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Andy Hwang won last year's main event here at Borgata.
The tournament director's voice is filling the venue here at Borgata in Atlantic City, N.J., and players line the back wall as they prepare to take their seats for Event 1 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. PokerNews will be on location, bringing you live updates throughout the tournament series, which culminates with the $3,300 re-entry main event starting Jan. 26. Other highlights of the two-week-long series include a $1,500 Heads-Up event and a $1,000 Six-Max tournament.
Last year, Andy Hwang topped a final table that included former WPT champion Matt Salsberg to take home a $730,053 first-place prize in the main event.
The first event, which is set to begin just minutes from now, is a $500 re-entry tournament with a $2 million guaranteed prize pool, so over 4,000 entries are expected. Roughly 700 entrants are registered so far, according to a tournament official, who said he expects the field to top out around double that number today, the first of three heats.
The button will start in Seat Six, and the tournament director has just instructed dealers to begin the tournament. Players will begin with stacks of 20,000.
Nearly one year after Governor Chris Christie signed legislation to regulate and legalize online poker in New Jersey, the state’s premier gaming establishment – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – has capitalized on the momentum.
As the Borgata Winter Poker Open kicks off with Event 1: $500+$60 Big Stack NLHE Re-entry, dozens of players in attendance have the rebirth of online poker to thank for their tournament entry. With Borgata's affiliated gaming sites now operational, the casino has been running satellite tournaments to give online players an opportunity to jump into the live action, and so far several players have done just that.
Jermaine “Blue_Magic” Hampton hails from Voorhees, New Jersey, and after becoming interested in poker just before Black Friday, he was more than ready to mix it up on the virtual felt. Hampton entered a $91+$9 satellite event on BorgataPoker.com, and along with 49 other survivors, he emerged from the 184 player field to claim his entry to today’s opening event of the series. Hampton said he was “ecstatic” to have online poker back in his backyard, and he has a tremendous chance here today as he attempts to turn an online satellite entry into a major payday.
According to the Borgata's online poker consultant, the synergy between Borgata’s online poker room and its live tournament series is integral to the success of both venues. Players can compete online, cash in their winnings right at the casino’s cashier cage, and even parlay a deep run in a satellite event into an entry to the Winter Poker Open.
We will be sure to track the progress of online qualifiers like Hampton throughout the day here at PokerNews, so check back regularly to follow along.
We found well-known actor and poker enthusiast James Woods grinding away at Table 46, and he had just fired a bet of 1,300 into two opponents on a board of . Both players folded their hands without much thought.
"Did you have king-queen?" a player at the opposite end of the table asked.
"Yeah, I had king-queen," Woods responded, casually tossing into the middle to show a set of deuces. "Good read, good read."
"Hey, sometimes I'm a little off," the prospective hand-reader said with a smile.
Woods looks to have run into a little bit of trouble early on despite the win, as he's well below the starting stack of 20,000.
[user253757]
Andy Hwang, Winner of the 2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event
With many of the game's most recognizable faces still travelling back from the recently concluded PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, today's field is largely comprised of local grinders.
Fortunately, we were able to spot a familiar face among the masses, as Andy Hwang currently sits with a double stack just four levels into the day.
Hwang is picking up right where he left off here at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, steadily amassing a big stack early on Day 1A of this $500+$60 re-entry event.
[user253757]
Andy Hwang, Winner of the 2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event, Here on Day 1A
Four players, including Andy Hwang and a short stacked Eric Riley, committed 2,100 before the flop, which fell .
All fur players checked around to bring the to the table on the turn. Another check to Riley prompted an all-in shove of 2,400, and with the action back on him after another player flatted, Hwang took some tome to ponder his options.
On the river, both Hwang and the other player involved tapped the table, with Hwang slowly revealing just the in hoped his pair was good. It was enough to force a muck from the unidentified player, but Riley triumphantly revealed his for a better pair on the river.
Even with the hit, Hwang is still sitting comfortably with an above average chip stack, while Riley bought himself some much needed breathing room with the drop of a card.
[user253757]
Men "The Master" Nguyen Here on Day 1A
The face of tournament veteran Men "The Master" Nguyen is familiar for tournament reporters and opponents alike, which is why eight of his nine opponents folded quickly on Nguyen's big blind.
Matt Shafman, on the other hand, decided to tame the beast, raising to 1,200 from the small blind. Nguyen peered down at Shafman's stack, and after assessing the possibilities, "The Master" made the call.
Flop:
Shafman led out with a bet of 1,600 and Nguyen quickly plunked a stack of orange T1000 chips forward to put his short-stacked opponent to the test. Just as quickly, Shafman made the call, and when he rolled over it was clear why.
Nguyen, for his part, appeared to be quite surprised, showing Shafman his and saying "Wow... I thought I had the best hand here!"
Needing to catch one of two remaining jacks to notch the knockout, Nguyen watched as the turn () and river () missed him entirely. Still smiling at his admitted misread, Nguyen cut off a stack from his own chip castle, and Shafman scored a well-timed double up through one of poker's original superstars.
[user253757]
Robert "Uncle Krunk" Panitch Here on Day 1A
With a nickname like "Uncle Krunk" one might expect Robert Panitch to be a young gun on the poker scene, but in fact, Panitch is a 62-year old grizzled vet on the tournament scene.
Panitch is in the house here today, competing on Day 1A of today's opening event at the Borgata Winter Poker Open. So far, "Uncle Krunk" has lived up to his nickname, and he has hung tough against players 40 years his junior.
Currently, Panitch sits with a comfortable stack of around 42,000, good for double what he started the day with.
[user253757]
Chris Reslock (Seen Here Displaying the Winning Hand After Recording His Record-Breaking 7th WSOP Circuit Win)
Longtime tournament veteran and all-around consistent performer Chris Reslock has been spotted among the field, and the all-time leading winner of WSOP Circuit rings is quietly amassing a big stack midway through Day 1A.
Reslock, who has won an astounding seven Circuit rings since the series' inception, recently sent an opponent to the rail after his connected on the river.
With the final board reading , the held by Reslock's short-stacked opponent proved to be no good. A third player called both Reslock and the opponent's all-in moves with , so the pot was essentially a triple up for one of the most decorated players in the room.
[user253757]
Men "The Master" Nguyen Has Been Eliminated Here on Day 1A
Shortly after becoming crippled in an earlier hand, we watched Men "The Master" Nguyen make his stand with an all-in shove from early position.
With his last 5,600 in the middle and at risk, Nguyen watched as a player in the cutoff re-shoved for 35,500. When a second player opted to do the same, Nguyen knew he was in trouble, and when both opponent's tabled and , "The Master" found his to be far behind.
"I can't believe this..." Nguyen said as he saw the bad news. "They both have a real hand... always have a hand."
A final rollout of left all three players with ace-high, but the king kickers did the trick, sending Nguyen home in the latter stages of Day 1A.
. Both players folded their hands without much thought.
into the middle to show a set of deuces. "Good read, good read."
.
river, both Hwang and the other player involved tapped the table, with Hwang slowly revealing just the 
in hoped his pair was good. It was enough to force a muck from the unidentified player, but Riley triumphantly revealed his 
for a better pair on the river.
it was clear why.
connected on the river.
, the 
held by Reslock's short-stacked opponent proved to be no good. A third player called both Reslock and the opponent's all-in moves with 
and 
left all three players with ace-high, but the king kickers did the trick, sending Nguyen home in the latter stages of Day 1A.