With the flop of already on board, Aaron Mermelstein called a bet along with one other player to take the turn three-handed.
On fourth street all three checked down, and the river card came to complete the board.
Mermelstein fired a 300 bet when it was checked to him, one player called and the checker then popped the action up to 1,550. Mermelstein deliberated for more than a minute before ultimately making the call. The opponent in between quickly mucked and Mermelstein announced "I can only beat ace-king" while waiting to see what he was up against.
The river raiser tabled for second pair, and with his Mermelstein was happy to discover that he could beat more than just ace-king.
[user253757]
With Mike Sexton's Blessing, the Cards are in the Air on Day 1a of the Borgata Winter Poker Open WPT Main Event
The dulcet tones of Mike Sexton getting this tournament underway just went out over the loudspeaker, and cards are now in the air here on Day 1a of the $3,500 buy-in WPT Main Event Championship.
[user253757]
The World Poker Tour Champion's Cup is at Stake Starting Now
The biggest tournament held at the Borgata Winter Poker Open - the $3,500 buy-in $3 million Guaranteed NLHE Re-Entry WPT Main Event Championship - is set to start at 11 a.m. local time, and after the turnout in the tournaments leading up to the Main, we expect today to be a star-studded affair.
Most of the touring professionals and superstar grinders who travel the circuit in search of cash and glory are here today, including Matt Affleck - who just played his first event of the series, and promptly won it all for a $88,643 score. Affleck didn't beat up on a bunch of local boys either, as the final table of the Six-Max event he breezed through was a murderer's row of million-dollar winners on the live tourney scene. Josh Brikis (2nd Place), Byron Kaverman (4th Place) and Andy Hwang (5th Place) have all crossed the seven-figure mark in their young careers, and each will be back today to see if their great play and run good continue.
With the prestige associated with every World Poker Tour Main Event held across the country - not to mention the more than $1 million payday awaiting the eventual winner - this $3,500 shot at poker immortality is expected to draw huge numbers across the multiple starting flight, re-entry format. Those with big bankrolls can fire brazenly with as many bullets as they prefer, while shot-takers riding a satellite entry and a dream will be forced to pick their spots wisely. The play will be high-caliber from the start, with the best players the Borgata has to offer being joined by a who's who of the East Coast poker community, as well as the game's brightest stars who consider the big buy-in WPT Main Events to be their home away from home.
Check back soon for a full list of notable names we spot streaming in to find their seats, as the Borgata Winter Poker Open's long-awaited $3 Million Guaranteed World Poker Tour Main Event kicks off.
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
already on board, Aaron Mermelstein called a bet along with one other player to take the 
turn three-handed.
to complete the board.
for second pair, and with his 
Mermelstein was happy to discover that he could beat more than just ace-king.
