Event 18: Van Alstyne Busts 10th
With the elimination of James Van Alstyne in 10th, we're down to the official final table and the money.
2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Borgata Winter Poker Open Side Events
Day: 11
Event 18: Final Table Seating and Stacks
Bets are currently at 20,000-40,000.
| Seat | Player | Stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannes Mueller | 465,000 |
| 2 | Joe Patti | 215,000 |
| 3 | Michael Bickel | 130,000 |
| 4 | Hal Rotholz | 375,000 |
| 5 | Allen Kessler | 211,000 |
| 6 | Matt Shoup | 100,000 |
| 7 | Zack Spicer | 34,000 |
| 8 | Bob Lynch | 91,000 |
| 9 | Dave Brady | 56,000 |
The Final Nine
Below is a selection of photos of the Final Table in Event #18:
Lynch Doubles
Bob Lynch just made a wheel to double up to 120,000.
Event 18: Michael Bickel Eliminated in Ninth Place ($1,237)
Johannes Mueller just eliminated Michael Bickel when his 
made a flush and a low against the aces of Michael Bickel. Mueller has about 330,000 now.
Event 18: Bob Lynch Eliminated in Eighth Place ($1,649)
Bob Lynch lost most of his stack when he put a chunk in preflop and on the flop with 
against an opponent who held 
and flopped a three. The three stood up for high and nobody made a low.
The next hand, he was all in for less than the small blind. Allen Kessler called from late position, and the Dave Brady pushed all in for an additional 6,000 in the big blind. Kessler called.
Kessler: 
Brady: 
Lynch: 
The board ran out 
, giving Kessler the high with a boat and Brady the low with a seven-deuce.
Kessler has about 200,000, while Brady has 34,000
Event 18: Zack Spicer Eliminated in Seventh Place ($2,061)
Zack Spicer just bowed out in seventh place in a hand we didn't catch. Bets are now 12,000-24,000.
Local Spotlight: Dave Brady
Dave Brady just ended quite the drought.
By making the final table of Event 18: $560 Omaha Eight-or-Better Semi-Turbo here at Borgata Winter Poker Open, he notched his first top-10 finish in a recorded poker tournament since November 2006. He remembers his other deep runs well, and his enthusiasm is clear when he mentions them.
"My first final table was 10 years ago in Foxwoods," he said. "I had Charlie 'Scotty Warbucks' Shoten to my left. In 2006, I was facing off with Chris Reslock at the Taj."
So anonymous is Brady in the poker world that he doesn't even have a page in the Hendon Mob database. His profile on Card Player's database has some of his cashes and some cashes from another David Brady from Nebraska.
That's just the way the Roseland, N.J., native likes it at the poker table. He said he finished in the top half in the $1,000 six-max tournament yesterday despite playing with tables populated by tough professionals. His strategy? Play on his image.
"I actually wore a suit yesterday so I could get that image going," he said of looking like a well-off amateur. "I want them to think I'm a rock, then when there's a raise and a call and I come in for six-times that, they give me credit.
"It's almost like that 'Kill Phil,'" he said, referencing the famous poker book in which Blair Rodman and Lee Nelson advocated extremely aggressive play to increase variance when playing against expert opponents.
Brady isn't able to play many tournaments due to his work as an actuary for AIG. He said he only plays about three tournaments per year. He's trying to make a splash here and follow in the footsteps of co-worker Josh Spiegleman, who finished fifth in the main event here at Borgata Winter Poker Open in 2006.
Pot-Limit Omaha Eight-or-Better is his favorite game, Brady said. He also enjoys PLO and H.O.R.S.E. He'll have to focus on his limit game right now, but he does get one added bonus tonight.
"I'm driving Allen Kessler bonkers," he said with a laugh.
Event 18: Joe Patti Eliminated in Sixth Place ($2,474)
Joe Patti just busted in sixth place, but we didn't see the hand.
Event 18: Five-Handed Counts
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Johannes Mueller | 350,000 |
| Hal Rotholz | 570,000 |
| Allen Kessler | 290,000 |
| Matt Shoup | 415,000 |
| Dave Brady | 65,000 |