Event 1 (Day 1E)
Level 12: Blinds 800/1,600/200 ante
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,447
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,650
2
The 2015 Fall Poker Open Championship winner, Mike ‘Unbelievable’ Dentale has thrown his hat in this ring and announced his arrival in a big way:
Just got to @BorgataPoker 2mm guarantee last minute last day and 2nd to last flight , quadruple 2nd hand in, LFG
— Mike Dentale (@Mikunbelievable) January 21, 2016
Mike took down the Championship event last November, which earned him more than $336,000 and pushed his career earnings north of $1.2 million. That was his third Borgata Open series win, but his first Championship takedown, which was also the largest single cash of his semi-professional career.
The Brooklyn, NY, native owns a window replacement business, but still manages to hit the felt frequently, here and all over the country.
Level 12 (800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,447
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,650
Throughout the last few days, we’ve highlighted players that have made deep runs in past Borgata Poker Open opening events, World Poker Tour events and have already got their 2016 seasons off with victories. We’re combining all of those recent themes in our next post, featuring players that could be parlaying recent success into deep Event 1 runs this weekend.
James Lillis had one of the more consistent 2015 seasons on the East Coast, cashing for nearly $200,000, while claiming two Borgata Poker titles. His best run though, came in an event he didn’t win, as he finished 3rd in the opening event of the Fall Poker Open for a $65,000 score. He’s now trying to regain that form this weekend, after opening his 2016 account in Florida last week.
Jake Schwartz waited until the end of the year to make his best runs of 2015, as he made two WPT final tables over the course of a month. The best of those finishes came at the Bellagio Five Diamond Classic, where Schwartz finished 4th for an over $410,000 score. He’s already notched two scores this year, cashing in the LAPT Main Event and another event at this month’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. He’ll now try to keep the ball rolling into Borgata and 2016.
Speaking of getting the ball rolling in 2016, Thai Ha did so in a big way earlier this month. Ha won the 4,000 player $1,000,000 GTD Lucky Hearts Poker Open opening event, good for a $230,000 score. This WPO event will likely be slightly bigger than that but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Ha, who is confident and ready to navigate another massive field.
Level 11: Blinds 600/1,200/200 ante
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,447
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,650
Cindy Albert a.k.a. Poker Peach (Germantown, MD)
Cindy Albert started her day off with a positive attitude:
Day 1E #BWPO Ev 1..$2milly gtd..looking to run it sky high! 📈 #onetime ♠️♥️♣️♦️🍑
— Cindy Albert (@pokerpeach) January 21, 2016
However she found herself short-stacked and all-in a little while ago. The player in seat 8 opened for 2,500 and Cindy shoved her last chips across the line. She had to sweat it out, first waiting for the players in the blinds to decide to fold, the wait while the player who had already committed chips to the pot made up his mind.
He eventually opted to release his hand and Cindy took the pot, chipping up to almost 25,000. She’s still in the danger zone with roughly 20 big blinds but is maintaining her positive attitude!
Cindy holds two Ladies Event titles, one from the WSOP Circuit and the other from Foxwoods. Her largest single cash was when she won the Ladies event at Foxwoods in April 2006, taking home just over $27,000. Her best finish here at Borgata came four years ago during the Winter Poker Open. She final-tabled the $1,000 NLH event, finishing in 9th place for ore than $4,000. Her lifetime earnings have topped $120,000.
Level 11 (600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,447
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,650
This field has built it’s way over the 3,600 player mark and while everyone who plays this opening $2,000,000 guaranteed event hope to get to the final table this weekend, there are only a select few that knows what that feels like. Kenny Levine is one of those players, as he final tabled this event last year after a marathon Day 2 session.
Another huge prize pool has brought Levine back to the Borgata and during the last break, we were able to catch up with Levine, talking going back to back, his relaxed attitude at the table and his new one man fan club.
Level 10: Blinds 500/1,000/100 ante
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,447
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,650
Play has resumed and registration is closed for this flight. There’s one final flight coming up at 7pm and that will be the last-chance flight for players to take a shot at this $2+ Million prize pool.
Dimas Martinez (Buford, GA)
Dimas Martinez is responsible for three of those entries himself. It looks like the third time might be the charm for him, as he’s up to ~150,000 (150 big blinds) in this flight. He’s both fearless and aggressive at the poker table, which is a deadly, and profitable, combination.
As a resident of Georgia, a state which has no casinos or (legal) poker rooms, he has to travel to other states to play, when his business allows him the free time. Over the years he has recorded more than $130,000 in tournament earnings. Most of that came with his 4th place finish in the Championship event of the February 2014 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, good for more than $90,000.
His best finish here at Borgata and his second-largest lifetime score, was a 5th place in last Fall’s $260+$40 Junkies NLH event, where he pocketed $9,059.
End of Level 9: Blinds 400/800/75 ante
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,431
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,633
Players are currently on a color-up break following the end of level 9. Due to the size of the field, the break has been extended to 20 minutes to accommodate the extensive color-up.
Quick Bites available just off the tournament floor!
It will also help with the long line for the cafeteria, our ring-side snack area where players can grab quick bites. They serve everything from beverages and fresh fruit to belly-warming soups, just right for this cold weather.
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream is also available, for those who don’t fear the cold!
Level 9 (400/800/75)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,375
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,577
Cate Hall made some big tournament noise over the last few months of 2015. She cashed in four WPT events, including a final table run at Maryland Live! and the $10,000 buy-in Bellagio Five Diamond Classic.
We’ve referenced a few players that have had success in past WPT Borgata Poker Open events and for Cate Hall, her 2015 run started the last time the WPT made a stop at the East Coast’s preeminent poker destination. Hall cashed in the opening $2,000,000 GTD event in September and then followed that up with her first career WPT score.
The rest of the year saw Hall make three more WPT cashes, including two final table finishes at Maryland Live! and in the year ending Bellagio Five Diamond Classic. The latter of her two 5th place runs was good for the biggest score of her career, as she parlayed a live qualifier $10,000 seat win into an over $290,000 score.
Those runs have Hall nominated for the American Poker Award for ‘Breakout Performance of the Year’ and while that title won’t be crowned until next month, King Cate is hoping to start her 2016 season with some more Borgata and WPT success over the next few weeks.
Level 9 (400/800/75)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,375
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,577
The late registration period for this Day 1E flight is almost a thing of the past, as play is moving into Level 9, which will be the last level to get into this fifth starting flight. Amazingly, we haven’t seen the pace of entrants subside throughout the last few levels, pushing this field dangerously close to the 1,400 player mark.
With 4,000 players needed to hit the $2,000,000 guarantee on this event, it’s only a matter of time until that number is passed and likely crushed in tonight’s 7 PM flight.
Level 7 (250/500/50)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,250
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,452
This Day 1E flight has just come back from it’s second break of the day and while this field continues to work towards Day 2, we caught up with Christian Soto, who is already comfortably slotted into that restart. Soto bagged the biggest stack in yesterday’s Day 1C session and during the break, we caught up with him to talk about flatting pocket aces, deep stacked tournament play and how he’s going to approach the rest of this $2,000,000 GTD event.
Level 6 (200/400/50)
Total Day 1E Entries: 1,130
Total Event 1 Entries: 3,332
Richard Seymour is a three-time Super Bowl champion and seven-time Pro Bowler but after retiring in 2012, he’s become a familiar face on the poker scene. He’ll try to notch his first career Borgata Poker score this weekend, in the $2,000,000 GTD opening WPO event.
It’s no surprise that Borgata Poker Opens bring out some big name poker players, as there are massive prize pools up for grabs but today, it’s not just former WSOP bracelet winners and WPT champions that we’re focused on. Not taking anything away from those winners but those titles seem to pale in comparison to what Richard Seymour has accomplished throughout his professional football career.
The former New England Patriot and Oakland Raider won three Super Bowls during his twelve year NFL career, along with making seven trips tot he Pro Bowl. The three-time all-pro’s football days might be behind him but he’s starting to become a pretty regular figure in the poker world.
Over the past few years, the Georgia native has played in multiple WPT and WSOP events, finding some moderate success in the former. He’s still looking for his first career Borgata score and there might not be a better event to do just that that this massive $2,000,000 event.