2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Day 4: Hwang Leads Final Table; Salsberg Eyes 2nd Title
The World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open continued on Thursday with Day 4 action from the Borgata Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The remaining 28 players of a 1,042-player field returned to battle down to a final table, which was set after seven levels of play. Headlining that final table is chip leader Andy Hwang, who bagged up 9.55 million. In addition, 2012 WPT Grand Prix de Paris champion Matt Salsberg is in contention for his second title, albeit as the short stack with 1.92 million.
2013 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Final Table
| Seat | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremy Druckman | 6,170,000 (61 bb) |
| 2 | Matt Salsberg | 1,920,000 (19 bb) |
| 3 | Matt Haugen | 3,235,000 (32 bb) |
| 4 | Jim Anderson | 7,830,000 (78 bb) |
| 5 | Mike Gogliormella | 2,255,000 (22 bb) |
| 6 | Andy Hwang | 9,550,000 (95 bb) |
Day 4 began with 28 players intent on making the final table, but 22 of them would leave disappointed. The first elimination came just minutes into the day in Level 24 (10,000/20,000/2,000), and according to the WPT Live Reporting Team it happened when Matthew Diehl opened for 45,000 from early position only to have Mark Sykes three-bet to approximately 100,000 from the button. Both blinds folded, Diehl moved all in for 450,000, and Sykes made the call.
Diehl: Q♠Q♦
Sykes: A♣Q♥
Diehl got it in good, but the A♠J♣2♥ flop was unkind as it paired Sykes’ ace. Neither the K♠ turn nor 8♠ river helped Diehl, and he was sent packing in 28th place for $12,942.
From there the eliminations kept coming. Among those to hit the rail were Mark Wahba (27th-$14,933), Chris Reslock (26th-$14,933), Gary Horn (25th-$14,993), Mike Shklover (24th-$14,933), Nathan Tuthill (23rd-$14,933) and Jamie Kerstetter (22nd-$14,933).
Kerstetter, who recently did an interview with PokerNews as a part of the Online Chat series, was eliminated in Level 25 with the blinds at 12,000/24,000/3,000 when a preflop raising war resulted in her being all in from the hijack for roughly 600,000 and at risk against Salsberg.
Kerstetter: K♣10♣
Salsberg: A♦Q♠
The A♣9♥5♥ flop was disaster for Kerstetter as it paired Salsberg’s ace, and the 4♠ turn left her drawing dead. The meaningless 8♦ was run out on the river for good measure, and Kerstetter, who finished in 12th place in the Borgata Poker Open back in September, exited the tournament.
Of course the eliminations didn’t stop there. Arkadiy Tsinis (21st-$14,933), Ryan Paluf (20th-$14,933), Sam Taylor (19th-$14,933), Joseph Brattole (18th-$18,251) and Mark Sykes (17th-$18,251) all joined Kerstetter on the rail. It was at that time, in Level 27 (20,000/40,000/4,000) to be exact, that a big hand went Hwang’s way. It began when he opened for 80,000 from early position and Matt Haugen called from the button. Russell Crane then three-bet to 290,000 from the big blind, Hwang four-bet to 563,000, and Haugen got out of the way. Crane thought for a few moments before five-bet shoving for 2.1 million and Hwang snap-called with theK♠K♣. Crane revealed the A♥4♥ and failed to catch as the board ran out J♥9♦2♣5♣Q♦, sending him home in 16th place for $18,251.
After Patrick Chan (15th-$28,207) in Level 28 (25,000/50,000/4,000), Season X WPT Player of the Year Joe Serock got involved in a pot against Jeremy Druckman. It happened when the latter player opened for 106,000 under the gun and Serock three-bet to 240,000 from the button. Druckman moved all in and Serock called off for 1.25 million.
Serock: A♠K♣
Druckman: A♣A♦
It was the worst possible spot for Serock, but he did get a little help as the K♦8♠4♥ flop paired his king. He needed another to stay alive, but it wasn’t in the cards as the Q♣ appeared on the turn followed by the 5♥ on the river. Serock finished in 14th place for $28,207.
After the eliminations of Joe Dimartino (13th-$28,207), Taylor Paur (12th-$39,821) and Anthony Zinno (11th-$39,821), the remaining ten players combined to a single table to play down to six. There was obviously a lot on the line, so play was understandably tight. It wasn’t until Hand #62 of ten-handed play, which happened in Level 29 (30,000/60,000/5,000), that Adam Cook moved all in under the gun for 730,000. Jim Anderson called from middle position with 8♦8♠, and he had Cook’s 7♣7♦ dominated. The 8♣7♥5♣ flop gave both players a set, but Cook needed the case seven to keep his tournament hopes alive. The K♥ turn wasn’t it, and neither was the 4♣ river, sending Cook home in tenth place for $39,821.
The eliminations of Hung Truong (9th-$61,391) and Jeremy Stein (8th-$89,598) in Hands #68 and #80 of respectively brought about the final table bubble. It took 26 more hands before it burst, but it happened in Level 31 (50,000/100,000/10,000) when Haugen min-raised to 200,000 from early position and Hwang called from the button. Cuong Phung then moved all in from the small blind for 970,000 and Haugen isolated by moving all in over the top.
Phung: 10♣10♠
Haugen: A♣K♥
According to the PokerNews Odds Calculator, Phung was a 56.68% favorite to win the hand, but that dropped to just 8.78% when the flop fell K♠4♦5♥ and Haugen made a pair of kings. The 3♦ further dropped it to 4.55%, while the 2♠ river made it zero and sent Phung home as the final-table bubble boy in seventh place for $117,805.
The fifth and final day of the Borgata Winter Poker Open will take place at 13:00 p.m. EST on Friday as the remaining six players will play down to a champion. Who will walk away with the $730,053 first-place prize and have his name inscribed on the WPT Champions Cup? Be sure to check back tomorrow for a full recap of the action.
Photos courtesy of WorldPokerTour.com.
Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us both Facebook and Google+!
PR & Media Manager for PokerNews, Podcast host & 2013 WSOP Bracelet Winner.
