Level: 1
Blinds: 25/50
Ante: 0
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Event 8: $250,000 Guarantee Deeper Stack NLHE Re-Entry
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Buy-in
$350
Entries
1,392
Level
39
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
100,000
Event 8: $250,000 Guarantee Deeper Stack NLHE Re-Entry
Day 1a Completed
David Gerassi Leads at end of Day 1a (full)
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
Of the 56 survivors of Day 1a, David Gerassi bagged up the biggest stack with 429,000. However, he doesn't have much of a head start for tomorrow, since three other players bagged up more than 370,00: Luke Edwards (410,000), Matt Lin (381,000), and David Attebery (372,000). Other notable players bagging stacks include Mike Ortiz (239,000), Andy Hwang (188,500), and Jerry Callahan (35,500).
Two more flights will be played tomorrow and these 56 will return to do battle with the survivors of those two flights on Tuesday.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
429,000 | -46,000 |
|
410,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
381,000 | -169,000 |
|
372,000 | 372,000 |
|
|
349,000 | 74,000 |
|
|
303,500 | 303,500 |
|
|
293,500 | 293,500 |
|
|
265,000 | 265,000 |
|
|
255,000 | 255,000 |
|
|
253,500 | 253,500 |
|
252,500 | 252,500 |
|
|
239,000 | 239,000 |
|
|
228,500 | 228,500 |
|
211,500 | 211,500 |
|
|
208,000 | 208,000 |
|
|
203,000 | 203,000 |
|
|
191,000 | 191,000 |
|
188,500 | 8,500 |
|
|
179,500 | 179,500 |
|
|
159,500 | 159,500 |
|
|
159,000 | 4,000 |
|
|
151,500 | 151,500 |
|
|
148,500 | 148,500 |
|
|
134,500 | 134,500 |
|
|
134,000 | 134,000 |
David Gerassi Becoming a Goliath
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
Every so often as tournament reporters, we must rely on tips from players to identify the most interesting storylines taking shape throughout the day.
For one such player, however, he probably wishes he never said a word.
We received a bit of unsolicited advice regarding "one to watch" here on Day 1a, as the tipster informed us that David Gerassi was terrorizing the table with a single T25000 chip. According to our mole, Gerassi had made a habit of raising every pot with a massive overbet, making it 25,000 to go with the blinds still sitting at 1,500-3,000. After being told to "stick around and watch, you won't be disappointed," we did just that, and within two hands it was clear we had been fed reliable information.
First, Gerassi responded to the standard opening raise of 6,000 by making it two huge stacks to play (it looked to be about 100,000, but who's counting?). Knowing that Gerassi was splashing around in nearly every pot, not one but two players decided to risk their tournament lives by calling off their stacks, and when the cards were revealed Gerassi's overplay appeared to be ill-timed.
Showdown:
Gerrasi: 
Player 1: 
Player 2: 
Gerassi was out gunned by an overpair and overcards, but like he knew it was coming all along, the 
peeled right off in the window. The final board rolled out 
, and with that Gerassi had felted two players with his set of fours.
With momentum clearly on his side (as well as a horseshoe and some four-leaf clovers obviously hidden in his pockets), Gerassi kept up the pressure by getting it all in once again before the flop. This time, he was up against none other than our informant, the man who had identified Gerassi as "one to watch" just minutes before.
Gerassi revealed the with a flourish, cackling like the maniac he truly is, and when the tipster tabled the 
he pleaded to the heavens to "hold one time for the kid!"
The poker gods failed to heed his call, however, and like clockwork the flop fell 
to put Gerassi out in front with a pair of queens. The turn (
) and river () kept him in the lead, and with that, Gerassi surged to right around 450,000 chips late on Day 1A.
"Let me tell you something..." he beckoned, the pile of chips in front him remaining unstacked for the moment. "I've taken seven players out. And I've doubled seven players up too!" Gerassi's unpredictable play and gregarious nature lead us to believe that as this $250,000 Guaranteed tournament progresses, he will remain just what our tipster tabbed him as two hands before: the one to watch.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
475,000 |
Ortiz Takes Out Two
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
A player in middle position raised all in for 66,000, and a player in the hijack called his 30,800 stack off. Action folded to Mike Ortiz in the smal blind, and he announced a call. The big blind folded.
Ortiz: 
Middle position: 
Hijack: 
"Alright, I have a chance," the player with queens said.
The flop, though, came 
, putting Ortiz in command. The turn and river kept it that way. Players are now playing the last three hands before bagging up for the night.
"How 'Bout That?"
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
Things are getting heated at one of the remaining tables in the first flight of this tournament. According to a player at the table, he flatted a raise to 30,000 before ending up all in with 
against 
. The initial raiser said he folded ace-queen as well, but an ace still arrived on the flop to doom the player with jacks.
"I got you to put your stack in when I had you crushed," the player with jacks said.
"Ace-queen against jacks, what is that, a coinflip?" the other player replied. "What, you knew we shared cards? You're a genius."
"I got you to put in your stack, how 'bout that?"
Notable Names and Chip Leaders
Level 16
: 2,000/4,000, 400 ante
Take a look at where the notable names and big stacks stand late on Day 1A.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
550,000 | |
|
|
475,000 | |
|
|
385,000 | |
|
|
190,000 | |
|
|
180,000 | 150,000 |
Level: 16
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 400
Edwards Snaps with Set
Level 15
: 1,500/3,000, 400 ante
A player checked to Luke Edwards with the board reading 
. Edwards fired 14,000, and his opponent tanked for a bit before going all in. Edwards beat him into the pot.
Edwards: 
Opponent: 
Edwards' set was ahead, and he just needed to dodge a club. The river was the , and Edwards is among the chip leaders.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
385,000 |
Level: 15
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 400