For a Day 1A, 400 entries was a strong opening act. Day 1B of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open, though, put the first starting flight to shame. Monday’s field was more than double Sunday’s, an impressive 826 players shelled out the $3,500 to participate. At 1,226 total entries, this is the fourth largest Main Event in the history of the WPT Borgata Poker Open.
Darlene Lee was the chip leader and Monster headphones winner for Day 1B, finishing with 254,900 chips. She does not have much of a live tournament resume to speak of, though according to TheHendonMob.com, she did finish 113th in this year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, so that’s an accomplishment most of us will never have. She has won just over $120,000 in live tournaments.
Even Lee’s great performance on Monday couldn’t get her close to the overall chip leader, Ben Bianco, who used a late double elimination hand to soar to 389,000 chips on Day 1A.
The 1,226 players created a total prize pool of nearly $4 million. 120 players will make the money, with the winner receiving $843,744. A min-cash in this tournament will be $6,750 and the final eight will score six-figure paydays.
One of the strangest moments of the day came during Level 7. It was a fairly tame, innocent moment, but odd nonetheless. According to WPT.com, Justin Zaki raised pre-flop to 1,200, one player called, and Jamie Armstrong moved all-in for 24,350. Zaki made the call and the other player folded. Zaki showed pocket Queens, up against Armstrong’s pocket Sixes. Just before the dealer lays out the flop, a cocktail waitress arrived to deliver a beverage for Armstrong. The flop was A-Q-6; both players flopped a set. Armstrong, silent despite the tantalizing flop, happened to turn his back to the table while trying to come up with a tip for the waitress. In the meantime, the dealer put down the turn and river, neither of which helped Armstrong, and finally pushed the pot to Zaki after some hesitation (possibly because she didn’t want to do so until Armstrong saw the hand).
Of course, when Armstrong turned around, his chips were gone. He asked what happened and the dealer told him, but he still seemed confused. He finally admitted defeat once several other players confirmed the dealer’s tale. He still didn’t want to leave, though, asking, “Can I hang out, though?”
The dealer told him that he had to leave, as his seat would need to be filled, but seeing that he wasn’t about to step away, she decided to continue dealing (it does not sound like he was being belligerent, more goofy than anything). After a misdeal, the dealer once again told Armstrong he had to get out of there and once again he asked if he had to. She tossed his seat card in front of him, sort of shooing him away, but he remained resolute, asking, “Who wants to sit here?”
After a few more moments, he finally exited. Just weird.
There are 620 players remaining as Day 2 continues today. The cards are about to be dealt in Atlantic City, so stay tuned as the latest WPT advances towards the money.
2014 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Main Event – Day 1B Chip Leaders
1. Darlene Lee – 254,900
2. Julio Marrero – 208,300
3. Mike Linster – 180,800
4. Jean Max Gaspard – 179,000
5. John Broderick – 166,500
6. Keven Stammen – 145,600
7. Erik Cajelais – 145,000
8. John Racener – 140,000
9. Ian O’Hara – 137,000
10. Daniel Weinman – 126,000
2014 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open Main Event – Combined Day 1 Chip Leaders
1. Ben Bianco – 389,000
2. Darlene Lee – 254,900
3. Andrew Atkinson – 234,900
4. Allyn Shulman – 231,200
5. Julio Marrero – 208,300
6. Ray Shackelford – 207,700
7. Travell Thomas – 196,600
8. Mike Linster – 180,800
9. Jean Max Gaspard – 179,000
10. Ami Alibay – 168,000
