World Poker Tour on FSN: Borgata Poker Open — Part II

March 21, 2011

Chad Holloway PR & Media Manager

On Sunday night, FSN's coverage of the World Poker Tour's ninth season continued with Part II of the Borgata Poker Open from the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. Part I of the broadcast, which took place the week before, saw the final table of six cut in half with the elimination of Ben Klier, Daniel Makowsky, and Brandon Novena and others. Kia Mohajeri had positioned himself as the chip leader but still faced stiff competition from Dwyte Pilgrim and Ofir Mor. Each was guaranteed a portion of the $3,335,442 prize pool, so the only question was who would claim victory and the $733,802 first-place prize.

Here is how the final table of the final three players looked at the top of the broadcast.

Final Table

Seat 1: Kia Mohajeri (15,925,000)
Seat 2: Ben Klier (Out in 6th place for $148,427)
Seat 3: Brandon Novena (Out in 4th place for $223,475)
Seat 4: Dwyte Pilgrim (12,150,000)
Seat 5: Ofir Mor (2,800,000)
Seat 6: Daniel Makowsky (Out in 5th place for $183,449)

First Hand: Play started with the blinds at 150,000/300,000 with a 25,000 ante. When action folded to Mor in the small blind, he moved his short stack all in holding K♥8♠. Pilgrim was in the big blind and looked down at the 10♠J♠ and made the call, essentially making the hand a coin flip. When the flop fell J♥10♦4♥, a big smile flashed across Pilgrim’s face as he went to the rail to celebrate with his supporters.

But it wasn’t over, especially after the turn brought the 8♥ and gave Mor a pair of eights and a flush draw. Wouldn’t you know it, the K♠ on the river gave Mor the double and inspired commentator Mike Sexton to exclaim, “Folks, if there’s a lesson to be learned here, don’t celebrate until they pass the pot your way.”

“Oh, I Found a Deuce”: Pilgrim, holding 2♥2♦, raised to 750,000 in the small blind. Mohajeri woke up with J♣J♦ in the big blind and put in a raise of 1.5 million more. Surprisingly, Pilgrim wasted little time in moving all in for 9,675,000, but Mohajeri didn’t snap-call. Instead, he tanked, stood from his chair, and eventually announced a fold. Never one to miss an opportunity for showmanship, Pilgrim showed him the 2♥ while pandering to the crowd, “Ohhhh, I found a deuce.” Needless to say, Mohajeri’s face said it all.

The Raw Deal: Tony Dunst used his segment to dissect the previous hand. He was particularly critical of Mohajeri’s decision to fold the best hand. Dunst credited the bad decision to Mohajeri’s lack of having a plan for the hand and ultimately second guessing himself.

New Short Stack: Mor raised to 850,000 on the button with A♣8♥ and was called by Mohajeri’s 3♥3♣ in the big blind. Both players checked the A♦4♣Q♠ flop and watched the dealer burn and turn the 10♣. Mohajeri checked, Mor bet 600,000, Mohajeri check-raised to 1.6 million, and Mor made the call. Mohajeri, who may have been slightly tilted from Pilgrim’s earlier play, continued his aggression by firing out 3 million when the 9♠ was revealed on the river. Mor took his time before making the call and taking down the 11,225,000 pot. Mohajeri was left as the short stack with 5.3 million after the hand.

King of the Hill: On the very next hand, Mohajeri looked down at K♥K♣ on the button and raised to 900,000. Mor, who was in the small blind, picked up A♣J♥ and reraised to 2,000,000. Pilgrim got out of the way in the big blind and Mohajeri opted to call. When the flop came down J♠5♥Q♣, Mor moved all in, and Mohajeri quickly called off his remaining 3.25 million. Mor needed some help to eliminate his opponent but couldn’t catch as the 3♠ hit the turn followed by the 8♠ on the river. The pot essentially evened out the chip stacks between the three remaining players at around 10 million each.

Mor Eliminated in Third Place: After losing a big pot to Pilgrim, Mor moved all in for a total of 3.65 million after a raise of 2,000,000 from Mohajeri. Mohajeri made the called and the cards were turned up.

Mor: A♣4♠
Mohajeri: 8♣7♣

Pilgrim was up on his feet and verbally supporting Mohajeri as Mor’s elimination would bump him up at least $200,000 in the payouts. His wish came true as the board ran out 3♦K♦7♥8♦5♦, and Mor was eliminated in third place ($266,835).

And Then There Were Two: Heads-up play began with Mohajeri holding 15.85 million in chips to Pilgrim’s 15.025 million, a near deadlock. Things seemed to go Pilgrim’s way as he picked up most of the pots and slowly developed a chip lead. In what ended up being the final hand of the tournament, Mohajeri raised to 1.2 million with K♠9♣ and Pilgrim called with his Q♥J♠.

The 10♠9♠K♥ flop was disastrous for Mohajeri — it delivered him two pair but gave his opponent a straight. Mohajeri led out for 2,000,000 and Pilgrim just called behind. When the 7♦ hit the turn, Pilgrim bet 2,000,000, Mohajeri moved all in, and Pilgrim snap-called. The 5♦ on the river gave Pilgrim the in, but overcome with emotion, he had little to say.

The Borgata Poker Open began with 1,042 players, making it the largest field in WPT history. In the end, it was Dwyte Pilgrim who notched his first major televised win and pocketed $733,802 in the process.

Past Borgata Poker Open Champions

Season	Player	Earnings
2	Noli Francisco	$470,000
3	Daniel Negreanu	$1,117,400
4	Al Ardebili	$1,498,650
5	Mark Newhouse	$1,519,020
6	Roy Winston	$1,575,280
7	Vivek Rajkumar	$1,424,500
8	Oliveir Busquet	$925,514
9	Dwyte Pilgrim	$733,802