D'Agostino Leads at Borgata Poker Open
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John D’Agostino has taken the chip lead as the Borgata Poker Open heads into Day 3 of action. D’Agostino leads a field of about 175 remaining players at the World Poker Tour event, having amassed a stack of 681,200 chips.
D’Agostino is not the only familiar name near the top of the leaderboard. Jeff Papola, who was the chip leader at the end of Day 1A, was actually sitting at the same table as D’Agostino for most of Day 2. He also emerged with a top 10 stack, holding 447,000 chips at the end of the day.
First place at the Borgata Poker Open will pay $733,802, with 100 players making the money in total. While the turnout for this year’s event was up from last year – the field of 1,042 entries was a record, surpassing last year’s 1,018 – that prize is actually smaller than the $925,514 Olivier Busquet made last year for winning the 2009 version of the tournament. This is due to the tournament using a flatter payout structure this year.
Busquet is still around, keeping his dreams of back-to-back titles alive. There are many other notable pros still in contention as well, among the most notable of which are World Poker Tour commentator Mike Sexton, Bernard Lee, and Jonathan Little.
However, the biggest story on Day 2 may have been the reported incidents that occurred on the casino floor. According to multiple reports, there was nearly a brawl after Steve Buckner celebrated doubling up through opponent Larry Wolf. Buckner took a victory lap, which Wolf took exception to, which in turn bothered a spectator who was a fan of Buckner’s. The woman in question apparently asked Wolf if he was Jewish, which angered Jeremy Schwartz, who engaged into a verbal altercation with the woman. A floorperson separated the two before any physical violence could occur, and play continued.
On Tuesday, the field will be reduced to 27 players. The Borgata Poker Open will conclude on Thursday, September 23rd. The World Poker Tour makes its next stop in mid-October, for the Festa al Lago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.