Event 14
Daniel Weinman (Washington, DC)
2017 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Champion
Over the previous 18 days, the Borgata played host to another record-setting Winter Poker Open Series, culminating in the World Poker Tour BWPO Championship event. That $3 Million Guaranteed event fielded 1,312 runners, setting a new record for the largest-ever WPO Championship event. It was also just one entrant shy of matching the record for most entrants in any Borgata Open series Championship, which was set in 2011. During that year’s September Borgata Poker Open, 1,313 entrants took to the felt. This year’s record for Borgata also places fourth on the World Poker Tour’s all-time most-entries list.
Georgia-born Daniel Weinman took the title and his first WPT win at a final table was live-streamed by the World Poker Tour. First-place prize money was more than $892,000.
The series also started of with a record-breaking Kickoff Event. The $2 Million Guaranteed Deep Stack opener drew 5,512 entrants, handily beating the previous year’s record-setting field of 5,101 runners. Aristoteles Neto claimed more than $216,000 for the win.
The series boasted a total of $6.4 million in guarantees and all were covered easily. Nearly $10.5 million was paid in total buy-ins just for the 25 Main Events, not including satellites and secondary events. (* Next to 1st place indicates Adjusted Payouts.)
Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all the participants. We hope to see you back at Borgata for the next series, the Spring Poker Open, coming up April 18th through May 5th.
Although there were some technical issues with the blog during this series, we want to thank all the players, friends, and family for their patience as they were sorted out. Our servers have been upgraded so should be able to handle the next record-breaking event at Borgata! Until next time, farewell from the Borgata Blog team of Kaelaine, Matt Clark, Tim Kelliher, and Chris Murray!
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 29 (stopped): Blinds 40,000/80,000/10,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Ryan McKnight (Harrisburg, PA) $78,665
After a carefully played, three-hour heads up struggle, Ryan McKnight has triumphed over Jesse Sylvia.
It wasn’t entirely clear the McKnight would win, despite a three to one chip lead coming into heads-up. Sylvia lost a few pots then doubled through, peaking at 2,500,000 to McKnight’s 4,100,000 – a real match seemed in the offing. And with big names in the poker world railing and supporting the well-known Sylvia, it was possible one might expect McKnight to show some nerves.
However, he never really did, and Sylvia never really got the traction he seemed destined for. The entirety of the heads up saw Sylvia unable to get past this high-water mark, and for the last hour, struggled to stay above 1,500,000.
With the blinds threatening him, the action slowed. Limping and pot control shaded levels 27 and 28.
The real drama for the determined McKnight was earlier, when down to ten bigs, long before the final table, he doubled and doubled again while at the wild table two with John Karlin and one-time chip leader Rob Elias, who also went deep.
Taking stacks from Karlin was the big turn of events for Ryan, and in many respects, he didn’t look back, always being near or at the top once table 3 was kind to him.
Once Joshua Lawson busted in third, Ryan appeared the fresher of the two opponents, and while he did run better than Sylvia, Ryan seemed ready to fight harder and longer.
Ryan McKnight takes down the Six Max trophy and $78,665.*
Congratulations, Ryan on a tournament well played.
Check out the BWPO splash page for all tomorrow’s action.
*(While there was no agreement, McKnight insisted that one dollar to be given to second place,
to avoid the Number of the Beast appearing on his check.)
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 29 (stopped): Blinds 40,000/80,000/10,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
It’s over. Despite an early double, Jesse Sylvia couldn’t overcome the chip leader. (That’s the Fall Main Event Champ in the background, who railed the heads-up match.
For most of the past few levels, the button has been opening to the minimum, but now the McKnight and Sylvia have begun limping. The combination of Sylvia’s shorter stack and the heightening blinds have led to this strategy, and neither look like they are going for a knockout.
This means the match goes on.
McKnight just peeled 300,000 out Sylvia’s stack, turning a flush and getting his favorite get sizing – 140,000 – paid on the river.
“I finally made a pair,” Sylvia lamented.
Another important pot has developed, with McKnight betting 375,000 on a board pairing runout. Sylvia looks interested in calling. He rubs his eyes and shuffles, his foot bouncing. He’s intrigued by the bet on the running queens.
What does McKnight have? The bet will take nearly half of Sylvia’s chips to call – this pot has taken investment.
But Sylvia folds and says “nice hand.”
Not even a response from Ryan this time, who has been slightly on the grimly determined side of things all evening.
Nevertheless, even by folding, Sylvia is down to less than fifteen big blinds.
Sylvia move in on the button.
From McKnight’s reaction, he was going to call Jesse’s ship, and indeed, he had woken up with {ad} {qc}.
Rungood on Day 2 for Ryan, and in the final hand it didn’t stop.
The board ran out with two of the three remaining aces in the deck, leaving Jesse drawing dead on the turn. He had shipped a naked queen, playing optimally and looking for the fold.
For his great run and another stellar accomplishment in a long resume, Jesse Sylvia takes a deserved $48,162 for second place in Event 14 Six Max.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 28: Blinds 30,000/60,000/5,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
One thing that has been working is the three bet, shown here.
As the small ball continued, Sylvia could not get the best of McKnight as he had in the earlier pots, where he was able to bet rivers and get folds.
Now, looking more fatigued than McKnight, his stack has slipped back down to a little over 1,100,000.
Ryan just picked up a key pot from Sylvia on a king high board.
“Ace king?” Sylvia inquired, a little surprised to see a hand so strong. It was a 600,000, and big for the standards of the level.
“This is the most card dead I’ve ever been,” Jesse complained, to no one in particular.
Offering some support, Vanessa Selbst stated that if McKnight was taking requests, “could you stop taking his chips?”
Then, on cue, a little light for Sylvia – a river raise takes down a 400,000 pot, a three bet works, and he’s back to 1,500,000.
McKnight with 5,100,000.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 28: Blinds 30,000/60,000/5,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
Jesse Sylvia rests his head for a moment. The match has grown long.
A series of small pots left stacks unchanged between the two competitors.
Each took turns showing down weak pairs and not going for river value.
McKnight put in one of his less common flop check raises on a straightening, flushing middle board, and Sylvia respected it making a laydown to the 640,000 bet.
Then big preflop action again led to careful play.
McKnight raised the button and Sylvia three bet to 340,000.
McKnight found a call in position and the two saw {kc} {6d} {8c}.
Despite the king high flop, Sylvia found a check/call against Ryan’s 275,000.
Low blanks on the turn and river both went check check, and Sylvia claimed the pot with {jx} {jx}.
Immediately after Sylvia again three bet and this time won pre. His stack was on the rise.
However, in unusual action, Ryan three bet the turn card on {6h} {jc} {5h}{td}, and Sylvia was forced, perhaps, to relinquish.
Sylvia has 2,100,000, McKnight 4,500,000.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 27: Blinds 25,000/50,000/5,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
Despite losing the large pot, Sylvia is able to take down consecutive pots with nearly identical runouts with large river bets after the action is checked through on the turn.
However, McKnight wins a showdown and some of his gains are reversed.
Sylvia had about 1,400,000, McKnight 5,200,000 with twenty minutes left in this level.
Another potentially important pot goes off without trouble when Sylvia checks the river with a straight, and McKnight checks back.
“I had two eights, Ryan commented on his blocker, “how do you have that?”
Then, Sylvia gets the money in in a critical pot.
“Well you didn’t get snapped!” Ryan declared at the pivotal moment.
This pot had blown up on the turn, when once again Sylvia found a check raise of McKnight’s bet of 140,000 to 435,00. McKnight foud a call in position, and with a little more than 1,000,000 in the middle Sylvia was left with about a pot sized bet.
The board read {ac} {2s} {9c} {tc} {ts}
After twenty seconds Sylvia indeed announce all in, and McKnight had to think.
McKnight faces the river shove.
Indeed, no snap, and in fact no call – McKnight mucks, and Sylvia scoops a big one.
However, the next two pots went to McKnight.
As Level 27 comes to a close, Ryan just put in another turn check raise on a queen high board, getting a fold.
Could McKnight be regaining the momentum, despite having to fold to the big shove?
No. Sylvia reached a showdown with a turned two pair and now is back to where he was an hour ago – just over 2,000,000. McKnight has 4,600,000.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 27: Blinds 25,000/50,000/5,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
Ryan grills Sylvia early in the match, getting a fold. Now it repeats itself on the straightening, paired board. McKnight is back over 5,000,000.
Again showing an aspect of the game that McKnight is not using on the flop and out of position, Sylvia check raises a queen high flop and gets the fold from the preflop aggressor.
Next hand, three bet from Ryan. We see an Ace high flop and 175,000 in continuation. Small gulp from sylvia – and call. The King of hearts on the turn – and 350, 000 from McKnight takes it down.
Another min from the button, and Sylvia lets it go.
Then, big pot on the turn – his check raises have been later in the hand so far – of a middle runout board, Ryan pulls the check raise to 400,000, gets a call, and on {6h} {7c} {8c} {7d} {3d}, puts in 700,000.
This is a tournament changing hand if Sylvia calls – the pot is 1,700,000 including river lead.
Sylvia takes a long time – and folds.
He is left with a little over a million, and Ryan is now way up with over 5,400,000.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 26: Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
On a short break, Sylvia chats with his rail of high stakes tournament players Vandyshev, Del Vecchio, and Selbst.
With a few minutes to go in this level, Sylvia picks off a small bluff on a broadway board with a pair of sevens. It’s Ryan’s turn to have nine-high.
Sylvia then bombs the river to 325,000 after betting turn 80,000 on {7s} {2c} {9s} {qs} {8h}.
Ryan snap folds with a measure of disgust.
Then big pot threatens to devlop when Sylvia check calls an ace-high monotone flop.
However, when he picks up the chips to call McKnight’s 140,000 turn bet on a likely blank middle diamond, he then flips the cards away to the dealer.
Ryan comments that Sylvia didn’t seem to enjoy folding.
“It’s never fun,” Sylvia confirms.
Sylvia continues around 2,200,000 with McKnight at 4,400,000.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 26: Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
The final two. Sylvia has slipped down from his high point, but a running full house and its value bet has boosted him back.
After the giant pots, about which Sylvia commented, “they always come together,” the action waned a bit.
On the button, Jesse raises, Ryan three bets and takes it down.
Interestingly, Slyvia check raises a king high board on the flop as the caller, leading Ryan to fling his cards.
There’s no animosity, but Ryan mentions, “I’m never sorry to someone who’s taking my chips.”
Sylvia laughs.
In the next hand, in a raised pot with a single continuation bet and no more wagers, Sylvia declared nine high, but McKnight flipped over a ten.
“I didn’t have to bet.” Ryan acknowledged some of his rungood: “I always have you nicked by one.”
Sylvia then got value from a fortunate runout, filling up, and picked off an open with a three bet.
Sylvia – 2,100,000
McKnight – 4,500,000
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$200,000 Guaranteed
Level 26: Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000 ante
Total Entries: 331
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 3,310,000
We’re a few hands into heads up for the Six Max title.
Sylvia took the first hand.
Jesse started with about 1,200,000, and McKnight 5,400,000.
The adjusted payout they are agreeing to only this – one dollar, requested by McKnight, to avoid the 666 that the winner would get as the final digits of his payout.
Then, big action. In a reraised pot, McKnight fired from the big twice as the board ran out {jh} {5d} {9h} {9d}.
The 450,000 on the turn was essentially for stacks, as Jesse was short. Sylvia raised all in.
A sweet turn gets Sylvia paid by a premium – and back in it.
McKnight snapped it off holding two kings- and could only roll his eyes as Sylvia revealed {qx} {9x}, for turned trips.
This pot doubled Sylvia to over 2,500,000.
In the next hands Sylva could not find a call on a paired runout however, and the Ryan took the pot down, leaving us at 2,300,000 for Sylvia, and 4,300,000 for McKnight.