Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa's fourth annual Borgata Summer Poker Open concluded with Philadelphian Anthony Damato winning the $3,000 + $200 no-limit hold 'em championship, and taking home $356,319 for his efforts. The three-day championship offered a prize pool of $1,245,000.
Damato outlasted Newark, DE, resident Michael Walls along with a field of over 400 poker pros and amateurs to secure the title of Borgata Summer Poker Open Champion. Walls came in second, winning $192,975.
After his hard-fought victory, Damato was ecstatic with his play as well as his experience at Borgata saying "(I had) absolutely a blast of a time. I love this place. There is no other casino that offers a structure like this on the East Coast."
Damato becomes the second Pennsylvania native to win a Summer Poker Open joining Carmine Tirone of Manheim, PA, who won the first annual tournament in 2006.
The 24-day tournament series saw over 9,700 total participants.
EVENT #22 6/28/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $3,000 + $200
PLAYERS 415
PRIZE POOL $1,245,000
1. Anthony Damato . $356,319
2. Michael Walls . . . . $192,975
3. Charles Marchese . . $99,600
4. Robert Pyne . . . . . . $87,150
EVENT #23 6/29/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $300 + $50
PLAYERS 292
PRIZE POOL $87,600
1. Joseph Aarons . . . . . $26,280
2. Vladimir Geykhman $14,892
3. Theodore Susser . . . . $8,190
EVENT #21 6/26/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000 + $80
PLAYERS 243
PRIZE POOL $243,000
1. Esfandiar Dara . . . . $72,899
2. Lugi Santoro . . . . . . $41,309
3. David Grana . . . . . . $22,720
4. Richard Hall . . . . . . $17,009
EVENT #20 6/25/09
HEADS UP-NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $3,000 + $200
PLAYERS 23
PRIZE POOL $69,000
1. Charles Hook . . . . . . $31,050
2. Jeffrey Guber . . . . . $20,700
EVENT #19 6/24/09
LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $350 + $50
PLAYERS 120
PRIZE POOL $42,000
1. Howard Wolper . . . $12,936
2. Thomas Confrey . . . . $7,140
3. Ratilal Patel . . . . . . . $3,990
EVENT #18 6/24/09
H.O.S.E.
BUY-IN $1,000 + $80
PLAYERS 43
PRIZE POOL $43,000
1. Brent Keller . . . . . . $17,200
2. Gregory Bock . . . . . $10,750
3. Ming Reslock . . . . . . . $6,450
EVENT #17 6/23/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM 6-HANDED
BUY-IN $500 + $60
PLAYERS 188
PRIZE POOL $94,000
1. Daniel Chan . . . . . . $28,952
2. Jeffrey Wicker . . . . $15,980
3. Joo Kim . . . . . . . . . . . $8,930
EVENT #16 6/21/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $500 + $60
PLAYERS 684
PRIZE POOL $342,000
1. Phillip Neiman . . . . $94,870
2. Mirsad Kovaci . . . . $51,300
3. Charles Minter . . . . $26,504
4. Marc Horowitz . . . . $23,085
EVENT #15 6/20/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,500 + $80
PLAYERS 116
PRIZE POOL $174,000
1. Aaron Gustovson . . $53,592
2. Thomas Pollina . . . . $29,580
3. Raymond Geary . . . $16,530
4. Fouad Qreitem . . . . $12,180
5. Tom Savitsky . . . . . $10,440
EVENT #14 6/19/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000 + $80
PLAYERS 230
PRIZE POOL $230,280
1. Brent Brautigam . . $69,000
2. Eugene Castro . . . . $39,100
3. Emad Alabsi . . . . . . . $21,505
4. Allan Lubin . . . . . . . $16,100
5. Don Boivin . . . . . . . . $13,800
EVENT #13 6/18/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM BSO CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $1,000 + $80
PLAYERS 124
PRIZE POOL $124,000
1. James Boyle . . . . . . $15,000
2. Paul Kitsos . . . . . . . . $15,000
3. Joanne Dorin . . . . . $15,000
4. Dominic Reggimenti $15,000
5. Michael Dostaler . . $15,000
6. Dzmitry Zybiko . . . $15,000
7. Emil Mardakhayev $15,000
EVENT #12 6/17/09
HEADS UP-NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $500 + $60
PLAYERS 115
PRIZE POOL $57,500
1. Richard Maurer . . . $16,675
2. Kevin Sivaneri . . . . . $9,775
3. Gregory Joslyn . . . . . $5,175
4. Michael Zduniak . . . $5,175
5. Phil Diep . . . . . . . . . . $2,875
EVENT #11 6/16/09
OMAHA HI/LO 8 OR BETTER
BUY-IN $300 + $50
PLAYERS 150
PRIZE POOL $45,000
1. Mark Jones . . . . . . . $13,859
2. Aaron Gustovson . . . $7,650
EVENT #10 6/16/09
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $300 + $50
PLAYERS 340
PRIZE POOL $102,000
1. Mark Scellato . . . . . $29,580
2. Michael Merkovich $17,136
3. Peter Leung . . . . . . . . $8,466
4. Alexander Hardy . . . $7,140









