Event 1 (Day 1C)
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 12: Blinds 1,000/1,600/1,600 ante
Flight C Entries: 232
Flight C Players Remaining: 100
Russell Crane
The familiar faces continue to take their seats here in the third Event 1 flight. Russell Crane is among the latest wave of players to join the field and he certainly knows a thing or two about Borgata tournament success.
Crane holds three Borgata Poker titles and his largest live score came here in 2013 after winning the $2,700 Borgata Fall Poker Open NLH Championship. Crane took home $361,747 for his victory and he has now earned nearly $1,600,000 throughout his illustrious poker career.
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 11: Blinds 800/1,600/1,600 ante
Flight C Entries: 228
Flight C Players Remaining: 110
Spencer Winding
Spencer Winding got his stack of 30,000 all in preflop holding 
against the 
of his opponent. The board ran out 
and Winding’s jacks held up to earn him the double up.
Spencer Winding- 64,000
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 10: Blinds 600/1,200/1,200 ante
Flight C Entries: 225
Flight C Players Remaining: 130
Matt Mendez
Matt Mendez earned his largest career tournament score right here Borgata in Event #1 of the 2016 Borgata Spring Poker Open. He took home $213,192 along with his first BSPO title after defeating the massive 2,527 entry field.
Mendez most recent accomplishment is one that every poker dreams about and he did on the virtual felt. Mendez won his first WSOP bracelet by taking down the WSOP $565 Pot Limit Omaha Online event.
After more than 15 hours of play Mendez was the last man standing earning $135,078 and the most coveted jewelry in poker. He has now earned more than $500,000 throughout his poker career and is looking to add another Borgata Poker title to his ever growing poker resume here in Event 1.
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 100/200
Flight C Entries: 203
Elena Stover
Flight C climbed over 200 entries in the middle of Level 7 and it’s only getting bigger with registration closed for nearly three more hours. We’re seeing a lot more regulars hop into the game including Joey Cappuccio and Elena Stover (pictured).
Stover, the uber-intelligent polymath currently applying her brain power to poker, is back on the east coast after spending some time in Vegas like many we know. She has a bit of success in Borgata opening tournaments. Stover had a runner-up finish in the 2016 Borgata Spring Poker Open for a cool $138K, the biggest result of her live tournament career.
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 100/200
Flight C Entries: 177
Lyle Diamond
Flight C returned from its first break and they are pushing the field closer to four-digits. With 177 entries so far, the combined total for Event 1 pushed over 760 with two huge crowds expected tomorrow.
There are plenty of Borgata regulars mixing it up in the poker room including Mike McGuinness, Eric Siegel, Michael Cohen, and Lyle Diamond (pictured).
There’s plenty of time to get down to the poker room to get in the game with late registration available until around 10:30 this evening.
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 100/200
Flight C Entries: 76
Eric Siegel
After a short delay at the start, Flight C is underway in the poker room with 60 entries at the start and up to 76 by the time the first level came to a close. We expect another nice field today and it should grow with late registration available until the start of Level 3 and people making their way when the day jobs are complete.
Borgata favorite Eric Siegel grabbed his seat in the poker room when cards went in the air and he can get comfortable. The former Borgata champ drew Table 1 so he’ll be there as long as he has chips.
$540+$60 Deep Stack Kick-Off NLH
$1 Million Guaranteed
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 100/100
As Flight B continues to chug along in the Signature Room, the third starting flight is taking off in the Poker Room. Flight C is the third of five total starting flights and will run the same as the first two:
- 25,000 chip starting stacks
- 30 minute levels
- Unlimited Re-Entires
- Best Stack Forward
- Registration Closes at start of Level 13 (~10:45pm)
- Bag & tag at the end of Level 17 (~1:30am)
The start of the 2017 Borgata Summer Poker Open is just a few days away with the Ladies Go First NLH event on Sunday, starting at 11am. Onsite registration opens two hours before the start of the tournament (9am). Then it’s the $1 Million Guaranteed Kick-Off event starting Tuesday at 11am with the first of five starting flights. Online registration is available for all Main Events through Friday, July 6th. Onsite registration begins Monday, July 9th, at 12 noon and will remain open daily from 8am to midnight throughout the series.
The kickoff event and it’s $1 Million Guarantee will bring out big crowds, so there are five starting flights spread across three days. Flight A begins Tuesday, July 10th, at 11am. Flight B runs Wednesday at 11am, overlapping Flight C starting at 4pm. Flights D & E are Thursday at 10am and 5pm, respectively. This event is a Best Stack Forward and Unlimited Re-Entry event, so players are encouraged to register early and register often!
Zachary Schwartz – 1st Place – 2017 Summer Open Kick-Off Event
Last year it was Zachary Schwartz who bested the field of 2,268 entrants to claim 1st place and just over $160,000 in an adjusted payout agreement following a five-hour heads-up battle with Larry Abrams.
The first Saturday Series event is also the Cabot Creamery “Put a Bad Beat On Hunger” charity tournament, raising money for the New Jersey Food Bank – Southern Branch. Last year they drew 421 total entries and raised $4,210 for the New Jersey Food Bank – Southern Branch. Last year they drew 421 total entries to create a prize pool of $142,930. In addition, $4,210 was raised for a great cause. An adjusted payout agreement resulted in Jeremey Barnett taking home $11,915 and the trophy. The $3,500 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship seat went to Mike Machalani. This year, both the 1st AND 2nd place finishers will earn a $3,500 entry in the 2018 WPT BPO Championship, courtesy of Cabot Creamery!
To celebrate Borgata’s 15th Birthday, the Tournament of Champions will highlight the second Saturday of the series, with previous Borgata Open Champions invited to battle for a winner-take-all prize of $25,000.
Of course the $1 Million Guaranteed Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship begins Sunday and Monday, July 22nd and 23rd, with starting flights A and B. Registration for the Best Stack Forward and Unlimited Re-Entry event remains open until the start of Level 11 on Day 2 (July 24th) about 2:15pm.
Abraham Korotki – 1st Place – 2017 Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship
Last year saw a record 600 entrants and the Live-Streamed Championship final table was historic with three World Series of Poker bracelet winners doing battle with Borgata’s winningest regular, Abraham Korotki. 2015 WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen got heads-up with Korotki, but came up short of the win. Korotki claimed his record ninth Borgata title and more than $359,000.
All the information you need can be found on the Summer Poker Open site, so bookmark it and check back often. We’ll be seeing you next week for the start of the 2018 Summer Poker Open and you can follow the action right here in the BSPO blog!
Follow @BorgataPoker on Twitter for news and use #BSPO2018 to connect with us and other BSPO participants.