The 2006 WPT Borgata Poker Open

Big Names In No-Limit Texas Hold'em Square Off On Day One Of The Borgata Poker Open

The World Poker Tour hit the East Coast for the first time during season five with the 2006 Borgata Poker Open. Players who endured the long cross-country trip were treated to an event center set up more like a poker party than a poker tournament. Music played over the PA system, lights beamed onto the walls displaying the logos of the corporate sponsors, and the Borgata Babes, a team of women wearing attention-grabbing outfits, walked around with signs used to mark the beginning of new blind levels (a la the ring girls at a boxing match).

At 11 a.m. ET, the music stopped and the starting field of 540 took their seats for the first of seven levels of poker play. The tournament, a favorite among pros for its favorable structure, kicked off with $25-$50 blinds and $25,000 starting stacks.

Not so favorable was the earlier-than-usual start time. Players filtered into the Borgata Event Center throughout the first level. When the tournament area finally reached capacity, around noon, one table caught the attention of both fans and players (even those distracted by the Borgata Babes). Located in the far corner of the BPO’s floor, table No. 47 featured an impressive roster of young poker stars who included Joe Cassidy (seat No. 2), two-time 2006 WSOP bracelet winner Bill Chen (seat No. 3), David Williams (seat No. 5), 2006 Five-Star World Poker Classic winner Joe Bartholdi (seat No. 8), and Erick Lindgren (seat No. 9).

As expected, the big stacks, relatively small blinds, and 75-minute levels meant few eliminations during the early action. In particular, the players at table No. 47 kept the pots small and the theme of the group appeared to be “stay out of each other’s way.”

The majority of the field still remained in contention when tournament officials announced the first-place prize for the 2006 Borgata Poker Open: $1,519,020. Along with news of the winner’s cash, players also learned that the money bubble would burst after the 55th elimination.

For the complete payout structure, please visit http://www.cardplayer.com/tournaments/payout/6510.

courtesy of cardplayer.com

News Added: 17 September, 2006

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