Event 3
$2,500+$200 Championship NLH
The 2016 Fall Poker Open wrapped up in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day when the final trophy was awarded. Over 16 days of play, sixteen Borgata trophies were won. Eighteen main events and more than $2.2 million in guarantees brought out the crowds and all guarantees were covered easily. More than $3.6 million in prize money was paid out as well.
Travis Hartshorn2016 Fall Poker Open Champion
This series was noteworthy for several reasons. The $1,000,000 Guaranteed Championship event was won by Travis Hartshorn, a 29-year-old from Pennsylvania. His heads-up battle with Borgata regular David Johnston was record-setting, taking six hours to determine a winner. Third-place finisher Gloria Jackson also carved her name in the Borgata history books just by making it to the final table. Her 3rd place finish ties Kathy Liebert’s finish in the 2005 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship. (Vanessa Selbst is the only woman to finish higher — she finished 2nd in the 2013 WPT BPO Championship and still holds the record as the highest finishing female in Borgata Open Championship history.)
It’s unusual to see any women at the big event final tables and this one had two. Valerie Novak lost a flip to finish 9th in the Championship, making her the 5th-highest finishing female in a Borgata Open Championship. The only other woman to make a Championship final table was Esther Taylor, who finished 5th in the 2015 WPT BPO Championship.
Other history-making events during this series:
- Two trophy events during the series had three women make it to the final table!
- Zhaoxing Wang added his name to the very short list of players who have won two trophy events during a single series.
- Howard Wolper added another notch to his record number of cashes at a single venue.
A complete list of Main Event winners is below. On behalf of Borgata, we would like to thank all the participants for making the 2016 Fall Poker Open a historic series and congratulate all the winners. From the Fall Poker Open bloggers, @TKbluffs, @Kaelaine, @out_of_position and players, thanks to Borgata tournament staff for another excellent tournament series!
Event 3 The Super Stack Elevator $450 NLH saw a total of 226 entries creating a prize pool of over $87,000. Phillip Doucet built a stack early on and never looked back battling his way to heads up play with Mike Somma. Doucet took a hit midway through the heads up battle but managed to keep his composure and regain the chip lead.
After nearly three hours of heads up play the two players came to an agreement in which Doucet would take home $19,511 and the BPO trophy. This is Doucet’s first BPO title and his largest career tournament cash.
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 28: (30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 1
After a lengthy heads up battle in Event 3 The $450 Super Stack Elevator NLH an agreement was made. The players held nearly identical stacks and agreed on an even split of the prize money. Mike Somma (right) will be taking home $19,510 for his efforts to bring his live career tournament earnings over the $300,000 mark.
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 28: (30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 2
Mike Somma (Middle Village, NY)
Heads up play continues and it’s Michael Somma maintaining the chip lead with 5,200,000. Phil Doucet is playing a stack of 3,800,000 as they continue to battle for the $24,552 first prize and the BPO trophy.
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 28: (30,000/60,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 2
There are about 1,000,000 chips already in the main pot on a flop of {3s}{5d}{4d}. Michael Somma moves all in for 2,645,000 and Phil Doucet nearly beats him into the pot. Somma shows {ah}{6s} for an open ended straight draw and Doucet turns over {qs}{qh}.
The {3h} turn is no help to Somma but he gets the help he needs when the {7s} hits the river. Somma improves to a straight to double up and take the chip lead here in heads up play.
Michael Somma- 6,300,000
Phil Doucet- 2,700,000
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 27: (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 2
Phil Doucet (Gainesville, VA)
Phil Doucet raises to 125,000 and Michael Somma makes the call. They see a flop of {6c}{qs}{2h} and both players check. The {jc} hits the turn and Somma leads out with a bet of 150,000.
Doucet calls and the river brings the {kh}. Somma leads out with a bet of 300,000 and Doucet raises to 750,000. Somma calls and Doucet shows {ks}{jh} for two pair and Somma flashes his {qh}{6s} for an inferior two pair as he mucks his hand. Doucet earns the pot and is pulling away here in heads up play.
Phil Doucet- 6,400,000
Michael Somma- 2,600,000
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 27: (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 2
Phillip Doucet (left) and Michael Somma (right)
With the elimination of Victor Nissim in third place Phillip Doucet and Michael Somma are now heads up in Event 3. Doucet is playing a stack of 4,850,000 and Somma is playing 4,150,000. Both players have similar stacks and with the long levels of the Super Stack Elevator there’s still plenty of play left. They will continue to battle it out until we have our Event 3 Champion who will take home $24,552 and the BPO trophy.
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 27: (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 2
Victor Nissim
Michael Somma is in the small blind and he slides out a stack of black chips covering Victor Nissim who is in the big blind. Nissim makes the call for his last 900,000 turning over {kh}{10s} and will need to improve against the {5c}{5d} of Somma.
They see a flop of {7h}{7d}{js} and it’s no help to Nissim. The turn {qd} gives Nissim and open ended straight draw but the {4c} seals the deal for Somma. Nissim is eliminated in 3rd place and will take home $8,330 for his efforts.
Michael Somma- 4,150,000
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 26: (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 3
Victor Nissim
On a board of {9d}{jh}{10s}{8c} Victor Nissim bets 275,000 into a main pot of about 300,000. This sends Phillip Doucet deep into the tank as some table talk ensues. “I have the bottom end of the straight but I know you have a queen” Doucet says.
After about a minute of thinking he releases his hand into muck. Nissim turns over {3c}{4c} for just a four high bluff as he rakes in the pot. The players are now on a 10 minute break and we will pick back up on the action when they return.
Victor Nissim- 1,550,000
Phil Doucet- 4,400,000
Event 3 $400+$50 Super Stack Elevator NLH
Level 26: (20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 226
Players Remaining: 3
The pace has come to a crawl here in Event 3 with just three players remaining. Many of the hands are not making it showdown and with the average stack of 75 big blinds we could be in for a long night.