Event 1 (Day 1B)

$540+$60 Deep Stack NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed

End of Level 4: Blinds 100/200/200 BB Ante
1D Entries: 470

Flight D players have complete four levels and have been rewarded with a 15 minute break.

While they’re taking care of business, let’s look at the numbers from the first three flights.

A total of 799 entrants took a shot in Flights A, B, & C and of those, 103 have advanced to Day 2, which begins Friday at noon.

Here they are, in a searchable and sortable table:

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End of Level 17: Blinds 2500/5000/5000 BB Ante
Entries: 242
Remaining: 30
Average: 201,000

Ashraf Fahim ends with 519,000, top of the flight.

Fikret Kovac finishes the day with 501,000.

Other top stacks:
Michael Maresco – 422,000
Yoon Cheon – 420,000
Brandon Vaysman – 406,800

Borgata superreg Mike Marder is still in, doubling on the last hand of the night, 66 vs. AQ. He has 118,000.

Adam Lippert and Louis Scianna chopped a flip when dealer Lila dealt out a straight flush on the board in the final level.

Day 2 players should return to the Signature Room Friday, April 13  at 12 p.m.

Day 1C continues tonight in the Poker Room.

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End of Level 16: Blinds 2000/4000/4000 BB Ante
Entries: 242
Remaining: 36
Average: 168,000

Mike Maresco on 3 is up to 330,000

Yoon Cheon is nearing 300,000.

Fikret Kovac, presently on 400,000 and nearing the lead, on 4. He’s in a tough spot when George Karam makes a huge shove, with the table tensions compounded by words between Eric Toby and George over the placement of his cards, right…

…but Kovac folds, claiming JJ! Later, Cathy Dever, left, talks to George, who then felts the usually beleaguered Eric Toby: GG. Dever, though, is out next, running into Wooyang Lin’s AA. Karam suddenly rises to 250,000.

Then on 1, a tough Spot: Sundiata is in pain again, this time getting a great price to call a reshove by James Moore, right…

…however, it all adds up to a triple for Michael Jonny, whose KK fade Moore’s QQ and Devore’s AQ. A happy mug shot for Michael, while Devore’s big stack is laid waste by the main and side pots.

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Level 15: Blinds 1500/3000/3000 BB Ante
Entries: 242
Remaining: 50
Average: 121,000

Action on 6 began with Doron Avgush opening to the table standard 6,000, with only deep-stacked Michael Dobbs on the button giving action.

Doron Avgush, foreground, bets into Michael Dobbs, on the button.

The flop came , and Doron found a natural continuation bet, for 6,000 again. Dobbs, however, put in a small raise to 17,000. Instead of folding out his air or bluffcatching Michael, Doron now put in a very aggressive 3bet, clicking it to 32,000.

An amiable Ted Forrest helps clarify the betting.

Dobbs was at first a little irritated, as the amount wasn’t counted out clearly by the dealer. While she, with a little assist from none other than Ted Forrest in the six seat, settled the amount, Dobbs moved away from the sizing and faced his problem. Doron wasn’t deep, and seemed to be committed to the pot.

“I want to fold but my hand won’t let me!” he complained. It sounded like the money was going in, but instead he flicked the cards away remorsefully.

It was Ted’s turn next. He opened to 6,000 and was called by the BB, Tyreem Williams.

Ted opens the ace rag.

It seemed hard to hit the , and Ted’s downbet of 4,000 was appropriate. Tyreem called.

The turn came the , and again Ted went small, 9,000. Tyreems calls.

The river was harder for Williams. On the , the action went again check bet, this time 20,000. After frowning, Tyreem released the call into the pot.

Tyreem facing the final barrel from Forrest, foreground. Bluff or value?

Forrest flipped up the marginal – effective nuts. Easy game.

Meanwhile, Ashraf Fahim on 5 has risen to nearly 300,000. Here he opens a pot he will be forced to give up multiway.

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Level 13: Blinds 800/1600/1600 BB Ante
Entries: 242
Remaining: 70
Average: 86,429

Re-entry is over, time to make your stack count.

Sundiata, his stack always neat, remains strong with over 200,000. Here he emerges and laughs after covering his head, upset he missed a bet, letting the blind win a multiway orphaned pot with trash.

Meanwhile on 8, Dennis Novosil collects the pot that pushes him near the lead with about 250,000.

Brandon Vaysman, however, is still the apparent chip leader, having surpassed 250,000.

Antonio Schiano, his early levels saved by aces, has since been doing well for himself – he’s now over 150,000.

Doron Avgush isn’t among the leaders, but just got a big turn barrel through on 6. His opponent arched his eyebrows in disbelief, but reluctantly found a fold.

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Level 12: Blinds 800/1600/1600 BB Ante
Entries: 240

Re-entries close once this level and the break following it is over.

Brandon Vaysman, table 3, has over 200,000 and the apparent lead.

Meanwhile, Sundiata Devore on 1 just got value on the river with TPTK to keep up with Brandon. Sunny has about 200,000 as well.

Fifteen minute break starts at 4:36 p.m.

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Level 11: Blinds 600/1200/1200 BB Ante
Entries: 236

On 7, Antonio Schiano just sent one out with AA preflop versus an untimely pair of fives.

A few seconds earlier, Charles Jones on 3, holding , took out another shortstack, winning the unlikely way with a running flush to escape from two nines.

However, he then faced a more unusual decision a few hands later against another now departed opponent.

In a four way pot the action checked through. When the turn card made it . When it checked to Jones third to act, he put out an extremely small bet, just one sixth of the pot. It got through the in position player, but now seat 1 made an equally small raise to just 5500, leaving Jones about 3000 to win about 20,000. Further, 1 had only another 5500 or so behind.

Jones, clearly concerned, ponders the small river all-in.

The river brought what seemed like a blank , and seat one snap put in the remaining chips, which were so few he easily could have gotten them in on the turn.

Now again getting an amazing price, Jones hesitated then folded. As they discussed the hand a few minutes later, Jones interrogated his opponent.

“Must have been a set of twos!”

His opponent only silently shook his head No.

“I could smell the full house!” Charles said. “I hit the jack on the end.”

His opponent looked at him incredulously, having folded the jack getting five to one.

Maybe it was just a brilliant move, but soon it wouldn’t matter. Both players busted shortly, while Schiano is still hanging on as the reentry period winds down.

Not even a straight flush is enough to escape the tournament vortex. Natale Kuey hits a beautiful straight flush, but is soon headed out of the Signature Room with the others.

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Level 9: Blinds 400/800/800 BB Ante
Entries: 225

Sundiata Devore, who final tabled the Elevator in November’s BFPO, has 160,000.

Kijoon Park on 8 has over 125,000.

Ron Smith, center, gets mixed up with Wooyang Lin, right, and Adam Lippert, hooded.

Kijoon just got involved what was only the mirage of a big pot. Smith open limped, inciting an isolating raise from Wooyang to 1600. In the next seat, Adam Lippert then stuck in the 3 bet to 4200. The big-stacked Kijoon then flatted the reraise from the big. Smith made the call, leaving only Wooyang to act.

At first he looked like he would attempt the four, which must have been tempting with all the potential dead money in the center, but took the prudent course and called, creating an unusual four-way, three bet pot.

The right flop might bring a significant pot. However, it was a fairly dry and advantageous one for Lippert – . Everyone checked to Adam, and a cbet of 11,200 simply took it down.

Immediately after, Lin emerged from a cooler unscathed, winning with KK over AA to felt a short stack and push past 110,000. Dre Martin looks on in pure excitement.

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Level 4: Blinds 100/200/200 BB Ante
Entries:  144

As Flight B approaches their first break of the day at the end of Level 4, let’s take a look at Flight A’s numbers.  There were a total of 276 entrants and 37 of them managed to get chips in a bag.  Here they are with their chip counts, in a searchable and sortable table:

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$1 Million Guaranteed

Level 4: Blinds 100/200/200 BB Ante

Antes have now kicked in, so the player in the big blind will post 200 for the blind and another 200 for the table’s antes (the BB Ante is always the same amount as the Big Blind, regardless of the number of players at the table).  This “Big Blind Ante” was implemented for the first time at Borgata in this event and players got their first taste of this new method in Fight A yesterday.

Once players got used to the change, it was a big hit.  Since the dealer doesn’t have to sort out who has posted and who hasn’t, collect all the antes, and make change where necessary, they can move from hand to hand much quicker.

If the player in the big blind doesn’t have enough chips to cover both the big blind and BB ante, his/her chips go toward the Big Blind first, then any chips left go toward the BB Ante.

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