2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open

$3,500 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
Day: 1b
Event Info

2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open

Event Info
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$4,129,290
Entries
1,290
Players Left
6
Average Chip Stack
8,600,000
Total Chips
51,600,000
Next Payout
Place 6
$143,264
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
683
Players Left
396

Francis Anderson Takes Overall Lead in Day 1b of WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship

Level 8 : 400/800, 800 ante
Francis Anderson
Francis Anderson

The second flight of the $3,500 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship saw a total of 683 registration slips sold and when the dust had settled only 396 found a bag. Sitting atop the counts after eight levels of play is Francis Anderson with a stack of 300,100 which is good for the overall lead headed into Day 2.

Anderson flew under the radar for the better part of the day but found a heater during the last level of the night where he rocketed to the top of the chip counts. The Wappingers Falls, NY, native has over $600,000 in live career earnings with his second-best cash coming at the $ 3,500 WPT Seminole Rock & Roll Poker Open Championship in Hollywood this past November when he placed sixth for $111,895. Anderson had two six-figure scores in 2019 and is in a great spot to find his first of this year.

Fan-favorite Craig Varnell found the second largest stack of the flight after bagging 240,600, putting him third on the overall counts headed into Day 2. Three players that round out the top five stacks from this event are Kenneth O'Donnell (224,400), [Removed:150] (223,100), and Taylor von Kriegenbergh (219,400).

Craig Varnell
Craig Varnell

A star-studded field showed up for the last flight of the event including the likes of Joey Couden (197,700), Ian O'Hara (193,700), Amnon Filippi (185,500), Jonas Wexler (184,500), Michael Haberman (119,500), Sam Taylor (107,100), Ari Engel (90,800), Soheb Porbandarwala (82,800), Cliff Josephy (81,100), Vanessa Selbst (75,900), and Peter Walsworth (71,000).

Day 2 will begin at noon when players return to level nine and the late registration period will remain open until the start of level 11. The blinds will remain 60-minutes until the late registration period ends in which they will bump up to 75-minutes in length. The second day of this event will play until the end of level 16 and all players will then bag up and move onto Day 2 where the blinds will again increase, this time to 90-minutes.

The PokerNews live reporting team will be here to provide you with all of the updates, so stay tuned as all of the action unfolds.

Tags: Amnon FilippiAri EngelCliff JosephyCraig VarnellFrancis AndersonHollywoodIan O'HaraJoey CoudenJonas WexlerPeter WalsworthSam TaylorSoheb PorbandarwalaTaylor von KriegenberghVanessa Selbst

Varnell Sends One Packing

Level 7 : 300/600, 600 ante
Craig Varnell
Craig Varnell

A player in late position raised to 1,600 and Ryan Van Sanford called from the hijack. Craig Varnell re-raised to 6,500 from the button and it folded back to the late position player who moved all in for 20,000. Van Sanford quickly folded and Varnell snap called.

Craig Varnell: {q-Diamonds}{q-Hearts}
Opponnet: {a-Clubs}{k-Spades}

The board ran out {j-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}{7-Spades}{2-Diamonds}{3-Diamonds} and Varnell's pocket queens held up to earn him the knockout.

Varnell is now one of the biggest stacks in the room with less than two levels of play left in the night.

Player Chips Progress
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
190,000 115,000

Tags: Craig VarnellRyan Van Sanford

Porbandarwala Leaves Palma Short

Level 7 : 300/600, 600 ante
Soheb Porbandarwala
Soheb Porbandarwala

Nick Palma raised to 1,500 from the cutoff and Soheb Porbandarwala re-raised to 5,000 from the big blind. With the action back on Palma he made it 15,000 and Porbandarwala moved all in for 37,400.

Palma quickly called turning over {j-Clubs}{j-Hearts} and Porbandarwala showed {k-Diamonds}{k-Spades}. The board ran out {10-Diamonds}{6-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{a-Diamonds}{7-Hearts} and Porbandarwala improved to the nut flush to double up.

"That wasn't the start I was hoping for" Palma said as Porbandarwala stacked his chips.

Player Chips Progress
Soheb Porbandarwala us
Soheb Porbandarwala
75,700
Nick Palma us
Nick Palma
2,600

Tags: Soheb PorbandarwalaNick Palma

Datashvili Flips for His Tournament Life

Level 6 : 300/500, 500 ante
Jackob Datashvili
Jackob Datashvili

A player opened and Jackob Datashvili shoved his 15,800 stack into the middle. His opponent called and the cards it the board.

Jackob Datashvili: {a-Hearts}{j-Hearts}
Opponent: {10-Spades}{10-Diamonds}

The board rolled out {7-Clubs}{4-Hearts}{2-Hearts}{j-Spades}{5-Clubs} and Datashvili's turned jack pulled in the pot for a double through his opponent.

Player Chips Progress
Jackob Datashvili us
Jackob Datashvili
33,000 33,000

Tags: Jackob Datashvili

$3,000,000 Guarantee Hit

Level 6 : 300/500, 500 ante

The Day 1b WPT BWPO Championship field has climbed over 600 entries and the players continue to take their seats.

There are now close to 1,000 total entries and counting and we have already cruised past the $3,000,000 guarantee.

Tournament registration and re-entry will remain open through the first two levels on day two so there's still plenty of time to get in on the action.

Song Six-Bets All of the Money

Level 6 : 300/500, 500 ante
Stephen Song
Stephen Song

Stephen Song saw action fall on him, facing a 3,500 three-bet and elected to four-bet to 9,000. His opponent five-bet to 24,000 and Song quickly six-bet his 62,100 stack all-in. His opponent called and the two tabled their cards with Song at risk.

Stephen Song: {a-Hearts}{a-Diamonds}
Opponent: {a-Spades}{k-Clubs}

The dealer spread out {k-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{6-Spades}{3-Spades}{a-Clubs} on the board and Song's set of bullets took down the pot for a complete double.

Player Chips Progress
Stephen Song us
Stephen Song
WSOP 1X Winner
125,500 65,500

Tags: Stephen Song

Wexler Straightens Out Ross

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante
Jonas Wexler
Jonas Wexler

Raymond Ross got his stack of about 30,000 all in pre-flop holding {q-Hearts}{q-Diamonds} against the {a-Diamonds}{k-Hearts} of Jonas Wexler. The dealer fanned the {10-Hearts}{7-Spades}{4-Hearts} flop and Ross maintained the lead.

The turn was the {q-Spades} improving Ross to top set and Wexler picked up a gutshot straight draw.

The {j-Diamonds} hit the river and the table erupted as Wexler improved to Broadway to send Ross to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Jonas Wexler us
Jonas Wexler
WSOP 1X Winner
90,000
Raymond Ross us
Raymond Ross
Busted

Tags: Jonas WexlerRaymond Ross

Mock and Salimbene Back at Borgata

Level 4 : 200/300, 300 ante
David Mock & Nick Salimbene
David Mock & Nick Salimbene

David Mock and Nick Salimbene shared the felt on the final table of the 2018 Spring Poker Open Championship final table, which was live streamed online for the world to watch.

Mock was eliminated fifth ($70,480) and Salimbene made it to third place ($113,272). Almedin Imsirovic was the eventual winner ($246,066) that year.

With them both in the field, they could find their way back to another final table!

Player Chips Progress
David Mock us
David Mock
42,000 42,000
Nicholas Salimbene us
Nicholas Salimbene
37,000

Tags: Almedin ImsirovicDavid Mock

Best Smiles in Poker

Level 4 : 200/300, 300 ante
David Jackson & Shawn Cunix
David Jackson & Shawn Cunix

David Jackson and Shawn Cunix are seated next to each other and have a couple of the best smiles in poker. Jackson won two Borgata Open Championship titles last year (Spring and Fall) and also won two events during the Fall Poker Open (Saturday Series and Championship). He's the only player in Borgata history to accomplish both of those things!

Shawn Cunix is a rare sight at Borgata, only flying in for the big events, but no matter where he is or what he's doing, he's always got a smile on his face, win or lose, but more than $2.2 million in tournament earnings helps. His goal is to Inspire Happiness (www.inspirehappiness.com) wherever he goes.

Player Chips Progress
David Jackson us
David Jackson
WSOP 1X Winner
64,000 6,300
Shawn Cunix us
Shawn Cunix
WPT 1X Winner
61,000 61,000

Tags: David JacksonShawn Cunix

McKeehen Eliminated by Hemingway

Level 4 : 200/300, 300 ante
Joe McKeehen
Joe McKeehen

The player in the middle position raised to 1,200 and Jared Hemingway three-bet to 4,000. Action folded to Joe McKeehen in the big blind who shoved. The initial raiser folded but Hemingway made the call with the bigger stack.

Joe McKeehen: {7-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}
Jared Hemingway: {a-Clubs}{k-Spades}

The board ran out {k-Diamonds}{4-Hearts}{j-Hearts}{3-Clubs}{4-Diamonds} for Hemingway to hit the flop for the higher pair and improve to two pair to send McKeehen to the cashier to reenter.

Player Chips Progress
Jared Hemingway us
Jared Hemingway
54,000
Joe McKeehen us
Joe McKeehen
WSOP Main Event Champion
WSOP 3X Winner
Busted

Tags: Jared HemingwayJoe McKeehen