Will OC

‘FPO Championship’
Level 22 (8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 16
Avg. Chips: 1,044,000

We said that the final two table might not be until the end of the level but after a flurry of eliminations and action, we are now down to our final 16 players with a half hour remaining in Level 22.

That action started with Connor Berkowitz sending Eric Starker to the rail in 20th place, as Starker’s {3c}{2c} couldn’t hold on a board of {5h}{3s}{2s}{As}{7s}. He and Berkowitz got it in on the turn and the big stack’s {ac}{10s} spiked a flush on the river to eliminate the start of Day 2 chip leader.

Quickly after that elimination, players were sent to the rail almost simultaneously on all three tables, starting with Aaron Mermelstein.

The two-time WPT champion came into today’s Day 3 restart with the shortest stack and after two double ups it looked like he was going to get back into contention. Unfortunately for him, his Day 3 ended the same way his run yesterday was halted, as Scott Matte cracked Mermelstein’s {Ah}{As} with {9h}{9d}.

Pocket pairs were all the rage on the other two tables as well, as Edwin Roman four-bet shoved a just over 100,000 chip stack into Orson Young, who held {Ac}{Ah}.

Roman held {Jc}{Jh} and after the {7c}{6c}{3c} flop, the short stack was drawing more or less dead. The {As} on the turn confirmed his 18th place elimination and the {Js} on the river was just dirt to rub in Roman’s wounds.

He made a pay jump though, earning $10,130 and Chun Li will also make that jump, as he was eliminated a few seconds later by Giuseppe Pizzolato. Pizzolato held {Kh}{Ks} and Li, who held {10c}{10s}, was left needing a miracle after the flop came king-high. That miracle didn’t come and Li was sent packing in 17th, initiating the first of two redraws that this Day 3 field will see.

The next will come when just ten players remain and a complete list of this redraw will be posted shortly.

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 22 (8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 20
Avg. Chips: 835,000

This Day 3 session will be separated between the ‘Board Room’ and one outer table until we are down to 18 players and the majority of the action through the first portion of Level 22 has been on the inner two tables. That action started with another Aaron Mermelstein double up and then saw two short stacks hit the rail to bring this field down to it’s final twenty.

The double was picked up with Mermelstein opening to 33,000 from the small blind and big stack Jason Paster, from the big blind, announced himself “all-in”. Mermelstein begrudgingly put a stack of chips into the middle for a call and saw that he was racing for his tournament life, as he held {10c}{10d} to Paster’s {Ah}{Kh}.

The board ran out clean for Mermelstein, as he improved to a full house on the river and faded some flush outs, on a board of {8c}{8s}{5h}{3h}{10s}. The all-in amount was for just over 200,000 and the short stack coming into Day 3 stayed alive again while Paster took a small hit to his 1,200,000 chip stack.

A few hands later, Thai Ha got all-in on Table 1 and his {7c}{7H} were up against Giuseppe Pizzolato’s {Qd}{Qh}. The board ran out clean for the superior pocket pair and Ha’s nearly 175,000 chip stack was added to Pizzolato’s potentially chip leading stack. He’s now playing close to 1,600,000 and Jason Paster is now right below that number, as he got chips back and sent another player to the rail quickly after Ha bowed out in 22nd.

That player was BorgataPoker.com pro Michael Gagliano and after a nine on the river sent Aaron Mermelstein a double up last level, a nine on the river sent ‘Gags’ out in 21st. That hand was picked up with Gagliano opening to 32,000 from late position and after Paster three-bet to 80,000 from the blinds, the short stack moved all-in for just over 225,000.

He was in a great position to double after Paster called, as ‘Gags’ held {Kc}{Kd} to Paster’s {9c}{9d}. The superior pocket pair held through the {Jh}{10c}{4s} flop and even through the {6h} turn but he couldn’t fade the river, as the {9s} gave Paster a set and sent Gagliano packing.

Both he and Thai Ha will make just under $7,500 for their deep FPO Championship runs and this field is now just two players away from the final two table redraw.

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 22 (8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 22
Avg. Chips: 759,000

The first Day 3 level of this Fall Poker Open Championship is in the books and while we’ve seen a few short stacks dispatched to the rail during that 75-mintues of play, we’ve also seen some bigger stacks continue to grow. Greg Fishberg is one of those players, who has added over 50% to his stack today, helped by some sizable pots at Table 1.

Taylor von Kriegenbergh has also seen a sizable increase to his stack, as he’s now playing just shy of the chip lead. von Kriegenbergh finished 2nd in this event last year and he now appears poised for another deep FPO Championship run.

The entire field will return just a few spots from the final two table redraw but with the pace of play we’ve seen, that could be another level away. For now, the remaining players chip counts are provided below and when that redraw does occur, we will bring you those new seating assignments:

Table 1

1. Eric Starker – 355,000
2. Thai Ha – 175,000
3. Steven Coppola – 290,000
4. Connor Berkowitz – 405,000
5. Giuseppe Pizzolato – 1,300,000
6. Chun Li – 470,000
7. Joe McKeehen – 990,000
8. Greg Fishberg – 1,040,000

Table 2

1. Jason Paster – 1,350,000
2. Mike Dentale – 1,107,000
3. Theo Nerantzinis – 680,000
4. Scott Matte – 570,000
5. Scott DiClaudio – 1,180,000
6. Michael Gagliano – 260,000
7. Aaron Mermelstein – 270,000

Table 3

1. Orson Young – 575,000
2. Edwin Roman – 180,000
3. Taylor von Kriegenbergh – 1,620,000
4. Richie Tenenbaum – 1,640,000
5. Chris Tryba – 370,000
6. Henry Lu – 840,000
7. Sang Kim – 1,450,000

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 22
Avg. Chips: 759,000

The short stack elimination trend has continued, as Michael Antimisiaris was just sent to the rail by Chris Tryba but prior to that knockout, Giuseppe Pizzolato picked up where he left off last night. Midway through yesterday’s Day 2 session, Pizzolato was working an average stack but he caught head through the later levels and the multiple trophy winner from this series is now looking like he’s contending for the Day 3 chip lead.

That’s because he’s won a few smaller pots to move himself up near the 1,400,000 mark. The biggest of those pots came in a multi-way confrontation at Table 1, with the action being picked up on a board of {Ac}{Js}{8s}. Three players, including Pizzolato, checked to Steven Coppola, who bet 61,000. Connor Berkowitz called and Pizzolato did the same before Joe McKeehen folded in middle position.

The there players then all checked the {10d} turn and after the {6c} completed the board, Berkowitz called and Pizzolato threw out a teaser bet of 33,000. Coppola asked for a count and then quickly slide out a raise, pushing out a full stack of blue 5,000 value chips along with Pizzolato’s amount. Berkowitz folded and the teaser eventually called.

He tabled {As}{7d} and top pair was good against Coppola’s missed massive draw, as he turned over {10s}{9s} for a failed semi-bluff. That pot moved Coppola down the FPO Championship leaderboard, as it left him with just over 250,000. Pizzolato is having the opposite effect on his stack, as he’s now near the top of the 22 player leaderboard, as Michael Antimisiaris was later dispatched in 23rd place.

The short stack moved all-in from under the gun and Chris Tryba, who was next to act, re-shoved. Antimisiaris held {Ac}{Js} and couldn’t best Tryba’s {Jh}{Jd}. He’ll make just under $7,500 for his deep run and the remaining players are just a few minutes from the first break of Day 3.

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 23
Avg. Chips: 726,000

The rest of the tables haven’t been doing much of anything compared to the action we’ve seen on Table 2, as two players have doubled up and another player was sent to the rail by the big stacked Mike Dentale. The first hand picked up was that elimination, as Blake Purvis lead out on a board of {Ks}{Qc}{6s}{9d} and then saw Dentale raise him all-in.

After some thought, Purvis called and saw that he was in big trouble, as Dentale turned over {Qh}{Qc} for a flopped set. Purvis held {Qd}{10d} and was drawing to just a gut-shot straight. That draw didn’t come in on the river, as the {Ac} completed the board and sent Purvis to the rail in 24th place. He’ll make just under $7,500 for his FPO Championship efforts and while that hand chipped up Dentale, he quickly sent some of those chips to Scott Matte.

The short stacked doubled through Dentale while holding {Kd}{Qd}, hitting a flush against Dentale’s {Ac}{Jh}. The short stack’s all-in didn’t weigh in for much, as he had just over 225,000 in front of him, meaning that Dentale’s 1,100,000 chip stack barely felt the blow.

A player who’s stack has been feeling some blows over the first hour of this Day 3 session is Michael Gagliano, who has now doubled up two short stacks over the last few orbits. The first was when Aaron Mermelstein’s {Ad}{9d} cracked his big slick and then the next came when Gag’s held ace-nine suited. ‘Gags’ got it all-in against Theo Nerntzinis on a board of {Qd}{8h}{2d} and Nerantzinis’ {Qs}{10h} held against Gagliano, who held the exact same hand that Mermelstein had just a few hands earlier.

The flush draw bricked and Nerantzinis was doubling up to just over 525,000, while Gagliano is now that low man on the FPO Championship leaderboard with just under 200,000.

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 24
Avg. Chips: 692,000

This FPO Championship ended yesterday’s Day 2 session with a flurry of action and for the most part, that action has subsided coming into today’s Day 3 restart. The majority of the pots have been contested pre flop and those that have made it past the flop have mostly been of the small ball variety.

There have been two all-in encounters though, one that sent our first player to the Day 3 rail and another that doubled up the shortest stack left in this FPO Championship. That action started off with Christopher Dombrowski three-bet shoving his 300,000 chip stack all-in overtop of a Richie Tenenbaum open.

Tenenbaum then called to put the short stack at risk and was in a great spot to score the first elimination of the day, as he held {Ac}{Kc} to Dombrowski’s {Kd}{Qd}. The {As}{Qc}{Jd} flop left Dombrowski searching for outs on the turn and river and of those needed cards came, as the {3s} and {Kh} completed the board and confirmed his 25th place finish. Tenenbaum, who came into today’s Day 3 session over near the top of the leaderboard is now playing just shy of 1,500,000.

In one of the very next hands, the action was picked up on Table 2, with Aaron Mermelstein all-in and at risk. Mermelstein came back for this restart with just ten big blinds and after getting it in in a dominated fashion. His {Ad}{9d} was up against Michael Gagliano’s {As}{Ks} and the short stack was looking for a some serious help to save his tournament life.

Help came by the river on the {Ac}{Qc}{6c}{Ah}{9h} runout and now, all of a sudden, Mermelstein is back up to a workable stack, which should be a scary proposition for the rest of this Day 3 field. He’s now playing just over 350,000 while Gagliano is now down to 450,000.

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‘FPO Championship’
Level 21 (6,000/12,000/2,000) (72 minutes remaining)
Total Entries: 557
Players Remaining: 25
Avg. Chips: 668,000

The seating assignments have been posted, the field previewed, the 25 remaining players have entered the Poker Room and the stage is set to begin the final day of the $1,000,000 Fall Poker Open Championship. Play will resume with just under 72 minutes remaining in Level 21 and when the cards get in the air in just a few minutes, Jason Paster will be starting this Day 3 session with a slight lead on the rest of the field.

Paster will be playing an over 100 big blind stack and while that puts him in a great position to make a run at the final table, at this stage of the tournament, the high blinds and antes could bring on some serious swings. That means that nothing is guaranteed and that there should be some serious action playing out over the next few hours.

The FPO blog will be here to follow it all, as we will be crowning a FPO Championship winner today. As a reminder, the Day 3 seating assignments are posted below:

Table 1

1. Eric Starker – 363,000
2. Thai Ha – 347,000
3. Steven Coppola – 397,000
4. Connor Berkowitz – 722,000
5. Giuseppe Pizzolato – 1,014,000
6. Chun Li – 768,000
7. Joe McKeehen – 506,000
8. Greg Fishberg – 776,000

Table 2

1. Jason Paster – 1,269,000
2. Blake Purvis – 374,000
3. Chris Tryba – 267,000
4. Mike Dentale – 1,110,000
5. Theo Nerantzinis – 377,000
6. Scott Matte – 281,000
7. Scott DiClaudio – 1,049,000
8. Michael Gagliano – 673,000
9. Aaron Mermelstein – 156,000

Table 3

1. Orson Young – 897,000
2. Edwin Roman – 258,000
3. Taylor von Kriegenbergh – 967,000
4. Richie Tenenbaum – 1,168,000
5. Michael Antimisiaris – 348,000
6. Christopher Dombrowski – 300,000
7. Henry Lu – 1,112,000
8. Sang Kim – 1,230,000

As a reference, the remaining FPO Championship payouts are also listed below:

1. $336,331
2. $189,102
3. $121,565
4. $96,577
5. $75,641
6. $62,133
7. $49,301
8. $38,496
9. $27,015

10-12. $17,559
13-15. $13,507
16-18. $10,130
19-25. $7,429

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Level 2 (75/150)
Total Entries: 102

The Day 3 restart of the FPO Championship is still a half hour away but before we get to updates from that event, we’ll bring you news from the final trophy event of the series. That is the $25,000 GTD Event 20 ‘Deep Stack’ and judging by the early numbers, this field is going to crush that original guarantee.

With just over 100 players currently registered, this field is likely only going to get bigger over the next few hours. As it stands, play is midway through Level 2, meaning there is just over three hours left to get into the action.

Updates from this event will be posted on a need to know basis over the next few levels, as the main focus of the FPO blog will be on the restart of the 12 PM FPO Championship.

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Level 1 (50/100)

While the main focus of the FPO blog will be on the Day 3 restart of the FPO Championship, there is another trophy event starting up in the Poker Room. That is the Event 20 ‘Deep Stack’, which will be crowning a champion and playing to completion tonight.

That event boasts a $25,000 guaranteed prize pool and is set to begin at 11 AM. We will see players start with 25,000 in tournament chips and play 30 minute levels throughout this event. If past end of series ‘Deep Stack’ fields are any indication, this event could be massive when it’s all said and done, as four and a half hours of late registration and unlimited re-entry will give players plenty of time to get into the action, action that should be starting any minute now.

Once the cards get in the air, updates from this event will begin but it should be noted, that the majority of updates through the first few hours of play will be coming from across the hall in the Signature Room.

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While the main focus of the Borgata Poker Open blog over next few hours will remain on the final day of the $1,000,000 GTD FPO Championship, that isn’t the only FPO trophies up for grabs today. As is the case with every BPO series, the end of the schedule brings out the deepest stacks and some big guarantees and today’s $25,000 GTD ‘Deep Stack’ event ends the series in signature style.

That event will be previewed before cards get in the air at 11 AM, with the FPO blog providing updates on that event throughout the day. While that event will likely end the FPO blog’s coverage of this series later tonight, the main focus of that blog will remain on the FPO Championship through the better part of today.

That field has already been previewed below and action is set to begin at 12 PM in the Poker Room.

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