$1 Million Guaranteed
Russell Crane - 2013 BFPO Champion
Russell Crane came into Day 3 as a short-stack, 26th out of 36 returning players. He went on a rush about six hours in, busting three players in a row (21st - 19th places) to take the chip lead. He cruised into the final table second in chips and repeated the hat-trick, busting 9th, 8th, & 7th place finishers. When it was all over, Russell Crane had his second Borgata Open Championship trophy and $361,747.
On the final hand, all the chips went in on the flop, which was Ten-high with two hearts. Crane had the nut flush draw with A5 of hearts; Gary Wong had top pair and a gutshot with T6. A third heart on the turn gave Crane the flush and the win.
She Lok 'Gary' Wong scored his first ever six-figure tournament payday finishing second for $203,394. The heads-up battle began with Crane holding a more than 2:1 chip lead, but the lead changed hands a couple of times during the two and a half hour match. In contrast, Russell Crane's heads-up match in 2011, when he won the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship, lasted all of two hands.
Tyng Low, winner of the 2011 Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship, finished 3rd for $128,063 when he ran into Russell Crane's pocket Aces.
When the final entries and re-entries were tallied, the total was 625 entries for total buy-ins of $1,562,500, clearing the guarantee by more than half a million dollars. The top 63 players got paid.
The Million Dollar Guarantee and two starting days brought players out in droves. Day 1A on Sunday saw 172 entries and after ten levels of play, only 72 advanced to Day 2. Arthur Pro (Dallas, TX) bagged 252,000, good for the chip lead and $3,000 bonus. Mike Melkersen (New Market, VA) bagged 215,300, good for a $1,500 bonus.
Day 1B on Monday blew those numbers out of the water with 453 entries; 215 of those advanced to Day 2. Jonas Wexler (Southampton, PA) scooped the $3,000 chip leader bonus with 222,000. Second in chips and $1,500 went to Anthony Bellino (Palm Beach Garden, FL) with 203,200.
Arthur Pro barely made the money, finishing 62nd for $5,123. Michael Melkersen fared slightly better, finishing 53rd for $5,876. Wexler and Bellino both failed to make the money. 2012 Borgata Summer Poker Open Champion Melad Marji was the bubble-boy of this event when his pocket 5s lost a flip against AK. He busted out in 64th place.
Thirty-six players remained at the end of Day 2 and they returned for the final day on Thanksgiving eve. Jake Schwartz was the chip leader coming into Day 3, but he flamed out in 24th place ($8,286). Scott Blackman was the chip leader when the final table was formed, but he suffered a similar fate, busting out in 7th place ($54,992).
It was not all smooth sailing for Russell Crane. At the end of the re-entry period on Day 1B, he was all-in and at-risk on a coin-flip, planning to re-enter if he busted. He won the flip and saved his second bullet. "I ran good...got good table draws" he said. He felt "comfortable" all the way through the tournament.
When he learned that Bobby Oboodi (Morris Plains, NJ) is the only other player to hold two Borgata Open Championship titles, Crane said "I'll be back in January to try for number three!" He has been playing poker professionally for over eight years and travels the east coast and to Vegas for the WSOP.
Final Table Results
1 - Russell Crane (Howell, NJ) $361,747
2 - Gary Wong (Forest Hill, NY) $203,394
3 - Tyng Low (Flushing, NY) $128,063
4 - Ken Silberstein (Edison, NJ) $103,957
5 - Tony Abi-Yaghi (Toms River, NJ) $82,864
6 - Kyle Bowker (Walton, NY) $68,551
7 - Scott Blackman (Egg Harbor Twp, NJ) $54,992
8 - John Holley (Niceville, FL) $41,432
9 - Cliff Josephy (Muttentown, NJ) $28,626
10 - Alex Shteyman (Edison, NJ) $19,586
