Event 18 Championship
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 750
Ryan Eriquezzo
We are approaching the last level of the night here in our second BWPO WPT Championship flight. There are plenty of big stacks starting to emerge in the sea of players and Ryan Eriquezzo is one of them.
The WSOP bracelet winner just scooped another pot and he’s now up to just over 85,000.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 740
Matt Mendez
The players have just returned from break and we spotted a few BorgataPoker.com online qualifiers in the field. Soheb Porbandarwala is fresh off a win in the BWPO Saturday Series NLH event. He bested the 639 entry field winning over $52,000 and the trophy.
Soheb Porbandarwala
Anthony Maio
Anthony Maio’s Borgata Winter Poker Open also got off to a great start. Maio made a deep run in the massive 5,130 entry Event 1 finishing 36th for $7,255.
WSOP bracelet winner Matt Mendez also won his BWPO WPT Chamionship entry on BorgataPoker.com. Mendez wasted no time putting his starting stack to work and he has been in cruise control for much of the day.
He is now playing over 100,000 and will look to finish strong with less than two levels of play left in the night.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424 / 219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 735
We’re into the final two levels of today’s flight. Alex Aqel, in the lead all level 6, has fallen a little, to 215,000.
Jeremy Maher, left, on table 6 has a protection bet called on the turn, then shows it down for a small win.
Dan Walsh, who can move the chips around, is on 20 with the Dragon himself.
Paul Fisher puts in the raise versus Brett.
Now let’s see what Pizza is up to. At 300/500 an UTG open, Paul Fisher calls in EP, and a chain of flatters ensues, including Pizza Brett Butz in the small blind, liking those odds.
On 
, Pizza Brett leads 2200 into the 7700. The PFR folds, but Paul Fisher now raises to 5700. Folds back to Pizza, who spends some time in the oven, then gives it up.
Brett Butz. The sunglasses help keep him unnoticed by the field.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 6: Blinds 300/500/500 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 723
Two WSOP bracelet winners Paul Volpe (left) and James Caldararo are sharing the felt.
The Day 1B BWPO WPT Championship NLH players are now on a 15 minute break and this is the last break of the night. There are now over 700 entries this flight brining the combined Championship total to over 1,100 entries and counting.
When the players return there will be just two more levels of play left in the night before the bagging process begins.
We will pick right back up on all of the live Day 1B tournament action when play resumes.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 6: Blinds 300/500/500 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 709
TK Miles
TK Miles raised to 1,200 from middle position and the big blind called. They went heads up to the 
flop and both players checked.
The turn was the 
and again both players knuckled the felt. The 
hit the river and the big blind checked for a third time. Miles tossed out a bet of 5,000 and his opponent quickly folded.
TK Miles- 50,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 5: Blinds 200/400/400 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 699
Christian Harder
We caught up to the four handed action on the 
flop. Christian Harder checked and Maurice Hawkins moved all in for 6,000 with 10,500 already in the main pot.
The player in early position called and it folded back to Harder who check-raised all in for about 40,000. The player quickly folded and the cards were shown.
Christian Harder: 
Maurice Hawkins: 
The turn 
and river 
were no help to Hawkins and Harder’s pocket aces held up to earn him the knockout.
Christian Harder- 55,000
“Please don’t call” says Maurice Hawkins to no avail.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 6: Blinds 300/500/500 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424 / 219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 689
Alex Aqel appears pleased so far.
Passantino has not disappeared, however, and chipped back to 175,000, still on table 62.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 5: Blinds 200/400/400 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424/219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 680
Ralph Massey
Ralph Massey raised to 1,000 from early position and Aaron Overton re-raised to 3,500 from the small blind. Massey called and they went heads-up to the 
flop.
Both players knuckled the felt and the 
hit the turn. Overton checked and Massey tossed out a bet of 6,000.
Overton called and the completed the board. Overton checked and Massey moved all in for his last 20,400. Overton wasted no time firing his hand into the muck and Massey took the pot.
Ralph Massey- 40,000
Aaron Overton- 60,000
Aaron Overton
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 5: Blinds 200/400/400 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424 / 219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 669
Perhaps best way to take down hundreds of thousands is to pay even less than the other guys. Qualifying events make that possible, and in addition to Roger Van Driesen, there are at least six online qualifiers firing today from Borgatapoker.com. Here are two of them:
Brian Sherrier is on 33, here demonstrating great folding technique.
Borgatapoker.com ambassador Vinny Pahuha is on 30.
Meanwhile, the previous level’s chip leader Frank Passantino, who has been moved to table 62, has fallen off his height of 160,000 to 135,000.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 4: Blinds 200/300/300 BB Ante
Flight A Entries: 424 / 219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 620
As we head toward a break and look for the big stacks, one that stands out is Frank Passantino’s.
Roger Van Driesen, the aggressor on the turn, shows first, but Frank has him pipped.
In this hand, the action was limped four way with Van Driesen, a Borgatapoker.com online qualifier, on the button. He raised a weak king for value on the turn to 4,000, losing the blinds but Frank decided to bet call 
. When the board paired a 
the river went check check, with Van Driesen’s 
suffering from kicker problems.
Passantino scoops it, and now has more than 160,000 and has the table’s attention. “You have all the chips, sir,” notes one, a little hungrily.
Meanwhile, Matt Vaughan is also on Frank’s table 48. He’s well above starting stack thanks to an earlier cooler where he was the one with quads and the other guy had the full house – good decision by Matt.
Frank probably doesn’t want the attention of these two, also on 48. Joseph Cheong needs no introduction, and Paul Lambrakis is a Borgata tournament stalwart.
We’ll return in 15 minutes.