Borgata: Derek Sudell headlines week of winners in Fall Mini Series

The Borgata wrapped up its Fall Mini Series with a bow on six events spread over a week at the Atlantic City casino. 

The action packed week kicked off with a $500 Super Deep Kick Off before the flagship $2,500 8-Max Championship headlined the series and a $570 PLO Championship rounded it out at the end.

James Edy won the Double Black Chip Bounty with the big share of a final three deal and Stephen Rozanski picked up the win in the Saturday Series after a six-way chop. Meanwhile, Sami Benhayun won the glass Borgata trophy after a deal in a Bankroll Builder that helped close out the series on its final day.

The largest events turned out in force and Vinny Pahuja scored the win over a field of 596 entries after a final-four deal ended the Super Deep Kick Off. Derek Sudell won a friendly final table in the 8-Max Championship and Boris Kravets cut a deal with Eli Beckerman to win the PLO Championship. 

Cutting a deal

Vinny Pahuja scored the winning end of a final-four deal.

Pahuja, Vern Wasson, Luke Trucksess and Alexander Patrucelli returned for Day 2 of the Super Deep Kick Off event, down from a field of 596 entrants spread over two opening flights at the beginning of the series. The field played down to a final table shortly before midnight and after some tough play and tougher negotiations, the four players came to ICM chop.

Upon returning from break, the four players realized how close they were in chips and with Day 1B of the 8-Max Championship looming to start in 6.5 hours, they finally came to an agreement.

Pahuja took home the trophy, Wasson finished runner-up, Trucksess was third and Petrucelli claimed fourth place. Following payouts and pictures, the four weary players didn't leave the poker room until 5:00 am.

Final four deal payouts

Sudell takes 8-Max Championship

Derek Sudell finished fifth in the Six Max at the Borgata Poker Open in September.

Nine players returned to action for the final table of Borgata's Fall Mini-Series $2,500 8-Max Championship and it was a friendly affair with measured play over six hours before Derek Sudell took down the final hand to win $78,689.

"It feels really good - it was a hard final table," Sudell said. "But I ran really well this whole tournament. I don't feel like I did anything too special, but it feels good to win."

"The friendliness of the final table doesn't change the dynamic for me but it makes the environment more fun," he added. "Everyone was chatting and things were light."

"I wasn't worried too much during heads-up because I have a lot of heads-up experience," said Sudell. "In tournaments, you have to stay level-headed and I was waiting for the big hand."

"My wife and I will be back for the Winter Poker Open," he said. Sudell played his way to the final table from the small Day 1A field on a single bullet. 

Sudell's wife, Jackie Liu, won this same event last year and now they have matching glass Borgata trophies for the mantle. Liu bested Bin Weng heads-up and third-place finisher Nick Verderamo finished fifth at that final table

"It's pretty crazy to win the same tournament she won," Sudell said. "She won it for a little more but I'm happy."

8-Max Championship final table payouts

Kravets wins four-card finale

Boris Kravets wrapped up the series with a PLO win.

The final event of Borgata's Fall Mini-Series, the $570 Pot Limit Omaha Championship drew 42 entrants and Boris Kravets was the last man standing to earn $7,655 and a mini Borgata glass trophy.

The four-card poker action stretched on for over 12 hours, with the table stagnant at seven-handed for more than three levels. Multiple attempts were made to broker a chop but they could never reach a unanimous decision. 

Then, five-handed and four-handed play crawled along, but from three players to heads-up was only about 30 minutes. Kravets and Eli Beckerman traded pots back and forth during heads-up and tried reaching a deal multiple times.

PLO Champinship Final Table Payouts

The Borgata will return next with its Winter Poker Open with 40 events from January 2-26 in Atlantic City. Check out the full schedule and make your plans jump into the $5,300 Main Event with $3 million guaranteed.