Zarko Mandic Banks $342K at Borgata Winter Poker Open

New Jersey is where it’s at right now as the Borgata Winter Poker Open is in full swing. Seven players now have the title of champion, including Zarko Mandic who is the festival’s biggest winner so far. Mandic secured a massive $342,967 by triumphing in the $600 Deepstack Kick-Off event of the festival.

Borgata Winter Poker Open $600 Deepstack Kick-Off Final Table Results

*reflects a heads-up deal

The opening event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open saw a mammoth-sized field of 4,375 entries compete. This huge field ensured the $2 million guarantee was hit then beaten by $291,625.

Only 31 players made it through to the final day’s action and they were cut down quickly. Manny Gugliuzza was the 10th place finisher and the man who burst the final table bubble. Gugliuzza’s king-ten lost to Kirkwood Saccardo’s ace-seven and he had to make do with a $17,760 score.

Those chips propelled Saccardo to the top of the chip counts. Mandic found himself eighth in chips from the final nine because of his rather shallow stack of 7,150,000 chips.

Mandic managed to add to his stack then gave it a big boost when he eliminated Patrick Luu. Luu jammed from under the gun with nines and Mandic called in the big blind with pocket queens. The board ran safely for Mandic and Luu crashed out in ninth-place for $27,500.

Ryan Teixeira busted almost immediately after Luu. He was all-in from the small blind with pocket sixes against the king-queen of Ricardo Eyzaguirre. The sixes remained true right up to the king of hearts landing on the river. Game over for the Canadian.

Mandic Continues to Build a Big Stack

Chips kept migrating to Mandic’s stack and it looked to be a formality that he would become the first champion of the 2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open. It looked even more likely when he sent Jerry Maher to the rail in seventh place, a finish worth $59,582. Maher committed his stack on the turn of a queen-high board with top pair. Sadly for him, Mandic held a flush and Maher was drawing dead.

The final six became five moments later when Mandic claimed another tournament life. It was a coinflip that took care of Leonard Sande. Mandic opened five-times the big blind to 2,500,000 from under the gun then called when Sande three-bet all-in for 8,000,000. Mandic showed a pair of sixes and Sande ace-jack. An ace on the flop catapulted Sande into the lead, but a six on the turn gifted Mandic a set and the pot.

A double-elimination all but confirmed Mandic as the Borgata Winter Poker Open Deepstack Kick-Off champion. Saccardo, Brian Morgan and Mandic were all-in in a monster-sized pot. Saccardo had the worst of it with pocket tens. Morgan’s dreams were pinned on the jacks in the hole, while Mandic found queens. Again, Mandic improved to a set on the turn to bust both Saccardo and Morgan.

The tournament progressed to heads-up when Constantinos Psallidas crashed out in third-place for $164,539. Guess who busted him. Mandic, of course. The turn came to Mandic’s rescue as it paired the ten of his king-ten to beat Psallidas’ ace-seven.

First Borgata Winter Poker Open Event Ends in a Chop

Eyzaguirre and Mandic were miles apart in terms of chips, but still discussed a deal for the remaining prize pool. Perhaps tiredness played a role in the decision making, or Mandic was worried of Eyzaguirre’s superior results. Whatever the reason, the pair agreed a deal that saw Eyzaguirre bank $290,000 and Mandic take home $342,967.

2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open Results So Far

Some huge events are in the pipeline, including a $5,100 High Roller and the $3,500 MWPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship.