Level 2 (75/150)
Total Day 1A Entries: 85
Daniel Buzgon (Marlton, NJ)
Players are just a few minutes from the first break of the day as breaks will occur after every two levels during both of the Borgata Poker Player’s Series 500 starting flights.
The field is hovering near the 100 player mark and while there are some tough tables full of numerous tournament professionals and Borgata regulars, one clearly stands out from the rest as there are multiple Borgata Poker champions seated at Table 4.
While the table boasts Andrew Klein who’s won two Borgata titles over the last few months, Greg Himmelbrand who’s biggest tournament score came from his Fall Poker Open $1,000,000 GTD Event 1 victory in 2013 and Richard DeVivo who has multiple podium finishes as well as a 2014 Summer Poker Open title on his resume, Table 4 is headlined by a more recent BPO champion, Daniel Buzgon.
Buzgon claimed his first outright major win during this year’s opening Borgata Winter Poker Open, winning the $1,000,000 GTD Event 15 for just under $200,000 to move himself near the $1,500,000 mark in terms of career tournament earnings.
Those massive BPO events usually sees amateurs and recreational players make up the majority of the Final Table, but the final ten players in that event were some of the best the Borgata has to offer and Buzgon outlasted them all to take home the title so this tough early BPPS 500 table draw shouldn’t worry him too much.
He’ll be looking to make his first tournament score since that victory here this weekend as we will be keeping an eye on all the “notable” players at Table 4 throughout the day.
Level 2 (75/150)
Total Day 1A Entries: 85
Jose Montes (Bronx, NY)
As this Borgata Poker Player’s Series 500 moves into Level 2, the early arriving field is a who’s who of East Coast poker players with every table housing multiple “notable” players.
But, while there may be close to two dozen familiar faces in the crowd, starting off with a player feature on anyone other than Jose Montes would be down right disrespectful as Montes is without a doubt one of the hottest players in the country after starting the year with two massive tournament wins.
Prior to 2015, Montes’ tournament resume was mainly made up of scores from the Borgata seasonal Poker Opens and Parx Big Stax series, but he’s expanded his reach and his career earnings with wins at some of the biggest stops on other tours, claiming victory on both the WSOP Circuit and the Heartland Poker Tour through January and February.
Montes opened the year winning one of the biggest WSOP Circuit Main Events of the season, outlasting a field of over 1,350 entrants at the Choctaw stop to claim his first outright win since a Borgata Summer Poker Open event in 2011.
That WSOP win would earn Montes just over $350,000 and a seat in the WSOP National Championship to be held later this year, but he wouldn’t be done as he’d come back to the East Coast to notch a score at the Parx Big Stax 10 series before heading back out on the circuit to chase another massive prize pool.
The chase would take him all the way to Colorado, where the Black Hawk HPT Main Event built up a prize pool of over $1,000,000, with Montes walking away with $240,000 and his second massive win of 2015.
Those scores put Montes atop the 2015 BLUFF Player of the Year standings late last month and he will look to build off those two massive wins back on the East Coast, here at the Borgata Poker Player’s Series.
While the focus of the blog will obviously be on the BPPS 500 this weekend, we’re opening the Borgata Poker Player’s Series coverage with an update of the entire schedule, as there are three massive events this month that are sure to attract some of the region’s best players and some massive prize pools.
All three events will boast longer levels and bigger starting stacks as well as a “double play” structure that is a move from the Borgata tournament staff away from the re-entry craze that’s taken the tournament circuit by storm.
Below is a complete list of the BPPS events and the individual structure sheets for each event can be found on the Borgata Poker website:
Each event also has two live qualifiers running along side it, with yesterday’s BPPS 500 qualifier sending close to a half dozen players to today’s event for a small buy-in of $75.
With two chances to get in each event, as well as two live qualifiers, there is no reason to not get in this month’s Borgata Poker Player’s Series action.
Level 1 (50/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 63
The cards are in the air for the first ever Borgata Poker Player’s Series as the pre-tournament announcements have been made and the BPPS 500 is officially underway.
This event will see players start with 30,000 in tournament chips and will have a three day structure, with two starting flights running today and tomorrow.
Both Day 1 sessions will see players play 12 levels with each level lasting 45 minutes in length, with an increase to hour long levels coming in Day 2 and 3.
Late registration will be available through the end of Level 6 and there will be no re-entries through any BPPS event, as they are all “double plays” meaning that players are able to fire into both starting flights, but can not re-enter into either flight.
A longer late registration period and that double play structure could see a majority of players wait until the later levels to enter to help their causes as they try to advance to Day 2 of this BPPS 500.
As the tournament tables begin to populate we will bring you some player features from the early arriving field.
It’s been over a month since the dates for the first ever Borgata Poker Player’s Series were announced and in that time, the hype and excitement generated by the new series has been palpable as players have been talking up the three weekend long event almost nonstop since, taking to twitter to voice their appreciation for the event.
It’s no surprise that the BPPS has generated so much interest over the last few weeks, as this series offers players longer levels and bigger starting stacks which add up to a “championship-like” structure, starting with the BPPS 500 which is just under 15 minutes away from getting started.
A complete rundown of the structure will be posted once play begins and will be followed by a posting of the BPPS schedule for not only this weekend, but also the upcoming Player’s Series events through the rest of the month.
The inaugural Borgata Poker Player’s Series is less than a week away, as Friday will kick off the BPPS with the 500 Double Play event.
The BPPS will carry $500, $1,000 and $1,500 buy-in events over the next three weekends and will all boast longer levels, three day structures and the Borgata Poker blog coverage that you’ve come to love.
The BPPS is also a step away from the “re-entry craze” that has taken over the tournament schedule at nearly every stop imaginable as this series will boast a “double play” structure with two starting flights and only one entry per starting flight for each event.
But, while the BPPS blog will be picking up coverage Friday during Day 1A, the action really starts on Thursday, as the first BPPS Championship qualifier will begin at 11 AM and see 1 in 10 players advance to the first ever Player’s Series event for a small buy-in of $75.
A complete list of the Player’s Series schedule as well as structures and qualifiers can be found on the Borgata Poker website and more information about the BPPS will be posted on the Borgata Poker twitter page and tournament website.
The Borgata Poker Player’s Series will be making it’s first appearance on the schedule this March with three championship events boasting longer levels and bigger starting stacks.
Last year, to fill the void left between the seasonal Borgata Poker Opens the Borgata Poker and Marketing teams created the Deep Stacks Challenge and now, nine months later, in it’s fifth installment, it’s one of the biggest Borgata tournament series on the schedule.
But, there are still openings in that schedule and the Borgata Poker team has again answered the demand with their newest addition, the Borgata Poker Player’s Series, a three event series running on back-to-back-to-back weekends in March offering longer levels and bigger starting stacks to give players the best experience possible.
The BPPS is also a step away from the “re-entry craze” that has taken over the tournament schedule at nearly every stop imaginable as this series will boast a “double play” structure with two starting flights and only one entry per starting flight for each event.
The BPPS events will carry $500, $1,000 and $1,500 buy-ins, will all have longer levels, three day structures and the Borgata Poker blog coverage that you’ve come to love.
A complete list of the Player’s Series schedule as well as structures and qualifiers can be found on the Borgata Poker website and more information about the BPPS will be posted on the Borgata Poker twitter page and tournament website.
