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Joe Mckeehen, Winner of Event 3 at the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Joe Mckeehen just took down another big time poker tournament in Atlantic City, after capturing every chip in play at Event 3 of the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open. Mckeehen's held up over the tabled by Dimitrious "Jimmy" Goranitis to take the title.
Mckeehen, who had $664,637 in live tournament winnings before adding another five-figure haul to his record, played a patient and steady game throughout the two-day event, and it was evident that he was one of the more skilled players in the room.
With a WSOP Circuit ring to his credit already, and numerous large cashes throughout a poker career that has spanned just over three years, Mckeehen is already the 26th ranked player on Pennsylvania's all-time money list, and after today's sterling performance on the felt, we wouldn't be shocked to see him top that list in the near future.
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Dimitrious Goranitis - 2nd Place ($39,246)
After battling back from a crippling blow earlier in the night, one which left him on life support, Dimitrious "Jimmy" Goranitis found a way to persevere, fighting his way to a heads-up contest against Joe Mckeehen.
In the end though, Goranitis was unable to get over the hump, and despite pulling even multiple times in the match he couldn't quite take the lead.
Goranitis finally succumbed to Mckeehen's relentless pressure, when his fell short against Mckeehen's . The final board rolled out with four diamonds, giving Mckeehen a flush to seal his second major Atlantic City tournament title.
For his runner-up finish, Gorantis took home $39,246, along with the story of a lifetime for the home game player and restaurateur.
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Dimitrious "Jimmy" Goranitis is Heads-Up Against WSOP Circuit Ring Winner Joe Mckeehen
With the recent elimination of Abdul Amer, we are now heads-up here in Event 3 ($560 Deep Stack No-Limit Hold'em).
Joe Mckeehen, a WSOP Circuit ring winner from last year's Caesar's Main Event Championship, currently holds a comfortable chip lead over Dimitrious "Jimmy" Goranitis, but as everybody knows by now, one double up can change everything.
We learned from Goranitis' nephew Phil Tsepelias, who is on hand to provide moral support, that the native of Sparta, Greece is known as "Mr. Milano" to friends and family, and that the distinctive moniker is based on the name of the restaurant Goranitis owns and operates.
The two players have stood to stretch for a 10-minute break, and play will resume shortly as another champion is crowned at the 2013 Borgata Winter Poker Open.
Abdul Amer was recently eliminated in 3rd place, falling to Joe Mckeehen in what appeared to all who observed the hand to be a bad beat on the river.
Mckeehen flopped top pair with on a jack-high flop, but a third jack on the river improved his hand immensely.
After Amer got his chips in the middle and discovered the bad news, he told Mckeehen that he needed to hit the fortunate river card, suggesting that he held an overpair to the board.
Despite being bounced from the tournament on a brutal river beat, Amer will likely be in good spirits soon, as he pocketed $25,230 for his deep run here at the Borgata.
With the action coming fast and furious here at the final table of Event 3, we missed the bustout hand occur, but Jerry Maher was eliminated in 4th place for a $20,444 payday.
Vladimir Peck got the last of his chips in the middle holding , but when Joe Mckeehen looked him up with , Peck needed to find paint or a straight to catch up.
A clean board ran out, however, and Mckeehen notched the elimination, sending Peck home in 5th place. Despite falling short of the win, Peck took home $15,698 for his final table appearance.
Ray Ross opened for a cool million chips and Abdul Amer announced a call thinking Ross was already all in. Ross still held a stack of grey T5000 chips, however, and so the dealer fanned a flop of across the felt.
Amer had already declared himself all in before the flop arrived, with Ross essentially committed to the pot via his preflop raise, and with reluctance evident in his splashy call, Ross put the rest of his chips at risk.
Showdown:
Amer:
Ross:
"Hold up one time..." Amer pleaded with the dealer, and when the arrived on the turn, he was one step closer to having that wish granted. Only a nine on the river would save Ross, but the provided no help, sending the Team Kitten member home to Pennsylvania with an additional $12,895 in his pocket.
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Ray Ross Was Just Resurrected at the Final Table of Event 3
In a series of three hands, Ray Ross of the Team Kitten poker crew went from an average stack to the brink of elimination, and back again.
First, Ross three-bet shoved with his , only to run into the held by Dimitrious Goranitis. No fives arrived on board, and Ross shipped the majority of his chips across the table.
Left with just 200,000 or so, Ross' only move at that point was to get it in with whatever two cards he could find, and the seemed like a decent chance to have live cards. When he was called in two spots by Vladimir Peck - who held - and Abdul Amer - who tabled the , it turned out he was actually drawing pretty thin.
The flop came to complicate matters immensely, as the three players had all swapped outs, and even Ross' buddies from Team Kitten were left cheering for the wrong cards to come. No matter though, as the on the turn put Ross out in front with a pair. As chants of "King, king!" filled the room, Ross turned to his boisterous rail and quieted them immediately, obviously aware that a king would kill his hand and send the pot to Amer. The river fell , however, and Ross earned a desperately needed triple up.
In one of the very next hands, Ross got it all in once again, open-shoving under the gun with . Still holding a comfortable chip lead, Amer tried once more to take Ross out of the tournament, but the dealer delivered for Ross a third time, coming to move him back over the 1.6 million mark mere minutes after holding just a few big blinds to his name.
Andy Hwang decided to see a flop with his against Joe Mckeehen, and when the dealer fanned the across the felt, he checked the action hoping to induce a bet.
Mckeehen obliged with a c-bet, and Hwang sprung his trap by moving all in over the top. Unfortunately for the winner of last year's WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event, his chances at taking another title here in Atlantic City were dashed when Mckeehen snapped him off with just .
Hwang watched as the turn () and river () brought no further help, and with a smile on his face as he stood to make his exit, he told the table "that's why you don't play the jack-four of diamonds."
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held up over the 
tabled by Dimitrious "Jimmy" Goranitis to take the title.
on a jack-high flop, but a third jack on the river improved his hand immensely.
, Peck needed to find paint or a straight to catch up.
across the felt.
arrived on the turn, he was one step closer to having that wish granted. Only a nine on the river would save Ross, but the 
provided no help, sending the Team Kitten member home to Pennsylvania with an additional $12,895 in his pocket.
seemed like a decent chance to have live cards. When he was called in two spots by Vladimir Peck - who held 
, it turned out he was actually drawing pretty thin.
to complicate matters immensely, as the three players had all swapped outs, and even Ross' buddies from Team Kitten were left cheering for the wrong cards to come. No matter though, as the 
on the turn put Ross out in front with a pair. As chants of "King, king!" filled the room, Ross turned to his boisterous rail and quieted them immediately, obviously aware that a king would kill his hand and send the pot to Amer. The river fell 
, however, and Ross earned a desperately needed triple up.
against Joe Mckeehen, and when the dealer fanned the 
.
) brought no further help, and with a smile on his face as he stood to make his exit, he told the table "that's why you don't play the jack-four of diamonds."