Event 15: $200,000 Guarantee Six-Max NLHE Re-Entry | 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open

01-25-2014 17:05 UTC-4

Ronit Chamani Rails Joey Couden

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Level 18 : 3,000/6,000, 500 ante

Ronit Chamani on Day 2 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Six-Max Event

Joey Couden moved his last 140,000 or so into the middle with three-bet jam, coming over the top of Ronit Chamani's standard opening raise.

Holding and sitting with about 170,000 left, Chamani made the call and found herself flipping against Couden's .

The two headed to the flop with a nearly equal chance of taking the pot down, and it was a classic race situation with Couden's pair trying to dodge Chamani's overcards.

Flop:

Both players hit the high-card flop hard, as Chamani found top two pair, but it was Couden who surged into the lead with a set of jacks.

Turn:

River:

In the flash of fourth and fifth street, Couden's full house went from a monster to a mouse, and now it was Chamani who held the best hand with a boat. Couden waited for the stacks to be counted down, and when he discovered it was all over he leaned in to congratulate Chamani, filling her in on his hole cards from a previous hand between the two.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ronit Chamani	335,000 145,000	145,000
Joey Couden	Busted

Tags: Ronit Chamani Joey Couden

01-25-2014 16:32 UTC-4

Joe Cool

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Level 17 : 2,500/5,000, 500 ante

Joey Couden is Hanging Tough as the Race for the Final Table Continues

With his stack having dwindled down to the danger zone at just 70,000 or so, Joey Couden just shoved all in before the flop to scoop up some life-sustaining blinds and antes.

Couden was in the small blind and he pushed over the top of Ronit Chamani, who tanked for a bit before surrendering the hand. The win kept Couden in contention for the $88,643 top prize, but he will need to make a few more moves like this to get back above the current average of 230,000 or so.

Player	Chips	Progress
Joey Couden	92,000 -72,000	-72,000

Tags: Joey Couden

01-25-2014 16:10 UTC-4

Take Your Time and Think it Through

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Level 17 : 2,500/5,000, 500 ante

Rogen Chhabra Just Survived a Multiple-Minute Tank to Force the Fold

As the stakes get higher with eliminations meaning a climb up the pay ladder, the play in most pots has slowed a just a bit, with players using every minute available to them to ponder their options.

Recently, we watched two hands go down that involved lengthy tanks, showing that the players who have survived this long know how to look before they leap.

First, Rogen Chhabra moved all-in for his last 200,000 - effectively 100,000, as the bet covered his opponent's stack - with the final board reading . The pot contained upwards of 80,000 when he made his move, and the bet-sizing left his opponent confused enough to dive into the tank for more than four minutes, talking through the hand as he did so.

"Ace-king?" he asked Chhabra, prodding for a tell. "I put you on ace-king the whole hand."

Chhabra never said a word during the extended interrogation, and his silence appeared to be piquing the other player's curiosity as he continued examining the situation.

"Ace-king of spades... two big spades, could be," he continued, more to himself this time than to Chhabra. "Ahh, I know you're bluffing me but I'll let you take this one."

"One hundred percent you bluff me," he added as an epitaph to the hand.

One table over, Amanda Musumeci played a pot to the turn, and with the board showing by fourth street, her opponent tapped the table for a check. Musumeci fired out a 21,500 bet, but the other player sprung his trap with a check-raise to 75,500.

The pressure back on her, Musumeci tanked for a minute or so, staring hard at both the board and her opponent. After a few moments, however, her hand went sliding into the muck and the pot was awarded to the big bettor.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rogen Chhabra	305,000 64,000	64,000
Amanda Musumeci	244,000 -31,000	-31,000

Tags: Amanda Musumeci Rogen Chhabra

01-25-2014 15:43 UTC-4

Queen Deposed

[user253757]

Level 17 : 2,500/5,000, 500 ante

Alex Queen Has Been Dethroned Here on Day 2

Despite entering the day with a decent chip stack for a deep run at 168,000, Alex Queen is no longer in the tournament.

We're not sure whether or not he slipped into the money before his exit (official payout information coming shortly), but Queen was one of the chip leaders throughout Day 1, so his absence here today is certainly conspicuous.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alex Queen	Busted

Tags: Alex Queen

01-25-2014 15:35 UTC-4

Kelsall With the Big Call

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Level 17 : 2,500/5,000, 500 ante

Andrew Kelsall Just Made a Big Call to Keep His Stack Among the Leaders

The final board read and a sizable pot worth more than 60,000 was already in the middle.

Andre Kelsall faced a large bet of 39,000 and with just in the hole, he had a decision on his hands. Top pair may be good, it may not be... that's the game.

Taking more than a minute or so to deliberate, Kelsall ultimately looked his man up and made the call, with his opponent insta-mucking as a result. The big call provided a boost to Kelsall's stack, and our Day 1 chip leader continues to climb as Day 2 rolls on.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrew Kelsall	445,000 71,500	71,500

Tags: Andrew Kelsall

01-25-2014 15:29 UTC-4

Now We're Playing the Game

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Level 17 : 2,500/5,000, 500 ante

The All-In Power Play Worked to Perfection for Tony Sinishtaj on Day 2 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Six-Max Event

In the last deal before the break, we watched a raising war escalate between Tony Sinishtaj and Igor Skochilo, and at the rate towers of pink T10000 chips were being pushed around, a showdown of premium holdings appeared to be inevitable. Some wars stay cold, however, and that was the case here today.

The action started when Sinishtaj made a reraise to 28,500 (action before that was undetermined), only to see Skochilo push a big bet of 108,500 into the middle. This four-bet left Skochilo with about 200,000 behind, and Sinishtaj easily had that covered with just elevated tower of pinks.

So in they went, all of them, for a massive five-bet shove to effectively put Skochilo at risk if he called.

The tank was long and hard, as Skochilo agonized over the spot he has suddenly found himself in. Eventually, after minutes had passed away and the break had begun, Skochilo reluctantly released his hand into the muck: .

Skochilo laid down a monster and showed as much, while Sinishtaj expressed mild surprise at his opponent's discipline, showing him the as a professional courtesy.

The sight of big slick - rather than the aces of kings he must have read Sinishtaj to be sitting on - obviously pained Skochilo, and he stayed behind for a few minutes into the break, discussing the dynamics of what may prove to be the pivotal play of the tournament for both men.

"That was a terrible hand..." said Skochilo, not in regards to Sinishtaj's cards but his own laydown. "I thought those were five-thousands for some reason."

Apparently, with the tournament chip set being used today skipping the T5000 chips (going from orange T1000 chips to pink T10000 with nothing in between), Skochilo had calculated his original four-bet to be 58,500 rather than the 108,500 he actually reraised to. Now knowing that he he had just put one-third of his chips into the middle with a premium pocket pair, before ultimately folding to a pressure play, Skochilo's frustration was evident, while Sinishtaj simply remarked that his play worked as it should have considering his extremely tight table image.

Bravo, boys... bravo.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tony Sinishtaj	655,000 155,000	155,000

Igor Skochilo	205,000 205,000	205,000

Tags: Igor Skochilo Tony Sinishtaj

01-25-2014 15:00 UTC-4

Nattily Attired

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Level 16 : 2,000/4,000, 400 ante

Natale Kuey in Event #15 at the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open

When Natale Kuey made a deep run in Event 7 (Seniors NLHE Re-Entry) - where he ultimately finished as the runner-up - there was no reason to suspect he was a shark swimming with the seniors.

Kuey's performance in the Six-Max event has changed all that though, as he ran up a big stack early in the day yesterday while refusing to relent here today.

We just watched Kuey mix it up with the youngsters yet again, taking a flop of and watching as an opponent 30 years his junior fired away with a bet of 9,500. Kuey simply tossed out three of the pink T10000 chips and made it 30,000 to play, answering with a nod when his opponent asked if he had any more big chips left.

"One big chip..." said Kuey, his voice betraying nothing but confidence.

The other player mucked soon afterward, and another pot was pushed to the Seniors event's second-place finisher, as he hopes to make it a win here at the Six-Max.

Player	Chips	Progress
Natale Kuey	245,000 30,000	30,000

Tags: Natale Kuey

01-25-2014 14:30 UTC-4

More Names, More Counts

[user253757]

Level 16 : 2,000/4,000, 400 ante

Andrew Kelsall Still Holds a Huge Stack as the Field Continues to Shrink

A second sweep of the room has resulted in a few more stacks being identified and eyeballed.

After entering the day with the chip lead, Andrew Kelsall still holds one of the biggest stacks in the room with nearly double the current average.

Ohio-based grinder Joey Couden is sitting on 160,000 or so, and after standing out as one of the more aggressive, action-oriented players yesterday, we'll be watching to see if Couden's stack starts being swung around in similar fashion here today.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrew Kelsall	373,500 -27,400	-27,400

Natale Kuey	215,000 -122,000	-122,000
James Carroll	206,000 -182,700	-182,700

Joey Couden	164,000 -77,200	-77,200

Aaron Steury	67,900 -32,000	-32,000

Tags: Andrew Kelsall Joey Couden

01-25-2014 14:18 UTC-4

Current Chip Counts

[user253757]

Level 16 : 2,000/4,000, 400 ante

Josh Brikis on Day 2 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Six-Max Event

Some notable names and their current counts.

Player	Chips	Progress
Josh Brikis	508,000 -10,000	-10,000
Amanda Musumeci	275,000 -4,000	-4,000
Matt Affleck	203,900 50,100	50,100
Ronit Chamani	190,000 -19,000	-19,000
Andy Hwang	172,800 63,900	63,900
Alex Rocha	105,000 -104,000	-104,000
Zohair Karim	87,300 15,400	15,400

01-25-2014 14:03 UTC-4

Amanda Musumeci Bursts the Bubble

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Level 15 : 1,500/3,000, 400 ante

Amanda Musumeci Just Eliminated a Player in 37th Place, Bringing Us Into the Money Here in Event 15

Holding a comfortable stack right around the average - and in the hole - Amanda Musumeci found herself playing a pot with a lot on the line: lose it trying to burst the bubble, and she very well might be the one who fails to cash.

Nonetheless, when the pot was limped to her in the blinds, Musumeci raised the action with her big slick, making it 10,000 to play and receiving a lone caller. The flop of with two spades was right up her alley, and she led out for 15,000, with her opponent flatting to see the board pair on the turn.

Musumeci then check-called a 20,000 turn bet, and when the board bricked off on the river, failing to complete the spade flush her opponent was apparently trying to represent, his all-in shove after a check looked suspicious to Musumeci. She asked for a count of the man's stack (he held about 60,000) before making the call with top-top, and when her opponent could only muster the for a second-best second-pair, his tournament was over.

The final 36 players left with chips have all earned at least $1,809 - but with many firing multiple bullets in the re-entry format, a min-cash might just be a slight loss - and while that alone is cause for celebration, the field is focused on one thing: the $88,643 payday waiting for the winner.

Player	Chips	Progress
Amanda Musumeci	279,000 114,500	114,500

Tags: Amanda Musumeci