Level 3 (75/150)
Total Entries: 503
As we move into Level 3, which will be the last level before the first break of the day, we are officially up and over the 500 player mark.
Day 1A’s always seem to the be “smallest” of starting flights for any multi-flight tournament, but we expect to see this number continue to grow over the next few hours, as there are still over six levels left to late register and re-enter.
Players continue to take their seat in the Event Center as Norm Michalek, John Allan Hinds, James Woods, Jacob Perry, Joe Wertz and Asher Conniff were just seen for the first time.
Live updates of notable players will continue after the post-Level 3 break.
Level 2 (50/100)
Mark Sykes (Margate, NJ)
The last time we saw Mark Sykes in a major tournament at the Borgata, it was at the Fall Poker Open Championship Final Table.
Sykes, a Borgata regular with nearly $1,000,000 in live tournament earnings to his name, was crippled late in Day 3 of that event, but managed to battle back and make the Championship Final Table before bowing out in 10th place, for just over $17,000.
Sykes’ Final Table run support was reminiscent to Patti Haggerty’s WPT BPO Event 1 Final Table run, as nearly everyone who’s regularly played at the Borgata over the last few years immediately recognized the tournament pro and was quick to offer their support.
Could we see another “Borgata reg” make a deep run to the Event 1 Final Table? We are still a long way from knowing the answer to that question, but Sykes would certainly be at the top of that list, as he has made close to a dozen major Final Tables in his career and might just be poised to make another here at the Winter Poker Open.
Level 2 (50/100)
Jeff Gilbert (Bensalem, PA)
The opening event of every Borgata Poker Open always sports a massive guarantee and, in turn, a massive field and this past Fall Poker Open was no different, with over 2,000 entrants fighting for a piece of a $1,000,000 prize pool.
When the dust settled in November, after two grueling days that probably could have been stretched out to three, Jeff Gilbert (Bensalem, PA) was the last man standing, winning Event 1 of the FPO and making his biggest score to date, taking home nearly $185,000.
The stakes have been raised here today, as this Event 1 will surely have more than 2,000 players come the end of the Day 1 sessions and has doubled the guaranteed prize pool of the last opening event that Gilbert conquered.
Gilbert was able to get “maximum” value during the Fall Poker Open, as he bought into Day 1A and managed to bag up a well above average stack on just one bullet, parlaying that into a championship run.
While he’ll certainly be looking to repeat as champion here in Event 1 of the WPO, he’ll be first looking to replicate his Day 1A run from a few months ago and make it through this massive starting flight while utilizing just one bullet.
He’s looking good so far, as he’s been seen taking in a few pots early on and has already increased his stack to close to the 30,000 chip mark.
Before Day 1A of the $2,000,000 GTD opening Event 1 got underway, players were seen huddled around the informational booth, looking at not only the structure sheet for Event 1, but also at the complete Winter Poker Open schedule.
Players were pleasantly surprised to see some “new” events, like a $500 Bounty event, a semi-turbo event and a two day Shoot-Out event, added to the schedule on top of some Borgata “staples”, $100,000 GTD Saturday Series, the “Borgata Million” and of course, the $3,000,000 GTD WPT WPO Championship.
The schedule also includes multiple “mix game” events, including an Omaha 8B event, a HORSE event, a PLO/NLH mix event and a PLO H event.
With buy-ins ranging from $230 to $3,500, three “live streamed” Final Tables, a WPT Championship Event and over 40 tournaments throughout the series, there is truly something for everyone at the Winter Poker Open.
A full schedule of the main events can be found HERE.
A full schedule of qualifiers and side events can be found HERE.
On top of the “live” schedule, the GSSS II, on BorgataPoker.com, will run parallel to the Borgata Winter Poker Open land-based tournament series, and features improved payout structures providing participants with a unique opportunity to maximize their poker experience between live and online tournament action.
Buy-ins for the GSSS II events range from $5 to $1,000 and a full list of the entire GSSS II series schedule can be found HERE.
Level 1 (25/50)
The first of four starting flights for the $2,000,000 GTD Event 1 is officially underway and the “quietness” that we previously reported in the Event Center has been replaced with the excitement of the start of the Winter Poker Open’s opening event.
Players have been seated for a few minutes now and tournament director Tab Duchateau has just made the pre-tournamnet announcements and the “shuffle up and deal” call.
There are nearly 40 tables currently running, most playing eight handed, with every player sitting with a full starting stack of 20,000 chips.
Players will play 16 levels in all Day 1 sessions before bagging chips for Day 2, with those levels lasting 30 minutes in length.
Late registration and re-entry will be allowed through the completion of Level 9 or after the third break of the day.
This is just the first of four starting flights, as Day 1B will begin at 6 PM tonight and Day 1C and 1D will be tomorrow at 10 AM and 6 PM respectfully.
This event is also one of the “live streamed” events in the Winter Poker Open, as the Final Table of Event 1 will be live streamed on YouTube, much like the opening event of the WPT BPO was in September.
Players are also reminded, that while there are four starting flights for this event, this is NOT a best stack forward event. Meaning that if you bag chips and then play a subsequent Day 1 session, those previously bagged chips will be forfeited.
As the tournament tables continue to fill up, we will bring you updates on notable players in the field and continue to provide information to open up the Borgata Winter Poker Open.
The Borgata Event Center is eerily quiet, with the only rumblings coming from various corners of the room as the final preparations for the Winter Poker Open are put into effect.
The silence will not last long though, as we are just over a half hour from the first starting flight of the $2,000,000 GTD Event 1, where we expect thousands of players to descend on the Event Center over the next few days to get a piece of this massive prize pool.
Over 90 tables are prepped and ready to be put into play in the Event Center and while they all might not be put into use today, they all certainly will make their way into circulation at some point this series, as there are 23 main events, boasting over $6,700,000 in guaranteed prize pools, as well as close to 20 “side events” including qualifiers, survivors and bounty tournaments.
Safe to say, there is something for everyone here at the Winter Poker Open and we are extremely excited to get started and the Borgata blog team, comprised of myself, Will OC, Drew Amato and _MaXelroD_ will be bringing you coverage of every WPO event in it’s entirety.
Players are still being quarantined to the lobby of the Event Center near the registration area, but with the start of Event 1 just a half hour away, players should be let in soon and will begin to take their seats to kick off the Winter Poker Open and the $2,000,000 GTD Event 1.
A full list of the Winter Poker Open schedule will be posted shortly, where we will highlight some “fan favorites” and new events added to the WPO schedule.
With the Winter Poker Open just a few days away, some players will be descending on the East Coast’s preeminent poker destination over the next few hours, with many getting in more than a day early to settle in before the two and a half week long series.
Well, the Borgata Poker Room and BorgataPoker.com has added an extra incentive for players to arrive early, as there are two live qualifiers to be held on Monday January 12th, for two of the biggest WPO events of the series, the $2,000,000 GTD opening Event 1 and the Winter Poker Open WPT Championship, as well as additional online qualifiers for WPO events.
The first online qualifier offered will start today at 5:15 PM, with players able to qualify for Event 1 for just $60. Two seats are guaranteed for the $2,000,0000 event.
Furthermore, “step” qualifiers will be running daily until the WPT Championship, with more information about all online qualifiers at BorgataPoker.com.
The first live qualifier, for Event 1, will start at 12 PM and will boast a $110 + $20 entry fee, meaning close to 1 in 5 players will qualify for the opening WPO event.
The next qualifier, for the WPO WPT Championship, will start at 4 PM and will sport a $350 + $50 entry fee, putting 1 in 10 players into the $3,000,000 GTD Championship event.
Information about both live qualifiers can be found HERE.
All of these qualifiers offer players a chance to play in two of the biggest WPO events for a fraction of the price, perhaps parlaying a small buy-in qualifier into a piece of a multi-milllion dollar prize pool.
With players traveling from all over the world to participate in the preeminent East Coast poker destination’s biggest event of the year, the Winter Poker Open, it is no surprise that BorgataPoker.com and partypoker.com are again hosting a Garden State Super Series to run hand-in-hand with the WPO.
After a massively successful GSSS during the Borgata Poker Open, held in September, New Jersey’s largest online poker series will return January 11-25th with sixty-nine main events featuring over $1,000,000 in guaranteed prize money.
The GSSS II will run parallel to the Borgata Winter Poker Open land-based tournament series, and features improved payout structures providing participants with a unique opportunity to maximize their poker experience between live and online tournament action.
Buy-ins for the GSSS II events range from $5 to $1,000 and a full list of the entire GSSS II series schedule can be found HERE.
Although it is still December and we’ve yet to pass through the “holiday season”, it is never too early to start looking forward to the Borgata’s first major tournament series of 2015, the WPT Winter Poker Open.
Year after year, this series is one of the biggest tournaments, not only at the Borgata, not only on the East Coast, but, in the entire country; with close to $6,000,000 in guaranteed prize pools throughout 23 main events.
The series will kick off January 13th, with it’s biggest event, as players will descend on the Borgata for four starting flights in the $2,000,000 GTD Event 1.
There is also a $1,000,000 GTD event later in the series, with the two and a half week long series culminating with the $3,000,000 GTD WPT Winter Poker Open Championship event.
Those three tournaments listed above will all be lived streamed on YouTube, much like the events during September’s Borgata Poker Open were, for fans and players alike to follow the live Final Table action.
In-between all of the “live streamed” action will be twenty other main events, including two $100,000 GTD Saturday Series events, an Omaha 8B event, a HORSE event, both Ladies and Seniors events, a Shoot Out event, a Heads Up event, a $1,000 Six Max event and a $500 Purple Chip Bounty event and much, much more.
A full schedule of the main events can be found HERE.
A full schedule of qualifiers and side events can be found HERE.
With buy-ins ranging from $230 to $3,500, three “live streamed” Final Tables, a WPT Championship Event and over 40 tournaments throughout the series, there is truly something for everyone in the Winter Poker Open, so start planning your post holiday poker plans at the Borgata now.
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season and New Year and be sure to follow BorgataPoker on twitter as we get closer to the Winter Poker Open.