2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Event 14: $15,400 $5 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship
Day: 3
Event Info

2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a8
Prize
$1,350,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$15,000
Prize Pool
$4,852,400
Entries
328
Level Info
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
25

Seiver Pots the River

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Scott Seiver
Scott Seiver

Ryan D'Angelo and Scott Seiver were heads up on a flop of {3-Spades}{2-Clubs}{k-Hearts}, and D'Angelo, who we believe was the preflop raiser, led out for 30,000. Seiver thought for a bit before matching the bet on the button, and the dealer burned and turned the {7-Hearts}.

D'Angelo led out again - this time for 70,000 - and Seiver silently pointed at the bet to confirm the amount. The dealer cut it down, and the Season 9 WPT World Champion mulled the decision over for the better part of two minutes before calling.

The river was the {4-Spades}, D'Angelo knuckled for the first time, and Seiver once again sat silently in thought. Finally, he reached into his stack with two hands and pushed forward twin stacks of gray T5,000 chips, betting 200,000.

D'Angelo started thinking aloud.

"What were you thinking so long for on the turn?" he asked Seiver, who responded with nothing but an icy stare at a single spot on the felt. "Ace-five?"

The man known to some as "g0lfa" eventually folded, and Seiver slipped his cards into the muck facedown, dragging the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Ryan D'Angelo us
Ryan D'Angelo
700,000
-75,000
-75,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Scott Seiver us
Scott Seiver
665,000
90,000
90,000
$25K Fantasy
WSOP 4X Winner
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Scott SeiverRyan D'Angelo

Joseph Wertz Eliminated in 39th Place

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Joseph Wertz
Joseph Wertz

Jesse Sylvia opened to 24,000, Yuval Harosh called, and Joseph Wertz moved all in for approximately 100,000 from the big blind. Sylvia called and Harosh got out of the way. Wertz had {A-Spades}{10-Spades} and was dominated by Sylvia's {A-Hearts}{J-Clubs}.

The flop would come {J-Spades}{8-Hearts}{6-Hearts} to give Sylvia a commanding lead and the {4-Clubs} on the turn and the {4-Spades} on the river did nothing to change that. Wertz is eliminated just three spots shy of the money.

Player Chips Progress
Jesse Sylvia us
Jesse Sylvia
545,000
65,000
65,000
WPT 1X Winner
Joseph Wertz us
Joseph Wertz
Busted

Tags: Jesse SylviaJoseph Wertz

Flush Over Flush and a Three-Way Showdown

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Ray Qartomy
Ray Qartomy

Jonathan Tamayo raised in the cutoff, Justin Young called on the button, and Ray Qartomy called in the small blind.

The dealer fanned {4-Hearts}{10-Hearts}{9-Diamonds}, Qartomy checked, and Tamayo fired out 35,000. Both players called.

The turn was the {9-Clubs}, the trio checked, and the river was the {2-Hearts}. Qartomy led out for 40,000, both players called, and Qartomy showed {a-Hearts}{q-Hearts} for a rivered flush. Tamayo mucked, and Young showed a weaker flush; {6-Hearts}{5-Hearts}.

Player Chips Progress
Ray Qartomy us
Ray Qartomy
710,000
337,000
337,000
Justin Young us
Justin Young
490,000
-12,000
-12,000
WPT 1X Winner
Jonathan Tamayo us
Jonathan Tamayo
450,000
-135,000
-135,000

Tags: Jonathan TamayoJustin YoungRay Qartomy

Two Down, One of them Hellmuth

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth

We lost two players on successive hands at connecting tables.

In the first hand, Malkiel Berlianshik moved all in and Jesse Sylvia decided to make the call with {9-Spades}{9-Hearts}. Berlianshik was in great shape with {K-Clubs}{K-Spades} but things started to change quickly when the flop and turn came {8-Hearts}{4-Hearts}{2-Spades}{3-Hearts}.

Now Sylvia could bust Berlianshik with any nine or heart and he would do just that when the river came {2-Hearts}.

After the hand, Maurice Hawkins told Sylvia "you can smile."

Sylvia responded "I don't feel particularly good about that".

Hawkins laughed and replied "you're lying." Sylvia smiled.

At the other table, Byron Kaverman would open and call Phil Hellmuth's all in shove. Hellmuth was in bad shape with his {A-Spades}{6-Hearts} could not improve against Kaverman's {A-Hearts}{Q-Spades} and he was off to whine to the television cameras about how bad he runs. "That kid raises every hand and when I finally get a hand, he gets Ace-Queen. Are you kidding me?"

Player Chips Progress
Byron Kaverman us
Byron Kaverman
650,000
40,000
40,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Jesse Sylvia us
Jesse Sylvia
480,000
1,000
1,000
WPT 1X Winner
Phil Hellmuth us
Phil Hellmuth
Busted
WSOP Main Event Champion
$25K Fantasy
WSOP 17X Winner
Poker Hall of Famer
Malkiel Berlianshik
Malkiel Berlianshik
Busted

Tags: Byron KavermanJesse SylviaPhil Hellmuth

Albilia Busts

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Ariel Albilia
Ariel Albilia

Ariel Albilia open-shoved for around 130,000 from early position, and Michael Lavoie snap-called in the big blind.

Albilia: {10-Clubs}{10-Hearts}
Lavoie: {k-Hearts}{k-Clubs}

Albilia used his one time, but the poker gods didn't obey as the board came {a-Spades}{q-Diamonds}{6-Hearts}{a-Hearts}{5-Diamonds}, and he was eliminated.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Lavoie
Michael Lavoie
640,000
228,000
228,000
Ariel Albilia us
Ariel Albilia
Busted

Tags: Ariel AlbiliaMichael Lavoie

"You're Terrific"

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
Eric Afriat becoming unhappy
Eric Afriat becoming unhappy

Eric Afriat put in a raise on the button, Byron Kaverman defended his big blind, and the flop fell {8-Diamonds}{7-Spades}{2-Hearts}. Kaverman check-called a bet of 25,000, and the duo checked on both the turn ({8-Clubs}), and the river ({10-Clubs}).

Kaverman silently revealed {j-Clubs}{7-Hearts} for a pair of sevens, and Afriat shook his head and flashed {a-Spades}{k-Clubs}.

"You're terrific," Afriat jabbed. "Calling out of position with jack-seven."

Evidently Afriat, whose chips are shrinking as his temper is rising, was berating Kaverman during the break as well, because Kaverman was tanking for too long in a previous hand.

Player Chips Progress
Eric Afriat ca
Eric Afriat
660,000
-30,000
-30,000
WPT 3X Winner
Byron Kaverman us
Byron Kaverman
610,000
35,000
35,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Byron KavermanEric Afriat

The Summer of George Ends

Level 18 : 5,000/10,000, 1,000 ante
George Kelly - Eliminated
George Kelly - Eliminated

After Loni Harwood opened for the standard amount holding the button, George Kelly made his stand with a three-bet shove for right around 130,000.

With {a-Spades}{a-Clubs} in the hole Harwood's decision was already made and she snapped the bet off while tabling her bullets with a flourish.

Kelly was in bad shape with his {a-Hearts}{7-Diamonds} but he found a lifeline when the flop fell {7-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}{5-Hearts}. Needing another seven to rain down at some point, Kelly watched the turn and river deliver no further help. He hit the rail just short of the money, while Harwood chipped up to just over the average stack as the money bubble approaches.

Player Chips Progress
Loni Harwood us
Loni Harwood
376,000
181,000
181,000
WSOP 2X Winner
George Kelly us
George Kelly
Busted

Tags: George KellyLoni Harwood

The Bad Beats Still Hurt

Level 17 : 4,000/8,000, 1,000 ante
Tony Dunst
Tony Dunst

"I've been doing this every day for ten years," Scott Seiver told Cathy Dever. "Anyone who says that they don't hurt is lying."

Tony Dunst chimed in.

"Oh yeah," he agreed. "Just losing in general."

The adverse affects of losing with the best hand may diminish over time, but the pain remains real, and minutes after this conversation Dunst was dealt a bad hand.

It all started when David Grandieri moved all in for 79,000 in middle position. Athanasios Polychronopoulos called on his direct left, and the action folded to Dunst, who moved all in for 674,000 out of the big blind. Polychronopoulos folded.

Dunst: {k-Clubs}{k-Hearts}
Grandieri: {k-Spades}{j-Clubs}

Dunst was in great shape to eliminate Grandieri with his dominating pair of kings, and remained ahead after the flop ({q-Spades}{9-Hearts}{8-Hearts}), and the turn ({3-Spades}), but the river was the {10-Diamonds}.

Grandieri made a straight to the king, and we're only left to wonder whether or not that bad beat hurt.

Player Chips Progress
Athanasios Polychronopoulos us
Athanasios Polychronopoulos
595,000
-210,000
-210,000
WSOP 2X Winner
Tony Dunst us
Tony Dunst
378,000
-228,000
-228,000
WSOP 2X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
David Grandieri us
David Grandieri
250,000
171,000
171,000

Tags: Athanasios PolychronopoulosCathy DeverDavid GrandieriTony Dunst

When the Best Hans Hold Up

Level 17 : 4,000/8,000, 1,000 ante
Hans Winzeler
Hans Winzeler

After a min-raise and a call went into the pot (we missed the preflop action but saw those bets being dragged in), Jeff Madsen and Hans Winzeler checked the {j-Hearts}{9-Clubs}{a-Diamonds} flop to see the {5-Clubs} fall on fourth street.

Winzeler checked to Madsen again and flatted after the three-time WSOP bracelet winner bet out for 24,000.

On the {8-Hearts} river Winzeler bet about 45,000 and Madsen looked him up with {a-Diamonds}{7-Diamonds}, only to knock the table in acknowledgement when Winzeler tabled the {A-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}.

Although both players had found top pair on the flop, the pot was played cautiously through the river, which is understandable with the money bubble looming.

Player Chips Progress
Hans Winzeler us
Hans Winzeler
617,000
194,000
194,000
Jeff Madsen us
Jeff Madsen
301,000
-19,000
-19,000
$25K Fantasy
WSOP 4X Winner

Tags: Hans WinzelerJeff Madsen

Justin Young Stackin' Chips

Level 17 : 4,000/8,000, 1,000 ante
Justin Young
Justin Young

Justin Young opened the pot for 17,000 from under the gun and Ray Qartomy, one to his left, re-raised to 45,000. It was folded to Jason Koon who asked Young how much he started the hand with. After getting an answer from Young, Koon announced a raise to 108,000.

The remaining players got out of the way and a cool, calm, and collected Young announced that he was all in. Qartomy didn't fold immediately. He thought about it for over a minute before tossing his cards away.

"I have three outs," Koon said, thinking that Young had Kings. "I have to call though."

Young didn't have Kings. He had better. {A-Clubs}{A-Spades}.

"I guess I could hit a straight," said Koon. "I haven't done that in a while."

There was no straight possibilities on the {J-Diamonds}{4-Spades}{2-Spades} flop but the {K-Clubs} on the turn caused Young to turn his head. Fortunately for him the river was not a Ten... it was the {5-Hearts}... and Young moves up to just shy of half a million in chips while Koon and Qartomy both finish the hand near the 400,000 chip mark.

Player Chips Progress
Justin Young us
Justin Young
475,000
235,000
235,000
WPT 1X Winner
Jason Koon us
Jason Koon
410,000
-210,000
-210,000
Ray Qartomy us
Ray Qartomy
395,000
-291,000
-291,000

Tags: Justin YoungRay QartomyJason Koon