WPT Online Poker Open Phased 8-Max $40K GTD | WPT Online Poker Open on partypoker US

12-31-2020 01:06 UTC-5

Updated Chip Counts for the Remaining Field (full)

Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
KingofNJ	15,692,824 560,000	560,000
Tony "Bond18" Dunst	7,686,632 4,417,312	4,417,312

KrookedTyrant	7,164,302 380,798	380,798
UberNoober	6,537,370 5,652,563	5,652,563
onoreally	5,778,376 5,778,376	5,778,376
Nicklongo85	4,719,802 492,261	492,261
epdawg5	4,442,173
jbg82	4,029,576 -311,625	-311,625
Rtrin777	3,463,256 1,148,434	1,148,434
pay4medsch00l	3,298,901 1,303,721	1,303,721
Cara2Cacra	3,144,961 -1,037,660	-1,037,660
Alex "Hashtag_Hashtag" Rocha	2,648,610 -727,795	-727,795
Ted "roystalin" Ely	2,448,076 432,629	432,629
redraider	1,952,994 974,494	974,494
beast801	1,219,270 -1,878,000	-1,878,000
ndirish50	1,216,907 -1,289,167	-1,289,167
pokerman1	844,178 -2,106,652	-2,106,652

12-31-2020 01:01 UTC-5

Vanauken Dropped in 18th Place

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Anthony Thompson

In Level 23 (70,000/140,000/17,500), "KingofNJ" raised from the cutoff and then called Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken'as 2,002,283 three-bet jam from the big blind.

"KingofNJ":
Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken:

Vanauken was dominated and things got worse after a jack appeared in the window on the flop.

The turn left Vanauken drawing dead and the river ended his tournament in 18th place for $570.84.

Vanauken Eliminated in 18th Place for $570.84

Player	Chips	Progress
KingofNJ	15,132,824 5,827,791	5,827,791
Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken	Busted

Tags: Eric Vanauken

12-31-2020 00:52 UTC-5

Eliminated 21st - 24th Place ($450.96)

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Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	Busted
Christopher "Chalmisi6" Hill	Busted
Michael "ParxBigStax" Marder	Busted
Cholie	Busted

12-31-2020 00:50 UTC-5

Himpele Falls After Jamming Into Aces

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Anthony Thompson

IN Level 22 (60,000/120,000/15,000), Don "dhimp20" Himpele was all in preflop for 3,232,901 from the button and was called by "KingofNJ" from the small blind.

"KingofNJ":
Don "dhimp20" Himpele:

Himpele needed some help after seeing his opponent held rockets but didn't get any from the runout and his tournament ended in 21st place for $450.96.

Player	Chips	Progress
KingofNJ	9,305,033 4,845,815	4,845,815
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	Busted

Tags: Don Himpele

12-31-2020 00:45 UTC-5

Get to Know Family Man & Stock Trader Don "dhimp20" Himpele

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Anthony Thompson

If you’ve ever played poker either at Borgata or online in New Jersey, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Don Himpele, who has more than $630K in online lifetime tournament earnings and $89K in live scores on HendonMob.

Himpele, a father of five who has been married for 24 years, graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in Business and Economics, and for the last 25 years he has worked as a trader on the New York Stock Exchange as a Managing Director for Goldman Sachs and IMC Trading. So how did the professional family man find poker?

“I began playing as a teenager,” he told PokerNews. “My mother was an early influence and taught me many ‘gameplay skills.’ I have combined that and my skills as a trader to make strong decisions on the felt.”

He continued: “I consider myself a recreational player, as family and work obligations don't allow for a robust live game tournament schedule. I do play the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main yearly, and many Parx Big Stax tournaments. I am a regular online tournament player who targets buy-ins usually ranging from $200-$2,000. I play in local cash games – usually $5/$10.”

While he only plays when his schedule allows, it’s worth noting Himpele has been playing for a long time. In fact, one of his favorite poker memories stems all the way back to the 2004 WSOP Main Event.

“My most notable experience was my first WSOP Main Event in 2004 and sitting at ESPN feature TV table with top pros,” he recalled. “Also, I cashed in the 2010 WSOP Main Event after being sponsored by Absolute Poker.”

While his Absolute Poker days are behind him, Himpele does spend a fair amount of time competing on the partypoker US Network, which is comprised of partypoker US, Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker.

“partypoker US brings a strong level of competition and I particularly like when they run a series as it brings a variety of games and a strong turnout with a commensurate prize pool,” said Himpele. “I have a lot of respect for New Jersey's top pros such as Mike Lavenburg, Mike Gagliano, Katie Stone and David Coleman. I enjoy the challenge of battling against them as a test of skill.”

Player	Chips	Progress
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	3,232,901 1,067,184	1,067,184

12-31-2020 00:42 UTC-5

Eliminated 25th - 32nd Place ($365.33)

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Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
dubkinger	Busted
EVERiS7	Busted
mrnissan50	Busted
SadBigCheese	Busted
Billson	Busted
Bluehaven	Busted
Jaime "mooseman1710" Reyes	Busted
POKERDORMS	Busted

12-31-2020 00:35 UTC-5

"mrnissan50" Eliminated by "KingofNJ"

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Anthony Thompson

In Level 21 (50,000/100,000/12,500), "KingofNJ" raised to 300,000 from the cutoff and then called the 1,200,307 three-bet jam from "mrnissan50" in the big blind.

"KingofNJ":
"mrnissan50":

"KingofNJ" was ahead with their made hand of queens and the runout eliminated "mrnissan50" in 27th place for $365.33.

Player	Chips	Progress
KingofNJ	4,459,218 -88,565	-88,565
mrnissan50	Busted

12-31-2020 00:24 UTC-5

Eliminated 33rd - 48th Place ($323.09)

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Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
Turkeyleg	Busted
ScarletRaptor	Busted
l_Dont_Evr_Fold	Busted
Chasethiz26	Busted
Flatliner	Busted
TaintedLady	Busted
John "Slapshot1085" Forlenza	Busted
Katie "KatieStone" Stone	Busted
Kevin “sofcknsick” Campbell	Busted
Selurznug	Busted
Sridhar “sri100k” Sangannagari	Busted
ryanmco18	Busted
borecz11199	Busted
Bloodfox	Busted
youngkoi	Busted
La_Flama_Blanca	Busted

12-31-2020 00:15 UTC-5

Level 20 Chip Counts

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Anthony Thompson

Player	Chips	Progress
KrookedTyrant	6,783,504 3,844,004	3,844,004
KingofNJ	4,547,783 4,547,783	4,547,783
jbg82	4,341,201 3,528,031	3,528,031
Nicklongo85	4,227,541 2,280,183	2,280,183
Cholie	3,847,354 347,354	347,354
Eric “alwaysliquid” Vanauken	3,347,354 1,239,944	1,239,944
Tony "Bond18" Dunst	3,269,320 1,913,712	1,913,712

Michael "ParxBigStax" Marder	3,210,299 1,167,776	1,167,776
beast801	3,097,270
pokerman1	2,950,830
ScarletRaptor	2,879,128 2,141,228	2,141,228
EVERiS7	2,844,782 2,362,880	2,362,880
Rtrin777	2,314,822 1,547,916	1,547,916
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	2,165,717 455,625	455,625
Turkeyleg	2,016,768
Jaime "mooseman1710" Reyes	1,997,434 333,350	333,350
pay4medsch00l	1,995,180 1,675,580	1,675,580

12-31-2020 00:05 UTC-5

Get to Know BorgataPoker.com Sponsored Pro Katie Stone

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Anthony Thompson

BorgataPoker.com has a trio of Sponsored Pros, and one of them is Katie Stone.

Stone has more than $176K in lifetime live tournament earnings including a career-bet $33,305 for finishing 378th in the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event. In addition, Stone has three Borgata Open titles including the 2018 Borgata Fall Poker Open $300 Deepest Stack for $19,337, 2017 Borgata Summer Poker Open $300 Ladies Event for $2,867, and 2017 Borgata Fall Poker Open $300 Deepstack for $9,484. She also recently won the CSOP Borgata Winter Poker Open Event back in January.

However, where Stone has really thrived is online where she’s amassed more than $900K in lifetime earnings. Of that, $146,954 has come on BorgataPoker.com where she plays under the screen name “KatieStone.”

According to a Q&A she did with the Borgata Blog, Stone was born and raised in New Jersey, but after Black Friday in 2011, she relocated to Rosarito, Mexico in order to continue playing online. When New Jersey authorized Atlantic City casinos to offer online gaming within state borders, Stone moved back north to New Jersey and picked up where she left off — winning!

Recently, Stone took the initiative to create the Discord channel “Poker Peeps Affected By COVID19” and invited those in casino industry affected by recent shutdowns to join.

“I realized how tough it was going to be for everyone to keep up with everything and everyone, with so much changing so fast,” Stone recently told PokerNews. “So, I messaged my friend Cy Watson, who has been very active on social media as well regarding Coronavirus, asking him if he thought it would be a good idea to start a chat for people in the industry to be able to connect with each other for help.”

She continued: “I think the main thing poker players and everyone can do is to keep an open mind. Understanding that this is unlike any situation any of us have encountered before, and so thinking outside the box can go a long way. Taking the time to improve a skill, or learn a new skill whether it's a game or something else could be really beneficial not just financially, but mentally.”

Click here to learn more about Stone’s initiative.

Player	Chips	Progress
Katie "KatieStone" Stone	1,043,891 -382,015	-382,015