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Atlantic City, NJ (April 29, 2015) – Asher Conniff kicked off the 2015 Borgata Spring Open with a victory in a $1 million guaranteed tournament, booking a $203,241 win and more than doubling his career lifetime earnings. Little did he know that a few weeks later at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, he would outlast one of the toughest fields in all of poker in the season-ending WPT® World Championship presented by partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com, and become a millionaire.
“The last month of my life has been the craziest month of my life,” Conniff said after his win. “The last week of my life has been the craziest week of my life. Today has been the craziest day. Everything is just so surreal, I’m happy my dad got to be here. I couldn’t have ever imagined this.”
Conniff, a native of Brooklyn, New York, qualified for the $15,400 buy-in event in a satellite on BorgataPoker.com in New Jersey. He parlayed his $1,600 investment into $973,683, and also earned a seat into the Season XIV WPT World Championship, a Hublot® Oceanographic 4000 watch, and a pair of Monster® 24K headphones.
Conniff bested a field of 239 WPT Champions and world-class players to win the WPT World Championship, presented by partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com. Conniff defeated Season XIII champion Alexander Lakhov heads up on Hand #93 when Lakhov re-raised all in holding ten-six suited. Conniff made a very quick call with ace-queen off-suit, and Lakhov failed to connect with the board. Lakhov, who won the Season XIII partypoker WPT Merit North Cyprus Classic, entered the final table with the chip lead, and took home $573,779 for his efforts.
Four very tough players joined Conniff and Lakhov at the final table: Brian Yoon, Ray Qartomy, Carlos Mortensen, and Raw Deal host Tony Dunst. Dunst, who is celebrating his fifth year as a member of the WPT family, was crippled with pocket kings against the pocket tens of Mortensen. The flop produced a ten, leaving Dunst with a very short stack, and he was eliminated shortly thereafter.
Ray Qartomy was all in and at risk 40 hands later with jack-nine off-suit, looking to steal the blinds and antes, and Conniff looked him up with ace-ten. The flop, turn, and river all produced blanks, and Qartomy was off to the cage to collect his $208,647 fifth-place prize.
Carlos Mortensen, who was in search of his fourth WPT title, was the next player to hit the rail, holding pocket tens once again. Unlike in his previous encounter against Dunst, Mortensen was the favorite against Lakhov’s ace-six off-suit, but this time he suffered the bad beat. Lakhov flopped a pair of sixes, and improved to aces and sixes on the river, sending Mortensen home in fourth place. With nearly $6.7 million to his name, Mortensen remains the all-time money leader in World Poker Tour history.
Two-time WSOP bracelet winner Brian Yoon was unable to add another title to his trophy case at Borgata, busting out in third place. Yoon wagered the remainder of his short stack on Hand #80 with jack-three suited, and Conniff called him with a dominating king-jack off-suit. Conniff’s hand held up, and he was crowned champion 13 short hands later.
WPT World Championship presented by partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com:
Positions and Prize Money
1st Asher Conniff – $973,683
2nd Alexander Lakhov – $573,779
3rd Brian Yoon – $330,358
4th Carlos Mortensen – $267,764
5th Ray Qartomy – $208,647
6th Tony Dunst – $173,873
The Season XIII WPT World Championship featured some of the greatest players in the world, including Daniel Negreanu, Jason Mercier, Scott Clements, Matt Salsberg, Darren Elias, and Anthony Zinno. While he failed to cash, Zinno faded a deep run from Elias, and was crowned the Season XIII Hublot WPT Player of the Year. Zinno receives a custom, one-of-a-kind timepiece from Hublot, complimentary accommodation and ground transportation to and from the closest airport at any Season XIV WPT Main Tour stop, and food and beverage credits for the duration of his stay at select Season XIV WPT Main Tour stops.
New Jersey Championship of Online Poker II
The second installment of the New Jersey Championship of Online Poker (NJCOP) concluded on partypoker.com and BorgataPoker.com last weekend, featuring $470,000 in guaranteed prize pools during the WPT World Championship. Several top pros participated in the big buy-in events, including WPT commentator Mike Sexton, Season XIII BLUFF.com Ones to Watch Daniel Strelitz, and super high-roller regular Jason Koon. The $150,000 guaranteed NJCOP II Main Event attracted a field of 659 players, and “MattLoFan89” captured the top prize of $25,612.50.
Season XIV of the World Poker Tour kicks off on Friday May 1 with the partypoker.net WPT Canadian Spring Championship at Playground Poker Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The CAD $3,500 Main Tour event features two starting flights with next day re-entry, and a live-streamed final table on Wednesday, May 6.
For more details on World Poker Tour events, sponsors, and promotions, please visitwww.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.
About World Poker Tour
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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