Early Photos
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Below is a selection of photos from the early going on Day 1b:
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
$3 Million Guaranteed WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
Day: 1b
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
On the Marc(us)
Level 3
: 75/150, 0 ante
With the board reading 
by the turn, Gregory Marcus led out for a bet of 1,750, only to see his lone opponent raise the action to 6,275.
Marcus tanked for a bit and asked for a count of the raise, before flatting to see the 
drop on the river.
Despite the escalation on fourth street, fifth was checked down and Marcus tabled his 
for the winner.
"I had him on two tens..." Marcus remarked as he dragged the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
38,900 |
Selbst M.I.A.
Level 3
: 75/150, 0 ante
Vanessa Selbst is always conspicuous in her absence from a Main Event field, and today is no different.
After firing at least one $3,500 bullet yesterday and failing to bag up a stack by the end of Day 1a, we expected to see Selbst back at it here on Day 1b to take another shot.
So far though, Selbst hasn't been seen, although a recent tweet indicates she'll be here shortly.
I'm sure the rest of the field is really happy to hear that...
Nong Doubles Early
Level 3
: 75/150, 0 ante
We found Mitchell Nong all in with his chips being counted out for a double up with 
against an opponent who held 
. The two got it all in after the flop of 
, according to another player at the table, and Nong's hand held up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
72,000 |
Living Up to His Word
Level 3
: 75/150, 0 ante
Earlier in the day Ryan Eriquezzo took to Twitter to vent, after a loose opponent used the deuce-four offsuit to take a few of his chips.
Eriquezzo didn't go so far as to make a guarantee, but he confidently announced that a 100,000 chip count was his expectation for the end of today's play. Tripling (and then some) one's starting stack is always a good way to end a starting flight, so Eriquezzo wasn't out of line by any means, and he is obviously skilled enough to set a high bar for himself.
We've been wondering how Eriquezzo has been doing thus far in his effort to build a six-figure stack, so we checked his favorite outlet for on the felt updates to see how he's doing. Here's what we found out:
Apparently Eriquezzo victimized his friend and fellow pro Jeff Madsen when both players flopped two pair and filled up on the turn. That pot pushed him over 60,000, but the swings set in and he fell back to 22,000 during Level 3, only to rebound recently as Level 4 is set to begin.
Halfway home, Eriquezzo looks to be well on his way to the 100,000 mark he assured the world he would meet. It's poker though, so we won't book his seat in Day 2 just yet... even if Eriquezzo himself already has.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
60,000
28,000
|
28,000 |
|
||
Level: 4
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
Chhabra "Mergin' it Up"
Level 4
: 100/200, 0 ante
Rogen Chhabra's opponent checked to him on the end with the board reading 
. Chhabra fired 7,750, and his opponent called after a minute or two of consideration. Chhabra tabled 
for top pair, and his opponent couldn't beat it.
"I think that's what the young guys call merging," a player at the table said. "Just say he's mergin' it up over here."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,500 |
Ship It Holley Ballas
Level 4
: 100/200, 0 ante
John Holley's first bullet of the day just missed the target, after the circuit grinder went for a spectacular preflop bluff, only to run a weak ace into a pair of them.
We saw six players with bets of 600 in front of them, and Holley's last 14,000 pushed forward for the three-bet jam. The player to Holley's left paused for a beat before heaping a stack of baby blue T5000 chips forward for a huge four-bet.
Dennis Phillips was not pleased with this development, and he checked his cards a few times while lamenting the sudden increase in action that would prevent him from seeing the flop.
"Dang it!," he cried, joking as he folded his cards. "I wanted to play those too..."
The table quickly folded around and Holley asked if the reraiser held an ace, only to see the 
tabled in response. Holley could only muster the 
for a mistimed move, and the board ran out 
to end his first try here in the second starting flight.
"Queen-jack of spades..." said Phillips, using both fingers to point to the flop. "Queen-jack of spades... dang it!"
With two all-in moves made before him, Phillips wisely opted to fold the worst hand, but when the deck delivered the nut straight on the flop Phillips immediately regretted his disciplined decision.
"I'm the worst in the world," he told us with a wry grin. "I can't call there, but I could've called there too. Why not? I can play like the biggest donkey ever as good as anybody!"
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
"You Just Don't Want to Believe it"
Level 4
: 100/200, 0 ante
DJ Mackinnon fired 2,200 from the cutoff on a 
flop against an opponent on the button. The button responded with a raise to 5,000, and Mackinnon came back with a three-bet to 10,300. His opponent shoved all in, and Mackinnon called immediately.
"Aces?" the button asked. After Mackinnon turned over 
, the button rolled 
. "You just don't want to believe it."
The turn and river were both eights, and Mackinnon sent his opponent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
49,000 |
Well Travell(ed)
Level 4
: 100/200, 0 ante
Sitting to the left of Dennis Phillips - who is best known for a 3rd-place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event - Travell Thomas may have been intimidated, but he's no slouch on the felt either.
Thomas is an experienced circuit grinder who scored a WSOP Circuit ring in 2011, so he was not cowed when Phillps led into him for 2,525 on the 
flop.
The pot contained about 6,500 at that time, and Phillips was nursing a short-stack so he figured to be getting his money in with a real holding. Thomas didn't care though, and he happily raised the action up to 5,575 while telling Phillps where he stood.
"You only have two options here man..." Thomas told him. "Call or fold. But either way, you're gonna lose."
"Those aren't my only options though, now are they?" Phillips responded, his hands reaching for the small stack of chips he still had left.
"I didn't say what happens if you raise now..." Thomas carried on. "Just that you got two options. Fold or call... but you're losing either way."
Phillips declined to exercise that third option though, and he folded his hand with a laugh while Thomas continued the conversation.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
43,500 | |
|
14,600
-15,400
|
-15,400 |