The World Poker Tour (WPT) Borgata Poker Open Main Event is only through Day 2, but there are only 117 players remaining of the original 1,132 entrants. Granted, that’s “entrants” and not “players,” as this is a re-entry event, but hey, that’s still a healthy number of eliminations in a short time frame. Leading the way into Day 3 is David Gerassi with 1.322 million chips, the only player to have eclipsed the million chip mark.
Due to life events, we did not have a Day 1B update for you Tuesday, so screw it, let’s just move on to Day 2. Once late registration closed after Level 10, the entrant total added up to 1,132: 283 from Day 1A, 682 from Day 1B, and 167 from Day 2. 110 people will make the money, so the short stacks are probably not sleeping all that well tonight. First place will receive $789,058 and the min-cash is $6,812.
Interestingly, David Gerassi was one of those late entrants, paying his $3,500 buy-in with just about an hour to spare. He told WPT.com afterward that he caught a bit of luck early to help slingshot him through the field, saying, “It all started on a hand where I had pocket threes, and I shoved…”
He binked a three on the turn against pocket Jacks and that gave him the cushion he needed to forge ahead.
“Believe it or not,” Gerassi said, “the whole day I did not have pocket aces, I did not have pocket kings, and the highest cards I had were pocket queens. Three times I had pocket threes, one time pocket fours, and that’s it! The rest of them was suited connectors or connected cards.”
Though he reveled in his pocket Threes victory, Gerassi really made hay with two huge hands very late in the day. On the first, according to WPT.com, Ken Aldridge raised to 12,000 pre-flop and Gerassi three-bet to 32,000. Shannon Shorr re-raised that to 81,000 and Gerassi moved all-in over 500,000 after Aldridge folded.
Shorr, with a chip stack about 80 percent the size of Gerassi’s all-in, called all-in himself with pocket Kings. He was in wonderful shape against Gerassi’s J-8 of spades; Gerassi must have gotten caught bluffing there. The flop with T-T-9 with no spades, but look at that – Gerassi now had an open-ended straight draw. The turn was a Queen, giving him that straight and Shorr was unable to find the miracle Jack on the river to stay alive. Gerassi jumped into the chip lead, holding 940,000 chips.
Right away, Gerassi got to work again. On a board of K♦-8♠-7♠-4♠, he bet 200,000 chips and Anthony Newman moved all-in for double that. Gerassi called with K♥-7♦, good for two pair. Newman, though, had A♠-9♠ for the nut flush. But guess what happened on the river. Yup. The K♠, giving Gerassi a full house and stunning Newman.
We’ll see if Gerassi can continue his hot streak on Wednesday, as Day 3 begins at noon eastern.
2017 World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open – Day 2 Chip Leaders
1. David Gerassi – 1,322,000
2. Travis Greenawalt – 976,000
3. Allan Rabinovich – 826,500
4. Cliff Josephy – 791,500
5. Andy Spears – 651,000
6. George Cicak – 622,000
7. Neal Gay – 584,500
8. Ronald Sims – 571,000
9. Maurice Hawkins – 570,000
10. Richard Bui – 570,000
