Event 14
2018 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Champion Eric Afriat
Last night after nearly four hours of heads-up play, Erif Afriat defeated Justin Zaki to win the $3 Million Guaranteed World Poker Tour Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship to claim his second WPT title, earning more than $651,000. ($15,000 is withheld for entry in the Season-Ending WPT Tournament of Champions in May.)
Afriat overcame a 2:1 chip deficit to take the lead, then the chips swung the other way and at one point he was down 4:1 in chips. He continued to battle back until he had all the chips and the win. Zaki earned more than $434,000 for his 2nd place finish.
This final table also included 2015 WSOP Main Event Winner Joe McKeehen, for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row, he finished 4th.
James Roberts – BWPO Kickoff Event Winner
The WPO series began with a $2 Million Guaranteed Deep Stack Kickoff event which drew more than 4,500 entrants. At the end, it was James Roberts who hoisted the Borgata trophy. The recent retiree earned $378,391 after battling his way through a star-studded final table.
More than $10 million was paid out in prize money in these 23 main events alone, not including satellites and secondary events. A complete list of main event winners is below.
*AP Indicates Adjusted Payout
Thank you to all the participants and congratulations to all the winners! A special thanks goes out to all Borgata tournament staff and dealers for a terrific series.
On behalf of Borgata Poker Bloggers Tim Kelliher, Chris Murray, Brittany Paige, Matt Clark, and myself, thank you for reading! Mark your calendars now for the Borgata Spring Poker Open, which takes place April 10th – 27th. Hope to see you then!
@Kaelaine
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 19: 4,000/8,000/1,000
Total Entries: 325
Players Remaining: 32
Ruslan Arstanaliyev held the chip lead for much of the night and will add $5,000 cash to his bankroll.
It took quite some time but the Super Survivor has come to and after more than 12 hours of play. 32 players managed to survive and take home $5,000 in cold hard cash.
The survivors include Ruslan Arstanaliyev, Iverson “Cotton” Snuffer, Marshall White, John Caputo and Greg Fishberg just to name a few.
A full list of all of the Event 14 Super Survivors will be posted as soon it’s available. 
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 18: 3,000/6,000/500
Total Entries: 325
Players Remaining: 40
Marshall White
Marshall White is still in the field and playing close to 200,000 with just 40 Super Survivor players left.
White’s best live tournament score came here in September after winning the $600 $2,000,000 Guaranteed NLH during the Borgata Poker Open. He bested the massive 3,570 entry field to earn $330,841 and his second Borgata title.
He followed that up winning his 5th WSOP Circuit in November taking down the $365 NLH WSOP circuit event at Choctaw earning over $16,000.
White’s poker resume is a long one that now boasts over $1,200,000 in earnings and he will more than likely add another $5,000 to his bankroll here tonight.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 17: 2,500/5,000/500
Total Entries: 325
Players Remaining: 49
Peter Giordano
The Super Survivor is still chugging along in the early morning hours and just 49 players remain.
The final 32 survivors will all make the cash and Peter Giordano is still in the hunt. Giordano was part of an adjusted payout deal between the final four players in Event 2 the Black Chip Bounty NLH event.
He took home $57,531 along with his first Borgata Poker title and is closing in on another $5,000 cash here in Event 14.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/300
Total Entries: 325
Players Remaining: 70
While the Six Max is nearing the money bubble we took a moment to check in on the Super Survivor players at the front of the Event Center.
There are now just 70 players left in the hunt and the final 32 will all take home $5,000 in cash.
Orville “Junior” Arthurs
Orville “Junior” Arthurs is one of the biggest stacks in the field with 270,000. Another Borgata regular Ruslan Arstanaliyev is also playing close to 250,000 and has already notched a nice score this series.
Ruslan Arstanaliyev
Arstanaliyev was part of an adjusted payout deal in the $230 Deeper Stack NLH Event taking home over $4,200 for his 5th place finish.
Cornel Cimpan
Cornel Cimpan is also chipping up fast and he is definitely one of the more experienced players left in the field. He holds a Foxwoods title, an EPT title and LAPC title on his poker resume and has earned more than $3,600,000 throughout his career.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 9: 400/800/100
Total Entries: 325
Players Remaining: 180
Tyreem Williams
Event 14 of the Borgata Winter Open is the $560 Super Survivor NLH and registration has just closed. There are 325 entries and the top 32 players will all take home $5,000 in cash.
Tyreem Williams just moved all in over a raise from the cutoff and a small blind call. Both players quickly folded and Williams took the pot without showdown.
Williams is fresh off a final table in the $250 Sugar Rush Challenge NLH event earlier this month. He took home over $11,000 for his 5th place finish and is looking to add another $5,000 boost to his bankroll here tonight.
Kenny Nguyen
Never one to shy away from the camera Kenny “Super Tuan” Nguyen is also looking to survive. “Put in the blog Kenny Nguyen gonna win this thing” he says with a smile and we’re happy to oblige.
Nguyen may be in a joking mood but his poker game is certainly as serious as it gets. Nguyen holds two major titles including a WSOP circuit ring and has earned more than $1,200,000 throughout his career.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 5: Blinds 150/300
Entries: 260
The Super Survivor field is near the end of the registration period in the middle of the Event Center. Three rows of tables are in play and more entrants will register prior to the total amount locking in at the start of Level 9 (9:30 pm).
The slow-paced action in the early levels forces players to use screens to distract their immediate attention. More focus will be placed on the hands in play as the field creeps near the $5,000 bubble.
A few Borgata regs are occupying their mind on something else in Level 5 and we’ll see if that results in them walking out later tonight with a flag in hand.
Carlos Alvarado
Gary Kosakowski
Michael Guzzardi
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
The third ‘Main Event’ on today’s schedule has started just in the Event Center. In this Super Survivor, approximately 1 in 10 players will earn $5,000 each!
Players began with 20,000 chips and levels 1-10 are 30 minutes long. Starting with level 11, they increase to 40 minutes for the duration of the event. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are allowed until the start of level 9 (about 9:30pm).
This is a one-day event and they will play until only 10% of the field remains and they will be the ‘Super Survivors’!