Fear not grinders, there is one more day of deep stack action here at the Borgata Poker Room.
The Deep Stack Challenge Series culminates with the $350 + $50 Deepest Stack NLH RE on Saturday (5/17). The cards will again be in the air at 11 AM and players will start with the "deepest" stack offered, 40,000 in chips.
This has been Will O'Connor brining you the deep stacked action all day from the Borgata Poker Room. On behalf of the everyone at the Borgata Poker Blog and our amazing photographer Mario, thanks for following! We hope to see you at the tables soon!
Saturday, May 17, 2014
JJ Wang Crowned Champion of the Deepest Stack Challenge Tournament
JJ Wang (East Brunswick, NJ) is our "official" $260 + $40 Deepest Stack Challenge Champion.
The chip leader throughout much of the later rounds, JJ used his aggressive pre-flop play to outlasted a field of 190 runners to take down the 5th Deep Stack Challenge of the week in the Borgata Poker Room.
JJ described the run as an "up and down and up and down" ride, although most of his "downs" were not that extreme. He also congratulated the other players that made the final 4 for their great play throughout the day.
Matthew Roth (Hatfield, PA) finished in 2nd.
"Phil" finished in 3rd.
And Fritz Stoner (Lancaster, PA) finished in 4th.
We're Chopping
The players have decided that after over 12 hours of play, the final 4 will split close to $30,000 in prize money.
Break and Chop Talk
We're on break and talking a chop of the remaining prize pool. After Fritz's AQ doubled through Matt's A4, the chip stacks for all 4 players are very similar.
Stay tuned...
Stay tuned...
Phil Doubles Through Roth
After a few raise and takes from the big stacks, Phil finally took his stand.
Unfortunately, he got it in with the worst of it as Matt called his 1 million chip all-in with AJ, dominating Phil's QJ.
But, the sweat was on as the flop was 1096, Phil needed a K or an 8 for his straight and he got it on the turn. But, now he was sweating as the 8 of diamonds put a potential flush on board, but he dodged the 4th diamond and doubled up.
Phil, JJ and Matt are now all within 300K in chips of each other, with our 4th player Fritz, doing what he's done for the last 2 hours or so, waiting patiently...
Unfortunately, he got it in with the worst of it as Matt called his 1 million chip all-in with AJ, dominating Phil's QJ.
But, the sweat was on as the flop was 1096, Phil needed a K or an 8 for his straight and he got it on the turn. But, now he was sweating as the 8 of diamonds put a potential flush on board, but he dodged the 4th diamond and doubled up.
Phil, JJ and Matt are now all within 300K in chips of each other, with our 4th player Fritz, doing what he's done for the last 2 hours or so, waiting patiently...
Approaching Break
We are 4 handed at the Deep Stack Challenge Final Table and there are just under 15 minutes left until our next break.
Mystery Woman Eliminated
We've finally put a name to the face, as Cristina Tarca (Schwenksville, PA) was eliminated in 6th place. She shoved her pocket 9s into the over and flush draw of Matthew Roth on a flop of A45 with two clubs. Matt called with Q7 of clubs and hit the 6 of clubs on the turn to seal Cristina's fate.
Her finish gets her $2,396.
Almost immediately after her elimination we had another, with Alan Sansone (Toms River, NJ) who was short stacked earlier in the day and battled back to make the final table, was all-in with 2 callers. There was a A, Q and J present in the community and the players checked it down and Phil showed A7 to beat Alan's pocket 10s.
Alan finishes in 5th place, good for $2,875.
Her finish gets her $2,396.
Almost immediately after her elimination we had another, with Alan Sansone (Toms River, NJ) who was short stacked earlier in the day and battled back to make the final table, was all-in with 2 callers. There was a A, Q and J present in the community and the players checked it down and Phil showed A7 to beat Alan's pocket 10s.
Alan finishes in 5th place, good for $2,875.
Big Stack Confrontation
It hasn't been very often that JJ Wang has not raked in the chips after a hand, but Matthew Roth, the other young player at our final table, just did what so many have tried and failed to do today.
After a pre-flop raise from JJ, they saw a flop of 1098 with two diamonds. JJ checked and Matt fired out a bet of 225K, JJ tanked and raised to 600K. Matt immediately shoved for close to 800K more and JJ sheepishly folded.
Matt then showed KK and is now into the top half of the Final Table chip count.
We just started Level 29 - 50000/100000 w/ 10000 ante and there are 6 players remaining.
After a pre-flop raise from JJ, they saw a flop of 1098 with two diamonds. JJ checked and Matt fired out a bet of 225K, JJ tanked and raised to 600K. Matt immediately shoved for close to 800K more and JJ sheepishly folded.
Matt then showed KK and is now into the top half of the Final Table chip count.
We just started Level 29 - 50000/100000 w/ 10000 ante and there are 6 players remaining.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Surapaneni Out in 7th
After his AJ fell to KQ of a shorter player's pre-flop all-in bet. It was supposed to be a matter of time before Satish Surapaneni (New York, NY) was eliminated. That suck out left him with barely 2 BBs.
But he managed to double up 3 times and advance up the leader board! But it wasn't enough as our mystery lady (she doesn't want to give her name) had A7 and eliminated the NY grinder in 7th place when a brutal 7 fell on the river to beat his AJ.
Satish collects $1,917.
But he managed to double up 3 times and advance up the leader board! But it wasn't enough as our mystery lady (she doesn't want to give her name) had A7 and eliminated the NY grinder in 7th place when a brutal 7 fell on the river to beat his AJ.
Satish collects $1,917.
JJ Wang Stays Hot
JJ Wang seems to be making all the right moves here at our final table. He just felted Tony Ambrosio after a flurry of pre-flop raises got the two all-in before the flop. Ambrosio showed AJ but Wang turned up with AQ and sweated a potential straight draw on the turn to continue to build his chip stack.
Ambrosio finishes in 8th place, good for $1,438.
JJ Wang is the far and away Final Table chip leader.
Ambrosio finishes in 8th place, good for $1,438.
JJ Wang is the far and away Final Table chip leader.
Another Elimination
Thomas Smargiassi (Union, NJ) was short stacked throughout the final 2 tables, but managed to chip up enough to make a 4 figure score. He was knocked out when his A4 ran into the AJ of our chip leader JJ Wang.
He finishes in 9th place for $1,078.
He finishes in 9th place for $1,078.
First Final Table Casualty
After his KQ fell, Michael McGuinness was one of the shorter stacks at the table. He got it all-in pre-flop after an initial raise from early position. Matt, the EP raiser, called and showed 44, Michael tabled his A10s.
The flop was KQ8 with 2 spades, actually putting Michael as the favorite to double up, the turn and the river were blanks and he was eliminated in 10th place for $958.
The remaining 9 players are all guaranteed a 4 figure score from their initial buy-in of $260 +$40.
The flop was KQ8 with 2 spades, actually putting Michael as the favorite to double up, the turn and the river were blanks and he was eliminated in 10th place for $958.
The remaining 9 players are all guaranteed a 4 figure score from their initial buy-in of $260 +$40.
Final Table Double Up
The last lady standing for the last 2 hours of play has made the final table and has gotten to work quickly, doubling up on the first hand after the break.
Her pocket Aces held over Michael McGuinness' (Tom's River, NJ) KQ, despite him pairing his K on the flop. She is now a Top 4 chip stack.
Ambrosio Charges to Chip Lead
Within a span of 5 minutes, Tony Ambrosio has sky rocketed to the top of the Final Table chip count.
In the last hand before break, Tony saw a flop with 3 other players that all limped into the pot. The flop was KJ8 with no immediate flush draws. After a lead out bet of 150K, Tony moved all-in for his remaining 500K. The player reluctantly folded and Tony showed KJ for a top two pair.
Tony is nearing the 800K chip mark.
We are now on a 10 minute break.
In the last hand before break, Tony saw a flop with 3 other players that all limped into the pot. The flop was KJ8 with no immediate flush draws. After a lead out bet of 150K, Tony moved all-in for his remaining 500K. The player reluctantly folded and Tony showed KJ for a top two pair.
Tony is nearing the 800K chip mark.
We are now on a 10 minute break.
Final Ten
It was a classic blind vs. blind encounter when David Kim (Highland, MD) shoved for his remaining 200K from the SB with J6o and was called by Tony Ambrosio (Edison, NJ) in the BB who had KQ with the Q of spades.
The flop came 9J8 with two spades, pairing David's Jack, but opening up a ton of backdoor draws for Tony. The 7 of spades fell on the turn and the 9 of spades completed the flush and David bowed out in 11th place for $958.
We are now down to our final table and have 3 minutes remaining in the level.
The flop came 9J8 with two spades, pairing David's Jack, but opening up a ton of backdoor draws for Tony. The 7 of spades fell on the turn and the 9 of spades completed the flush and David bowed out in 11th place for $958.
We are now down to our final table and have 3 minutes remaining in the level.
KQ > AK for 12th
When a short stack looks down at AK, they are usually looking to take down a pot pre-flop or hoping to double up. Thien Ting Chua (Seattle, WA) must have been even happier to see that she was dominating her opponents KQs. A King on the flop, was helpful to Chua, but the Q of spades on the turn was not. Eliminating the West Coast player. Chua finishes in 12th place for a $958 cash.
Start of Level 26 - 25000/50000 w/ 5000 ante
12 players remain as we enter our last level before break.
JJ Wang Continues Charge Towards Final Table
JJ Wang has been bossing his table over the last few levels and looks poised to make the Deep Stack Challenge final table. He's knocked out two players over the last two levels, including James Diehl Jr. (Glen Mills, PA).
At 20000/40000, JJ opened to 100K and faced an all-in from James from the button. JJ called and showed AJ, needing improvement to knock out James and his pocket 10s. JJ got there by the river, hitting his Ace and sending James to the rail, cashing in 13th for $839.
At 20000/40000, JJ opened to 100K and faced an all-in from James from the button. JJ called and showed AJ, needing improvement to knock out James and his pocket 10s. JJ got there by the river, hitting his Ace and sending James to the rail, cashing in 13th for $839.
Eliminations Galore (continued)
Then eliminated in quick succession were Jeffrey Boyd (Oley, PA) and Gregory Merritt (Frenchtown, NJ) in 15th and 14th place respectfully, both cashing for $839. Both were short stacked and forced to get it in without much fold equity.
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| Gregory Merritt |
Eliminations Galore
There have been a flurry of eliminations as we entered the middle of Level 25.
We lost Jimmy Coffey (New Hyde Park, NY) in 16th, good for a $719 cash. Jimmy was short stacked for much of the later levels and was forced to shove his 47s from the button. The BB made the easy call with KQ and with neither improving, Jimmy was eliminated.
We lost Jimmy Coffey (New Hyde Park, NY) in 16th, good for a $719 cash. Jimmy was short stacked for much of the later levels and was forced to shove his 47s from the button. The BB made the easy call with KQ and with neither improving, Jimmy was eliminated.
Places 17th and 18th
As soon as the bubble burst, we lost our 18th and 17th placed players, Antonio Schiano (Bayville, NJ) and Amir Genzel (Flushing, NY) both cash for $719.
Since then, it has been a lot of raise and take from the deeper stacked players.
The remaining 16 players are now on a 10 minutes break.
The Bubble has Burst!
With a few short stacks fighting to stay alive at the bubble, it took a few minutes of hand for hand play to finally eliminate our final player before the money.
The eliminated player shoved in for his final 170K from the button and was called by the small blind. The aggressor showed K7s and the SB showed QQ. A 7 on the turn wasn't enough to help our Deep Stack "Bubble Boy".
We are now down to 2 tables and are taking a short break.
The eliminated player shoved in for his final 170K from the button and was called by the small blind. The aggressor showed K7s and the SB showed QQ. A 7 on the turn wasn't enough to help our Deep Stack "Bubble Boy".
We are now down to 2 tables and are taking a short break.
Start of Level 23 - 12000/24000 w/ 3000 ante
We've had a bubble survivor. A small stacked small blind, shoved all in and was called by the big blind. The SB showed 45o and the BB tabled A9o. The flop came Q36 rainbow, leaving the at risk player with an open ended straight draw. The turn brought the 2 of diamonds and the straight and the SB survived and chipped up.
We continue with hand for hand play...
We continue with hand for hand play...
Anonymous Players Leading...
We have a few players that are preferring to remain anonymous until the money bubble bursts.
Two players at Table 1 have close to 700K in chips and are leading the field.
Jack Long was eliminated after a flurry of raises.
Jack had raised from middle position to 75K and faced a raise from the button, after thinking through his reads and counting his chips, Jack reluctantly called and tabled A3o after his opponent showed AKs. The board ran out in favor of the AK and another anonymous player increased his stack to over 500K.
Jack's elimination takes us to the Bubble! Hand for hand play has started!
Two players at Table 1 have close to 700K in chips and are leading the field.
Jack Long was eliminated after a flurry of raises.
Jack had raised from middle position to 75K and faced a raise from the button, after thinking through his reads and counting his chips, Jack reluctantly called and tabled A3o after his opponent showed AKs. The board ran out in favor of the AK and another anonymous player increased his stack to over 500K.
Jack's elimination takes us to the Bubble! Hand for hand play has started!
Start of Level 22 - 10000/20000 w/ 3000 ante
With 23 players remaining, we are getting closer to our money bubble of 18.
Bad Beat Winner Hits the Rail
While a deep run in today's Deep Stack Challenge wasn't in the cards, Kathy Gentile (Connecticut) didn't walk away completely empty handed.
She shoved in her remaining 75K and was called by our former chip leader JJ Wang in the BB. Kathy showed A9s and JJ tabled A6. JJ avenged an earlier "suckout" by pairing his 6 on the river and eliminating Kathy.
But, as we said, she wasn't left empty handed; earlier this week, Kathy was involved in a 1/2 hand that qualified for the $50,000 Bad Beat Jackpot!
So while I'm sure Kathy would have loved to cash in today's event, she proved that there are always plenty of different ways to make a score at the Borgata Poker Room!
She shoved in her remaining 75K and was called by our former chip leader JJ Wang in the BB. Kathy showed A9s and JJ tabled A6. JJ avenged an earlier "suckout" by pairing his 6 on the river and eliminating Kathy.
But, as we said, she wasn't left empty handed; earlier this week, Kathy was involved in a 1/2 hand that qualified for the $50,000 Bad Beat Jackpot!
So while I'm sure Kathy would have loved to cash in today's event, she proved that there are always plenty of different ways to make a score at the Borgata Poker Room!
Down to Three Tables...
After losing James Boyle, one of the most exciting players in the room and the self proclaimed "winningest dinner voucher player in Borgata Poker Room history" in 28th place, we are down to our final 27 and our final 3 tables.
Start of Level 21 - 8000/16000 w/ 2000 ante
29 players return from the dinner break and we are 11 eliminations away from the money.
Chip and player updates to follow.
Chip and player updates to follow.
One Hour Dinner Break
We are pausing play for the next hour for players (and blogger and photographer) to get dinner.
We have 29 players remaining, and will return to 8000/16000 blinds.
Until then...
We have 29 players remaining, and will return to 8000/16000 blinds.
Until then...
Shorter Stacks Staying Alive
The past level (especially the river) was extremely kind to some of our shorter stacked players.
We've seen classic races of AK vs. 1010, all the way down to J10s taking down AQs, and the short stacks have been on the better side of most of these coin flips throughout the past two levels.
Meanwhile JJ Wang lost close to a quarter of his stack when he made the call with K10s from the BB after an all-in raise from the button, who tabled J9 and hit his 9 on the turn to stay alive and momentarily slow one of our leaders.
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| Staying alive. |
Taking a more serious blow to his stack was Steve "Goose" who ran into top 2 pair on the flop after pairing his ace. He's still alive but is well below a 10BB stack.
Gaining Momentum...
Jack Long is building up an even deeper stack as we head towards the final level before dinner. Jack's pocket aces (again) held up against the pocket Jacks of Neil Kalani after they got it all-in pre-flop.
Jack is approaching the 400K chip mark.
Jack is approaching the 400K chip mark.
Start of Level 19 - 5000/10000 w/ 1000 ante
With 40 players remaining, we can start to look ahead to the bubble as just under half of our remaining players are poised to cash.
The official payout for the $260 + $40 Deep Stack Challenge is as follows...
1st - $14,375
2nd - $7,906
3rd - $4,552
4th - $3,833
5th - $2,875
6th - $2,396
7th - $1,917
8th - $1,438
9th - $1,078
10th-12th - $958
13th-15th - $839
16th-18th - $719
As mentioned, the winner of today's Deep Stack Challenge tournament will not only win the $14K first prize, but also be awarded a Borgata Championship trophy.
The official payout for the $260 + $40 Deep Stack Challenge is as follows...
1st - $14,375
2nd - $7,906
3rd - $4,552
4th - $3,833
5th - $2,875
6th - $2,396
7th - $1,917
8th - $1,438
9th - $1,078
10th-12th - $958
13th-15th - $839
16th-18th - $719
As mentioned, the winner of today's Deep Stack Challenge tournament will not only win the $14K first prize, but also be awarded a Borgata Championship trophy.
Start of Level 18 - 4000/8000 w/ 1000 ante
We are 3 levels away from our Dinner Break with 50 players remaining.
4th Break Update
As we reach the 4th break of the day, the field has condensed to 65 players, some deeper stacked than others.
JJ Wang continues his run and has nearly 400K headed into Level 18.
But, one of the biggest winners of the last few levels was Steve "Goose" (Queens, NY) who was nursing a shorter stack for the early portion of the day. Steve got it all in with a top paired Queen on the flop and was called by the pocket 10's of a deeper player.
Steve turned away as he thought a suck out was coming. That wouldn't be the case as the turn and river bricked out and Steve collected nearly 150K in chips.
JJ Wang continues his run and has nearly 400K headed into Level 18.
But, one of the biggest winners of the last few levels was Steve "Goose" (Queens, NY) who was nursing a shorter stack for the early portion of the day. Steve got it all in with a top paired Queen on the flop and was called by the pocket 10's of a deeper player.
Steve turned away as he thought a suck out was coming. That wouldn't be the case as the turn and river bricked out and Steve collected nearly 150K in chips.
Emerging Big Stacks and Surviving Short Stacks
Welcome JJ Wang as the newest member of the "Might Be Chip Leader" Club. The young grinder from East Brunswick, NJ has been bossing his table for the last few levels.
JJ took a 4-way flop and was faced with a shove from a short stacked player who was first to act, after 3 callers, JJ upped the bet and was only called by one of the other players who then folded after JJ bombed the turn. JJ showed his set and took down a substantial pot to move above the 240K mark.
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| JJ Wang |
While JJ was increasing his already deep stack, we've seen some short stacks magically escape elimination by way of the river. A player (who would like to remain anonymous) made a call for his tournament life on a double paired/flush draw board and hit his flush to beat his opponents King high.
More updates about chip ups and eliminations coming soon.
3rd Break Recap
We've seen some of our deeper stacks get even deeper over the last few levels.
Stephen Moy has not slowed down and has increased his chip stack to close to 220K by eliminating a player AQo vs. A4s and taking down a substantial multi-way pot with a large bet on the turn.
A big stack going in somewhat of an opposite direction is Jack Long, who just saw his pocket 2's lose to the all-in 3 bet of a shorter stacked player who held QQ. Jack is still sitting comfortably above the 200K mark.
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| Jack Long |
Middle of Level 14 - 1500/3000 w/ 400 ante
15 minutes remaining until another break in the action, and we are down to 85 players in the $260 + $40 Deepest Stack Challenge.
Start of Level 13 - 1200/2400 w/ 300 ante
Two more levels of play at 20 minute levels and the field continues to narrow with close to 95 players left in the action.
Start of Level 12 - 1000/2000 w/ 300 ante
There are an estimated 100 players remaining as we enter the 4th hour of play in the $260 + $40 Borgata Deep Stack Challenge.
In other news, our photographer has just arrived so we should be posting pictures to put faces to the names very shortly.
In other news, our photographer has just arrived so we should be posting pictures to put faces to the names very shortly.
Start of Level 11 - 800/1600 w/ 200 ante
As the blinds start to increase, we've started to lose players from the field. The unofficial "blogger walk around the room" headcount puts us at just under 140 players back from our 2nd break of the day.
The previously mentioned players are all still alive with relatively the same number of chips as they had when we last visited them, but a few others put together very good levels in between breaks.
Brandon Rivera (Middletown, NY) is sitting comfortably at 120K, while a reentrant, Stephen Moy (New York City, NY) is up to nearly 175K. But, our deepest player so far is easily Jack Long (Abingdon, MD) who is up to 240K thanks to a double knockout and some timely flops.
"I've had Aces twice and then was shoved into after I flopped a straight." Sounds like the deck has been hitting Jack pretty hard, making him the new clubhouse leader headed into Level 11.
More updates to come.
The previously mentioned players are all still alive with relatively the same number of chips as they had when we last visited them, but a few others put together very good levels in between breaks.
Brandon Rivera (Middletown, NY) is sitting comfortably at 120K, while a reentrant, Stephen Moy (New York City, NY) is up to nearly 175K. But, our deepest player so far is easily Jack Long (Abingdon, MD) who is up to 240K thanks to a double knockout and some timely flops.
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| Stephen Moy |
"I've had Aces twice and then was shoved into after I flopped a straight." Sounds like the deck has been hitting Jack pretty hard, making him the new clubhouse leader headed into Level 11.
More updates to come.
Start of Level 9 - 500/1000 w/ 100 ante
With the start of Level 9, we have unofficial payout information.
With a prize pool of nearly $48,000, the tournament will be paying out 18 players, with a minimum cash of $719 and a first prize of close to $14.4K.
That will all be confirmed after a quick lunch break for the blogger, while the players will play 3 more levels until their next break.
With a prize pool of nearly $48,000, the tournament will be paying out 18 players, with a minimum cash of $719 and a first prize of close to $14.4K.
That will all be confirmed after a quick lunch break for the blogger, while the players will play 3 more levels until their next break.
Post Break Review
We had just under 190 players return after the first break of the day here at the Borgata Deep Stacks Challenge and a few of those players are playing much deeper stacks than they started today with.
Still leading our field is Lyle, the benefactor of a double knockout early in Level 2, followed by James Boyle. But then we have some new faces, as Neil Kalani (Hullica Hill, NJ), Michael Drebot (Riverside, NJ) and Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) the "world's best poker playing athlete" have all topped the 85K mark and round out our Top 5. Most of these players got it in good early on and have been relatively quiet since then.
More on these players and others as the action continues.
There is still plenty of action to be had as the average chip count is still around the 47,000 mark.
Payout information and a finalized player count is coming shortly.
Still leading our field is Lyle, the benefactor of a double knockout early in Level 2, followed by James Boyle. But then we have some new faces, as Neil Kalani (Hullica Hill, NJ), Michael Drebot (Riverside, NJ) and Andrew Klein (Ocean, NJ) the "world's best poker playing athlete" have all topped the 85K mark and round out our Top 5. Most of these players got it in good early on and have been relatively quiet since then.
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| Neil Kalani |
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| Michael Drebot |
There is still plenty of action to be had as the average chip count is still around the 47,000 mark.
Payout information and a finalized player count is coming shortly.
Start of Level 7 - 300/600 w/ 75 ante
Top Chip Counts, finalized player count and prize pool coming shortly.
Short Stacks Falling
Over the last half hour or so we've seen the short stacks sent to the rail in a variety of ways.
Big stacks with pocket Kings holding over AQ, short stacks getting it in good with AA only to fall to a turned set of 10s and the always fun, flush completing river card toppling a strong two pair hand. We've even seen a player forfeit their short stack near the reentry period to reload for the start of the next level.
But, while some have been knocked out and left, we've also seen many a knocked out player motion to the dealer and ask for the reentry ticket, getting them right back into the action and keeping them alive in the Borgata Deep Stack Challenge.
Big stacks with pocket Kings holding over AQ, short stacks getting it in good with AA only to fall to a turned set of 10s and the always fun, flush completing river card toppling a strong two pair hand. We've even seen a player forfeit their short stack near the reentry period to reload for the start of the next level.
But, while some have been knocked out and left, we've also seen many a knocked out player motion to the dealer and ask for the reentry ticket, getting them right back into the action and keeping them alive in the Borgata Deep Stack Challenge.
Start of Level 6 - 200/400 w/ 50 ante
"How many more minutes do I have to lose my chips?" - Anonymous (Table 7)
To answer your question, you have about 20 more minutes to lose your chips and still have the ability to reenter during the break after Level 6.
We will have a Top 10 Chip Count and a finalized player count and prize pool payout after the reentry period ends.
To answer your question, you have about 20 more minutes to lose your chips and still have the ability to reenter during the break after Level 6.
We will have a Top 10 Chip Count and a finalized player count and prize pool payout after the reentry period ends.
James Boyle catches up to Lyle
After an hour and a half of play, we can finally include another player, along with our double knockout winner, Lyle, as a "deepest" stack in the room.
James Boyle (Haver de Grace, Maryland) more than doubled his stack in a hand during Level 4. The three way flop saw James flop a bottom set and the player with pocket Kings just couldn't get away.
"People just like to give me chips," James said.
James finds himself with nearly 110K in front of him and is one of our early chip leaders.
James looks poised for another deep run as he has been with the Borgata all week long and has played in every Deep Stack Challenge tournament this far, cashing 3 out of 4 previous event.
James Boyle (Haver de Grace, Maryland) more than doubled his stack in a hand during Level 4. The three way flop saw James flop a bottom set and the player with pocket Kings just couldn't get away.
"People just like to give me chips," James said.
James finds himself with nearly 110K in front of him and is one of our early chip leaders.
James looks poised for another deep run as he has been with the Borgata all week long and has played in every Deep Stack Challenge tournament this far, cashing 3 out of 4 previous event.
Start of Level 5 - 150/300 w/ 25 ante
Five levels in and players are still entering the $260 + $40 Deep Stack Challenge, and why not? With the deepest starting stack offered this week, you're almost never going to be short on chips. (When you first sit down at least.)
40 more minutes until the end of the late registration/reentry period.
40 more minutes until the end of the late registration/reentry period.
Start of Level 4 - 100/200
With 3 levels played, that leaves us with an hour left to late register/reenter.
And an initial sweep of the Borgata Poker Room is telling us that we have just under 130 players already registered in our $260 +$40 Deepest Stack Challenge tournament.
Some players are starting to accumulate chips and make their stacks even deeper, but most players still have plenty of ammunition to work with, as the tournament average is sitting at just about 45,000 chips.
And an initial sweep of the Borgata Poker Room is telling us that we have just under 130 players already registered in our $260 +$40 Deepest Stack Challenge tournament.
Some players are starting to accumulate chips and make their stacks even deeper, but most players still have plenty of ammunition to work with, as the tournament average is sitting at just about 45,000 chips.
Start of Level 3 - 75/150
Four more levels until the end of our late registration/reentry period.
At the end of Level 3 we will have a initial field count for the $260 + $40 Deep Stacks Challenge.
At the end of Level 3 we will have a initial field count for the $260 + $40 Deep Stacks Challenge.
Double Knockout Level 2
Even though all our players are extremely deep stacked, sometimes there is just no way to get away from a big hand.
In the middle of Level 2, we saw three players go to a rainbow flop of 10, A, 9. The pre-flop raiser led into the other players with a half pot bet of 1K. Lyle (Brick, NJ) smooth called in middle position, only to be raised to 4.5K from a younger player on the button.
The initial bettor flat called and the decision was up to Lyle. He bumped it up to 11K which sent the late position player into the tank. He thought about his options for a minute and decided to shove all in for his remaining 25K~. The initial bettor then also went all in!
Lyle having both of the players covered, called and showed 99, for a flopped set of 9's. The initial better tabled AsKs and the younger player on the button showed A10, for a disappointed two pair.
The turn and river blanked out and Lyle took in nearly 130K in chips and the other two players were eliminated.
Lyle is certainly out in front as the the early going chip leader.
In the middle of Level 2, we saw three players go to a rainbow flop of 10, A, 9. The pre-flop raiser led into the other players with a half pot bet of 1K. Lyle (Brick, NJ) smooth called in middle position, only to be raised to 4.5K from a younger player on the button.
The initial bettor flat called and the decision was up to Lyle. He bumped it up to 11K which sent the late position player into the tank. He thought about his options for a minute and decided to shove all in for his remaining 25K~. The initial bettor then also went all in!
Lyle having both of the players covered, called and showed 99, for a flopped set of 9's. The initial better tabled AsKs and the younger player on the button showed A10, for a disappointed two pair.
The turn and river blanked out and Lyle took in nearly 130K in chips and the other two players were eliminated.
Lyle is certainly out in front as the the early going chip leader.
Start of Level 2 - 50/100
20 minutes in the books here at The Borgata Poker Room and still five more levels to go until the end of our late registration/reentry period.
Late entrants and reentrants will still receive a full stack of 40,000 chips.
Late entrants and reentrants will still receive a full stack of 40,000 chips.
What's Up For Grabs?
On top of a nice pay day, each winner of our Deep Stack Challenge daily tournaments will also be awarded a Borgata trophy.
Start of Level 1 - 25/50
Cards are officially in the air to start the $260 + $40
Deepest Stack NLH RE.
Each player is starting with 40,000 in chips.
Blinds will start at 25/50 and the level will last 20 minutes.
With unlimited reentries until the end of Level 6, that
leaves you plenty of time to get in on the deep stacked action.
Official Borgata Poker Deep Stacks Challenge Blog
Coming off of an extremely successful Spring Poker Open,
which culminated with the $15,000 buy-in World Poker Tour Championship, The
Borgata isn’t slowing down during the month of May, again proving to be the
East Coast’s premier poker room.
Earlier this week, The Borgata Poker Room kicked off its
first ever Deep Stacks Challenge. We’ve already seen four days of deep stacked,
deep field play and have already crowned four champions.
Today, players will be buying into our Deepest Stack NLH RE
tournament for $260 + $40. Players will begin with a starting stack of 40,000
chips, giving each nearly 800 big blinds!
Cards are scheduled to be in the air at 11 AM and play will
continue uninterrupted until the end of Level 6, which will also mark the end
the reentry period. The first 15 levels will last 20 minutes in length, levels
16-25 will last 25 minutes, and levels 26+ will last 30 minutes.
With such a deep stack, longer levels and unlimited
reentries, players should be ready fora real grind if they’re looking to be
crowned our 5th Deep Stack Challenge Champion.
Updates will continue throughout the day as we provide hand
recaps, chip counts and everything else you’ll need to keep you in the Deep
Stack action!
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