The Borgata welcomed back poker players with its first Winter Poker Open and more than 16,000 entries turned out over 22 events to award more than $12 million in prizes over three weeks.
The popular series was capped off by the $5,300 Championship Event, where 689 entries turned out to build a prize pool of $3,341,651. The winner was Alex Queen, who outlasted a final table that included Brian Yoon and Anthony Zinno to win the top prize of $613,063.
Borgata Winter Open Championship Event Final Table Results
| Rank | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Queen | $613,063 |
| 2 | John Pannucci | $429,863 |
| 3 | Brian Yoon | $277,123 |
| 4 | Anthony Zinno | $203,473 |
| 5 | Carlos Chadha | $155,387 |
| 6 | Casey Hatmaker | $123,875 |
Queen Rules Main Event
Queen, a local pro from Bethlehem, PA, entered the final table second in chips behind eventual runner-up, John Pannucci. He was joined at the final table by well-decorated pros Yoon and Zinno, as well as Carlos Chadha and Casey Hatmaker.
The big hand of the day came when Pannucci, who held the chip lead at the time, was three-bet by Queen from the small blind. Zinno bet big from the big blind and left about 12 big blinds behind before Pannucci shoved from the button. Queen called for the last of his chips and Zinno got out of the way after a long tank. Pannucci had kings, but Queen had aces — while it was revealed that Zinno folded pocket queens. The board ran out with the queen that would have helped Zinno, but Pannucci couldn’t catch up and Queen took a lead that he would not relinquish.
Zinno ended up in fourth and Yoon in third, while Chadha and Hatmaker were the early final table exits on the final day of the series. Other cashing finishers from the top 20 of the Championship Event included Frank Lagodich, Paul Volpe, Jeff Gross, Matthew Wantman, Aaron Massey, and Michael Rossitto.
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Big Prize Pools Drive Side Events
The series kicked off in early January with the $800 Kick Off Deepstack, and 3,486 entries turned out to generate a prize pool of $2,468,437. In the end, it was Nicholas Funaro, brother of fellow crusher Frank Funaro, who took the top prize of $420,484.
Other big turnouts include the Saturday Series, where 1,217 turned out for the $400 edition and 509 showed up for the $800 Super Saturday. Joshua Manuge took the $400 tournament for $88,833 and Joseph Casseus turned his $800 into $92,210 on Super Saturday. A hefty field of 3,902 entries jumped into the $500 Almighty Stack for a total prize pool of $1,665,374. When the dust settled, it was Patrick Sendrowitz who outlasted that field and turned $500 into $283,708. In all, over $9 million was awarded outside of the Championship Event.
In personal achievements, Daniel Butler was the only winner of multiple events. He won the $600 Deepest Stack tournament for $43,916 and the $1,200 Monster Stack Big Chip Bounty for $66,784.
Borgata Winter Poker Open Series Results
| Event | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $800 Kick Off Deepstack | 3,486 | $2,468,437 | Nicholas Funaro | $420,484 |
| $600 Deepstack Bounty | 847 | $287,557 | Frangeskos Harpolis | $66,134 |
| $400 Saturday Series | 1,217 | $413,172 | Joshua Manuge | $88,833 |
| $350 Seniors Championship | 669 | $194,679 | Sherwin Agard | $30,000 |
| $500 Almighty Stack | 3,902 | $1,665,374 | Patrick Sendrowitz | $283,708 |
| $200 King of Poker Progressive Shootout Bounty | 640 | $93,120 | Corbin Avery | $12,500 |
| $560 Super Deep Redux | 625 | $327,375 | Thomas Evers | $55,626 |
| $1,050 Borgata Big Chip Bounty | 345 | $167,325 | Anthony Santeramo | $24,611 |
| $800 Super Saturday Series | 509 | $370,298 | Joseph Casseus | $92,210 |
| $2,200 Half-A-Milly Mystery Bounty | 1,032 | $1,001,041 | Yong Kwon | $144,217 |
| $300 Ladies Championship | 282 | $71,121 | Celeste Cerna | $11,869 |
| $500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo – Big O | 157 | $68,531 | David Martirosyan | $17,000 |
| $400 Deepstack | 259 | $87,931 | Thomas Laviano | $19,567 |
| $500 H.O.S.E. | 98 | $42,777 | John Lytle | $13,048 |
| $500 Deeper Stack | 241 | $105,197 | Brandon Mueller | $29,451 |
| $1,100 Pot Limit Omaha Championship | 246 | $238,620 | Edward Leonard | $66,810 |
| $600 Deepest Stack | 360 | $188,568 | Daniel Butler | $43,916 |
| $2,100 8-Max | 238 | $461,720 | Michael Stashin | $107,934 |
| $1,500 6-Max | 332 | $450,856 | Sung Cho | $95,462 |
| $1,200 Monster Stack – Big Chip Bounty | 440 | $273,152 | Daniel Butler | $66,784 |
| $125 CSOP | 57 | $5,529 | Jonathan Bracho | $1,876 |
| $2,100 Knockout Bounty | 77 | $97,690 | Rodney Annis | $28,817 |
| $560 Mini Mystery Bounty | 873 | $211,703 | Mark Steinberg | $47,629 |
Live Reporting Executive
Las Vegas-based PokerNews Live Reporting Executive, originally from Chicago, IL