The starting flights were sorted out Sunday and Monday, so it was on to Day 2 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open on Tuesday. 606 players began the day staring at the long grind to Day 3, but only 150 players made it that far. On the same day the Trump Plaza closed, there are a lot of poker players that now have fewer options for places to go in Atlantic City now that they are knocked out of the tournament (staying right there at the Borgata isn’t a bad idea). Minnesota’s Blake Bohn leads the field with 807,500 chips.
I will be honest. I didn’t know much about Bohn before today, except that he usually wears a Minnesota Twins baseball cap when he plays. Despite my ignorance, though, he has been quite successful on the live tournament circuit. Currently ranked 107th on the Global Poker Index, he has $1.7 million live tournament earnings in his career. He has been particularly successful the last couple years, which would explain his strong GPI rating. Last March, he won the Chicago Poker Classic for $288,171 and followed that up in June with a runner-up finish in a $1,500 event at the World Series of Poker, good for $281,049. He also won another $208,968 in the One Drop High Roller event. Most recently, he came in seventh in the controversial 2014 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Main Event, a $249,438 cash.
One of Bohn’s bigger hands came late in the day, taking him over the 600,000 chip mark. According to the WPT.com report, John Dibella raised pre-flop and Bohn flat called. The flop was A-T-8 and Bohn checked, Dibella bet 9,000, Bohn check-raised to 22,500, and Dibella called. When a 5 was dealt on the turn, Bohn led out with a 61,000 chip bet and, after a couple minutes of thought, Dibella moved all-in for 93,000. Bohn called and showed A-T for top two pair. Dibella had only J-T and was dead to rights. A meaningless Ace on the river added insult to injury and Dibella was out of the tournament.
Day 3 just started a short time ago as the 150 Day 2 survivors continue their quest to a WPT title. It will be a tension-filled beginning of the day, as only 120 players will make the money. The plan is to get all the way down to the final three tables of 27 players in total.
2014 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open – Day 2 Chip Leaders
1. Blake Bohn – 807,500
2. Ray Qartomy – 623,000
3. Justin Zaki – 618,000
4. Darren Elias – 594,000
5. Mukul Pahuja – 562,000
6. Qi Yao Chen – 520,500
7. Stewart Newman – 519,000
8. Brian Altman – 481,000
9. Aditya Agarwal – 469,000
10. Bobby Oboodi – 458,500
