Event 5: $340 Seniors NLHE Reentry
Day 1 Started
2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Event 5: $340 Seniors NLHE Reentry
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Buy-in
$300
Entries
197
Level
25
Blinds
20,000 / 40,000
Ante
4,000
Early Bird Special: Seniors Championship Starts at 10 a.m. Local Time
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
With the age old game of poker fast becoming a domain dominated by young guns, today's Seniors Championship at the Borgata Spring Poker Open provides an opportunity for our elders to show how things used to be. Rather than table after table ringed with silent soldiers plying their trade while hiding behind hoodies and headphones, today's $340 No-Limit Hold'em Reentry event will prioritize camaraderie over cards. Seniors Championship events tend to resemble family reunions of sorts, with old friends sharing photos of their grandchildren, swapping war stories from the local poker scene, and just enjoying a casual game of cards.
With all that said, the Seniors in attendance here today will bring their best game to bear, knowing that a five-figure score awaits the eventual winner. Last January it was Richard Gargel who took down top honors, earning $22,080 for his 1st place finish to best a field of 271 runners. After watching Gargel duke it out on the felt, we caught up with the resident of Brigantine, New Jersey for an extended chat, learning about his inspiration for playing the game, his family, and much more.
Today will likely see similar numbers in terms of turnout and prize pool, so stay tuned throughout the day as PokerNews proudly brings you all of the flops and folds live from the floor of the Borgata Spring Poker Open.
MyStack App Available for 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open
The PokerNews MyStack App is available for players here in the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open, allowing players to directly update their chip count on the PokerNews Live Reporting page for their friends and family to see.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Be forewarned, however, any abuse of the app will result in account suspension or termination.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante:
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The atmosphere is subdued so far here in the Signature Room, as the 130 or so seniors currently in attendance can be heard joking in a jovial manner and generally enjoying a grand old time.
Not much action on the felt has occurred though, as the players feel one another out by playing small pots without many major confrontations.
An example of the pace was just put on display when one player bet 600 with the board reading 
by the river. His opponent opted to simply flat call the wager, and the original bettor rolled over 
for a pair of aces.
The caller studied the board for a moment, as well as his opponent's cards, before slowly turning over his 
for the nut straight. And while calling on the river with the nuts would ordinarily incur a penalty in other tournaments, or at least an angry outburst from the loser of the hand, here play rolled on without a second thought.
A Champion Among Amateurs
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
Last summer Kenneth Lind accomplished something ever poker player dreams about: winning a gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker.
Lind took down the 2013 WSOP Seniors Championship, besting a massive field of 4,407 runners to earn $634,809, along with the validation which comes with realizing a long held dream.
With the Borgata Spring Poker Open holding its own Seniors Championship here today, Lind is in the house looking to claim another title, but even if he falls short in his goal, somebody will end up with a parting gift to remember him by.
Lind has taken to offering a customized calling card to those players who bust him from a tournament - like Barry Greenstein before him. We'll see who ends up with Lind's card in hand here today, or perhaps the bracelet winner will repeat his incredible performance from last summer by refusing to hit the rail until he owns every chip in play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
15,000 | 15,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante:
The Italian Stallion
Level 2
: 50/100, 0 ante
Last January at the Borgata Winter Poker Open we watched Italian native Onofrio Reina make an impressive run, reaching the final three tables of the WPT Main Event Championship before falling in 24th place.
Reina is here today competing in the Seniors event, looking to get a bit of practice in before the bigger buy-in events he prefers begin later in the week. We've seen Reina playing multiple events thus far here at the Spring Poker Open, so he should be in playing shape while he dukes it out against the old guard.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
15,000 | 15,000 |
The Only Hand They Play
Level 2
: 50/100, 0 ante
The flop showed 
when we sauntered past Bob Kerzman's table, and he was contesting a pot from the big blind against two opponents. After the player first to act led out for 250, Kerzman raised to 600 even and both opponents came along for the ride.
Demonstrating the typically passive play that punctuates Seniors events, the trio then tapped the table on the turn (
) and river {(4c}).
The player in the cutoff announced "jack" while tabling his 
, but Kerzman rolled over his 
to claim the pot. The third player in the hand flashed his 
to the table while mucking, meaning that a three-way pot involving aces, top pair and the nut flush draw saw a single bet and raise, before being checked through the river.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,000 |
Level: 3
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: