Event 2 (Day 1)
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
End of Level 14: Blinds 1200/2400/300
Entrants: 381
Remaining Players: 62
Average Chips: 154,000
After hitting the set of fives to cripple Gary Wong, it was all gravy today for John McCauley, who is having a great past month at the Borgata. He added quite a bit to that victory and is our chip leader heading into day two.
Weary, but with master folder/ham Mancuso to amuse him, McCauley has $681,400.
Jackie Liu managed wild table six up 510,900. She picked off a John Yanni bluff to jump into second.
Dennis Lisousuiy bagged 466,600, pulling ahead of Marc Podell at table 7, who ran hot early and also bagged chips.
Other notables we followed:
Nate Meshberg – 240,000
Gus Bounsante – 306,000
Matt Clark – 59,800
Michael Nifosi – 330,500
Jeff Harman – 292,700
Kyle Torriero – 350,200
Players moving to day 2 meet at noon tomorrow, November 11, in the Poker Room.
Good luck!
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 14: Blinds 1200/2400/300
Entrants: 381
Remaining Players: 72
Average Chips: 132,000
Nate Meshberg has been noticeably active on 1, but sometimes he has it. He just ran 
into a motley 
– terrible shape for a short stack.
“The best hand I’ve had,” he claimed. Really?
Meshberg mopped up the pot, with his opponent drawing dead on the dry turn card.
More Meshberg:
“You bluffing me again?” a player asked him, only to be hushed – there was another player in the hand. Verboten. In any case, a telling comment – Meshberg doesn’t wait for the nuts.
However, that third player is none other than Gus Bounsante, moved from 10. He’s got the chips on 1, and would soon put them to work.
Gus Bounsante, near 300,000 and Nate Meshberg, just above 200,000 on 1.
A hand later, a five way pot was first opened by none other than Matt Clark, still doing well and a little under 100,000 now.
The action checked through on 
, and once again on a 
, which could possibly have hit Matt.
Finally, a second brought betting. The small blind led, Matt folded, and Gus piled in a raise. Meshberg and the lead bettor gave up.
However, Meshberg connived his way into getting a card shown from Gus, and it was a good one:
Another . No bluff.
Back on action table six, Michael Nifosi was in charge – at least for the moment – with 400,000.
Another run: James “Suits” Salters, a recent Deepstack Challenge winner, has about 80,000 on 8.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 13: Blinds 1000/2000/300
Entrants: 381
Remaining Players: 79
Average Chips: 120,570
We’re down to nine tables with the dispersion of table ten. 2 AM is our scheduled end time.
“Take your time,” Gary Wong urged seat 8.
It was a complex preflop spot table four, and seat 8 was in the middle of a committing decision.
After opening and picking up the equally resilient Mancuso in seat 1 and Wong in 5, David Albrecht had laid down the 3bet squeeze.
Wong and Albrecht await Seat 8’s decision. Wong did not want to see a shove with his strong but speculative hand.
“You can call time on me.” Usually one hears “I fold” after this speech, and this time was no exception.
Mancuso surrendered, but sticky Gary Wong put in the chips. He snapped off a flop shove by David on 
.
Albrecht had been well ahead with 
but now Wong’s 
was a huge favorite.
He held and had over 100,000, while Albrecht slipped to 85,000.
However, the big gain was not to last. Patient John McCauley, mostly being amused by Mancuso, finally got the spot he wanted, flopping a set of fives, crushing Wong and fading an all-in’s straight draw.
It’s suddenly all McCauley on 4, after a long day of sitting. He’s got 350,000 and now a threat.
Bitter news for Wong: McCauley, left, takes nearly all his gains. Dave Cook looks on, safe for now, but felted within minutes. GG.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 12: Blinds 800/1600/200
Entrants: 381
Remaining Players: 99
Average Chips: 96,000
Blink at table six and the chip lead changes.
John Yanni, not long after calling Hector Jimenez down with ace high and winning, just finished off the dangerous Hector’s tournament day.
The chip leader, John Yanni, has over 450,000 – and that extra black belonged to a certain someone.
Flopping a ten high flush in spades, he called down Jimenez’s flop shove.
Hector was left drawing near dead, and could not improve. While he’ll have those ten bounties to console himself for an impressive day one, it’s Yanni who now looks ship-shape for the long haul.
No bad for joining the tournament in level 9.
One rarely loses that turned set feeling. Tiffany Lee, table 7, happy with her double through an AK. Marc Podell provides the photo bomb.
The great folder himself, Mancuso, doubles up. Look ma, no fold. 75,000 and strong.
Correction: no break.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 12: Blinds 800/1600/200
Entrants: 381
Remaining Players 110
Average Chips: 86,591
Jackie Liu, John Yanni, Hector Jimenez, and David Eilers are all evening out on busy six.
“It’s an action table,” Liu reports. She’s up to 300,000 and the others are just behind.
Four way raised pot on six; how do they all have hands? . Yanni, center, gets there with 4c5c on the river, and also gets 20,000 in value from Jimenez.
However, no need to feel bad for Jimenez – that’s ten bounty chips in his stack. 2/5, anyone?
Meanwhile, on one, blogger Matt Clark just got a squeeze overcalled but a cbet through on a monotone board. He’s climbed past 60,000.
However, the vlogger is out – Matt Vaughan on 4 is done in and criticized for hand selection, to boot.
Hard to please everyone, as he’s doubtless learned.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 11: Blinds 500/1000/100
Entrants: 381
In a one blind situation with a felted player gone, Julian Kaplan was inspired to take a shot at the needed chips.
It’s not very deep at distant and unloved table 10.
Bounsante defends.
However, Gus Bounsante was about to let the easy move pay off for Kaplan, and the two saw a flop of , that seemed hard for the blind to have much of.
However, Kaplan played it safe and put in no cbet. In fact the two checked straight into their showdown value, as no more bets went in.
A 
on the turn is what got Kaplan. Gus said “you’re good,” turning over 
. Good is relative, though – because the flop was the last place kaplan was good, as now all he had was a busted gutter, with 
.
Bounsante wasn’t done making garbage work. At a tight table, he completed the unopened pot from the small blind, and was again allowed to check down his equity, 
on an initially dangerous 
.
Meanwhile, Jimenez on 6 has been giving action and running up a stack, first nearing 300,000 and now a little down from there.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
End of Level 10: Blinds 500/1000/100
Entrants: 380
When the current break ends, our middle phase will be underway: No more re-entries!
Matt Clark, left, dodges trouble from Brendan Shultz.
Meanwhile, as the final early level ended, Matt Clark opened from MP and picked up one caller from the cutoff. Brendan Shultz in the small shoved his 20,000, and Matt released a likely dominated hand without too much trouble.
However, the cutoff over-called, and lost the flip, 
against the raiser’s 
. Shultz doubles and is even with Matt at about 40 bbs.
Back on 4, Gary Wong continues to somehow surive.
Wong, left, doesn’t need to improve his nines to more than double.
The great disciplinist and third wheel in the hand, Mancuso, lays down and Wong has to fade one less queen against , above. He does and suddenly has about 50 bigs, after being near dead a couple levels back.
We start again in a few.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 10: Blinds 500/1000/100
Entrants: 372
Justin Wong has had a comfortable bead on three for several levels now.
Meanwhile, on 15, FRS gets a count. Renata Colache has a stack to play for, but she gets the fold after squeezing out the PFR.
Surviving: On distant and quiet 11, Jason Rivkin opens and gets a button call. He’ll shove a monotone board and go uncalled. Tiffany Lee looks on.
On 4, a looser end of the room: Self-proclaimed master of discipline, Justin Mancuso, left has folded his way here and now celebrates. He’s about to see a flop and fold to a lead, too. John McCauley, having a great last few weeks of poker here at the Borgata, looks amused if a little worn out from all his deep runs.
Key pot for John Yanni on six is pushed his way. That’s Jimenez’ stack on left.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
End of Level 9: Blinds 400/800/75
Entrants: 366
Jeff Harman, who won the big three way pot with Gary Wong, has over 280,000 under those hands.
Heavy on six: Hector Jimenez and David Eilers each have over 150,000 and a lot of change.
$350+$50+$100 Black Chip Bounty Deep Stack NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 9: Blinds 400/800/75
Entrants: 360
And we’re back in a minute.
Kim and Papadopoulus in action, the room nearly emptied.
With only the staff remaining, two players took the time to finish up a hand properly, well into the night. Kyriakos Papadopoulos shoved the river, putting Kim to the test.
From this conversation, it didn’t seem like Kim could even beat the on board, but still wanted to call.
“I can’t beat much.” He folds, and Kyriakos does show one card – the 
.
“One eight? Pocket eights?” wondered Kim aloud. “Maybe king-eight.”
It was from under the gun it seems – an interesting show. A bluff? Maybe. In any case, Kim takes it extremely well, and the two headed to a well earned dinner.