The only two players who have broached the ten million chip mark in the event – Bobby Oboodi and Fred Goldberg – will be in prime position to take down the World Poker Tour stop at the Borgata Poker Open in Atlantic City when the final table plays out this evening.
When play was at two tables during yesterday’s Day 4 action, the two men were coming from different sides of the spectrum. Goldberg was leading the tournament at the time, holding over six million in chips, while Oboodi was on a short stack with only 975K in chips. Both players were able to navigate the troubled waters to surge to the WPT final table this evening.
Oboodi was able to get off on the right foot when he crippled Anthony Rivera. Wielding a K-Q against Rivera’s K-J on a K-7-4 board, Oboodi was able to dodge a Jack or a potential split of the pot, knocking Rivera down to only 57K in chips. Although he was able to quadruple up on the next hand, Anthony Rivera would eventually fall to Wade Woelfel and leave the tournament in eighteenth place.
Oboodi, flush with his newfound chips, worked his way through the final two tables on Thursday with an excellent rush. He eliminated four of the tougher players remaining in the event – Jack Schanbacher (sixteenth), Will Failla (denying him a historic back to back WPT championship in eleventh), Kevin Calenzo (ninth) and final table “bubble boy” Doug Kim – on his way to building a stack of 11.1 million in chips. That effort will put Oboodi in the chip lead when the final table begins tonight.
Goldberg, for his part, kept pace with Oboodi throughout Thursday’s action. His stack rose steadily throughout the day’s play, using the eliminations of “Miami” John Cernuto (fourteenth) and Dan Colman (tenth) to bolster his stack. By the end of play Thursday night, Goldberg had accumulated 11.08 million in chips, slightly behind Oboodi but in prime position to vie for this WPT championship.
When looking at the leaderboard, it will be difficult for any of the players – other than Oboodi or Goldberg – to have a shot at the title:
Bobby Oboodi – 11,140,000
Fred Goldberg – 11,080,000
Darren Elias – 7,360,000
Daniel Buzgon – 4,710,000
Ricky Hale – 2,320,000
Jim Hwang – 2,205,000
Although Oboodi and Goldberg would have to be the prohibitive favorites, Elias and Buzgon – if they can find some well timed fortune – could challenge the two leaders. It would take a huge final table rush for Hale or Hwang to make their way up the leaderboard.
The WPT Borgata Poker Open final table begins this afternoon at 3PM (Eastern time) and, in addition to featuring live coverage on the WPT website, live streaming will also be available. “The Raw Deal” host Tony “Bond_18” Dunst will be the host and a steady stream of popular players will join him in the call of the action. Will the big stacks of Oboodi and Goldberg dominate the final table, setting up a mano y mano showdown for the championship? Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the results of the latest battle on the WPT felt.