Event 1 (Day 1B)

$500+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed

Level 2:  Blinds 75/150
Entries:  800

While Flight E has already surpassed each previous flight in the number of entries, it is still growing and could double in size before registration closes with the start of level 13 (about 4:45pm).  Here’s how the first four flights stack up:

Flight A:  497 entries, 85 advance
Flight B:  291 entries, 44 advance
Flight C: 718 entries, 110 advance
Flight D:  718 entries, 116 advance

Total A-D: 2,224 entries, 355* advance

*One player has already bagged chips twice, so will only be listed here once with his larger stack.

Here’s the list of 354 players who are already guaranteed a seat on Day 2, in a searchable and sortable table.

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$500+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed

Level 4:  Blinds 100/200/25 ante
Entries:  430

As the cards and chips continue to circulate here in Flight C, let’s take a moment to look at the results of yesterday’s two flights.

A total of 790 entrants took to the felt and of those, 129 bagged up chips for Day 2.  Here they are with their chip counts, in a searchable and sortable table.

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
End of Level 17: (2,000/4,000/400)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 46

Chris Laieta (Howard Beach, NY)

Day 1B of Event 1 the $500+$60 Deep Stack NLH Re-Entry drew a total of 291 entries bringing the combined total to 790 through the first two flights. When the dust settled it was Chris Laieta who bagged the Day 1B chip lead with 562,500. Laieta managed to scoop a massive pot in the second to last hand of the night holding top two pair against Miguel Martinez.

Scott Blackman (Egg Harbor Township, NJ)

Scott Blackman was the closest player to Laieta  and is one of only two players that bagged over 400,000 this flight. There were 46 players that managed to survived Day 1B and there were 85 survivors on Day 1A. The players will be returning Friday January 20 at 12 P.M. noon to resume Day 2 play.  Below is a look at how some of the Day 1B stacks are shaping up. A full list of chip counts and Day 2 seating assignments will be posted as soon as they’re available.

Chris Laieta- 562,500
Scott Blackman- 454,000
Constantine Apergis- 401,500
Teddy Way- 259,000
John DeRose- 226,500
Alex Rocha- 225,000
Andrew Lauer- 163,500
Matt Stout- 157,000
David Jackson- 134,000

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 16: (2,000/4,000/400)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 61

David Jackson (Jacksonville, FL)

A player raises to 8,500 from early position and David Jackson makes the call. Boulos Estanous comes along as does the player in the small blind. They go four handed to the {ah}{5c}{ks} flop and the action checks around.

The turn is the {3s} and again all four players knuckle the felt. The {as} hits the river and the small blind leads out with a bet of 17,000. The player in early position calls and with the action back on Jackson he raises making it 40,500. The players all quickly fold and Jackson rakes in the pot without a showdown.

David Jackson- 165,000

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 15: (1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 90

The players are now on a 10 minute color up break. This will be the last break of the night and they will be playing two more levels when they return.

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 15: (1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 90

Andrew Lauer (Granby, CT)

Andrew Lauer has been steadily amassing chips here on Day 1B of our first event of The Borgata Winter Poker Open. He just found himself in a three way all in preflop confrontation against Miguel Martinez and a short stacked all in player. Lauer was holding ace king and had the king queen of Martinez in bad shape.

The short stacked player held pocket aces and when the king spiked on the flop Lauer would take the lead and hold onto it. After raking in the pot he is now closing in on the 250,000 chip mark and finds himself near the top of the chip counts. The Connecticut native is now stranger to tournament success as he took home two WSOP circuit rings in two days this past August at Foxwoods.

Those scores would bring his live career tournament earnings up to over $100,000. Although he has had major success in along the east coast Lauer still looks for his first win here at The Borgata and is off to a lightning fast start in Event 1.

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 14: (1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 90

Ragavan “Rags” Thiagarajah (Marlton, NJ)

A player in late position raises to 6,600 and it folds to Ragavan “Rags” Thiagarajah in the big blind and he defends. They go heads up to the {9s}{8h}{8d} flop. Rags checks and his opponent slides out a bet of 12,000. Rags wastes no time check raising all in for his last 32,300 and his opponent nearly beats him into the pot with the call.

Rags turns over {9c}{th} but is behind the {ks}{kc} of his opponent. The turn brings the {7c} and Rags picks up some extra outs as he turns an open ended straight draw. The {6s} completes the board and Rags river the straight to crack his opponents pocket kings and stay alive.

Ragavan “Rags” Thiagarajah- 80,000

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 13: (1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 100

Miguel Martinez

We arrive at the table to catch the heads up action on a board reading {7s}{8h}{js}{4d}. There is nearly 60,000 already in the main pot and Miguel Martinez slides a stack of blue chips forward covering his opponent who has 70,000 behind.

The player goes into the tank for about a minute and splashes in the calling chips. Martinez turns over {5c}{6h} for a turn straight and his opponent fires his hand face down into the muck before the river is dealt.

The {jc} hits the river and Martinez rakes in the massive pot. He is now playing close to 250,000 and looks to be in a battle for the chip lead with T.J. Crews who is playing nearly an identical stack.

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Event 1 (Day1B)– $2,000,000 GTD
Level 13: (1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 291
Total Day 1B Players Remaining: 110

The players have returned from their break and the cards are now back  in the air. With Level 13 now underway this means tournament registration and re-entry are now closed. There are now a combined 790 total entries through the first two flights of Event 1 the $500+$60 Deep Stack NLH $2,000,000 guaranteed.

We will be playing through the end of Level 17 at which point the remaining players will bag and tag their chips. The surviving players will return Friday January 20 at 12 P.M. noon to resume Day 2 play.

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Event 1 – $2,000,000 GTD
Level 12 (800/1600/200)
Total Day 1B: Entries: 290
Total Event 1 Entries: 789

A healthy 290 entrants have populated the Day 1B field for the Winter Poker Open as the next break closes in. Late registration and re-entry are open through the start of Level 13, which will commence at approximately 11:50 pm. The magic number of 300 entrants is still in play for this flight but regardless of the final total, almost 800 players for the first two flights is an encouraging sign of things to come.

The WPO blog will pick up the action once play resumes and take coverage all the way to the end of Level 17 when the bags come out.

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