Event 9: $300 $100,000 Guaranteed Big-Stack NLHE Reentry | 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open

04-17-2014 05:20 UTC-4

Adir Davidov Eliminated in 7th Place ($7,654)

[user253757]

Level 30 : 60,000/120,000, 20,000 ante

Adir Davidov had just over 4 big blinds to work with in what is quickly becoming a turbo shove-fest, and when he woke up with those 500,000 chips were happily pushed into the middle.

The chip leader (a man with no name as of yet) quickly called with to put the shorty at risk, and as if fate truly wanted the world to know he's playing a poker tournament here today, the flop fell to give him trips.

The turn () and river () changed nothing, and Davidov was knocked out in 7th place for a $7,654 score.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rey Mysterio Jr.	6,900,000 700,000	700,000
Adir Davidov	Busted

Tags: Adir Davidov

04-17-2014 05:28 UTC-4

Chris Walker Eliminated in 6th Place ($9,567)

[user253757]

Level 30 : 60,000/120,000, 20,000 ante

Another preflop shove and call has led to the demise of Chris Walker, after a battle of the blinds just went down.

Thomas Balla shoved all in from the small blind - putting around 1.2 million in the middle - and Chris Walker quickly called off the last of his stack with .

Balla was behind with his - the hand he calls "George Robinson" - but the flop paired his live cards when the dealer fanned . The turn () and river () failed to deliver Walker a tournament-saving ace, and he hit the rail with a 6th place finish.

Player	Chips	Progress
Thomas Balla	2,100,000 600,000	600,000
Chris Walker	Busted

Tags: Chris Walker Thomas Balla

Level: 31

Blinds: 80,000/160,000

Ante: 20,000

04-17-2014 05:37 UTC-4

Dom Gaccino Eliminated in 5th Place ($9,567)

[user253757]

Level 31 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante

Dom Gaccino made his stand with and found himself ahead of Jimmy "Bagels" Lillis, who held the .

The final board read by the end though, and Bagels' flopped pair of kings were enough to claim a huge pot, sending Gaccino to the rail in the process.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jimmy Lillis	7,600,000 3,700,000	3,700,000
Dom Gaccino	Busted

Tags: Dom Gaccino Jimmy Lillis

04-17-2014 05:40 UTC-4

Four-Handed Chip Counts

[user253757]

Level 31 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante

Here's where the final four stand at the moment.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jimmy Lillis	7,200,000 -400,000	-400,000
Rey Mysterio Jr.	6,900,000
Thomas Balla	1,600,000 -500,000	-500,000
Gene Mazza	1,100,000 -200,000	-200,000

04-17-2014 06:02 UTC-4

Gene Mazza Eliminated in 4th Place ($14,351)

[user253757]

Level 31 : 80,000/160,000, 20,000 ante

After getting through with a number of open-shoves and prelop three-bets, Gene Mazza tried again after the player with no name opened to 375,000 from the button.

Mazza three-bet jammed for his last 1.5 million and the unknown soldier tanked for about two minutes while talking himself through the hand.

"I don't want to call..." he said to Mazza. "But I think I have to here. Maybe I'll hit my man..."

While the mystery man was deliberating, Mazza put in his two sense, responding succinctly after hours of subdued silence.

"Don't double me up," he said. "I'm dangerous if you double me up."

"He speaks English!" said the man who dare not speak his name. "First thing I've heard you say in six hours other than all in."

Finally, seemingly motivated by Mazza's speech, the anonymous man made the call, showing down to find himself racing against Mazza's .

The flop of came in a flash, and when it did the table's ghost had indeed hit his man, spiking a set of sevens to leave Mazza drawing dead. The came on the turn just to give Mazza a reason to always remember the forgotten man's face, and the river came to make things official.

Mazza finished in 4th place for $14,351, while the man without a name moved one step closer to having his preciously guarded secret identity enter the public record on the Borgata's tournament winner website.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rey Mysterio Jr.	8,500,000 1,600,000	1,600,000
Gene Mazza	Busted

Tags: Gene Mazza

Level: 32

Blinds: 100,000/200,000

Ante: 30,000

04-17-2014 06:07 UTC-4

Three-Handed Chip Counts

[user253757]

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante

Here's the score.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rey Mysterio Jr.	8,900,000 400,000	400,000
Jimmy Lillis	5,600,000 -1,600,000	-1,600,000
Thomas Balla	2,300,000 700,000	700,000

04-17-2014 06:23 UTC-4

Shove-Fest at the Sleepover

[user253757]

Level 32 : 100,000/200,000, 30,000 ante

If sleep eventually overcomes the remaining three players, something tells us Jimmy "Bagels" LIlly will have no problem playing with his eyes closed

This one-day tournament is a few hours away from living up to its name, as play has been underway for more than 19 hours.

The three remaining players appear to be punch-drunk and delirious at this point (except for Jimmy "Bagels" Lilly, who remains uncannily calm, as if influenced by some unseen force).

Every hand is played between laughs, jokes and fleeting stories, as the trio tries to stay awake while playing for the five-figure score.

Meanwhile, not a flop has been found for several hands running, with open-shoves from a short-stacked Thomas Balla, or button raises from his opponents, getting through each and every time.

Tags: Jimmy Lillis Thomas Balla