Event 18 Championship
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 100/100
Flight A Entries: 424 / 219 Advance to Day 2
Flight B Entries: 275
Once again, the order has been issued to “Shuffle Up and Deal” and the second and final starting flight of the WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship is now underway in Borgata’s Event Center. This will be a repeat of yesterday, with more than twice as many entrants expected.
Players will start with 40,000 in tournament chips and all Day 1 levels will last 60 minutes. Late registration is open until the start of Level 11, which will be two hours into Day 2. Flight B will end after eight levels and surviving players will bag up their chips and return for Day 2 on Tuesday at 12 noon.
This event is a best stack forward tournament, meaning that players can play both starting flights. If they bagged chips at the end of Flight A yesterday, they can try again today without automatically forfeiting their bagged chips. If they bag a second time, they will take the biggest stack into Day 2. This is also an unlimited re-entry tournament that allows players to fire as many times as they want until registration closes (about 2:15pm on Tuesday).
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 8: Blinds 400/800/800 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 424
Players Remaining: 219
Daniel Wellborn
Upeshka DeSilva
There were 424 total entries here on Day 1A of the $3,500 BWPO WPT Championship $3,000,000 GTD NLH.
Approximately 220 Day 1A survivors are moving on to Day 2 and it’s Daniel Wellborn leading the way with a staggering 308,600.
Upeshka DeSilva is right behind him putting a massive stack of 292,400.
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is returning to the finals of the $1,590 Heads-Up NLH to face of with Joey Cappello at 9:15 P.M. During his short break of heads-up play Hellmuth joined the Day 1A field with about 20 minutes left in the night.
Hellmuth wasted no time doubling his stack and will return to Day 2 with a healthy stack of 88,500.
The combined Day 1A-B survivors will return on Tuesday January 29 at 12 P.M. to resume Day 2 play. Tournament registration and re-entry remains open through the first two level on Day 2.
Below is a look at some of the big stacks and players from our first flight that are moving on.
A full list of Day 2 chip counts and seating assignments will be posted as soon as they’re available.
Daniel Wellbron- 308,600
Upeshka DeSilva- 292,400
Ping Liu- 221,400
Mark Dube- 215,000
David Mock- 200,400
Eikret Kovac- 186,9000
Todd Rebello- 153,500
Loni Harwood- 138,400
Brian Altman- 138,400
Tony Sinishtaj- 134,700
Asher Conniff- 131,800
Phil Hellmuth- 88,500
Brian Yoon- 70,200
Matt Stout- 63,500
Lexy Gavin- 63,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 8: Blinds 400/800/800 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 421
Anna Antimony
We have entered the last level of Day 1 play and there are plenty of big stacks starting to emerge. Three time Borgata Poker Open champion Anna Antimony is chipping up.
She is now sitting behind a healthy stack of 125,000 and will look to finish strong and advance to Day 2.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 415
Craig Varnell
The action folded around to Craig Varnell on the button and he raised to 1,500. The big blind called and they went heads up to the 
flop.
The big blind check-called a bet of 2,000 from Varnell and the dealer burned and turned the 
.
Again the big blind checked and this time Varnell fired out a bet of 4,200. His opponent called and the 
completed the board.
The player checked for a third time and Varnell bet 16,300 sending his opponent deep into the tank. After nearly two minutes the player called and Varnell turned over 
for fives full of sevens to take the pot.
Craig Varnell- 150,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 415
John Racener ($10,074,698 in career tournament earnings)
Loni Harwood ($2,918,381 in career tournament earnings)
We are approaching the last level of play in the night and there are plenty of familiar faces looking to advance to Day 2.
The Event Center is bursting at the seams with over 400 players and counting here in our first BWPO WPT Championship NLH flight.
We spotted two WSOP bracelet winners and two WPT Champions sharing the felt at adjacent tables.
WSOP bracelets winners John Racener and Loni Harwood are separated by just a few chairs and WPT Champions Brian Altman and David Paredes are both playing healthy stacks just a table over.
Brian Altman ($3,171,590 in career tournament earnings)
David Paredes ($2,492,459 in career tournament earnings)
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 7: Blinds 300/600/600 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 408
Eric Afriat ($2,770,650 in career tournament earnings)
Last year’s Borgata Winter Poker Open WPT $3,500 NLH Championship drew a massive field of 1,224 entries.
It was a stacked final table that included Joe McKeehen, Stephen Song, Chase Bianci, Justin Zaka and Zach Gruneberg just to name a few.
In the end Eric Afriat was the last man standing earning $651,928 and his second WPT title.
Play has resumed here on Day 1A following the break and the defending champion is chipping up with about 80,000 and less than two levels of play left in the night.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3,000,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 6: Blinds 300/500/500 BB Ante
Day 1A Entries: 399
Alida Veliu is fresh off a victory in last night BWPO Ladies Event taking home $3,325 and the trophy. She is off to a great start here on Day 1A with 100,000 on break.
The Day 1A Borgata Winter Poker Open WPT Championship NLH are now on a 15 minute break. This will be the last break of the night.
When play resumes there will be just two more levels before the bagging process begins. The combined Day 1A-B survivors will then return on Tuesday January 29 at 12 PM to resume Day 2 play.
We will pick right back up on all of the Day 1A Championship 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
Day 1A Entries: 391
Zach Donovan
Zach Donovan raised to 1,400 from early position and a player in middle position called. “This hand is called let’s get Zach” said Mike Dentale who called.
Two players called behind and they went five handed to the 
flop. The action checked to Dentale who bet 2,800 and it folded back to Donovan who check-raised to 8,500.
Mike Dentale
Dentale called and they went heads up to the 
turn card. Donovan fired out a bet of 15,000 sending Dentale deep into the tank. “Will you show if I fold” Zach asked Dentale but Donavon sat in silence.
Eventually a clock was called and before the countdown began Dentale released his hand into the muck.
“I folded king queen” Zach said Dentale to which Donovan responded “Why are you wasting my time” with a smile.
Zach Donovan- 85,000
Mike Dentale- 50,000
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 4: Blinds 200/300
Entries: 343
Peter Fellows passes Alida, now at 140,000.
Peter has been very busy of late on the scene, including some cashes at the PSCA.
Alida looks like she is at about 115,000 at the moment. Gagliano has taken a small hit and is under 100,000 now.
Personalities Frank The Tank and Harrison Dobin have been seated together on table 4.
We’ll take a short break in a few minutes.
$3,300+$200 WPT Borgata WPO Championship
$3 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 4: Blinds 200/300
Entries: 333
Borgatapoker.com ambassador Michael Gagliano on 33 is over 100,000 for a healthy start.
On 9, Jeremy Moore just FT’d the tough Six Max field.
Ryan Hohner on 13 is another BWPO story, with an 8th in the Almighty. Over 70,000 so far.
Vlogger and streamer Matt Vaughan is looking for his Borgata breakthrough after several promising starts.