Tournament Details

In just three years, Atlantic City's Borgata Poker Open has grown into one of the must-play events in all of professional poker. This year, a record 515 players gathered for five days of grueling No Limit Hold ‘Em, popping ten grand apiece to push the prize pool to a massive $5,000,000. With that kind of serious money on the line, it's no surprise that the final felt featured six accomplished players from all walks of life, battling for a top prize of nearly $1,500,000 and one all-important guaranteed $25,000 seat at the WPT Championship. Here's what it looked like at the start of play:

In Seat 1, Robert "Action Bob" Hwang, a seasoned 35 year-old pro from Clark, NJ, in 3rd chip position with 1,795,000. In Seat 2, 61 year-old former Atlantic City blackjack dealer "Ricky" Ricardo Festejo, the short stack with 540,000. In Seat 3, the lone, local amateur satellite qualifier, Al Ardebili, in 4th position with 1,425,000. In Seat 4, the leading female money winner in WPT history seeking her first victory, Kathy Liebert, in 5th position with 1,045,000. In Seat 5, the dangerous 22 year-old pro, John "Dags" D'Agostino, in 2nd position with 2,295,000. In Seat 6, the quietly calculating veteran New York pro, David Singer, chip leader with 3,200,000. Antes and blinds started at 5,000, 25,000, and 50,000.

In what was to quickly become a theme, the big stacks got battered. Festejo doubled up early on Singer, hitting runner-runner straight to stave off elimination by fading Singer's trips, then followed that by flopping his own set with pocket 8's to take a bite out of D'Agostino's stack, and miraculously take the chip lead! Kathy Liebert then whacked D'Agostino's pocket jacks when she spiked an ace on the flop, doubling up on the dazed and Van Dyked local favorite. Dags managed a few moves, but early on found himself getting snapped off every time he fired a bluff.

Meanwhile, the nightmare continued for Singer. When Ardebili, playing a grindingly tight game, finally found something he was willing to play, it wasn't much, pocket 3's, and neither was his chip stack, just 545,000. When Singer, with Js-9h in the small blind, brought it in for 370,000, Ardebili went over the top of him, all-in. Singer took a moment to calculate, and realizing he was getting the right pot odds, reluctantly made the call. When the board ran out Ks-9d-3d, Th, 3h, Ardebili had made quads, crushing Singer's middle pair, and most of his hope along with it. Having gone from first to worst in a blinding flurry of bad beats, and now with the antes and blinds up to a nose-bleed-inducing 15,000, 60,000, and 120,000, Singer found himself in a tough spot. Action Bob, with 6h-6c on the button, brought it in for 350,000 to go. The action folded around to Singer in the cut-off seat, with Ah-8s. Feeling that he might have the best hand, or at least be able to muscle Hwang out if he was on a move, Singer pushed all-in, to the tune of another 310,000. Hwang took a flyer on his small pair and called. The flop came no help to Singer, Q-T-5 rainbow, and when the turn and river came Tc, Kh, it was the first time in WPT history that the first player to be knocked out of the final table had started the day as chip leader. Not the kind of epitaph Singer had envisioned, but the classy pro took it with equanimity, along with $249,775 to help get the healing started.

Kathy Liebert now found herself on the short stack, and decided to take matters into her own hands, pushing all-in with A-8 offsuit in the small blind. D'Agostino, just moments after finding himself in the chip lead, called from the big blind with K-Q offsuit, and just as quickly found himself on the short stack when Liebert made aces up. It was that kind of whacky, up-and-down day.

Action Bob then made a critical decision. Finding Qs-Js, he brought it in for 350,000. Festejo, with pocket 5's, called smooth, perhaps indicating to Hwang that he just had a couple big cards and was looking to see a flop. When it came 8s-4c-4s, though, Hwang and his flush draw were really in a pickle when Festejo led out, going all-in for 1,615,000. Hwang briefly considered, and made a gambling call, needing a spade on the turn or the river to knock out the free-rolling Philippino. Alas, it was not to be, the turn and river coming 7d, 3d, and Hwang was now on fumes. On the next hand, when Dags pushed all-in, Hwang found Th-9s, and decided to risk his last 635,000 on it. When Dags flipped up pocket T's, Action Bob could read the writing on the wall. After a brief glimmer of hope when the flop came Jd-9h-8s, giving him the open ended straight draw for at least a split, the turn and river snuffed out hope, 8h, 4c, and Hwang was forced from the felt, going down in 5th place, earning $299,730.

With antes and blinds now up to a blood-thinning 20,000, 100,000, and 200,000, the action folded to D'Agostino in the small blind. Looking down to find Qc-2c, he decided to limp, and Festejo, in the big, checked his Q-8 offsuit. When the flop came Qh-4d-3s, D'Agostino decided to check his top pair, and when Festejo made what appeared to be a simple continuation bet, Dags check-raised him, pushing all-in over the top. Festejo made a quick call, prompting a painful groan from his young opponent even before he actually saw how dominated he was. The flop came As, giving Dags a few more outs, but a Tc on the river ended that fantasy, sending a shell-shocked and clearly disappointed D'Agostino out in 4th place, with a respectably robust $349,685 payday.

Festejo now found himself the dominating chip leader, with nearly 7,000,000 to Ardebili's modest 1,840,000 and Liebert's 1,550,000. But Ardebili, with pocket Q's, quickly doubled through Ricky, setting the scene for the next big showdown. Liebert, once again the short stack, found Ah-7d, and made a stand, pushing in the whole enchilada, 1,190,000. Ardebili decided to traffic cop with Qs-Ts to see if he could knock her out, and sure enough, he spiked middle pair and a four-flush when the flop came Ks-Tc-3s. When the turn came 6d, Liebert was down to two outs, the As or Ad, but it was not to be. The river came a meaningless 5d, and the WPT continues to await a first-time female champion, even as Liebert set one record, posting the best finish for a woman in the history of the tour, taking home $427,115 for her hard work.

So it came down to two New Jersey locals, satellite winners both, in a heads-up battle for a million and a half clams. Both players started almost dead even, Festejo enjoying a tiny edge with 5,210,000 to Ardebili's 5,090,000. After an initial hand where Festejo, with K-Q suited, forced Ardebili to lay down K-J offsuit before the flop, the critical hand of the tourney occurred.

Festejo found As-2h on the button, and raised to 600,000. Ardebili, sensing a move, or maybe just setting up a steal on the flop, called with 3d-2d. When the flop came Ks-7d-2s, Ardebili checked his bottom pair, but Festejo bet his, firing in 1,000,000. Ardebili put the pincers right back on Festejo when he pushed over the top, all-in, with a brilliant check raise. Taking his time to recreate the hand in his mind, though, Festejo then made what Vince Van Patten accurately told the home audience was "the call of the decade." The entire room was abuzz as word worked its way around that "Ricky" Ricardo had called almost his entire stack with a pair of twos! Ardebili looked like he'd been run over, just as the turn card came a miracle 3d to give him trips! Ardebili had cheated death by hitting a two outer. A perfunctory 8h fell on the river, and now the young amateur had a 9-to-1 stranglehold on the still affable Festejo.

Finding 8-7 suited on the next hand, Festejo pushed in his last 900,000, which Ardebili called, and flipped over Ah-9c. The board then ran out Kd-5s-2s, 5d, 6d, helping neither, but at the same instant taking a tough, tenacious, and yes, lucky amateur, Al Ardebili, and transforming him into the most unlikely champion the WPT has ever seen, its latest instant millionaire, with a whopping $1,498,650 payday and a reserved $25,000 seat at the WPT Championship. "Ricky" Ricardo Festejo, a fan favorite, took home a résumé building $799,820 himself. All in all, not bad for a couple Jersey guys and a week's worth of work...