Event 13
It was about 4am on Thanksgiving morning when the final trophy event of the 2018 Borgata Fall Poker Open came to an end and with it, the exciting November series was a wrap.
Wenhao Ying – 1st Place – 2018 BFPO Championship
Earlier on Wednesday, a relatively unknown 24-year-old grad student named Wenhao Ying went wire-to-wire on the live streamed final table to claim 1st place in the $1 Million Guaranteed Championship event, along with $200,000* and his first Borgata title. In fact, this is his first title on record, more than doubling his lifetime earnings, which have all come in the previous 27 months.
Ying faced down a final table that included three very experienced pros: Paul Volpe, Brian Altman, and Matt Wantman. Altman ran into a cooler early that sent him out in 6th place, but the other two were there at the end with Ying. They agreed on adjusted payouts based on their chip standings which brought the four-day Championship to a close.
Frank Lagodich – 1st Place – 2018 Fall Poker Open Kick-Off
The sixteen-day-long series was kicked off with the $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em event. The prize pool came close to $800,000 and another young player claimed that title as well. First place and $128,359* went to 22-year-old Ohioan Frank Lagodich on his first-ever trip to Borgata. After getting heads-up with Borgata regular and poker pro Joe Cappuccio, Lagodich took the chip lead and the final two negotiated an adjusted payout with an even split of the remaining prize pool.
It was a good series for some of the “old school” Borgata tournament grinders as well. After several near misses, Bob Camano finally claimed his first Borgata title in Omaha/Stud High/Low Mix event. Andrew Klein booked his sixth Borgata win in the Old School NLH event, moving him into fifth place on the Most Wins at Borgata list. Howard Wolper waited until the final night of the series to make the money in Event 20, notching his 117th lifetime cash at Borgata, extending a record that’s going to be hard to beat.
The Ladies were once again in the spotlight, with two regulars claiming titles and setting records. BorgataPoker.com sponsored pro Katie Stone made the final six of the Deepest Stack NLH event and negotiated an adjusted payout giving her 1st place and $19,337*. This was her third Borgata title, putting her in a tie for first on the ‘Most Wins at Borgata by a Woman’ list. Until this series, Patricia Barsanti-Chou held this record. Just four days later, Anna Antimony won the Almighty Stack, coming out on top of a field of 1,073 runners to take the top prize of $91,586. This was also her third Borgata title, putting her in a three-way tie with Stone and Barsanti-Chou.
If there was a ‘Grind Until You Get There’ award, it would go to Carlos Matos for this BFPO series. He finished 5th in Event 9, the Deepest Stack, for $19,337*, then followed that up with a 3rd place finish in Event 15, the Saturday Series Deep Stack, for $14,432*. He finally got there and capped the series with a win in Event 19, the Deeper Stack, for $14,000* and his first Borgata Open trophy.
In total, more than $3.4 million was paid out in prize money in these 20 main events alone, not including satellites and secondary events, and 18 Borgata Fall Poker Open trophies found new homes. A complete list of main event winners is below.
*Indicates Adjusted Payout
The daily tournament schedule has resumed in the Poker Room, with brief interruptions for Holiday Tournaments on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. There is also a DeepStacks Challenge Series running December 26th – December 30th.
It’s never too early to make plans for the 2019 Winter Poker Open, which runs January 15th – February 1st, and returns to Borgata’s spacious Event Center venue. The series will be capped by the World Poker Tour Winter Poker Open Championship, January 27-31.
On behalf of Borgata Poker Staff and bloggers Tim Kelliher, Chris Murray, and myself, thank you to all the players who participated and make Borgata tournament poker great. And thank you to the staff for the best-run events on the East Coast.
Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the coming Holiday season!
@Kaelaine
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 21: Blinds 6000/12000/2000 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 1,120,000
Chip estimate half way through 21
Gerber 1,000,000
Song 1,240,000
Just a few hands after the beat Gerber delivered to Song, a big pot develops, where Gerber shoves river for value holding a straight with 
, and Song immediately flips in a chip.
Gerber shoots up to around 1,800,000 to 640,000, a significant lead. They pause to consider an adjusted payout and an agreement is made quickly.
Stephen Song, Greenwich, CT – 2nd, $24,689
Stephen Gerber, Englewood, NJ, 1st, $28,000.
Great runs by both players. Song dominated the final four, while Gerber kept his cool until the right spots arrived.
Congratulations!
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 21: Blinds 6000/12000/2000 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 1,120,000
Chip estimate at start of level:
Gerber 830,000
Song 1,410,000
As we move into 21, Gerber 4 bets from the button and Song jams, getting a fold.
Song takes the next one, 
high with a delayed cbet.
Limp fold from Gerber.
Song is raising to 30,000 from the button. Next hand, 3bet from Gerber, takes it.
Check-raise from Song on ten high drawing flop takes it for Song.
Stephen Gerber puts in the small blind.
Then, with Stephen opening up a 2:1 lead, big action on 
.
Stephen checkraises Gerber’s cbet, but Gerber sticks in his last 500,000 or so. Song snap calls, showing 
, while Gerber has 
.
“I have outs,” Gerber announces confidently.
Apparently so. The turn is the 
and the river the 
– the straight breathes new life into the contest.
“See? I told you I had outs!” said Gerber.
Latest chip estimate:
Gerber 1,000,000
Song 1,240,000
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 20: Blinds 5000/10000/1000 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 1,120,000
Chip estimate by seat:
3. Gerber 830,000
4.
5.
6. Song 1,410,000
Stephen Song, the trophy, and Stephen Gerber.
We take a short break between levels.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 20: Blinds 5000/10000/100 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 2
Average Stack: 1,120,000
Chip estimate by seat:
3. Gerber 875,000
4. Hawkins Bust
5.
6. Song 1,365,000
Twenty has been a hard level for Maurice. Hawkins started it off by value owning himself, betting a middle pair for into a rivered higher pair against Song; he shook his head when he saw the hand that arrived on 5th street.
Combined with the steals and folds to 3bets, he’s lost a third of stack this level. Song continues both aggressive and fortunate.
Song, Gerber, Hawkins at the Six Max FT.
Gerber has now raised Song on the flop several times and gotten the fold, even on a raggedy 
, that might be the only way.
Finally, down to last 150,000 Maurice leaps up, apparently tired of folding and tells Stephen he’ll be all in soon.
And he is, but not in the way he expected. Gerber raises him from the small, and Maurice jams 
. However, Gerber is a smite tighter than Stephen, and shows up with 
, knocking out the legend in 3rd.
Hawkins takes home a nice $14,938 and time to rest up for the Championship.
Gerber gets needed chips, trailing Song still.
The players take an unscheduled break and are soon back for heads up.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 20: Blinds 5000/10000/100 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 3
Average Stack: 746,000
Chip estimate by seat:
3. Gerber 500,000
4. Hawkins 600,000
5. McKeehen bust
6 Song 1,100,000
Joe McKeehen is out, another victim of Song.
Song, in the course of running over the table, had opened 
, when Joe McKeehen found a hand to go with. As he does, he effectively shoved, and Song went all in. Joe called, and was tentatively ahead with 
.
However, the board ran out 
, leaving the champ in fourth for $11,136.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 19: Blinds 4000/80000/1000 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 4
Average Stack: 560,000
Chip estimate by seat:
3. Gerber 350,000
4. Hawkins 570,000
5. McKeehen 185,000
6 Song 1,100,000
Song, presently using the big stack and picking up pot and after pot, has crossed a million.
Song, foreground, picks up another small one, this time from Maurice.
Stephen Gerber had opened and found resistance from Song in the BB. He bet flop, and turn for 75,000 on 
, called twice.
On the , Song led small for 110,000 and was instantly called. He showed 
for the straight.
Soon after, his stack now threatened and having fallen into 3rd position, Gerber was able to lead flop, three-bet all in, getting a fold against Song on the button, who was continuing to push aggression.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 19: Blinds 5000/10000/100 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 4
Average Stack: 373,000
Chip update by seat, start of level:
- Wenhao Ying – 117,000
- Stephen Gerber – 502,000
- Maurice Hawkins – 735,000
- David Coleman – 343,000
- Joe McKeehen – 114,000
- Stephen Song – 413,000
However, everything changes very fast. Stephen Song puts in a cold 4bet from the BB, with David Coleman trapping with 
. Stephen fires 45,000 on 
, call, then moves in on the .
Naturally he is snapped by Coleman but the 
drops in on the river to bring the beat. Coleman can’t believe it, putting his finger into his , the blocker that didn’t save him.
Stephen catches up with Hawkins for the chip lead. Coleman takes 6th for $5,975.
Then in the next hand, SB versus BB, Stephen jams 
over Wenhao Ying, who tank calls with 
. The flop drops a for Song, but Wenhao picks up a club draw on the turn. He bricks, and suddenly Stephen is chip leader with over 800,000.
Wenhao Ying is 5th for $8,420, a strong ladder after being on the low end for many levels.
Soon after, Joe McKeehen, who has also been maneuvering his short stack exceptionally, doubles up and has over 200,000 here with four left.
The fast developments have left Song, here getting a cbet through before the break, tied for the lead with Hawkins, both around 750,000 now.
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 18: Blinds 3000/6000/500 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 6
Average Stack: 373,000
We are moving to seven handed as Hawkins has just taken out Eric Christensen.
Christensen, who had survived rather well all day as the short stack, had looked to add to his short stack with a completion and jam, SB versus BB. However, it just seems Hawkins has it when he needs it this Six Max, waking up with , felting the steal with 
.
Eric Christensen, 8th for $3.531.
As the players stood and gathered their chips for the redraw, Panayiotou had the perfect chance to eliminate Coleman, who had jammed his 135,000 with 
over Eric’s open. Panayiotou snapped him off with but running clubs doubled Coleman and saved his tournament.
Crippled to a very short stack, Panayiotou is out very quickly, and our official final six have arrived. Eric had a great run and finishes for $4,617.
The final six by seat:
- Wenhao Ying – 175,000
- Stephen Gerber – 500,000
- Maurice Hawkins – 740,000
- David Coleman – 360,000
- Joe McKeehen – 145,000
- Stephen Song – 430,000
There will be a short break at the end of this level
$1,000+$90 Six Max NLH
$100,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
End of Level 17: Blinds 2500/5000/500 ante
Total Entrants: 112
Players Remaining: 8
Average Stack: 280,000
On table 2, Harder had drifted to around ten bigs when he picked up , and naturally went with it, only to be cooled off by Wenhao Ying’s timely .
Harder is 10th for $1,630.
Table 2 update:
- Christensen – 160,000
- Hawkins – 530,000
- Gerber – 435,000
- Ying – 135,000
Earlier on 1, Gerber leads from the small blind. Hawkins lets it go but “feels like you are wanting to out play me.”
Back on 1 Doug Atkins, whose stack had drifted down over the last 2 levels, is now out, taking 9th place cash for $2,444.