Local boy Bill Harding had built his stack to nearly 200,000 - good for a strong claim on the chip leadership - but a recent hand saw him ship a sizable portion of that across the table.
The action began when Ricardo Franco opened to 4,000 and Harding flatted from the big blind. On the flop both players tapped the table, bringing the on the turn.
Another check by Harding prompted Franco to fire away with a 5,200 wager, and Harding smooth called to see the fall on the river.
This time Harding was done checking and he tossed a bet of 7,200 in front of his stack. Franco wasted little time in moving all in over the top, risking his last 8,100, and Harding quickly called to force the showdown.
Harding:
Franco:
Both players had flopped open-ended straight draws which were completed on fifth street, but Franco's king gave him Broadway - and thus the nuts. He doubled through Harding to remain in contention late on Day 1a, while Harding was forced to ship a chunk of his previously dominant stack across the table.
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Chris Tryba's cousin Peter is in need of a kidney transplant
Chris Tryba is an experienced poker pro who has played on the game's biggest and brightest stages, as the gold bracelet he won during the 2012 World Series of Poker proves.
Despite playing for - and winning - prizes well over the six-figure mark, Tryba is here today playing for what may be the most important reason in anybody's life: family.
His cousin Peter Tryba - a devoted husband and father - is in desperate need of a kidney transplant within the next 3-6 months. With organ donor lists notoriously long Peter is in a race against time, and who better to have on his side than a man who wins races for a living.
Chris has decided to donate 10 percent of his potential winnings from the Borgata Spring Poker Open to help fund his cousin's cause, a truly admirable move in a game where selfishness is often lauded as a virtue.
My husband Peter Tryba has suffered from chronic kidney disease (CKD) for the past 13 years. The condition is a result of an autoimmune disease called IgA nephropathy. His condition has been managed with medications to lower his blood pressure and keep his kidney function stable. Unfortunately he is now at the end stage of the kidney disease (ESRD) where his kidneys are only functioning at 13%. He will need a kidney transplant from a donor with a matching blood type (He is A+). We will be going to Tufts to meet with the transplant specialists and get put on a list of people waiting for donors. This can potentially take years to find someone. In the meantime, Peter will need to be put on dialysis, 3 days a week, for 3 hours a session in order to help boost his kidneys in eliminating toxins from his body. Peter is otherwise a young, healthy person who has done everything to manage his condition, but now he needs help. He needs a donor. I am willing to donate my kidney to my husband, but we have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and so I feel that I need to be there to care for both of them during this difficult time. The best option is for someone to volunteer. We wanted to let everyone know that this is what we will be going through in the next few months and would appreciate any information, support, guidance, or advice as we embark upon this journey. Thank you,
It appears as if our chip leader is John Gulino, who is currently sitting on approximately 130,000 chips. Gulino has nearly a quarter of a million dollars in career live tournament earnings, including the $68,044 he banked for winning the Borgata $250,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Double Play in February.
Late registration closed recently, but not before Amnon Filippi joined the fun. Filippi is a New York native with over $3 million in career live tournament earnings, including a fourth-place finish in the 2006 WPT Borgata Winter Open for $184,785.
Filippi's largest cash came in 2007 when he reached the final table of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Event at the World Series of Poker, ultimately finishing fourth for $586,080. He finished runner-up another WPT in 2009, pocketing $409,405, and won the Bellagio Challenge Cup in 2005 for $364,200.
Filippi is short on chips with roughly 18,000, but with three more starting flights after Day 1a, he will have several opportunities to build up a big stack if he fails to survive today.
A hand worthy of reportorial coverage just went down at Chris Tryba's table, and while the World Series of Poker bracelet winner was more than happy to shoot the breeze, the winner of the pot remained reticent and reluctant.
The flop read when two players engaged in a raising war that eventually saw sizable stacks shoved forward. The player with the shorter stack rolled over , while his opponent revealed his with a flourish.
Finding himself with a hammerlock on the hand, the young man with a set of kings watched as the turn () gave him the win, and he began stacking his bounty even before the fell on the river to give him quads.
Moments after making the best hand he is likely to find all day - stacking an opponent and scoring a huge pot in the process - the player declined to provide his name, adding a bit of mystery to a monster pot.
![[user253757]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop both players tapped the table, bringing the 
on the turn.
fall on the river.
, Held led out for 9,000, and the player folded.
, while his opponent revealed his 
) gave him the win, and he began stacking his bounty even before the 
fell on the river to give him quads.