Event 18 (Day 3)
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 28: 30,000/60,000/10,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 11
Average Stack: 3,395,000
The 11 remaining players in the WPO Championship are back from dinner break to start Level 28. The average stack is under 55 big blinds and Ioannis Patsourakis is the current short stack with 13 bigs.
Play continues until nine players are left and then the final table redraw takes place. Once nine-handed play goes to the WPT final table of six. The levels are 90 minutes for the rest of Day 4 and there is a lot of exciting action left to be played out.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 23: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 27
Average Stack: 1,382,000
What started with 159 players is now down to 27 as Day 3 of the WPO Championship draws to a close. Steven Greenberg (pictured) is the clubhouse leader with 3,753,000, just ahead of the 3,698,000 of Chase Bianchi (chip stack below).
Former Borgata Poker Open Main Event winner David Paredes advances with 1,500,000 and is joined by 2014 BPO runner-up Kane Kalas, who has 2,281,000. Other notables to bag into Day 3 include Joe McKeehen (1,185,000), Damjan Radanov (1,947,000), Stephen Song (2,613,000), Daniel Aharoni (1,994,000), and Michael Marder (493,000).
The full list of the table draws for Day 4 will be released in the morning. Until then, below are the chip counts from the end of Day 3 play.
Steven Greenberg – 3,753,000
Chase Bianchi – 3,698,000
Stephen Song – 2,613,000
Raghuram Jonnalagedda – 2,503,000
Kane Kalas – 2,281,000
Daniel Aharoni – 1,994,000
Damjan Radanov – 1,974,000
David Paredes – 1,500,000
Ioannis Patsourakis – 1,309,000
Spencer Champlain – 1,330,000
Joe McKeehen – 1,185,000
Shankar Pillai – 1,160,000
Adam Hendrix – 1,159,000
Eric Afriat – 1,123,000
Jonathan Little – 1,100,000
Christopher Thompson – 1,001,000
Dennis Zollo – 1,000,000
Kevin Saul – 940,000
Zach Gruneberg – 937,000
Justin Zaki – 906,000
Jason Wade – 671,000
John Sill – 639,000
Sean Remz – 633,000
Casey Yontz – 495,000
Michael Marder – 493,000
Mathew Solitro – 492,000
Amnon Filippi – 484,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 23: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 28
Average Stack: 1,333,000
Shankar Pillai
The line at the payout desk is two-long thanks to simultaneous eliminations made by Shankar Pillai and Raghuram Jonnalagedda.
Pillai knocked out Ruslan Arstanaliyev blind versus blind to send the New Jersey player to the rail. Arstanaliyev had 
and was dominated by the 
of Pillai for 340,000. No help came for Arstanaliyev and he is out. Pillai is at a tournament peak of 1,815,000.
Raghuram Jonnalagedda
Then, James Calderaro was felted by Jonnalagedda. On a flop of 
, Jonnalagedda checked out of the big blind and Calderaro moved all-in for 200,000 out of the hijack. Jonnalagedda called with 
against the 
of Calderaro. The hit the turn to give Jonnalagedda quads and he locked up the pot.
Only a few minutes from the end of the night, Jonnalagedda is near the chip leaders with 2,420,000.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 23: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 31
Average Stack: 1,203,000
Damjan Radanov (pictured) won a key flip against Joe McKeehen to end Level 22 to hit 900,000. Radanov is building higher in Level 23 and took down an all-in pot against Stephen Song, making Song fold a strong hand.
Radanov opened to 75,000 in the small blind and Song defended. The 
saw Radanov bet 65,000 and Song responded by raising to 190,000. Radanov called and the 
arrived on the turn.
He slowed down with a check and Song bet 265,000. The bet initiated an all-in check-raise for about 610,000 more. Song tanked for a moment and folded 
face-up. Radanov slid his cards in face-down and dragged the pot. Radanov is playing 1,720,000 with Song down to 1,700,000.
The battle continues for the 40 minutes left in Day 3.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 23: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 34
Average Stack: 982,000
Steven Greenberg (pictured) is the first player to cross over 3,000,000 and is approaching the four-mark after eliminating Richard Foster. The bet sizes aren’t clear but Foster started the hand with about 1,000,000 and that stack is now in the pile of Greenberg’s.
Foster opened under the gun and Greenberg called in the cutoff. The flop came out 
and Foster continued into Greenberg. Greenberg responded with an all-in shove and Foster called with 
. Foster was distraught to see Greenberg turned over 
for middle set. Needing a jack, Foster did not catch it and misses out on a consecutive Day 4 appearance in the WPO Championship.
Greenberg is leading with 3,800,000 only 60 minutes from Day 4.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 23: 10,000/20,000/3,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 36
Average Stack: 982,000
The WPO Championship field is heading into their final level of the night with 36 players left until a champion is crowned. Day 3 will be complete either when there are 24 players left or the end of Level 23, pending new developments.
Chase Bianchi (with his stack pictured) is the chip leader but the long line of strong players behind him make up for an exciting run to the day’s finish line.
Joe McKeehen was almost up near 2,000,000 but losing 
to the of Damjan Radanov in a preflop battle for 900,000 cut him down to 880,000. Radanov shoved for 433,000 over a McKeehen open and turned a straight.
With the new level set to start, below are the chip leaders at the current stage.
Chase Bianchi – 2,680,000
Steven Greenberg – 2,410,000
Daniel Aharoni – 1,920,000
Stephen Song – 1,820,000
Christopher Thompson – 1,820,000
Kane Kalas – 1,775,000
David Paredes – 1,670,000
Eric Afriat – 1,500,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 22: 8,000/16,000/2,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 38
Average Stack: 982,000
Table 6 is no longer in play but its former members are crushing elsewhere. Joe McKeehen and Daniel Aharoni (pictured) both eliminated an opponent at their new playing stations and at their respective tournament peak.
Veerab Zakarian open-shoved for 378,000 in early position with and McKeehen woke up with 
. The board was pure for McKeehen and he is up to 1,475,000.
Thai Ha raised to 46,000 in the cutoff and Richard Foster flatted the small blind. Aharoni three-bet to 116,000 out of the big blind and Ha shoved for 470,000. Foster exited the hand and Aharoni called with 
. Ha was outkicked with 
but flopped a pair 
to take the lead. The 
turn put Ha one card closer to a double but the on the river shipped the pot Aharoni.
Aharoni let out an exhale and dragged Ha’s chips in. His stack adds up to 1,700,000 as he and McKeehen near Day 4.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 22: 8,000/16,000/2,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 42
Average Stack: 889,000
Ryan Jones came back from break needing some heat and found it in the middle of the deck with a double up through Adam Hendrix. Jones collected some other chips with the double and Hendrix is in need of a rebuild.
Stephen Song opened in early position to 35,000 and Christopher Thompson called in the hijack. Jones jammed for 334,000 in the cutoff and Hendrix followed him behind on the button for 725,000 total.
The opener and first caller folded leaving Jones to face off with 
against the of Hendrix. Jones caught a piece of the 
flop and pulled ahead on the 
turn. No queen or seven came for Hendrix and he dips to 380,000. Jones is up to about 800,000 and knocking on the door of the chip average.
Below are the updated counts from the field with Chase Bianchi in the lead.
Chase Bianchi – 2,210,000
Collin Whyte – 2,100,000
Stephen Song – 1,565,000
Christopher Thompson – 1,480,000
Mathew Solitro – 1,470,000
David Paredes – 1,370,000
Kane Kalas – 1,340,000
Joe McKeehen – 1,275,000
Jonathan Little – 1,225,000
Dennis Zollo – 1,080,000
Daniel Aharoni – 1,010,000
Ioannis Patsourakis – 1,000,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 21: 6,000/12,000/2,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 43
Average Stack: 868,000
An unlucky 13 players became felted in Level 21. David Paredes (pictured) almost made that number 14. However, a flip landed his way and elevated “The Gaucho” to his WPO Championship peak.
Zach Gruneberg opened under the gun to 36,000 and Joseph Couden called on the button. Paredes piled in a three-bet to 141,000 out of the small blind and Gruneberg kicked it in. Couden moved all-in for 676,000 and Paredes double-checked his cards before calling with .
The of Couden led preflop but the in the window surged Paredes into the lead. No help came for Couden and he is down to 160,000. Paredes bounces up to 1,410,000 and is in the top portion of the leaderboard.
Players are on a break and updated counts will be here shortly.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Level 21: 6,000/12,000/2,000
Total Entries: 1,244
Players Remaining: 43
Average Stack: 868,000
Kane Kalas (pictured) moved into the chip lead earlier on Day 3 and is once again back in control. Kalas won the flip of all flips against A.J. Kelsall and sent the start of Day 3 chip leader on a flight to Minnesota.
David Paredes opened under the gun and Kalas three-bet to 81,000 in the cutoff. Kelsall jammed for 700,000 out of the small blind. Paredes got out of the way and Kalas went into the tank. Kelsall mused about the betting odds of his Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl with the table while Kalas thought over the spot.
Kalas used a time chip and called with . Kelsall showed and was in a flip for his tournament life. The 
board bricked out for Kelsall and Kalas is back in the lead with 1,900,000.
Jonathan Little is now on Kalas’ table in a tough lineup that includes Zachary Gruneberg, Kevin Saul, Joseph Couden, and dinner break chip leader Mathew Solitro. Table 6 is dormant, for the time being.