Event 7: $2,700 Spring Poker Championship
Day 1a Completed
2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Event 7: $2,700 Spring Poker Championship
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Buy-in
$2,500
Prize Pool
$1,003,950
Entries
414
Level
27
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000
Volpe Ravages Day 1a
![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
The first of two flights for the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship is in the books, and leading the 57 survivors is Paul Volpe. Volpe, the 14th-ranked player in the world, bagged 206,600 chips, winning a massive pot off of Matt Affleck in Level 6. Volpe turned the nuts against Affleck's flopped set of eights, and the board did not pair on the river.
Volpe has only registered three cashes thus far in 2014, but with a win at the L.A. Poker Classic and a runner-up finish in the Borgata $250,000 Guarantee, he has over $150,000 in earnings over the last three-and-a-half months.
Joining Volpe atop the leader board after Day 1a are Jose Montes (175,600), Jeff Madsen (135,500), Dan Heimiller (120,500), and Greg Ostrander (106,100). Madsen snagged a pot off of Heimiller during the final level of the evening when he made sixes full on the river against Heimiller's turned flush.
A plethora of notables will also return for action on Day 2, including Christian Harder, Joe Kuether, Matt Salsberg, Ravi Raghavan, and 2014 Global Poker Index Player of the Year leader Keven Stammen. Stammen endured a roller coaster day that saw him dip as low as 1,875 chips with the blinds at 300/600/75, but he doubled several times and ended up bagging 31,100 chips.
The day was not kind to all, as Alex Queen, Mike Gagliano, Kyle Bowker, John Tavss, Tony Sinishtaj, and Christopher Tryba all hit the rail. Tryba was eliminated in Level 2, when he flopped a straight only for Emad Alabsi to turn a higher straight.
There were a total of 115 entries on Day 1a, and Day 1b will need to attract at least 285 to reach the $1 million guarantee. PokerNews will be back bright and early at 11 a.m. to bring you all of the action from the first pitch to the bag-and-tag.
Official End-of-Day Counts (full)
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Here are the numbers fresh from the bags after eight full levels of play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
206,600 | 31,600 |
|
175,600 | 25 |
|
150,300 | 35,300 |
|
|
139,600 | 950 |
|
135,500 | -29,500 |
|
120,500 | -17,500 |
|
|
114,800 | |
|
110,400 | 79,400 |
|
106,100 | 56,000 |
|
91,300 | 1,300 |
|
84,500 | -57,125 |
|
83,800 | 53,800 |
|
81,500 | 81,500 |
|
74,500 | 28,500 |
|
|
72,000 | 18,975 |
|
69,500 | 37,500 |
|
69,000 | |
|
66,500 | 14,425 |
|
64,900 | 22,900 |
|
61,800 | -28,200 |
|
60,800 | 24,300 |
|
59,600 | |
|
57,600 | -18,400 |
|
56,200 | 27,200 |
|
54,500 | 31,500 |
Mad Dog Downs Dan
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Jeff Madsen just took down a huge pot from Dan Heimiller, after making a full house to best the latter's heart flush.
The final board showed 
when we caught the action, and Heimiller was contemplating a raise to 26,000 from Madsen. Heimeller had bet about 11,500 on the river, and although he appeared to know the score when the young pro popped it, he made the crying call with his 
.
Madsen rolled over his 
for the winner to push his stack into the upper echelon with just three hands left to play tonight - as Tournament Director Tab Duchateau just announced that bag-and-tag will take place shortly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
165,000 | 95,000 |
|
|
138,000 | 34,200 |
Three More Hands
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
The players will play three more hands and then bag and tag for the evening.
Stammen Out of the Weeds
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
About an hour ago Keven Stammen lost a pot to find himself crippled, and although he doubled his 1,875 on the very next hand courtesy of Christian Harder, we did not expect a full-fledged comeback from under five big blinds to manifest itself.
Stammen is a pro though, and he persevered through the loss of most of his chips, grinding his way back to the realm of respectability.
Recently, we saw Stammen continue to build momentum, taking a small pot from Matt Salsberg.
The action began when Salsberg opened for 1,300 from the middle position, with Christian Harder flatting from the button and Stammen doing the same in defense of his small blind. When the dealer fanned the 
flop across the felt, Stammen checked and Salsberg continued with a 2,000 wager.
Harder got out of the way and Stammen smooth called to see the rain down on the turn. Rather than checking for a second time, Stammen seized the initiative - and the pot - with a 4,300 bet. He now holds close to the average, after falling to just under four big blinds earlier in the evening.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,500 | 25,500 |
|
36,000 | -4,000 |
Mueller Bounced
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Johannes Mueller fired out a bet on a flop of 
- it looked like a three-bet pot - and Sean Jazayeri made the call.
The turn was the 
, both players checked, and the river was the 
. Mueller led out for 7,000, Jazayeri threw out 12,000 - not enough for a raise - then added another two yellow T1,000 chips, and Mueller snap-folded.
A few hands later, Mueller was gone.
Alex Queen was also eliminated on an adjacent table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
90,000 | 20,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Borrero Bests Buzgon
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Miguel Borrero just doubled through longtime pro and local boy Daniel Buzgon, leaving the latter with just a little more than 10 big blinds.
The final board read 
when we passed by, and Buzgon's 
was laid out in front of his soon to be depleted stack. Borrero held the 
and according to his rundown of the action, he checked the flop after making two pair, before shoving all in for about 15,000 after Buzgon bet.
With top pair and top kicker, Buzgon wasn't going anywhere, but he found himself up against a better hand and no help arrived on the turn or river, sending the double over to Borrero two seats to his right.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
46,000 | 21,000 |
|
7,200 | 7,200 |
Abraham Up, Stammen Down
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Matt Salsberg raised to 1,500 from under the gun, Keven Stammen called in the cutoff, and Korotki Abraham called on the button. The dealer fanned 
, the action checked to Abraham, and he fired out 1,700. Only Stammen called.
The turn was the , Stammen check-called another 3,000, and the 
completed the board. Stammen checked, Abraham bet 4,000, and Stammen tank-folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
135,000 | -41,300 |
|
|
21,000 | -6,000 |
Wong Wins One
Level 8
: 300/600, 75 ante
Eric Landy opened for 2,200 from the button after a few limpers entered the pot before him, with Alexander Queen flatting from the big blind, She Lok Wong doing the same from middle position, and Jeff Madsen coming along from from the hijack.
The flop came down 
and the action was checked around to Landy, who continued with a 4,500 wager. This folded Queen, but Wong raised it up to 13,000. Madsen released his hand, and after a brief tank so did Landy.
Wong showed the as he collected the pot, and Landy jokingly asked him to "show the other one."
With a smile of his own, Wong responded "you show me yours, I'll show you mine." After winning $95,000 last month at Foxwoods with a 1st place finish in that casino's own $2,700 Main Event Championship, Wong can certainly afford to get away with a joke or two like that.