Six Left
in Poker Tournament
The third day of action
at the Borgata Poker Open, part of the World
Poker Tour, saw another round of intense battling
as the field tried to make moves and secure
their position in one of the top six final spots.
Sixty-two players began the action at 11 a.m.,
but it wasn't long before players began to drop
like flies.
The drama of the event was heightened
throughout the day by the looming fact that
only 45 players would make the money. Unfortunately
for 17 players, their three day efforts became
all for naught as they watched their dreams
of a World Poker Tour title slip away.
With a $1.5 million first-place prize awaiting
the winner, players adjusted their game performance
and did their best to capitalize on the opportunities
to advance as they presented themselves. Several
players lost big hands on questionable calls,
which only intensified the action as players
focused on playing both their opponents and
the random cards they were being dealt.
As players were eliminated, the action became
more of a chess match than a wild all-in blowout.
The poker faces of some of the best players
in the game eventually cracked as the night
wore on and several prominent pros made exits
that clearly left them unsatisfied.
The action continued until 4:54 a.m., when
J.C. Tran was eliminated in a three-way pot.
His queens were not enough to take down Al Ardabelli's
aces, giving him the seventh place spot and
almost $200,000.
The crowd cheered as the final six players
of the WPT main event were announced. Leading
the pack is David Singer, best known for his
ninth-place finish in the 2003 World Series
of Poker main event, with $3,200,000 in chips.
Close on his heels is pro John D'Agostino with
$2,295,000.
Robert "Action Bob" Hwang of Clark,
N.J., who earlier in the week won the 2005 Borgata
Poker Open $1500 buy-in event collecting $129,600,
is sitting pretty with $1,795,000 in chips.
Al Ardebili, who finally ended the almost 18-hour
marathon, has $1,425,000 in chips while Kathy
Leibert, currently ranked second on the women's
all-time money list, is set for another huge
cash win as she hopes to carry over her stellar
play to the final table. She will start with
$1,045,000 in chips and poses a serious threat
to the bigger stacks.
The short stack at the table is Richard Festejo
with $540,000. Festejo is best known for finishing
in the top ten in a number of lower buy-in events
across the country.
The final table begins today at 5 p.m. and
will air on the Travel Channel in the coming
months.
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