emmel hit the tank but in the end, he called and Hu quickly tabled 
for three sixes on the river, Emmel mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
27,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
|
13,000
-7,000
|
-7,000 |
The players have now each taken one match and will now take their seat for the final match of the event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Qi Hu opened to 1,200 from the button, Matthew Emmel called and the flop came down 
. Emmel check-called a bet of 700 from Hu and the 
peeled off on the turn.
Emmel tapped to Hu who bet 3,000 and Emmel check-raised all in for 11,300. Hu snap-called and the two tabled their hands. Emmel turned over 
for nines over threes and was in a bad spot when Hu tabled his 
, giving him three treys.
An 
river changed nothing and Hu took down game number two, evening the playing field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
40,000
12,400
|
12,400 |
|
|
Busted |
Matthew Emmel limped the button, Qi Hu raised to 2,000 and Emmel called to see the 
flop. Hu bet 2,500 and Emmel released his hand, sending another pot to the Canadian.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
27,600
6,500
|
6,500 |
|
|
12,400
-6,500
|
-6,500 |
Qi Hu limped the button, Matthew Emmel checked his option and the dealer spread out 
on the flop. Emmel tapped to Hu, he bet 400 and Emmel check-raised to 1,500.
Hu called and the peeled off as a turn card. Emmel fired in 3,000 and Hu quickly released his hand, sending a pot to Emmel.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
21,100
-2,300
|
-2,300 |
|
|
18,900
2,300
|
2,300 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
23,400
6,800
|
6,800 |
|
|
16,600
-6,800
|
-6,800 |