Live Tournament Updates
Day 3 at the Borgata Poker Classic
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
The Tournament Field Shifts Gears During the March to 27
By Ryan Lucchesi
Day 3 of the World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Classic was a great example of the drastic way that the speed of play can change in the course of a poker tournament. Ninety-nine players began the day and things started slowly amongst a groggy field that was still shaking off the cobwebs from yesterday. In the first level of play only nine players were eliminated.
When the 90 remaining players returned from break the unforeseen force that drives the speed of tournament play shifted up a gear and the collectively-accepted strategy of moving all in proved to be fatal to many players. On the inevitable march to the money bubble Cliff Josephy, Erik Cajelais, Fred Goldberg, and Isabelle Mercier were thrown to the wayside before the size of the tournament field was 56.
Although the top 54 players would leave the Borgata with some cash, a strange double bubble developed. The tournament had not even moved to hand-for-hand play when the speed of play shifted into park and pots proceeded without much action. That was until Bill Kontaratos ousted Benjamin Palmer in 56th place in the penultimate bubble hand. Pocket jacks got the job done when no aid came on the board to assist Palmer’s K-2.
Now the real money bubble set in and hand-for-hand play was instituted on the tournament floor. The bubble kept going, and going, and going...through the end of one level and into the next, while a break was put on hold and anxiety soaked the air. The bubble finally burst when one player, who chose to remain nameless, had let his chip stack dwindle to 19,500, which he used to call a 22,000 preflop raise from Justin Bonomo. Rep Porter also jumped into the fray and the board ran out 10
66
J10
. Both Porter and Bonomo checked this board down and Porter won the hand with K10
. The anonymous short stack mucked his hand and strolled from the room penniless.
The rest of the field went to a break after the hand and action began anew 15 minutes later. The slow play of the bubble hovered in the room after the money bubble and play was stuck in the mud during the hour before dinner. Only four players were sent to the rail during this time, most notably John Hennigan.
It wasn’t until the tournament field returned from dinner that things started to heat up and the unfortunate began to fall in rapid succession Here is a look at the most notable eliminations that occurred on the road to 27:
43: Jordan Rich
41: Steve Sung
40: John Juanda
39: Roy Winston
37: Vanessa Rousso
36: Brian Haveson
In one of the final elimination hands of the evening, David Tran became the first player in the tournament to reach 2 million in chips: Tran opened the eventful pot and Bill Kontaratos raised to 100,000. Tran made the call and the flop brought 1099. Tran checked, Kontaratos bet 200,000, and Tran moved all in. Kontaratos went into the tank for several minutes with 250,000 left behind and he eventually decided to call with AK. But Tran turned over pocket aces. Kontaratos was looking for a runner-runner miracle to stay alive at that point but it wasn’t in the cards. The turn and river fell 39. Tran's pocket aces gave him the pot and pumped his stack to a robust 2.285 million, while Kontaratos was eliminated in 30th place.
Tran finished the day as the chip leader a few minutes later with 2,078,000, which is four times the average stack at this point. Had it not been for Steve Blackman’s fortuitous possession of quad kings in a large hand, which gave him a final stack of 1,622,000, no one would be even close to Tran.
The final 27 players will return tomorrow to battle for the right to sit at the final television table of six, which takes place on Thursday. Day 4 action will begin at 11 a.m. EDT in the Borgata poker room. Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com and WorldPokerTour.com to follow all the action in live updates, chip counts, photos, and videos.
01:09 AM, 01/30/08
Official Seating & Chip Counts
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Here are the official chip counts and seating assignments for Day 4 (Wednesday). Action starts at 11:00 am ET in the Borgata poker room, so return to WorldPokerTour.com for all the action as it happens. TABLE 1 1. John McEwen - 541,000 2. "Action" Bob Hwang - 586,000 3. Scott Blackman - 1,622,000 4. Eric Siegel - 295,000 5. Eric Buchman - 476,000 6. Gavin Griffin - 1,089,000 7. John Racener - 201,000 8. John Cox - 178,000 9. John Roveto - 156,000 TABLE 2 1. Vadim Trincher - 294,000 2. Men "The Master" Nguyen - 480,000 3. Ervin Prifti - 306,000 4. David Tran - 2,078,000 5. Adam Lippert - 159,000 6. Jared Hamby - 283,000 7. Shane LaBounty - 476,000 8. Joe DiMartino - 346,000 9. Daniel Shiff - 478,000 TABLE 3 1. Lee Watkinson - 879,000 2. Jesse Martin - 289,000 3. Noah Schwartz - 1,092,000 4. Justin Bonomo - 878,000 5. Gordon Wilcox - 655,000 6. Thomas Hare - 353,000 7. Onofrio Reina - 581,000 8. David Inselberg - 70,000 9. Nam Le - 400,000
Sorted In: Borgata Poker Classic, Borgata, Season VI09:39 PM, 01/29/08
Day 3 Ends
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
We have reached the final 27 players and action has ended on day 3. The players will return at 11 a.m. EDT tomorrow to play down to a final television table of six. Final chip counts have been posted and the recap will be released later tonight.
Sorted In: Borgata Poker Classic, Borgata, Season VI08:16 PM, 01/29/08
Zach Hyman Eliminated in 28th Place ($20,655)
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Zach Hyman gets it all in against Vadim Trincher and they turn up their cards:
Hyman: K2
Trincher: 76
Board: AQ4710
Hyman is eliminated on the hand in 28th place and he will take home $20,655 in prize money. That takes us down to 27 players and play halts for the evening.
07:54 PM, 01/29/08
Richard Dabal Eliminated in 29th Place ($20,655)
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
After a flop of Q32, Scott Blackman bets 50,000, Richard Dabal raises to 100,000, and Blackman calls. The turn card is the 5, Blackman checks, Dabal bets 100,000, Blackman raises to 400,000, and Blackman moves all in. Dabal instacalls with [A-Q] for a pair of queens with a gutshot straight draw, and Blackman shows 33 for a set of threes. Dabal needs a four (and only a four) to stay alive.
The river card is the 6, and Blackman wins the pot with his set to build his stack to about 1.48 million. Richard Dabal is eliminated in 29th place, earning $20,655.
07:53 PM, 01/29/08
Bill Kontaratos Eliminated in 30th Place ($20,655); David Tran Over 2 Million
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
David Tran acts from the small blind (we're not sure of his initial action), and then Bill Kontaratos raises to 100,000. Tran calls. The flop comes 1099, Tran checks, Kontaratos bets 200,000, Tran moves all in, and Kontaratos goes into the tank for several minutes. Kontaratos has about 250,000 left behind, and he eventually decides to call with AK. But Tran shows AA, and Kontaratos will need a runner-runner miracle to stay alive.
The turn card is the 3, the river is the 9, and Tran's pocket aces hold up to give him the pot and 2.285 million in chips.
Bill Kontaratos is eliminated in 30th place, earning $20,655.
07:48 PM, 01/29/08
Akio Ishige Eliminated in 31st Place ($20,655)
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Bob Hwang limps and Akio Ishige moves all in . Hwang calls and shows 99. Ishige turns over AQ and they're racing. The board comes KJJ42 and Ishige exits the tournament in 31st place.
07:20 PM, 01/29/08
Anthony Campagna Eliminated in 32nd Place ($20,655)
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Anthony Campagna gets all of his chips into the middle against David Tran and they flip up their cards:
Tran: JJ
Campagna: AQ
Board: K8893
Campagna is eliminated in 31st place and he will take home $20,655 in prize money.
07:19 PM, 01/29/08
Michael Tait Eliminated in 33rd Place ($20,655)
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Michael Tait was crippled when his pocket jacks ran into pocket kings. A few hands later he got all of his chips into the middle of the table against Irving Prifti. On this final hand for Tait, he held A3 against pocket jacks. The board ran out Q75108 and Tait was eliminated in 33rd place, taking home $20,655 in prize money.
07:17 PM, 01/29/08
Justin Bonomo Takes a Pot
Level 30: 50,000-100,000, 10,000 ante
Adam Lippert raises to 34,000, and Justin Bonomo calls from a blind. The flop comes 654, Bonomo checks, Lippert bets 40,000, Bonomo raises to 170,000, and Lippert tanks for several long minutes before folding.
Bonomo shows 32 for a flopped (but very vulnerable) six-high straight. Bonomo now has about 450,000.
07:09 PM, 01/29/08
