Event 1
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 13: Blinds 1,000/2,000/300 ante
Entries: 340
Players Remaining: 110
Average Stack: 77,300
Play has resumed up front with the registration period closed for Flight A. There were (unofficially) 340 entrants. Of those, only ~110 remain, putting the average stack close to 77,000.
Michael Kemeter
On determined player still in the hunt is Michael Kemeter. Michael won the $1,000 SixMax NLH event in the Summer Poker Open of back-to-back years, 2015 and 2016. He came very close to winning a third SixMax title during the November Fall Poker Open, but had to settle for 3rd place.
Michael knows these events are a marathon, not a sprint, so he’s settled in with his tablet for the long haul. First step, get chips in a bag at the end of level 17!
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 2: Blinds 50/100
Entries: 88
As Flight A enjoys another break with the close of registration looming at the end, Flight B is off to a slow start — Still in double-digits, that will change once Flight A is closed.
Mark Kaganovsky
Spotted in the field early in Flight B is Mark Kaganovsky, the amateur who shocked the poker world back in November. His 2nd-place finish in the 2017 FPO Championship was witnessed by hundreds with live spectators and online viewers following on the live stream. The runner-up collected more than $169,000 for his finish at a final table that included pros like Keven Stammen and Dan Wach. Darren Elias, who won that event, has not yet appeared for this WPO kickoff.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
End of Level 12: Blinds 800/1600/200 ante
Entries: 340
We are about to go on a fifteen minute break and will return at 5:48 pm.
The ever present poker predator, Pokermantis, has an average stack on 11.
Another Borgata super reg, Cathy Dever, is on 16 with just under 50,000.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 12: Blinds 800/1600/200 ante
Entries: 337
Just behind Holden on 9 and trailing the tournament chip leader, Nelson Latra was last seen eyeing Christian’s stack.
Now he doesn’t have to be jealous, with over 300,000 and the likely tournament lead at this moment. In just a few orbits, Nelson felted two opponents and took a hefty chunk from an anonymous player in two.
“They gave me the chips,” Latra reported while looking at the empty seats.
The table quietly agreed.
“I gave him mine, too.” seat two admittedly amiably.
Soon after, a curious four way pot developed. On 
, the flop aggressor in the small gave up, and Holden led out for 10,000. Everyone somehow folded, and Christian showed an ugly monster – the 
.
Holden trails Latra with just under 200,000.
A buy-in’s life, if not tournament life, exactly: Braden quietly ponders the shove from Dubik, foreground.
Meanwhile, on adjacent 14, Bill Braden was facing a decision for stacks on the turn. On a draw heavy, clubbing board, Chad Dubik shoved into the active Braden for the plastic disks.
Braden took a long time for his decision while Dubik sat silently. Then, a decision:
Fold. Saving the chips.
Dubik decided to show one, however: the unrelated 
.
Braden took it to mean a flush draw, and the two briefly discussed the hand, with Dubik claiming a pair.
Immediately afterward, Braden tried recover the chips in a raised pot, but had a river bluff picked off by 
.
With half the average, he’s got work to do. Dubik is more healthy, and now has over 100,000.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
Cards are in the air here in the middle of the Borgata Event Center for the second flight of the Kickoff event. Flight A continues to shrink in the front of the room.
All players begin with 25,000 chip Deep Stacks and the first 17 levels are 30 minutes long. They will play all 17 levels before the bag & tag (about 2:30am). Late registration and re-entry are available until the start of level 13 (about 11:45pm). Late arrivals and re-entering players will start with a full 25,000 stack.
Players who bust out of this flight can re-enter this or any subsequent flight until registration closes (Unlimited Re-Entries). Players who don’t bust out and bag chips in any flight can also re-enter any subsequent flight (Best Stack Forward). Any player who manages to bag chips in more than one flight will only take their largest stack into Day 2, forfeiting all other bagged chips .
Four more flights are on tap, two Wednesday and two Thursday, so never fear, there’s plenty of time to get in on the action!
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 11: Blinds 600/1,200/200 ante
Entries: 334
Joe Reddick
Mike McGuinness has also vacated the seat at Table 2 originally belonging to Kathy Liebert. Now sitting there is the late-arriving Joe Reddick, aka Chip Bully. Perhaps he will do better in that chair than its previous two occupants.
Joe pushed his career earnings past $800,000 late last year. It was just two year ago during the 2016 WPO that he claimed 1st in the Borgata Million and booked $217,792 for the win. That remains his best live cash.
Guo Liang Chen
Another famous face has turned up in the crowd. 2017 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Championship winner Guo Liang Chen is back, looking to add to the $789,000 he won last September.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 11: Blinds 600/1200/200 ante
Entries: 332
Just behind chip leader Buzgon are many stacks pushing 160,000.
One is Worcester’s Christian Holden. He leapt up the standings in a big pot at his now broken table 18.
At 100/400/800, the lojack raised to 2100, and Holden flatted 
from the hijack. This created a chain of three callers behind.
On 
, the aggressor checked and Christian found a natural bet of 5,000.
However, after two folds, the BB now raised to 15,000, which Holden called.
On the 
, the BB shoved for 45,000 – a huge bet at this stage. Holden was consoled by the five, which reduced the sets, and held against 
.
Holden settling in with 150,000 on his new table, nine. Nelson Latra, eyes the big pile on his right and has a hefty 140,000 as well.
On 13, another rising stack celebrates after felting his villain: Mark Defelice has over 150,000.
Meanwhile, tournament legend Liebert, now on four, was explaining some of her play.
“They don’t know what I am doing, which confuses them, and that’s a good thing. I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing.”
That is indeed hard to deal with.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 10: Blinds 500/1,000/100 ante
Entries: 326
Joseph Rodriguez
Joseph Rodriguez (cutoff) fired 6,000 on the river with the board showing T T 5 5 J. The player on the button surrendered and Joseph took the pot. He’s up to about 150,000, six times the starting stack as they approach the half-way point of level 10.
Flight A will play through the end of level 17 before bagging up for the night. Registration remains open until the start of level 13.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
Level 9: Blinds 400/800/100 ante
Entries: 320
Dan Buzgon
It should come as no surprise that the big stack, as of the break, belongs to none other than Dan Buzgon. He’s up to 193,000 after only 8 levels of play.
Dan won the Almighty Million and more than $151,000 last September, after a raucous final table that included Jon Borenstein, Kevin Saul, and Jesse Cohen. That was his second Borgata title, the fist of which came in the 2015 Winter Poker Open when he won the Borgata Million and more than $194,000.
Apparently Dan does everything in twos. He won two WSOP Circuit rings in Turbo events last March and he’s appeared on two televised World Poker Tour final tables. The first of those was the 2011 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship where he finished 3rd for $335,433. That remains his best live cash. His career earnings are approaching $1.9 million.
Dan earned his seat in today’s event playing online at BorgataPoker.com, so we’ll watch to see if he can parlay that into another big cash.
$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$2 Million Guaranteed
End of Level 8: Blinds 300/600/75 ante
Entries: 313
Level 8 is done and time for another break. The green 25 chips are coming out of play.