Event 14: $15,400 $5 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship Day 1b | 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

04-22-2014 10:21 UTC-4

Second Verse, Same as the First

[user101598]

Good morning, and welcome back to the Season XII WPT World Championship here at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa!

After eight levels of play on Day 1a, Paul Volpe emerged as the chip leader with 215,300, and he was followed closely by Jerry Wong (198,000), Brandon Steven (195,500), Scott Seiver (192,500), and Tony Gregg (190,600). The first flight attracted 105 players - 62 advanced - and in order to reach the $5 million guarantee, the Day 1b field will have to be double in size.

Players who were eliminated on Day 1a may reenter today for an additional $15,400, but players joining the tournament for the first time today may only fire one single bullet.

Since Season IV, this event has always been won by a professional player, and the final table has always been stacked. In Season XI, Chino Rheem defeated Erick Lindgren heads-up to earn $1,150,279 and the title. Here's a look at all of the players who have ever won this event:

WPT World Champions

Season	Player	Prize
I	Alan Goehring	$1,011,866
II	Martin De Knijff	$2,728,356
III	Tuan Le	$2,856,150
IV	Joe Bartholdi	$3,760,165
V	Carlos Mortensen	$3,970,415
VI	David Chiu	$3,389,140
VII	Yevgeniy Timoshenko	$2,149,960
VIII	David Williams	$1,530,537
IX	Scott Seiver	$1,618,344
X	Marvin Rettenmaier	$1,196,858
XI	Chino Rheem	$1,150,279

The cards will be in the air at 11 a.m. EST, and PokerNews will be bringing you live updates straight from the tournament floor. See you then!

Tags: Borgata Paul Volpe WPT

04-22-2014 11:59 UTC-4

Aristedes and the Black Sea

[user253757]

Level 1 : 75/150, 25 ante

Aristedes Santana's experience at the WPT World Championship was eventful - but ended in mere minutes after it began

The first few orbits of an elite event like today's WPT World Championship are usually much ado about nothing, with the world's best players feeling one another out while contesting small pots of minor consequence.

Sometimes the deck has other ideas though, distributing premium pocket pairs early in the day to light the fuse and begin the firework show early. Unfortunately for Aristedes Santana, he came out on the wrong end of a brutal cooler, with his falling to the held by Joseph Wertz on only the second deal of the day.

We missed the action firsthand, but according to a joint rundown provided by the ever helpful floorwoman Kellie and Wertz himself, a general idea of the action has been developed.

As told by Wertz, the action began with an open to 350 before Santana made it 850 to play. Wertz then four-bet to something like 2,100 and Santana went for the gusto by five-betting to 11,500. Wertz then six-bet shoved for the rest of his 50,000 starting stack, and after a very brief moment of deliberation, Santana called off with his cowboys.

The final board rolled out with a diamond four-flush, but neither player held a fifth and the huge pot was awarded to the owner of aces in the hole. Wertz is obviously the early chip leader, and judging by yesterday's end-of-day counts he already has about half of the amount needed to chase down Paul Volpe to top the Day 2 counts.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joseph Wertz	105,000
Aristedes Santana	Busted

Tags: Aristedes Santana Joseph Wertz

04-22-2014 12:39 UTC-4

Hawk Soars

[user253757]

Level 2 : 100/200, 25 ante

Maurice Hawkins has soared to the top of the chip counts after making Broadway to crack a set of jacks

Maurice Hawkins has made a name for himself on the tournament circuit as a true grinder, jumping from the Florida sit-n-go scene to some of poker's largest events in short order.

Hawkins just jumped to the top of the chip counts, too, after making Broadway on the river to snatch a massive pot from Tom Thomas. We saw Hawkins dancing to the beat while circling the table, and while that would be an expected sight no matter his chip count, a scan of the board showed the score.

With the sitting between them, Hawkins and Thomas each had their 75,000 pushed forward, with the pro's sitting near a soon-to-be-doubled stack. Thomas was the owner of a cracked set with the , but despite the bad beat he was still smiling, although in the rueful fashion we see so often on the tournament floor.

According to the ever ebullient Hawkins, he three-bet to 1,175 holding the button after Thomas opened to 525 from the hijack. The local recreational player flatted and the flop fell to give him top set, while the pro found a gutshot draw to the nuts.

Thomas led out for 700 and Hawkins raised to 1,500 on the come. When the came down on the turn, both players tapped the table, unknowingly setting the stage for a tournament-changing river card. The arrived on fifth street to complete Hawkins' straight, and after Thomas fired out a bet of 4,000, Hawkins popped it to 11,000. With a set on a seemingly innocent board, Thomas made it 20,000 to play, and Hawkins shoved all in for about 75,000 total. Thomas made the call to essentially risk his tournament life, and when he saw Hawkins table the winner before beginning his dance, all he could do was shake his head and smile.

Hawkins, for his part, kept the celebration to his side of the table, and after winning a World Series of Poker Circuit ring (and $183,498) this February, the former sit-n-go grinder will be looking to make his second splash of the year here today.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maurice Hawkins	155,000 105,000	105,000
Tom Thomas	2,500 2,500	2,500

Tags: Maurice Hawkins Tom Thomas

04-22-2014 12:50 UTC-4

Out of Retirement, Again

[user101598]

Level 2 : 100/200, 25 ante

If Bari's restaurant fails, there's always money in the Banana Stand

Allen Bari is about 20 years younger, three feet shorter, and possesses one fewer Super Bowl ring than the legendary Brett Favre, but just like No. 4, Bari has once again "come out of retirement" for a shot at glory.

Bari, who has one more gold bracelet than Favre, winning Event #4: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em at the 2011 World Series of Poker, says that poker remains on the back burner as he focuses on other aspects of his life. He attended culinary school for four days before contracting a severe case of food poisoning, which ended up putting him in the hospital. It was during that time that he decided not to attend culinary school, resulting in him dropping out of culinary academics.

“For what I plan on doing, I don’t need to be a chef,” Bari told PokerNews last summer. “So I went to restaurant management instead. I attended French Culinary Institute and just graduated in May."

Bari plans on opening his own restaurant, but still spends time grinding in mixed cash games in both Atlantic City and Pennsylvania. The bracelet winner still believes he is one of the best ring players in the world.

“I still think I’m good, but now I just think that everyone else has gotten really good,” said Bari. “I think no-limit hold’em tournaments are really tough and the style people play has increased the variance. I think I am probably one of the top 10 cash-game players in the world, but it doesn’t really matter in tournaments. Now, you have to run good. Playing good poker can only get you so far; you need luck.”

Will Bari run it up here on Day 1b and make a push at his second major title, or will he simply throw a late interception to Tracy Porter and fade into the ether? Only time will tell.

Tags: Allen Bari

04-22-2014 12:52 UTC-4

Playing for Peter

[user253757]

Level 2 : 100/200, 25 ante

Chris Tryba's cousin Peter is in need of a kidney transplant

Chris Tryba is an experienced poker pro who has played on the game's biggest and brightest stages, as the gold bracelet he won during the 2012 World Series of Poker proves.

Despite playing for, and winning, prizes well over the six-figure mark, Tryba is here today playing for what may be the most important reason in anybody's life: family.

His cousin, Peter Tryba, a devoted husband and father, is in desperate need of a kidney transplant within the next three to six months. With organ donor lists notoriously long, Peter is in a race against time, and who better to have on his side than a man who wins races for a living.

Chris has decided to donate 10 percent of his potential winnings from the Borgata Spring Poker Open to help fund his cousin's cause, a truly admirable move in a game where selfishness is often lauded as a virtue.

Peter's wife, Rachel, explained the situation further on a Facebook group page dedicated to finding a solution:

My husband Peter Tryba has suffered from chronic kidney disease (CKD) for the past 13 years. The condition is a result of an autoimmune disease called IgA nephropathy. His condition has been managed with medications to lower his blood pressure and keep his kidney function stable. Unfortunately he is now at the end stage of the kidney disease (ESRD) where his kidneys are only functioning at 13%. He will need a kidney transplant from a donor with a matching blood type (He is A+). We will be going to Tufts to meet with the transplant specialists and get put on a list of people waiting for donors. This can potentially take years to find someone. In the meantime, Peter will need to be put on dialysis, 3 days a week, for 3 hours a session in order to help boost his kidneys in eliminating toxins from his body. Peter is otherwise a young, healthy person who has done everything to manage his condition, but now he needs help. He needs a donor. I am willing to donate my kidney to my husband, but we have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and so I feel that I need to be there to care for both of them during this difficult time. The best option is for someone to volunteer. We wanted to let everyone know that this is what we will be going through in the next few months and would appreciate any information, support, guidance, or advice as we embark upon this journey. Thank you,

Sincerely,
Rachel & Peter Tryba

Tryba also took to Twitter to let his followers know about the cause:

christopher tryba @christryba

Its go time inda @wpt @WPTlive 5 MILLY gtd @PokerNews 10% #formy @PeterTryba his dialysis started #hangtuffcuz http://t.co/n8PzU9dPkdApril 22, 2014

Reply Retweet Favorite

Follow @christryba

Tags: Chris Tryba

04-22-2014 13:31 UTC-4

Settle Down

[user253757]

Level 2 : 100/200, 25 ante

The camera crews roving the room stopped to record a recent clash between well-known pros, so we headed over to do the same.

The final board and a pot of 18,000 or so was up for grabs. Dan Smith was first to act sitting in late position, and he studied the board for a long moment before betting 14,000 into Keven Stammen.

Stammen basically beat Smith into the pot with his calling chips, but he mucked even quicker when Smith tabled for turned set.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Smith	76,000 26,000	26,000

Keven Stammen	41,000 -9,000	-9,000

Tags: Dan Smith Keven Stammen

04-22-2014 14:45 UTC-4

McKeehen Meets Mo

[user253757]

Level 3 : 150/300, 50 ante

With a flop of already on board one player checked to Maurice "Mo" Hawkins, and the early chip leader fired out a bet of 750.

Next to act, Joe McKeehen flatted the bet, as did the flop checker. On the turn the action was checked to McKeehen, so he flicked a bet of 2,200 to take down the pot.

"When the media guy is over here my bluffing rate there goes up to like 99 percent," McKeehen told Hawkins as he dragged the pot. "But 99 percent of zero is still zero."

McKeehen should be quite accustomed to us media folks hovering nearby, with his recent win in Event 10 making it three straight Borgata seasonal series in which he has taken a trophy home.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maurice Hawkins	145,000 -10,000	-10,000
Joe McKeehen	48,000

Tags: Maurice Hawkins Joe McKeehen

04-22-2014 15:31 UTC-4

A Matte Finish

[user253757]

Level 4 : 200/400, 50 ante

Jake Toole just made a true pro's play, correctly laying down aces on a king-high board

The final board read when we passed by Jake Toole's table, and the pro was facing an all-in wager of 14,000 made by Scott Matte. With just about the same stack behind, calling would essentially commit Toole for his tournament life, so he took his time to sort things through.

The pot contained about 55,000 at the time, and while Toole tanked long and hard to contemplate his options, we conferred with Elia Ahmadian to discern the previous action.

According to Ahmadian, an under the gun open to 800 by Matte was called by two players, with Toole three-betting to about 3,500. This forced the flatters to fold and when Matte called the ten-high flop fell. The two tapped the table and when the turn dropped in Matte led out for 8,000. Toole popped it to 18,000 and Matte smooth called, bringing the king to the board on the river, which is where we caught the action.

After tanking for a couple of minutes and appearing pained by Matte's big bet, Toole finally released his hand without a word. Matte then told the table he had hit gin on the river with in the hole, and Toole responded by letting Matte and us know that he had laid pocket aces down. Poker is a waiting game and finding bullets is always a big moment, but the young pro correctly deduced that his monster had been scared off, so he made the right play without becoming attached.

Bravo sir.

Player	Chips	Progress
Scott Matte	47,500
Jake Toole	15,000 -35,000	-35,000

Tags: Elia Ahmadian Jake Toole Scott Matte

04-22-2014 15:59 UTC-4

A Guaranteed Sweat

[user253757]

Level 4 : 200/400, 50 ante

The registration desk needs 34 more players to pony up the dough for the $5 million guarantee

Boasting a $15,400 buy-in with a $5 million guaranteed prize pool, this WPT World Championship needed to attract 334 entries to meet the mark.

After Day 1a saw 105 runners take their shot, there have been 205 entries recorded here today.

Late registration ends when Level 7 begins, so there is still plenty of time for 24 players to register, and just as soon as that happens we'll be sure to let you know.

04-22-2014 16:26 UTC-4

Bullet Points

[user253757]

Level 4 : 200/400, 50 ante

When we last saw Iverson Cotton Snuffer back in January, the man known in poker circles as "Heisenberg" was terrorizing the Borgata Winter Poker Open, winning Event 5 for a $63,882 score to start his series in style.

Snuffer became a local legend based on his uncanny resemblance to Walter White of Breaking Bad infamy, and while that mug alone was enough to catch our attention, he consistently built big stacks and bullied his opponents without fear.

Heisenberg is here today after skipping much of the Borgata Spring Poker Open, ponying up to play in one of poker's premier events. With Maurice Hawkins to his right and Joe McKeehen to his left, Snuffer is in an unenviable position to be sure, but something tells us he'll continue his relentless aggression no matter the opponent.

A recent hand saw Snuffer do just that, as he fired out a bet of 4,100 on the board. His opponent could only sigh and flash his while folding, showing Heisenberg the respect he deserves.

Player	Chips	Progress
Iverson Snuffer	66,000 29,000	29,000

Tags: Cotton Snuffer