$3 Million Guaranteed WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
Day 1a Started
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
$3 Million Guaranteed WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Buy-in
$3,300
Entries
1,229
Level
39
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
75,000
Welcome to the World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
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.
Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante:
Shuffle Up and Deal!
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.
A Look Around the Room
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
We've spotted quite a long list of notables in the field today as Day 1a kicks off.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
||
Aaron Mermelstein Chips Up
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
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.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
34,500
4,500
|
4,500 |
|
|
||
Satellite Into the $3,500 World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship at Noon Local Time
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
The World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship is just two days away, and for the first time ever PokerNews will be providing live coverage of the tournament straight from the luxurious Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.
The flagship event on the Borgata Winter Poker Open schedule will run from Jan. 26-31. The tournament features a buy-in of $3,500 with two starting flights and a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. Re-entry will be available on Day 1a for those who are eliminated before Level 6, and players eliminated on Day 1a may also re-enter on Day 1b.
For those on the fence about putting up $3,500 to play, there's still plenty of time to qualify through a satellite tournament. Borgata is hosting several live qualifiers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, offering players a chance to win a seat to the WPT event for a fraction of the buy-in.
Here's a look at the qualifier schedule this weekend:
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 26 | 12 p.m. | NLHE Championship Qualifier (Re-entry) | $350+$50 (1 in 10 get a seat) |
| Jan. 26 | 3 p.m. | NLHE Championship Qualifier | $700+50 (1 in 5 get a seat) |
| Jan. 26 | 7 p.m. | NLHE Championship Qualifier (Re-entry) | $500+50 (1 in 7 get a seat) |
Looking back at the history of the event, the first WPT stop at the Borgata took place in Season 2 from Sept. 20-22, 2003, a few short months after Chris Moneymaker ignited the poker boom by winning the World Series of Poker Main Event. The 2003 WPT Borgata Poker Open had a $5,000 price tag and attracted 235 players, creating a prize pool of $1,175,000. The final table included former world champion Carlos Mortensen and fellow poker pro David Oppenheim, but in the end it was Noli Francisco who emerged victorious, making Borgata history in the process.
Since then, the WPT has visited the Borgata at least once every year. After the Borgata Poker Open buy-in was changed to $10,000 in Season 3, the WPT visited the venue twice in Season 4 with the addition of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. Michael Mizrachi won his second WPT title in that event, and it was subsequently won by big names like John Hennigan (Season 5) and Gavin Griffin (Season 6) before being removed from the schedule for five years.
A major change to the WPT Borgata Poker Open was made in Season 8. The buy-in was dropped to $3,500 and the tournament was changed to a multi-entry format. The number of entrants skyrocketed to 1,018 — the largest in WPT history — and well-known pro Olivier Busquet went on to claim victory and the top prize of $925,000.
The event grew even more in Season 9. Dwyte Pilgrim bested a field of 1,042 in dramatic fashion, winning his first major tournament in his own backyard. The largest WPT Borgata event ever took place the following year when 1,313 entrants took to the felt. Bobby Oboodi was the last man standing, collecting $922,441 and the honor of winning the biggest WPT Borgata event ever — a record that still stands today.
The WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open returned last year after the five-year hiatus, and Andy Hwang took down the championship event for $730,053. Hwang outlasted a field of 1,042 including a final table that featured eventual WPT Player of the Year Matt Salsberg (sixth place).
Here's a look at the results from each of the World Poker Tour events held at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa:
| Season | Event | Buy-in | Entrants | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 2 | Borgata Poker Open | $5,000 | 235 | Noli Francisco | $470,000 |
| Season 3 | Borgata Poker Open | $10,000 | 302 | Daniel Negreanu | $1,117,400 |
| Season 4 | Borgata Poker Open | $10,000 | 515 | Al Ardebili | $1,498,650 |
| Season 4 | Borgata Winter Poker Open | $10,000 | 381 | Michael Mizrachi | $1,173,373 |
| Season 5 | Borgata Poker Open | $10,000 | 540 | Mark Newhouse | $1,519,020 |
| Season 5 | Borgata Winter Poker Open | $10,000 | 571 | John Hennigan | $1,606,223 |
| Season 6 | Borgata Poker Open | $10,000 | 560 | Roy Winston | $1,575,280 |
| Season 6 | Borgata Winter Open | $10,000 | 507 | Gavin Griffin | $1,401,109 |
| Season 7 | Borgata Poker Open | $10,000 | 516 | Vivek Rajkumar | $1,424,500 |
| Season 8 | Borgata Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,018 | Olivier Busquet | $925,514 |
| Season 9 | Borgata Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,042 | Dwyte Pilgrim | $733,802 |
| Season 10 | Borgata Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,313 | Bobby Oboodi | $922,441 |
| Season 11 | Borgata Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,181 | Ben Hamnett | $818,847 |
| Season 11 | Borgata Winter Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,042 | Andy Hwang | $730,053 |
| Season 12 | Borgata Poker Open | $3,500 | 1,189 | Anthony Zinno | $825,099 |
| Season 12 | Borgata Winter Poker Open | $3,500 | ??? | ??? | ??? |
Our coverage of the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship event kicks off on Jan. 26, so be sure to tune in for all of the live updates! And if you're participating in the tournament, don't forget that you can update your chip stack whenever you want using the PokerNews My Stack App.
For a full schedule and more information about the venue, visit theborgata.com.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook now!
New Notables
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
A few more familiar faces stood out in the crowd during our latest pass through the tournament floor.
The list includes Byron Kaverman, who reached the final table of the Six-Max event last night and finished in 4th place for a $33,467 score.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
Get Krunk
Level 1
: 25/50, 0 ante
To the untrained eye, Robert Panitch appears to be your standard older gentleman enjoying a nice game of cards on a Sunday afternoon. He is nondescript and quiet, with nothing standing out to differentiate him from thousands of grandfathers tossing in blue chips during a casual $3/$6 limit hold'em game.
But poker fans in the know recognize Panitch as a wolf in sheep's clothing. The man affectionately called "Uncle Krunk" by his friends on the circuit has quickly made a name for himself in a game now dominated by young bucks forty years his senior. Panitch proved his mettle on the felt last year when he final tabled the World Series of Poker Circuit National Championship Main Event - where he ultimate fell in 3rd place for a $156,743 score.
Panitch is off and running here today as he competes on Day 1a of the Borgata Winter Poker Open WPT Main Event Championship, looking to prove that his near miss was no fluke. One unfortunate opponent just got krunked when Panitch took him to valuetown for a sizable river bet.
The final board read 
by the river and the pot contained 800 when we saw Panitch check to an unidentified player. The man took Panitch's tap of the table as a sign of weakness, so he fired out a bet of 1,600, only to discover that Panitch ad played him. Uncle Krunk check-raised to 4,600 and stared forward, not answering when the man asked if he held and ace.
Finally, curiosity got the better of him and he looked Panitch up, only to see his instinct proven correct when Panitch rolled over 
for the boat. We saw the showed to the table as the man angrily flung his cards into the muck, and although he had a full house as well, his end was inferior and the pot was pushed to Panitch.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
37,500
7,500
|
7,500 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: