Tournament of Champions
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 2018 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.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
Chalie Hook, Champion of Champions
To celebrate our 15th year in existence, we threw a party to honor our past Borgata Poker Champions. We invited all of our former Championship winners to come out on a Saturday afternoon for a Tournament of Champions. In addition to the $25,000 freeroll, the last six players would earn a seat into the Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship which kicks off tomorrow.
We had 19 former Borgata Championship winners in the field. It was an impressive cast of characters with Carmine Tirone the longest removed from his title in 2006 and Guo Cheng the most recent in September. All told, those 19 players have a whopping $45.84 million in career earnings ($22.5 million of that split between Olivier Busquet, Paul Volpe, and Darren Elias) with multiple titles and a few WSOP bracelets thrown in there. Below we have the list of champions listed by the year and Championship they won:
Carmine Tirone – 2006 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Olivier Busquet – 2009 Borgata Poker Open
Roy Winston – 2007 Borgata Poker Open
Allen Bari – 2008 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Anthony Damato – 2009 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Tyng Low – 2011 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Chalie Hook – 2013 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Abraham Korotki – 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open; 2017 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Denis Gnidash – 2014 Borgata Summer Poker Open
Darren Elias – 2014 Borgata Poker Open
Aaron Mermelstein – 2015 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Asher Conniff – 2015 Borgata WPT World Championship
David Parades – 2015 Borgata Poker Open
Mike Dentale – 2015 Borgata Fall Poker Open
Chris Leong – 2016 Borgata Winter Poker Open
Paul Volpe – 2016 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Travis Hartshorn – 2016 Borgata Fall Poker Open
Sam Taylor – 2017 Borgata Spring Poker Open
Guo Chen – 2017 Borgata Poker Open
We also had a drawing for a seat into the Tournament of Champions that was open to anyone who played this year’s Borgata Summer Poker Open Kick-Off event. David Hurwitz was the lucky name pulled from the hat and he was mixing it up with some dangerous foes. Hurwitz was unable to make it down to the final table but he seemed to enjoy himself along the way.
The tournament was a quick-moving affair with 20-minute levels and 25,000 starting stacks. Mike Dentale was the first to leave the tournament and he was followed by a steady parade of players playing it fast, fun, and loose. Paul Volpe made a momentary appearance; he played one hand, shoved in the dark, and then returned to his high-limit cash game on the other side of the wall.
Allen Bari, Tyng Low, and Olivier Busquet had already collected their seats into tomorrow’s Championship for a top six finish when the last three players made a deal to divide the $25,000. Chalie Hook had a nice chip lead and earned $9,000 plus the Championship seat and trophy while Anthony Damato and Guo Chen each earned $8,000 along with their seats.
It was a great tournament played out among fantastic players and all had a great time this afternoon.
Congratulations to Chalie on adding another trophy to his mantle and thanks to all of our former champions who came out to celebrate our birthday.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
Chalie Hook
Chalie Hook won the Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship in 2013 and now he is the Champion of the Tournament of Champions five years later.
Olivier Busquet followed on the heels of Tyng Low’s elimination to leave them three-handed for the title. Anthony Damato and Guo Chen made a deal with chip leader Hook where they would receive $8,000 each with Hook banking $9,000 for the title. It did not take long to come to an agreement and all three also earned their seat into tomorrow’s Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship.
Congrats to Hook and thanks to all our former champions who came out to celebrate our 15th birthday.
Tournament recap to come later this evening.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 14: 2,000/4,000/4,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 4 of 20
tyng Low
Guo Chen was all in for his last 45,500 and Tyng Low had him at risk. Low was holding 
, made jacks up on the 
board but the turn also gave Chen a straight with 
. The 
river was a blank and Low was down to a few chips.
He moved all in from the small blind with a “live nine” 
and Anthony Damato called with 
. The board ran 
to give Low a small diamond sweat but he was left going to the payout desk for his Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship entry.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 14: 2,000/4,000/4,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 5 of 20
Allen Bari
Soon after Roy Winston was eliminated, Allen Bari moved all in for his now ~45,000 stack and Tyng Low had him at risk after the 
flop.
Bari: 
Low: 
Bari flopped middle pair but Low was ahead with bottom set and stayed that way after the turn and river.
Bari was eliminated in sixth place and picked up a seat into the Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 13: 1,500/3,000/3,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 6 of 20
Roy Winston
Roy Winston was the chip leader at the last break but he never made it out of the first 20-minute level back. He dropped a few chips in the first few hands while Guo Chen was doubling through Tyng Low.
Then he saw Olivier Busquet move all in from the button for 34,000 and he called in the small blind. Charlie Hooks shipped himself from the big blind for near 100,000 and Winston called for the huge pot.
Busquet: 
Winston: 
Hook: 
Hook was in a good shape to pick up a lot of chips and the 
flop was mostly harmless. Busquet picked up a gutshot wheel draw on the 
turn with Hook holding a heart. The 
river completed Busquet’s wheel, he tripled up, and Hook still had 67,500 behind with his kings for the rest. That was slightly more than Winston had remaining to send another sizable side pot to Hook.
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 12: 1,200/2,400/2,400 BB ante
Players Remaining: 7 of 20
Darren Elias
Four-time WPT Champion Darren Elias was eliminated by Allen Bari when his pocket sixes could not hold against JackAce to put the Tournament of Champions on a bit of a bubble. Seven players remain and the last six will earn a seat into the Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship kicking off tomorrow.
Players are taking another break from the action and he’s how the stand with Roy Winston now holding the lead.
Seat 2: Anthony Damato – 80,500
Seat 3: Olivier Busquet – 50,000
Seat 4: Roy Winston – 96,000
Seat 6: Chalie Hook – 90,000
Seat 7: Guo Chen – 25,500
Seat 8: Allen Bari – 81,500
Seat 9: Tyng Low – 77,000
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 11: 1,000/2,000/2,000 BB ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 20
Travis Hartshorn
After a short stint of little action, they lit off some final table fireworks. First up, Travis Hartshorn opened to 4,500 from under the gun and Anthony Damato shipped all in for 42,400 from the button. Hartshorn called and the cards were tabled.
Hartshorn: 
Damato: 
Two big pairs but Hartshorn could not come back on the 
board to move down near the felt.
On the next hand, Asher Conniff moved all in for ~35,000 and Roy Winston reshipped for more from the small blind. Hartshorn called in the big blind with his short stack for the three-way all in.
Conniff:
Winston:
Hartshorn: 
Hartson picked up a nice short-stacked hand but not so hot against those other two hands. Conniff paired the 
flop and Hartshorn picked up a gutshot but the board finished 
and 
to give Winston the double knockout.
Asher Conniff
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 10: 800/1,600/1,600 BB ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 20
Tournament staff paused the clock to redraw the final table ten. They each picked up their new seat assignment and will get back underway shortly. We will update the counts once they get settled.
Seat 1: Asher Conniff
Seat 2: Anthony Damato
Seat 3: Olivier Busquet
Seat 4: Roy Winston
Seat 5: Travis Hartshorn
Seat 6: Charlie Hook
Seat 7: Darren Elias
Seat 8: Guo Chen
Seat 9: Allen Bari
Seat 10: Tyng Low
15th Birthday Tournament of Champions
$25,000 Winner-Take-All
Structure
Level 9: 600/1,200/1,200 BB ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 20
David Hurwitz
David Hurwitz was the only “non-Champion” in today’s field. He won a random drawing after the Kick-Off event for a chance to play with the big guys. Hurwitz’ name was pulled out of the virtual hat and he had his seat.
He was down to only 9,400 and moved all in against Anthony Damato. He called and Hurwitz was in decent shape for a much needed double.
Hurwitz:
Damato:
Hurwitz needed to dodge the two suited live cards but Damato paired the 
flop. Neither the turn nor the river were any help and Hurwitz was eliminated on the final table bubble.