$3 Million Guarantee Cleared Despite Northeast Blizzard; Nearly $1.5 Million Awarded During Garden State Super Series II on partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com
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Los Angeles, CA (January 30, 2015) — Aaron Mermelstein outlasted 989 entries to win the $3 million guaranteed WPT® Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship presented by partypoker.com on Friday in Atlantic City, NJ. Mermelstein earned $712,305, which included a $15,400 seat into the season-ending WPT World Championship on April 24 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, a Hublot Oceanographic 4000 watch, and a pair of coveted 24K® Monster Headphones for the victory.
Mermelstein, 27, is a Philadelphia native and an alumnus of Penn State University. Winner of the Skrill last-longer competition at the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship, Mermelstein now has nearly $900,000 in career lifetime tournament earnings and will have his named etched on the venerable WPT Champions Cup™.
“It’s like a dream come true,” Mermelstein said after the win, crediting his rail for helping along the way.
On the final hand of the tournament, Mermelstein and runner-up Eugene Todd both flopped a pair of queens. Todd, holding queen-eight, moved all in over a bet from Mermelstein, who called with ace-queen. The dominant hand held up and Todd was eliminated in second place, earning $419,467 for his efforts. The Brooklyn native now has more than $2.5 million in career live tournament earnings.
Season X WPT bestbet Jacksonville champion Shawn Cunix entered the televised final table with an overwhelming chip lead, and remained atop the chip counts until four-handed play where he suddenly found himself on the short stack. Despite doubling up more than once, Cunix was unable to rebuild his stack and was eliminated in fourth place earning $212,108. Shortly thereafter, Randy Pfeifer ran into the pocket kings of Mermelstein and exited in third place, earning $253,263.
Justin Liberto and Esther Taylor-Brady also reached the televised WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open final table. Liberto was the first player to be eliminated when his king-queen suited couldn’t crack the ace-king of Mermelstein. Taylor-Brady, who was vying to be the first woman to win an open event on the World Poker Tour®, exited in fifth place when she moved all in preflop with nine-eight and Cunix looked her up with king-queen and held.
WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open presented by partypoker Final Table
1st Aaron Mermelstein – $712,305
2nd Eugene Todd – $419,467
3rd Randy Pfeifer – $253,263
4th Shawn Cunix – $212,108
5th Esther Taylor-Brady – $174,118
6th Justin Liberto – $140,878
The $3 million guaranteed WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship presented by partypoker.com attracted a total of 989 entries, clearing the guarantee despite a blizzard in the Northeast. Among the players who cashed were Season XIII WPT Legends of Poker finalist Tyler Kenney, Season XII WPT bestbet Jacksonville champion Jared Jaffee, Season XI WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic champion Ravi Raghavan, Season IX WPT Player of the Year Andy Frankenberger, Season XII WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open champion James Calderaro, and WPT co-commentator Mike Sexton.
Players in New Jersey for the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship also participated in the second installment of the Garden State Super Series (GSSS) on partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com. GSSS II attracted 5,021 unique players over 15 days, generating a total prize pool of $1,481,663 for all events, qualifiers, and freerolls. More than 1,000 unique players cashed during GSSS II, of which 160 took home at least $1,000.
Season XIII of the World Poker Tour continues on February 5 with the $3 million guaranteed, $3,500 buy-in WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, FL. Immediately following the festivities in Florida, the WPT returns to Canada from February 13-16 for the televised WPT Fallsview Poker Classic in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
For more details on World Poker Tour events, sponsors, and promotions, please visit www.WPT.com.
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About Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Located in Atlantic City’s Marina District, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa features 2,000 guest rooms and suites; 161,000 square feet of gaming; 182 gaming tables; 3,094 slot machines; an 80+ table poker room; 10 retail boutiques; 5 acclaimed fine dining restaurants by renowned chefs; 9 casual dining options; a 54,000 square foot spa; 70,000 square feet of event space; 4 signature nightlife experiences; and parking for 7,100 cars. The market-leading resort also features Atlantic City’s first cosmopolitan hotel experience, The Water Club at Borgata, with 800 guest rooms and suites; a 36,000 square foot spa; 18,000 square feet of meeting space; 6 designer retail boutiques; and 5 heated indoor and outdoor pools. Borgata also offers online gaming within the state of New Jersey through its real-money gaming sites, BorgataCasino.com and BorgataPoker.com.
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World Poker Tour (WPT) is the premier name in internationally televised gaming and entertainment with brand presence in land-based tournaments, television, online, and mobile. Leading innovation in the sport of poker since 2002, WPT ignited the global poker boom with the creation of a unique television show based on a series of high-stakes poker tournaments. WPT has broadcast globally in more than 150 countries and territories, and is currently producing its 13th season, which airs on FSN in the United States. Season XIII of WPT is sponsored by ClubWPT.com, a unique online membership site that offers inside access to the WPT, as well as a sweepstakes-based poker club available in 35 states across the United States.ClubWPT.com also sponsors Season 2 of the new WPT Alpha8 series of super-high roller poker tournaments which is currently in production and which airs on FOX Sports 1 in the United States. WPT participates in strategic brand license, partnership, and sponsorship opportunities. WPT Enterprises Inc. is a subsidiary of bwin.party digital entertainment plc. For more information, go to WPT.com.
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