Anthony Caruso shoved all in over a raise from Michael Fiorito, and Fiorito made the call.
Fiorito: 
Caruso: 
The flop came 
, and Fiorito jumped way in front with top set. A 
gave Caruso hope on the turn, but the diamond he called for didn't materialize as a 
finished the board.
Everyone limped to Joseph Stiers' big blind, and he potted. Two players called, and the flop brought the 
. Anthony Caruso checked, Stiers moved all in, and Michael Fiorito moved in over the top, causing Stiers to sigh deeply. Caruso got out of the way.
Stiers: 
Fiorito: 
The 
turn gave Stiers the nut flush.
"How about an ace?" he said. The river was the 
, good enough for Stiers.
"Finally won one," said Stiers, who had recently been sliding in the counts.
Helder Martins just doubled through Joseph Stiers when his flopped bottom two held up through the river. Here are current counts:
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Stiers | 200,000 |
| Michael Fiorito | 740,000 |
| Martins | 380,000 |
| Caruso | 330,000 |
We didn't catch the action, but Michael Fiorito just doubled through Joseph Stiers when his 
beat Stiers' 
on a community of 
. Fiorito now has 500,000, while Stiers is at about 400,000.
Anthony Caruso found himself taken aback when Amanda Musumeci started training him to improve his poker game.
"She was the first person who ever called me middle-aged," the 47-year-old said with a laugh. "She helped me with my table image. She was really, really helpful."
"I see improvements all the time," he added. "It's more fun when you can win a little."
Caruso, a Marlton, N.J., native, has done a bit of winning recently. Last fall, he took down a Pot-Limit Omaha tournament here, and he's back for more. He's currently four-handed in the $450 PLO tournament.
Caruso said PLO is his favorite game "by far."
"I like the action," he said, adding that he enjoys playing $5/10 PLO when he plays cash games.
Poker is a mere hobby for Caruso, though. Most of his life, he said, revolves around his children. He has two daughters, ages 14 and 11, and a 16-year-old son. Caruso and his son spend a lot of time working for a charity called Wish Upon a Hero, Caruso said. He also runs a shipping company called luggageahead.com.
Those commitments mean he lags behind players more focused on the game. Every day that they log more hours than Caruso, he has more of a gap to make up, which is where his training with Musumeci helps.
Still, he's optimistic about making a big run in the main event here at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, where he could add considerably to his $74,424 in recorded cashes. He said there's always an amateur or two running up a big stack and making a run.
"Maybe I could be that guy," he said.
The remaining 42 players are now on a short break.
The average chip stack at the moment is a little over 380,000.
Anthony Caruso got all in preflop against Helder Martins.
"I'm gambling," he announced.
Caruso: 
Martins: 
The flop was a beauty for Caruso: 
. He had a pair and a wrap, but the turn brought a 
, giving Martins the nut flush draw to close off some of Caruso's out. A 
river filled his straight draw though, and Martins could only sigh in disappointment.
Blinds are currently 6,000-12,000.
Players are taking a 15-minute break.
There are currently 54 players left in contention for the $34,130 payday.
The average stack sits right around 303,000.
Andy Hwang, who won the biggest event of them all last year at the 2013 Winter Poker Open, taking down the World Poker Tour Main Event for more than $730,000, has about 340,000.
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Joseph Stiers | 650,000 |
| Michael Fiorito | 170,000 |
| Helder Martins | 515,000 |
| Anthony Caruso | 320,000 |