2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open

The 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open is underway here in Atlantic City, New Jersey, kicking off with a $560 no-limit hold’em reentry event on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Taking place at one of the finest gaming destinations Atlantic City has to offer, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a definite crowd pleaser featuring a luxurious spa, a variety of fine-dining restaurants, and a stylish nightlife to help get your mind off the bad beats taken at the poker tables.

There are a number of different dining options available inside the Borgata making it convenient to never require leaving the hotel. Whether you are looking for something quick and easy, or something a bit higher-end, the Borgata has a taste to satisfy and meet your needs.

Bread + Butter is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon bite serving up sandwiches and gourmet beverages. One perk is the breakfast menu left as an all-day selection, making it a great spot for those late-night craves. The classic grilled cheese is a patron favorite, or you can also try the Portobello and provolone griddled sandwich, both of which — along with most of the menu — are $10 or less and won’t break the bank.

As a man who has revolutionized the culinary industry, Wolfgang Puck has served up bold and innovative cooking for years and now offers contemporary American cuisine in an upscale setting at the Borgata, as part of his first East Coast venture. Enjoy truffled potato chips, spicy lamb chorizo pizza, or a prime burger from the tavern menu as a less-expensive dinner option. Or you can treat your taste buds and choose one of the many options from the main course on the fine dining menu.

Once you’ve had your fill of the action at the poker tables, take the time to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass or two of your favorite drink.

Gypsy Bar specializes in tequila but also offers an eclectic beer selection and compliments your drink with a roaring atmosphere of live music. The intimate space has seating at the bar, traditional pub tables, and comfortable armchairs for a lounge-type feel. Low lighting also helps to keep the mood mellow. Oh, and don’t be afraid to get a little crazy. Gypsy Bar comes complete with a dance floor allowing you to move your feet to the best sounds in town.

Never been to the Atlantic City or to the Borgata? Then MIXX is the first place to check out because it fully captivates what the Borgata is all about. As a performance-driven dance club, MIXX is home to some of the most renowned DJs and official concert after-parties. With its high ceilings, two levels, and plenty of VIP tables, MIXX has more of a mega club feel than its local counterparts. You will find trapeze artists swinging from the rafters, and celebrities passing through on any given night.

OK so maybe the club scene isn’t for you. Don't worry, because Borgata comes fully equipped with the most luxurious of spas on the east coast. Dedicated to undoing the effects of your day, Spa Toccare offers relaxing treatments guaranteed to exhilarate. It is definitely the place where tensions melt and knots disappear. Sounds like a typical effect from a 12-hour poker session. So emerge yourself into the comforts of their many services and elevate your well being, if even just for an hour or two.

Surely, whatever you choose to do while staying at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, you will be surprised to have a Las Vegas experience with an East Coast twist.

Our exclusive coverage of the Borgata Winter Poker Open kicks off when play begins on Jan. 14, so be sure to tune in for all of the live updates! And if you're participating in the series, 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!

***Article written by PokerNews' Pamela Maldonado, and originally published on January 13th.

For the last few hours the largest stack in the room has been held by a Brooklyn boy named Coleem Chestnust, and we just watched him add another player's stack to his own.

After opening the pot with a raise, Chestnut watched as an opponent shipped around 300,000 - or ten big blinds. Holding , Chestnut snapped the all-in move off.

His opponent could only muster an outmatched , and when the board ran out , Chestnut had shelled another player.

Player	Chips	Progress
Coleem Chestnut	3,350,000 1,350,000	1,350,000

Tags: Coleem Chestnut

Here is where our chip leaders and notable names currently stand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Coleem Chestnut	3,950,000 600,000	600,000
Joe Gola	3,400,000 3,400,000	3,400,000
Steve Dannenmann	2,100,000 1,565,000	1,565,000
Christian Lusardi	1,540,000 -360,000	-360,000
Men Nguyen	450,000 100,000	100,000
Nick Guagenti	350,000 52,500	52,500

Nick Guagenti is one of the more experienced players left in today's shrinking field, as the tournament pro has booked more than $470,000 in lifetime earnings.

Despite plummeting to just under 225,000 less than an hour ago, making him one of the shortest stacks in the room, Guagenti showed the perseverance that separates the professionals from the rest of the pack.

Guagenti patiently grinded his small stack back to the realm of respectability, simply surviving until a momentous clash of premium hands catapulted him to near the top of the leaderboard.

According to an obviously facetious Guagenti, he "played the hand like an expert," having woke up with while two players shoved with and respectively. The rockets held up over big slick and cowboys, pushing Guagenti over the 3 million chip plateau late on this Day 2.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nick Guagenti	3,150,000 1,700,000	1,700,000

Tags: Nick Guagenti

The 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open is underway here in Atlantic City, New Jersey, kicking off with a $560 no-limit hold’em reentry event on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Taking place at one of the finest gaming destinations Atlantic City has to offer, the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa is a definite crowd pleaser featuring a luxurious spa, a variety of fine-dining restaurants, and a stylish nightlife to help get your mind off the bad beats taken at the poker tables.

There are a number of different dining options available inside the Borgata making it convenient to never require leaving the hotel. Whether you are looking for something quick and easy, or something a bit higher-end, the Borgata has a taste to satisfy and meet your needs.

Bread + Butter is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon bite serving up sandwiches and gourmet beverages. One perk is the breakfast menu left as an all-day selection, making it a great spot for those late-night craves. The classic grilled cheese is a patron favorite, or you can also try the Portobello and provolone griddled sandwich, both of which — along with most of the menu — are $10 or less and won’t break the bank.

As a man who has revolutionized the culinary industry, Wolfgang Puck has served up bold and innovative cooking for years and now offers contemporary American cuisine in an upscale setting at the Borgata, as part of his first East Coast venture. Enjoy truffled potato chips, spicy lamb chorizo pizza, or a prime burger from the tavern menu as a less-expensive dinner option. Or you can treat your taste buds and choose one of the many options from the main course on the fine dining menu.

Once you’ve had your fill of the action at the poker tables, take the time to sit back, relax and enjoy a glass or two of your favorite drink.

Gypsy Bar specializes in tequila but also offers an eclectic beer selection and compliments your drink with a roaring atmosphere of live music. The intimate space has seating at the bar, traditional pub tables, and comfortable armchairs for a lounge-type feel. Low lighting also helps to keep the mood mellow. Oh, and don’t be afraid to get a little crazy. Gypsy Bar comes complete with a dance floor allowing you to move your feet to the best sounds in town.

Never been to the Atlantic City or to the Borgata? Then MIXX is the first place to check out because it fully captivates what the Borgata is all about. As a performance-driven dance club, MIXX is home to some of the most renowned DJs and official concert after-parties. With its high ceilings, two levels, and plenty of VIP tables, MIXX has more of a mega club feel than its local counterparts. You will find trapeze artists swinging from the rafters, and celebrities passing through on any given night.

OK so maybe the club scene isn’t for you. Don't worry, because Borgata comes fully equipped with the most luxurious of spas on the east coast. Dedicated to undoing the effects of your day, Spa Toccare offers relaxing treatments guaranteed to exhilarate. It is definitely the place where tensions melt and knots disappear. Sounds like a typical effect from a 12-hour poker session. So emerge yourself into the comforts of their many services and elevate your well being, if even just for an hour or two.

Surely, whatever you choose to do while staying at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, you will be surprised to have a Las Vegas experience with an East Coast twist.

Our exclusive coverage of the Borgata Winter Poker Open kicks off when play begins on Jan. 14, so be sure to tune in for all of the live updates! And if you're participating in the series, 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!

***Article written by PokerNews' Pamela Maldonado, and originally published on January 13th.

Coleem Chestnut is a proud native of the New York City borough known as Brooklyn, birthplace of hip-hop luminaries like Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. If Chestnut continues his torrid run here today, the BK just might have another hometown hero to call its own.

Chestnut has been the overwhelming chip leader throughout much of this Day 2, but a recent hand vaulted him far ahead of his closest competitors.

Chestnut opened for 150,000 holding , only to watch another player ship 2 million more into him for an all-in move. Running hotter than a Brooklyn sidewalk on a summer day, Chestnut easily made the call with his ladies, and he found himself out front once again facing .

A clean board ran out for Chestnut, and with the win he surged above the 6 million chip mark with just 60 players left between him and a $372,123 payday.

Biggie once said "Mo money, mo problems," and that may have proven true for the late legend, but Chestnut will cross that bridge when he gets there.

Player	Chips	Progress
Coleem Chestnut	6,200,000 2,200,000	2,200,000

Tags: Coleem Chestnut

Luis Vazquez lost the majority of his chips to a player who made a straight with queen-jack. A few hands later, he got all in before the flop.

Vazquez:
Opponent:

Vazquez went back to his flip-losing ways, as the board ran out

Player	Chips	Progress
Luis Vazquez	Busted

Tags: Luis Vazquez

A lucrative tournament series always causes cash game grinders to exit their element, and the Borgata Winter Poker Open is no different.

Coleem Chestnut fits that bill, as he has five years of poker under his belt but only a couple of years of tournament experience. He laughs as he recalls the first time he tried his hand at tournament poker, which resulted in a final table.

"I busted in 9th," he said, replaying the exact action of a lost ace-king-against-jacks flip. "I was heartbroken. I couldn't get out of bed for two days."

The proud Brooklyn native estimated he spends 80 percent of his poker hours playing cash games, mainly 2-5 with some 5-10 mixed in. When the 35-year-old does dip his toes into tournament waters, Borgata is his favorite destination. The atmosphere, in particular, stands out, he said.

"The crowd is great," he said. "You've got a mix of celebrity players and regular players."

Chestnut has logged time at the tables with actor James Woods and Miles Austin of the Dallas Cowboys. His best celebrity experience, though, was playing against Jahri Evans, offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints.

"I stacked him several times in a cash game," Chestnut said. "He was throwing money around, it was awesome."

The session turned out to be his biggest cash win, as he turned his $500 buy in into $9,700.

As for the rest of the tournament series, Chestnut said he's eyeing six or seven more events, including contemplating a shot at the main event.

"I haven't made a decision yet," he said.

Tags: Coleem ChestnutJahri EvansJames WoodsMiles Austin

Men Nguyen raised to 155,000 under the gun, and the cutoff and big blind both called him.

The cutoff led out with 320,000 after the flop, and Nguyen almost beat him into the pot with his whole stack. The cutoff folded, and the big blind called the last few chips.

Nguyen:
Big blind:

Nguyen was miles ahead, and the ended matters on the turn. Nguyen pumped both fists in celebration.

"Triple up, baby," he said as he scooped up his newfound chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Men Nguyen	1,250,000 800,000	800,000

Tags: Men Nguyen

There are now six tables remaining in Event 2, the $500 Black Chip Bounty Re-Entry event.

A total of fifty players remain and the average stack is approximately 184,500.

Robert "Uncle Krunk" Panitch, who you may remember from his 3rd place finish at the WSOP Circuit National Championship Main Event last year, is still in contention.

Tags: Robert Panitch