Freeroll Fun: Charity Event Winner Hopes Heater Continues at Borgata

By Sean Chaffin

Win or lose, Carlos Dagher (pictured) won’t be out any money here at the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open. The financial firm he works for sponsored a charity poker tournament in New York City on Nov 2, and he played in the event for free after his company bought his entry.

The tournament attracted 200 players and raised $241,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The winner earned an entry into a large tournament in Las Vegas, but Dagher finished runner-up but still earned an entry here in the WPT championship event.

“A friend was actually supposed to play, but didn’t know how to,” he says. “She asked me if I wanted to play and I said sure. I’m here totally on a freeroll.”

That includes his stay here at the Borgata as well. Dagher, 39, is a regular player at the property and was able to get his room comped. He also played in a cash game on Sunday and won about $300.

“I just wanted to get into the feel of playing again,” he says. “It had been a couple months since I played, and I just wanted to get back into it.”

He’s now battling it out on Day 1b and hoping that lucky streak continues and transfers into a nice score on the WPT. By the second break in the day, he had about 50,000 in chips.

Originally from Lebanon, he moved to the U.S. in 2004 and attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. What’s his strategy for the rest of the day at the tables?

“I’m just going to play tight,” he says. “I’ll loosen up later on.”

Either way, a cash will 100 percent free money.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer in Crandall, Texas. His work appears in numerous websites and publications. Follow him on Twitter @PokerTraditions.

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