Event 5
The 2018 Summer Poker Open wrapped up in the early hours of Saturday morning when Carlos Alvarado won the final event at about 6:30am, taking home more than $21,000. That’s after earning an even $100,000* for his runner-up finish in the $500,000 Guaranteed Almighty Stack. Alvarado was not the only player having a good summer.
2018 Summer Poker Open Championship winner Greg Nerenberg
Greg Nerenberg won the record-setting $1 Million Guaranteed Summer Poker Open Championship event and $365,062. The 627 entries in the Championship topped the numbers from last July and the final 63 players earned a piece of the $1,520,475 prize pool. The tournament drew some top poker pros including Brian Altman, Andy Frankenberg, David Paredes, Joe McKeehen, and four-time WPT champ Darren Elias.
Nerenberg was facing more than a two-to-one chip disadvantage at the start of heads-up play against Kane Kalas, who had been on a heater since the start of the final table. One double-up, however, reversed their positions and the match was over soon after. Kalas earned $205,264 for his second place finish. In an impressive performance, 2017 Borgata Poker Open Championship winner Guo Liang Chen made a repeat appearance at the Championship final table, finishing 6th for $69,182.
Gary Tavella – 1st Place – 2018 Borgata Summer Poker Open $1M GTD Kick-Off
The $1 Million Guaranteed Kick-Off event saw 2,201 runners build a prize pool in excess of $1.1 million and the final three players made a deal that resulted in chip leader Gary Tavella taking 1st place and $143,730*. This was the first Borgata title for the high-stakes cash game player.
The first Saturday Series event was also the Cabot Creamery “Put a Bad Beat On Hunger” charity tournament. They drew 349 total entries and raised $3,490 for the New Jersey Food Bank – Southern Branch. Larry Connor got 1st place, $18,468* and the Borgata Open trophy. Cabot Creamery provided two $3,500 2018 BPO Championship seats for the 1st and 2nd place finishers, so Connor and runner-up Carlos Figueroa will both be free-rolling the Championship in September.
1st Place, 15th Birthday Tournament of Championship – Chalie Hook
To celebrate their 15th Birthday, Borgata hosted a Tournament of Champions which was an invitation-only event open to winners of all 15 years of Championship events. The winner-take-all $25,000 championship was won by 2013 Summer Poker Open Champion Chalie Hook, who agreed to split the prize with the final three players. The final six also got seats in the Summer Open Championship event.
Two other accomplishments of note occurred during this series. Barry Leventhal won the Seniors event for the third time and claimed his seventh Borgata title. Michael Kemeter took 1st in the SixMax for the third time in four years. He’s made the final table of this event five of the last seven years.
All guarantees were covered and millions in prize money was paid out to hundreds of participants! A complete list of Main Event winners and their winnings is below.
* Indicates Adjusted Payout
This concludes our coverage of the 2017 Borgata Summer Poker Open! On behalf of the Borgata Poker family and our blog team, @Kaelaine, @AlCantHang, and @TKBluffs, Thank You! Make plans now to join us for the WPT/Borgata Poker Open, September 4th – 21st.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
$150,000 Guaranteed
Structure Sheet | Payouts
Level 19: Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000 ante
Total Entries: 153
Players Remaining: 14
Barry Leventhal
There were a total of 153 entries in Event 5 the $560 Super Survivor NLH. Fourteen of those players managed to survive and turn their $560 investment into $5,000 in cold hard cash with 14 place taking home $4,205.
Carlos Matos
There were plenty of familiar faces among the survivors including 5 time Borgata Poker title holder Barry Levental. Carlos Matos finished 7th in Event 1 earlier in the day and hopped right into Event 5 and managed to add another $5,000 to his bankroll.
Lou Menges, Alberto Sabogali and Marc Goldhaber were among the final 14 players and will all earn $5,000 for their efforts.
$500+$60 Super Survivor NLH
Structure Sheet
Level 1: Blinds 50/100
Today’s other new event is a one-day Super Survivor. The final ~10% of players will all earn $5,000!
Players get 20,000 chips to start and levels 1-15 last 30 minutes. Levels 16+ will be 40 minutes long. Late registration and unlimited re-entries will be allowed until the start of level 9 (about 8:30pm).
This Survivor is always a favorite since players just have to survive the elimination of 90% of the field. It doesn’t matter if they get there with the chip lead or as the short-stack — everyone gets paid the same.
Last year this event drew 193 entrants. The final 18 players all collected $5,000 and 19th place got $3,605!
Cards are in the air for the Super Survivor!
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.