Event 19: 5th - Smigel

$350 + $50 HOSE

By the time I got back across the room to HOSE-ville, Kevin Smigel had departed. Apparently Sushiboynyc and Wasyl Zaliwciw carved him up and split his chips.

Kevin Smigel - 5th place - $2,139

Play continued into the next level, which is 10k/20k limits.

Event 19: 6th - Rebello

$350 + $50 HOSE

Playing Hold'em with 8k/16k blinds, 16k/32k limits:

Todd Rebello surrendered on the turn when the board paired 7s. Sushiboynyc showed his A7 for trips. On the next hand, Todd got to the river, but then mucked. The board had two 6s and Wasyl Zaliwciw showed him a 6.

Todd was left short-stacked and got involved in a battle of the blinds with Kevin Smigel. They raised and re-raised until Todd was all-in pre-flop. Todd (bb) held 97 off. Kevin was ahead with KQ off. The board came K J T 5 2 and Kevin took the pot with a pair of Kings. Todd took 6th place and $1,833.

Todd Rebello - 6th place - $1,833

Event 19: Chip Counts

$350 + $50 HOSE

The final six were on a break, so I took the opportunity to get their chip counts

Matthew Stevens - 244k
Wasyl Zaliwciw - 230k
Sushiboynyc - 159k
Todd Rebello - 112k
Kevin Smigel - 101k
George Krafft, Jr. - 54k

Event 19: First Three Paid

$350 + $50 HOSE

The short-stacks who held on through the bubble have now hit the bricks.

Charlie Brahmi - 9th place - $917

Petty Officer 1st Class Stu Everson - 8th place - $1,222

Stu told me that in 6 months, he will be "Mr. Everson" as he will be retiring from the military. Congratulations in advance and thank you for your service!

Vincent Basilicata - 7th place - $1,528

Event 18: Steve's Stack

$400 + $50 (NL)

Steven Wolansky eliminates the short-stack 18th place finisher to scoop more chips. The online grinder from down South is one of the favorites with 2 tables left.

Steven Wolansky (Ft Lauderdale, FL) - 83,350 Chips

Event 18: Bubble Breaks

$400 + $50 (NL)

The Bubble has burst...

Blinds @ 1,500/3,000/300a
Avg. Stack: $98,789
Players Remaining: 17


Entries: 182
Total Buy-In: $72,8000

Place - Amount

1 $21,750
2 $12,005
3 $6,709
4 $4,943
5 $4,237
6 $3,531
7 $2,825
8 $2,119
9 $1,589
10-12 $1,377
13-15 $1,200
16-18 $1,059

Event 18: The Bubble

$400 + $50 (NL)

The Dental Consultant from York, PA becomes one of the favorites with 19 players remaining.

Players are on the Bubble...

John McClure - 315,000 Chips

Event 19: Final Table

$350 + $50 HOSE

They reached Ten players and went hand-for-hand. The bubble burst quickly as there was a short-stack who only had 4k in chips. He was all-in on 3rd street playing Stud with two opponents, who checked it down. He ended up with a pair of 7s, but was beat by two pair.

The final ten players had taken up a collection, so this bubble-boy did not leave empty handed.

Unfotunately, Grandpa Jay did not bring home any bacon from this event.

Once the bubble departed, the final nine drew for seats and moved to a single table. Here they are:

Seat Player Hometown
1 Sushiboynyc New York, NY
2 Wasyl Zaliwciw Philadelphia, PA
3 Kevin Smigel Martinsville, NJ
4 Petty Officer 1st Class Stu Everson Washington DC
5 Todd Rebello Oak Bluffs, PA
6 George Krafft, Jr Abseca, NJ
7 Matthew Stevens Brecksville, OH
8 Charlie Brahmi Ventnor, NJ
9 Vincent Basilicata Queens, NY

Play began with Hold'em, Limits of 6k/12k limits. Average stack is 100k.

Event 19: Baker's Dozen

$350 + $50 HOSE

Thirteen players remain in the HOSE event, making the average stack over 69k. Only 9 will get paid, so play is predictably tight.

Todd Rebello is still in the lead with 167k. Vincent Basilicata (Queens, NY) is closing in with 159k. Charlie Brahmi has fallen way behind with 26k.

Vincent Basilicata

They completed level 15 and took off for a break.

Event 18 Slow Burn

$400 + $50 NL

Since the dinner break, there's only been 5 eliminations as 20 players remain. One more elimination and they'll play hand for hand.

We'll update chip counts momentarily.

Level 13 (1,200/2,400/300 ante) continues.

Event 18: Blogger's Paradise

$400 + $50 NL

A View from Media Row

The remaining 25 players are back from dinner and closing in on the money. The top 18 cash for a minimum of $1,059 as they vie for the top prize of $21,750.

Level 11 (800/1600/200 ante) resumes with 25 minutes on the clock.

The average stack is 73k.

Event 19: 19 Players Still in the Hunt

$350 + $50 HOSE

They returned from dinner to Limits of 2k/4k. With 20 players, the average stack was 45k, so just 10.5 big bets.

Bo Toft is out. Roland Israel got his last chips in playing Hold'em on the river with a board of 6 2 2 4 K. His opponent showed pocket 9s and Roland mucked his hand, heading for the rail.

19 players remain.

Todd Rebello scooped a pot playing Stud/8 holding Kings-up to beat his opponent's 6s-up. Todd is now up to ~100k and well out in front of the pack.

Event 18: Field Notes

$400 + $50 (NL)

Random Quotes from a poker grinder trying to become a full-time pro.

Anthony Erekat (Lodi, NJ) in his own words...

"I want to give a Shout-Out to a special friend in Afghanistan - a big thanks to Maria Rodgers for putting me in this event."

"Today has been a rollercoaster, but I'm still grinding it out."

"When I'm not playing poker, I go to Yankee games."

Event 18: 4 Tables Left

$400 + $50 (NL)

Players Remaining: 35
Avg. Stack: $58,650
Blinds @ 800/1,600/200a

Chip-Counts:

Deno Charalambous - 212,500
Neal Liptak - 151,000
Kevin Johnson - 111,500
Tom Blackwell - 79,000
Howard Wolper - 76,000
Patel Rikit - 67,000

Chip Leader - Deno Charalambous (212,500 chips)

Event 19: 24 Players Remain

$350 + $50 HOSE

Playing Hold'em, limits of 1,500/3,000: the player in seat 6 open-mucked his pocket Kings when Charlie Brahmi bet the Ace-high flop. "Helluva fold" Charlie said as he flashed his AT.

The small blind was all-in against Gloria Lorusso. Gloria's pocket Kings were good and another player was done. Down to 25.

Another player was all-in with pocket Queens against Todd Rebello. There were four cards to a straight on the board and Todd held the 9 (A9) that filled the straight to take the pot. Another one gone. Todd is up to about 90k now and the chip leader.

They broke the fourth table and Charlie Brahmi was moved to table 2 with Gloria Lorusso, Robert 'Bo' Toft, and Todd Rebello.

Grandpa Jay

Playing Stud, Grandpa Jay held trip threes to scoop a pot. Later playing Stud/8, he made an 86-low to split a pot. He's up to about 50k now. Bringing home that bacon.

At the end of the level, these HOSE-heads took off for a 40-minute dinner break. Play will resume at about 7pm.

Sports Support

Yanks, Phils and Jet Fans in the Borgata Poker Room...

Event 18: Field Shrinks

$400 + $50 (NL)

Players Remaining: 45
Avg. Stack: 40,444
Blinds @ 600/1,200/200a

Quotes from the Field...

"I'm in Internet Sales man, I'll be happy with a Final Table."
Avi Gable (Staten Island, NY)

"It's all about Manpower and makin' moves...No Guts, No Glory."
Dale Baum (Brooklyn, NY)

"Grinding out another one man..."
Chris Bonita (Winthrop, MA)

Event 19: Brotherly Love

$350 + $50 HOSE

Tom and Will Noyes

In the poker dominated world of No Limit Texas Hold'em, there's a small niche of loyal mixed game players and two of the more visible ones are the Noyes brothers.

Will and Tom are back at Borgata playing in the HOSE event and looking to continue their early 2010 success. The brothers went back-to-back in a recent series in Connecticut, with Tom winning the Omaha 8, followed by Will's win in HOSE the following day.

"I was proud of how I played," says Tom, "but of course he has to scoop me and win the next day."

"The thrill for me was seeing my brother get some recognition," says Will, "especially at his age. We've won before, but never on consecutive days."

The brotherly love is obvious as they joke with each other in the Borgata Poker Room. They recently celebrated birthdays, Tom (82) and Will (77), and in this tournament they start at the same table, where Will lets everyone know that his big bro is two seats to his left.

While on break, another player says to Tom that not many players are disciplined enough to fold a straight when there's a potential flush on the board. That's when Will pipes in, "I know that's not true, I've lived with him long enough and he's never folded a straight in his life."

"Watch it," says Tom, "or I'll knock you out of that chair," as they both laugh.

Will is better known as Dr. Will, a retired heart surgeon from Thompson, PA, but medicine is always in his blood. "Over the years, I've probably picked six or seven players off the ground," he says, recounting the numerous times he's assisted heart attack victims while playing cards.

"When I have a tough decision in poker, I think about removing the clamps on an aorta," he says. "Everything else is easy."

Tom is known in the poker world as "Mark Em Down," for his days in the auto industry when he gave his customers a mark down on used cars. But Tom rarely gives a discount at the poker table, making sure to get the max value from his winning hands.

As for the Doc, he uses his steady hands to surgically remove chips from his opponents and specializes in pot limit omaha (PLO). He has several career poker wins and a lot of success in major tournaments across the country, including his three final table finishes at the WSOP.

Tom doesn't have as many career cashes as Will, but takes poker more seriously after Will got him hooked on 7 card stud in the 1990s. "He's a good man," says Tom, who lives outside of Scranton, in Clarks Summitt, PA "he's done a lot of good in the world for a lot of people."

One mission that was near and dear to the doctor's heart is when he was a volunteer surgeon for 6 weeks in 1999 to help the victims of the Kosovo War. "It was the best experience of my professional career, he says. "It was medicine at it's basic simplicity. I always say I got more out of it than what I gave. I know it sounds like a cliche, but it's true."

Dr. Will made three subsequent trips to the war torn country, most recently in 2005, to deliver supplies with funds he raised while traveling the poker circuit. "You can't beat the generosity of poker players, most of the donations I got were at tournaments."

And poker has given back to the brothers as well. Both have a myriad of health problems, but Will says, "poker keeps us mentally strong."

Unfortunately the Noyes brothers are both eliminated midway through the HOSE event, with neither one earning bragging rights. But despite neither one making the money, Will is quick to point out that he lasted longer than his big brother.

Oh Brother, the Same Table

Event 19: 31 HOSErs Remain

$350 + $50 HOSE

They're down to four tables in this event and as I watched, a player busted out, making 31.

Gloria Lorusso

Gloria Lorusso is the last woman sitting. All the other women have hit the rail, including Ming 'Joy' Reslock.

Charlie Brahmi has claimed the chip lead with 65k. Joey Couden has dropped down to about 50k.

Grandpa Jay says to tell Dean, Aden, and Jake that he's trying to bring home the bacon!

They've finished a level and are currently taking ten.

Event 18: Early Favorite

$400 + $50 (NL)

Atlantic City local and Tournament Veteran, Howard Wolper, jumps out to an early chiplead with 58 players left in the field.

Blinds @ 500/1,000/100a
Avg. Stack: $33,090

Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, NJ) - 79,550 Chips

Event 19: Stacks Growing, Tables Shrinking

$350 + $50 HOSE

They're down to 45 players in this event. With half the field gone, the avearage stack is 20k.

Charlie Brahmi

Joey Couden is still out in front with about 65k, but WSOP bracelet holder Charlie Brahmi (Ventnor, NJ) is closing the gap. Charlie is up to ~60k.

They're currently playing in level 8 with Limits of 800/1,600.

Event 19: HOSErs Hittin' the Rail

$350 + $50 HOSE

When I got back to the Far Side of the Room, the HOSE event was down to 8 tables. Chris Reslock has vanished into the mist. While I watched, Larry Goldstein went down swinging in a hand of Omaha Hi/Lo. He then reported to the rail.

Sharad Mehta had his chips all in the middle playing Stud Hi/Lo. He made two pair to chop with his opponent, who made a 6-low. Sharad is down to only 3k.

They finished level 7 and headed out for a break. I counted 7 empty seats, so only 57 players remain.

Event 18: Payouts!

$400 + $50 NL

Entries: 182
Total Buy-In: $72,8000

Place - Amount

1 $21,750
2 $12,005
3 $6,709
4 $4,943
5 $4,237
6 $3,531
7 $2,825
8 $2,119
9 $1,589
10-12 $1,377
13-15 $1,200
16-18 $1,059

Event 19: Payouts

$350 + $50 HOSE

Final numbers are in for this event and the player count was exactly 90. Total buy-ins of $31,500. The final 9 will get paid as follows:

Place Payout
1 $10,694
2 $5,805
3 $3,667
4 $2,750
5 $2,139
6 $1,833
7 $1,528
8 $1,222
9 $917

Event 19: No Scoop for You!

$350 + $50 HOSE

With one all-in player, two others got to the river playing Omaha Hi/Lo. The board showed K 6 6 5 J (no low possible). Joey Couden (Columbus, OH) in seat 2 and the player in seat 3 capped the betting (4k each). Seat 2 showed KKxx for the flopped full boat thinking he had a scooper, but no scoop for you! Joey showed 66xx for flopped quads to drag the pot. He's now the chip leader with ~38k. The all-in player hit the rail.

Joey Couden

Event 18: K 8 Soooooted

$400 + $50 NL

Table Seeing Gross Flops

If he's got king-eight suited in his hand, Shelly Gross (Hillsboro, FL) is going to play it. Three times in this tournament Gross has flopped a flush with K8s and he's gotten paid every time.

"Probably 40 thousand," is Gross' guesstimate on how much he's raked with the hand. Gross is sitting on 70k and is the unofficial chip leader. Another healthy stack at the table is Howard Wolper (Atlantic City, PA) who's at 52k and says, "by playing brilliantly" is how he's gathered the chips.

A lot of players are in the 20-40k range, but there are no monster stacks as 10 tables remain.

Level 6 (200/400/50 ante) continues.

Event 19: Dropping Names

$350 + $50 HOSE

Still waiting on official number for this event, but they got roughly 90 players entered. They're currently occupying eleven 8-handed tables with a few empty seats, so fewer than 88 players remain. Since this is a Limit event, it takes them a bit longer to get their chips in the middle.

Todd Rebello - Event 16 Winner

On my first pass through the field, I spotted a few players who have already made their marks during this series:
Todd Rebello - won Event 16, $350 NLH, for $21,287
Roland Israel - bubbled $7200 NLH East Coast Championship
Gloria Lorusso - Two final tables: 3rd in Omaha Hi/Lol; 6th in Omaha/Stud Hi/Lo
Larry Goldstein - 20th in $200 NLH; 10th in $500 Deep Stack NLH
Robert Toft - Survived Event 12, $500 Survivor NLH for $5,000
Sharad Mehta - Won Event 6, Omaha/Stud Hi/Lo for $9,268
Chris Reslock - 9th in Pot Limit Omaha
Davidson Matthew - hasn't cashed yet during this series, but hey, when you win $1.9 million for finishing 2nd in a WPT Championship event, you get noticed.

Event 19: Back from Break

$350 + $50 HOSE



The HOSE tournament is back from break.

Level 4 (Limits 300/600) is underway with approximately 90 players in the field.

Event 18: Blink 182

$400 + $50 NL

Not the American punk band, but 182 is the early number on the tournament entrants. The cage is tabulating the final numbers as dynamic Deb Daly tallies the prize pool.

Mike Beasley, Jason Warriner and Gregory Bock join the list of notables.

Sheree Bykofsky is on the rail.

Level 4 (100/200) is underway.

EVENT 17: $170+$30 NLH

Borgata Spring Poker Open 2010
Event 17: $170 + $30 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
April 21

Entries: 850 Total Buy-In: $144,500

FINAL RESULTS
1. MATTHEW MAZZEO (E WILLISTON, NY): $33,990
2. ERIC DOERR (NEWARK, DE): $20,744
3. DANIEL CHAN (NEW YORK, NY): $10,863
4. EUGENE KIM (MILLBURN, NJ): $9,461
5. J. (NJ): $8,059
6. JACQUES MELKI (AVENEL, NJ): $6,658
7. WILLIAM PRESTON FOUKE (HAGERSTOWN, MD): $5,256
8. TUAN GBEHAN (TOMS RIVER, NJ): $3,855
9. ALEXANDER REYNOV (SOUTHAMPTON, PA): $2,804
10. MICHAEL DIGIACOMO (HAZLET, NJ): $1,823
11. ZACHARY CAREY (WASHINGTON, DC): $1,823
12. HARVEY SHEFF (LAWERENCE, NY): $1,823
13. CHENGXUAN SHI (KNG OF PRUSSA, PA): $1,332
14. EDWARD CYBULSKI (LAUREL SPGS S, NJ): $1,332
15. ANTONIO SCHIANO (BAYVILLE, NJ): $1,332
16. THOMAS SMARGIASSI (UNION, NJ): $841
17. HAO LE (ALDIE, VA): $841
18. ESTEBAN JIMENEZ (NEW YORK, NY): $841
19. JAMES ALOUPIS (LAUREL, MD): $631
20. PABLO LUJAN (PERTH AMBOY, NJ): $631
21. THOMAS MCMACKIN (HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA): $631
22. ANIBAL MORAN (WERNERSVILLE, PA): $631
23. TYLER HENRY (BROOKLYN, NY): $631
24. NATHANIEL PARENTI (BROOKLYN, NY): $631
25. BENNY THACKER (FREDERICKSBURG, VA): $631
26. WILTON CLARK (HOUSTON, TX): $631
27. GUY COCALIS (W ALLENHURST, NJ): $631
28. VINCENT BASILICATA (LITTLE NECK, NY): $533
29. JOSHUA BRIKIS (MONROEVILLE, PA): $533
30. MATTHEW DISALVATORE (CHERRY HILL, NJ): $533
31. LEONARDO CASTRILLON (KEW GARDENS, NY): $533
32. STEVE RYAN (NEW YORK, NY): $533
33. NANCY THACKER (FREDERICKS, VA): $533
34. JASON DETESTA (MT PLEASENT, PA): $533
35. CUONG PHUNG (ATLANTIC CITY, NJ): $533
36. JOSEPH SAMUEL TAYLOR (CROYDON, PA): $533
37. MARTIN JONES (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $449
38. OFIR YALOZ (FLUSHING, NY): $449
39. RYAN BAROFF (WESTON, FL): $449
40. MARK MANITZAS (FREEPORT, NY): $449
41. ARIS KONSTANTINIDIS (BAYSIDE, NY): $449
42. WILLIAM FLOYD (NORRISTOWN, PA): $449
43. CALVIN LIPSCOMB JR (COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA): $449
44. JAMES SLOAT (FORT MEADE, MD): $449
45. ADINA WINSTON (NEW YORK, NY): $449
46. BRADLEY SHAFFER (MECHANICSBURG, PA): $392
47. DOUGLAS GARDNER (YONKERS, NY): $392
48. FARROKH FORCE (BALA CYNWYD, PA): $392
49. LAURA CURRENT (WARETOWN, NJ): $392
50. FRANK PAVIA (TOMS RIVER, NJ): $392
51. JESSE ALEXIS COHEN (ARDMORE, PA): $392
52. KRISTOPHER KOONS (ALLIANCE, OH): $392
53. RAFAEL MOYENO (TRENTON, NJ): $392
54. MICHAEL MASON (COLLINGSWOOD, NJ): $392
55. JEDIDIAH HUDSON (ALBANY, TX): $350
56. BRADLEY WEIR (VINELAND, NJ): $350
57. ZACHARY ROTH (LARCHMONT, NY): $350
58. JAMAL GHANIM (MIDDLESEX, NJ): $350
59. RYAN PALMER (POUGHQUAG, NY): $350
60. ANTHONY ANDINO (VALLEY STREM, NY): $350
61. EDWARD ABENDSCHEIN (MTN LKS, NJ): $350
62. BENJAMIN KLIER (ASTORIA, NY): $350
63. JOHN MATIRE (STATEN ISLAND, NY): $350
64. JOHN SYKES (BROOKLYN, NY): $308
65. DAO BUI (STERLING, VA): $308
66. PETER COOK (NISKAYUNA, NY): $308
67. CHRISTIAN VIZCAINO (SO PLAINFIELD, NJ): $308
68. CARL BLEEKER (WARREN, NJ): $308
69. WILLIAM CAMPBELL (PALM BCH GARD, FL): $308
70. MARC DAVIS (ORLANDO, FL): $308
71. LAWRENCE RAO (BALTIMORE, MD): $308
72. GENNADIY PESELEV (GLENMONT, NY): $308
73. KRISHNA HARI (GERMANTOWN, MD): $280
74. JUSTIN LEVY (CORAL SPRINGS, FL): $280
75. JAMES BLAIR (BAYVILLE, NJ): $280
76. TIMOTHY LEVENTHAL (CENTREVILLE, VA): $280
77. BEATRICE WYATT (TOWNSEND, DE): $280
78. DENNIS COMEY (PHILADELPHIA, PA): $280
79. MICHAEL HAAS (SOUTH AMBOY, NJ): $280
80. JOSEPH CRAMER (CALRISLE, PA): $280
81. SHELDON GROSS (HILLSBORO BEACH, FL): $280

Event 18: Not Finished Yet

$400 + $50 NL

On the last hand before break, Ed Abendschein (Mountain Lakes, NJ) is halfway out the door before he hears the table shout, "come back, it's a chop."

Abendschein min raises to 200 from MP, cutoff makes it 600 and the BB 4 bets to 1,500. Adenschein smooth calls and MP shoves for 7,500. BB folds and Adenschen calls, only to see he's way behind with his AQ vs AK.

"I didn't think he had anything," says Adenschein. "I thought he was trying to steal the pot."

As the board runs out, Adenschein is running out the door until he does a sharp u-turn after the board double pairs for a chopped pot. "I thought I was heading home," he says grateful with second life.

Level 3 (75/150) underway.

Event 19: HOSERS

$350 + $50 HOSE

"Mark"ing his Stack

The HOSE is underway in the Poker Room. Steve Markowitz (Brooklyn, NY) is one of the many players gearing up for the mixed game.

Players start with 10k in chips, game changes every 8 hands and the levels are 30 minutes long.

The hold'em round is underway.

H - Limit Hold’em
O - Limit Omaha Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)
S - Limit Seven Card Stud
E - Limit Stud Eight or Better (Hi/Lo)

Event 18: In the Field

$400 + $50 NL

Chunhyung Para (Event 15, Deep Stack Champion)
Sheree Bykofsky
Dave Zeitlen
LMS (Little Man Sica)

10k starting chips, 40 minute levels.

Level 2 (50/100) is underway.

Event 18: Table Signs Down

$400 + $50 NL

Mello & Firouzi Ready to Go

With two tournaments on the docket for Thursday, players are making sure their at the right tables. Robert Mello (Queens, NY) and Arman Firouzi (Washington, D.C.) are looking for early success in No Limit at table 3.

Level 1 is underway (25/50). Shuffle up and deal!

The HOSE starts at noon.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22

TODAY IN THE POKER ROOM

11AM: Event 18 - $400 + $50 No Limit Hold'em

• 10,000 in starting chips
• 40 minute Levels
• 1-day event

12PM: Event 19 - $350 + $50 H.O.S.E. (8-Hand Rotate)

• 10,000 in starting chips
• 30 minute Levels
• 1-day event

3PM: Event 47 - $350 + $40 CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER

• 10,000 in starting chips
• 30 minute Levels
• Approximately one (1) in every ten (10) players will win $3500 Entry to play in the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship Event (April 25 – 30)
• 1-day event

7PM: Event 48 - $300 + $50 SURVIVOR CASH No Limit Hold'em

• 10,000 in starting chips
• 30 minute Levels
• Approximately one (1) in every ten (10) players will win $3,000 CASH
• 1-day event

Registration for all Borgata Spring Poker Events in the Poker Room

Event 17: Champion - Matt Mazzeo

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

After playing for 17.5 hours, this guys kicked it into high gear when the blinds got to crush depth. Here's how they finished.

Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo - 1st place - $33,990

Eric "Clown Fish" Doerr - 2nd place - $20,744

Daniel Chan - 3rd place - $10,863

Eugene Kim - 4th place - $9,461

Jacques Melki - 6th place - $6,658

Preston Fouke - 7th place - $5,256

Tuan Gbehan - 8th place - $3,855

Alex Reynov - 9th place - $2,804

Event 17: Melki Doubles

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Jacques Melki moved in for 330k and Alex Reynov called showing pocket 6s. Jacques held KJ offsuit. The board came K Q 3 A 8 and Jacques doubled up.

Matt Mazzeo raised to 240k, then Alex said "raise" without knowing that Matt had already raised. He then tried to move in, but they only allowed a minimum raise, which was to 400k straight. Action folded back to Matt, who said "I'm being nice to you" and moved all-in over the top. Alex folded and Matt showed him pocket Aces.

Event 17: 10th place - DiGiacomo

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Michael DiGiacomo got all-in for 285k and Daniel Chan called showing AK. Michael held AQ and was in bad shape. The board came 8 5 4 2 A and Daniel took the pot. Michael finished in 10th place, earning $1,823.

Michael DiGiacomo - 10th place

Eugene Kim moved in and Alex Reynov called, showing T6 of diamonds (when he rolled it over, he said he thought it was T9 of diamonds). Eugene was ahead with AT suited. The board came K J 4 2 K and Eugene doubled up.

Blinds went up to 40k/80k with 5k antes.

Preston Fouke called all-in for less, and Eric Doerr called from the big blind. Joe held T♥9♥. Preston held J9 off. Eric held KQ off. The board came 8♥7♥2♣6♣T♣ and Preston rivered a straight to triple up. Joe took the side pot with a pair of Tens. Eric was left shaking his head.

Event 17: Final Table Finally!

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Short-stack got all-in with A5. Got called by AJ. Board blanked and player was busted.

Final ten drew seats and moved to the final table:

Seat Player Hometown
1 Tuan Gbehan Toms River, NJ
2 Joe, NJ
3 Jacques Melki Avenei, Nj
4 Matt Mazzeo E. Williston, NY
5 Preston Fouke Hagerstown, MD
6 Alex Reynov South Hampton, PA
7 Eugene Kim Millburn, NJ
8 Eric Doerr Newark, DE
9 Michael DiGiacomo Haslet, NJ
10 Daniel Chan New York NY

Event 17: Yo Eleven!

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

The final dozen took ten at the conclusion of the level, then returned to blinds of 30k/60k with 5k antes.

Seat 7 was short-stacked and all-in against seat 8, who held A4 of hearts. The short stack held Q4 off and was in bad shape. The board ran out T 9 3 6 7 -- with four hearts -- and seat 8 took the pot with a flush (not that he needed it). Another player hit the rail.

Eleven players remain.

On the other table, short-stack was all-in with AJ. Tuan Gbehan called, showing A7. The board came Q 5 4 5 5 and they had to chop the pot.

Event 17: Down to a Dozen

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

After action folded to the button, he moved all in for 311k. Eric Doerr was in the big blind and asked for a count. He opted to call, showing AT off. The button held A9 of and Eric had him by a pip. The board came Q J 3 4 A and Eric took the pot, sending the 13th place finisher to the payout desk to collect $1,332.

Eric Doerr

Eric is now over 2 million chips and the chip leader.

12 players remain.

Event 17: Chan Busts One; Doerr Does One

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Seat 7 got all-in holding A9 off against Daniel Chan's AK off. The board ran out Q 8 2 T 3 and Daniel's nut-no-pair was good for the pot. His opponent took 15th place and $1,332.

A few hands later, seat 1 was all-in holding KQ off against Eric Doerr's A8. The board came 9 7 6 2 T giving Eric a straight (not that he needed it; his Ace-high was ahead the whole way). 14th place hit the rail (also $1,332).

13 players remain.

Meanwhile, on the rail: The staff was counting out the last 8-hour shift's bad-beat jackpot collection. Jason Young and his peeps were on the rail betting on what the total would be. Imagine large bags of dollar chips dumped out on a poker table with three people racking the chips. Jason had the over on $3,000. When it became obvious that it was way over, he went double-or-nothing on under $5,700. I came out close to $5,600, so Jason won the double. Then they asked the staff what time they would be back for tomorrow's count.

Event 17: Back to Business

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Play resumed with 4k antes, 15k/30k blinds.

There are three big stacks in a row on the back table here in the Poker Room. Eric Doerr has about 825k; Matt Mazzeo has about 1.925 million, and Alex Reynov has about 1.646 million. The average stack with 15 players remaining is roughly 567k.

Event 17: Chan Doubles

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)


After a raise from the button, Daniel Chan moved all-in from the big blind. After a little thought, the button called, showing pocket 9s. Daniel was racing with AQ off. The board came Q 4 2 7 3 and Daniel doubled up.

15 players remain and they are taking a ten minute break.

Event 17: 17 Players Redraw

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Seat 5 moved in for 154k, Alex Reynov called, then seat 8 moved in for 145k. Everyone else got out of the way and seat 5 showed AT off. Alex held AQ off and seat 8 held pocket 9s. The board came Q 4 3 2 2 and Alex took all the chips with Queens-up. Two more players hit the rail.

There was supposed to be a redraw at 18 players, but with the double-bustage, they got to 17 players instead. They paused the clock and redrew for the final two tables. Big Stacks Matt Mazzeo (seat 5) and Alex Reynov (seat 6) have landed next to each other at the same table. Stay tuned for fireworks.

Play continued with the same blinds.

Event 17: Huge Pot = New Chip Leader

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

A short-stacked player was all-in with two opponents. The flop came K 8 5 rainbow and both players checked the side pot. Turn was a 9 and seat 9 checked to Matt Mazzeo, who bet 55k. Seat 9 raised to 200k and Matt called. River was a 3 and seat 9 moved all-in. Matt snap-called, showing pocket 9s for the set. Both seat 9 and the all-in player mucked.

The short-stack was busted. Matt's all-in was 553k. After collecting both pots, Matt was up to 1.49 million, good for the chip lead. (Alex Reynov has ~1.4 million.) The player in seat 9 busted out soon after.

Matt "Muffins" Mazzeo

Matt continues to run like water downhill. Another short-stack all-in with pocket 3s ran into Matt's pocket Aces. Just for good measure Matt flopped a set of Aces. Another one bites the dust. Matt's now up to 1.72 million.

20 players remain. End of level and time for a break.

Event 17: Double-Elimination Leaves 27

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

Play continued with blinds of 8k/16k with 2k antes.

The last woman sitting, Nancy Thacker, busted out in 33rd place when her AJ was outrun by K2. She left with $533.

Players continued to hit the rail, then there was a dramatic three-way all-in. The shortest stack was all-in with AQ. Josh Birkis was all-in and ahead with pocket Queens, and Matt Mazzeo held pocket 3s. The board came K T 3 T 6 and Matt made 3s-full to scoop both pots, sending two players home. The short-stack got 30th; Josh finished 29th; both got $533.

27 players remain at three tables.

Event 17: New Chip Leader Emerges

$170 + $30 (NL, Re-Entry)

As the short stacks make their desperation shoves, the big stacks are gobbling them up. In a recent confrontation, one player was all-in with A5 off. Another was all-in with QJ suited. The big stack, Alex Reynov (South Hampton, PA) held AT suited and was ahead. Then the board came T 3 3 T and the river was irrelevant because Alex had turned a full boat. He scooped the pots and two more players reported to the payout desk. Alex is up to about 780k.

Alex Reynov

38 players remain. The average stack is up to 223k.

End of level and players are taking ten.