Event 6
The first weekend of the Winter Poker Open is in the books, with over half a dozen tournaments running simultaneously over both Saturday and Sunday.
In total, seven tournaments crowned champions, in nearly every “structure” of tournament imaginable.
First, we saw the two-day Event 4 Big Stack end after a long two Day 2 grind. It was worth the time for Matthew Wantman (Stoneham, MA) though, as he got took control of the chip lead before the Final Table and never gave it up, claiming his first ever “live” tournament victory and $50,000.
Next up, was another “never gave it up” run to a title, as Jean Gaspard (Las Vegas, NV) came back to Day 2 of the Event 5 HORSE Final Table with the chip lead and notched all but one knockout on the way to his first ever Borgata title. He’d make just over $12,000 and completed his steamroll of the Final Table in time to make his mid-afternoon flight home to Vegas to celebrate his birthday.
Saturday ended, as it usually does during Borgata Poker Opens, early Sunday morning as the $100,000 GTD Event 6 “Saturday Series” event spanned nearly twenty hours. It was a “weekend warrior” and “circuit warrior” left at the end, with Philip Mundy besting professional Ralph Massey for the title and $58,000, the biggest score of his career.
For a complete list of results from the respective events, click the links above and for a complete recap of the action from each event, click the categorical tabs under the title.
Level 31 (Blinds 100,000/200,000/30,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 18,000,000
Phil Mundy (Lakewood, NJ) Event 6 Winner *w/ wife Barbara
If you look up Phil Mundy’s poker resume, you’ll find one recorded cash from 2011 for $438. He finished in 17th place that evening, which we guess would be considered his career highlight…until now. The recreational player comes from out of nowhere to beast his way through this massive field…not to mention the grueling 20 hour day. Mundy was one of the big stacks midway through the tournament, but chose the right moment to grab the overall chip lead…at the final table. It’s a special moment when a “weekend warrior” takes down one of these events, demonstrating the beauty of this game that we all play…the fact that each person who enters any event can potentially be the winner. What’s even more special? When you’re wife’s behind you the whole way, as Barbara sat behind Phil over the tournament final six hours. Mundy has to get back to work on Monday, but as he walked out with Barbara, he mentioned possibly having to come back next Saturday…back-to-back Saturday Series champ? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Level 31 (Blinds 100,000/200,000/30,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 18,000,000
Ralph Massey (Chicago, IL)
The moment that this final table will be remembered for is Ralph Massey’s all-in hand against Mitchell Nong. Massey called his shot with a two outer on the turn (with {qd} {qs}), spiking a {qc} on the turn to flip the script on Nong’s {as} {ad}. The second place finish worth $33,320 is just a few dollars short of being the largest of his career. The tournament professional is coming off a solid year (2014), recorded (19) cashes totaling close to $100,000. Ralph is already one third the way towards matching that number, and we’re not even out of the first calendar month of 2015.
Massey will surely be a fixture in events for the rest of this series, and while he may take the day off tomorrow, the ever elusive Borgata Poker trophy will be fueling his return to the tables.
Level 31 (Blinds 100,000/200,000/30,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 1
Chip Average: 18,000,000
Christopher Grove (Pasadena, MD)
Christopher Grove (Pasadena, MD) earns himself his second cash of 2015, and starts off with a pretty solid score of $20,362. Grove is a Maryland native with over $131,819 in lifetime earnings, spanning over (19) recorded results. Grove had a similar score last summer, when he finished second in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event at Maryland Live! during Live! Summer Poker Classic.
Grove was looking for his second Borgata Poker Open trophy, haven taken down a $450 No Limit Hold’em event during the 2012 Borgata Poker Open ($49,958). He won’t be traveling home with the trophy this time around, but he has to fee pretty good about his finish, considering his roller coaster final table.
Level 31 (Blinds 100,000/200,000/30,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining:
Chip Average: 6,300,000
Nick Thielman
Nick Thielman was cruising along, pretty much steering clear of big pots, while sitting on a just below average stack. He then called Christopher Grove’s shove of 1,400,000 when he was in the big blind, and ended up doubling Grove, and taking a hit to his stack. The blinds and antes continued to take a toll on his short stack, and he’d shove from the button after Ralph Massey folded. Phil Mundy immediately called, with the cards being tabled after Grove folded his big blind:
Thielman: {ah} {2c}
Mundy: {kd} {kc}
Flop: {kc} {8s} {3d}
Turn: {6s}
River: {4c}
Thielman’s rail asked for an ace, but the worst possible card was right in the window, flopping Mundy top set, and leaving Thielman drawing to running straight cards. That wouldn’t amount on the turn for Nick, and he’d be eliminated in fourth place ($16,784).
Level 31 (Blinds 100,000/200,000/30,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 4
Chip Average: 4,400,000
Blinds have just gone up to 100,000/200,000/30,000, with a chip average of 4,400,000 (22 big blinds). Christopher Grove is currently the shortest stack of the four, sitting with (7) bigs:
- Ralph Massey – 5,700,000
- Nick Thielman – 3,300,000
- Phil Mundy – 7,300,000
- Christopher Grove – 1,400,000
Level 30 (Blinds 80,000/160,000/20,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 4
Chip Average: 4,400,000
Jai Koovor (Stamford, CT)
After Ralph Massey opened from the hijack, both blinds called the raise, and the three would see a flop (Phil Mundy and Jai Kovoor). The dealer fanned out a board of {9s} {3c} {8h}, with Phil leading out for 900,000. Kovoor immediately announced that he was all-in, with Mundy making the call once Massey folded:
Kovoor: {9d} {5c}
Mundy: {9c} {ad}
Turn: {2c}
River: {7c}
Both players held top pair, but Mundy would be in dominating shape with the ace kicker. Kovoor couldn’t find his other card on the turn or river, and he’d be eliminated in fifth place. The $13,575 he earned for the finish is by far the largest of his poker career, and actually quadruples his career earnings.
Players are about to head on break, and once they exit the table, we will collect updated chip counts to bring to you.
Level 30 (Blinds 80,000/160,000/20,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 5
Chip Average: 3,635,000
Silvio Mantuano (Fresh Meadows, NY)
Silvio Mantuano (Fresh Meadows, NY) was another player who succumb to a run of bad cards, combined with rising blinds, which led to his elimination just moments ago. The tournament grinder from New York earned his sixth ever Borgata Open cash, raising his career earnings by $11,107.
Mantuano came into the day with over $143,000 in lifetime earnings, Highlighted by a runner up finish in a $1,000 No Limit Hold’em event during the 2012 Foxwoods Poker Classic ($27,000). We will be sure to see Silvio again during this series, looking to continue the good play he demonstrated to best this monster field.
Play is now five handed, with a quick payout reminder below:
1. $57,267
2. $33,320
3. $20,362
4. $16,784
5. $13,575
Level 29 (Blinds 60,000/120,000/20,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 5
Chip Average: 3,635,000
Nate Parenti (Jersey City, NJ)
It would be the two shorts stacks next to go, as the blinds and antes caught up to both Nate Parenti and Silvio Mantuano. Parenti would be the first to go, earning his third cash since making a super deep run in this year’s Monster Stack event at the WSOP. Nate finished in 17th place during that event, which was worth over $62,000.
This was Nate’s fourth Borgata Open lifetime cash, as well as the largest he’s earned at this establishment. Just after Nate was knocked out, the tournament supervisor announced to the players at the final table that the blinds were going up. The new blinds in Level 30 are 80,000/160,000/20,000.
The chip average sits just over (30) big blinds, so the transition has been made back to deeper stack play.
Level 29 (Blinds 60,000/120,000/20,000)
Total Entries: 727
Players Remaining: 5
Chip Average: 3,635,000
John Nguyen (Piscataway, NJ)
With the blinds growing ever increasingly higher, we had a three way all-in between Nick Thielman, John Nguyen, and Ralph Massey. Ralph would have both players at risk, looking to score a double knockout:
Nguyen: {as} {ks}
Thielman: {10d} {10s}
Massey: {kh} {qh}
Flop: {jd} {jc} {4h}
Turn: {4s}
River: {3h}
Thielman would more than double up in the hand, while taking a chunk of Massey’s stack, and sending John Nguyen to the rail. John sat quietly throughout the entire tournament, fairly under the radar as his navigated his way throughout this large field. He’d stand up from the table, collect his things, and depart the final table to collect $6,787.