May 3-8
Years in between Todd Lewis' third career cash in 2009 and his fourth in 2023.
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1ST
Todd Lewis
$215,450
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2ND
William Klevitz
$200,000
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3RD
Joe Foote
$117,970
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4TH
Michael Walker
$78,300
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5TH
Farid Jattin
$54,760
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6TH
Bobby Thomas
$43,500
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7TH
Ricardo Eyzaguirre
$28,510
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8TH
Matthew Zambanini
$28,510
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9TH
Sead Duraku
$23,225
The final day of the Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship saw six players return and the shortest among them was Todd Lewis, a cash game player from Manhattan who started the day with just seven big blinds.
But despite being down in chips, Lewis was far from out, and by the end of the tournament he was the last player standing. Lewis defeated William Klevitz heads-up to claim the Championship trophy and the $215,450 top prize.
Back on top
“Almost doesn’t feel real,” the newly crowned champion said following the victory.
Lewis recently got back into poker following over a decade away from the game.
“My first son was born, Jake. It was right after Black Friday. I just kind of gave up the game. I didn’t play a single hand of poker for over a decade.”
Having a family leaves him with limited time to play tournaments.
“Having two kids, it’s hard to get out and play tournaments. I come to the Borgata because I live in Manhattan. It’s close. I play more cash now; I’ve gotten back into it over the last couple of years. The tournament grind – I just don’t have the time to escape.”
Over the wall
Lewis was among the bigger stacks in the room for most of Day 2, but by the end of Day 3 he had hit a wall, dragging in few pots and dwindling until he was the shortest stack left.
“The end of last night was really difficult. I had so many amazing family members and friends who were watching. My phone was blowing up; I was getting so many text messages.
"It’s kind of added pressure when your kids are watching, your wife, your parents, all your friends, and you’re just sitting there folding and folding. Sometimes you’re just card dead.”
There was significantly less pressure going into the final table.
“So, I came in today, and I kept telling myself to just get one double”. The structure’s so great here that I knew if I had one double, I’d have a chance. Maybe it was a blessing, coming in so short. If you come in with piles, sometimes at least for me, I try to do too much.”
Instead, Lewis tripled up in one of the first hands of the day, getting his chips in with queen-jack in a three-way all-in that saw Bobby Thomas hit the rail in sixth place. Soon after, Lewis flopped trips against Joe Foote’s two pair for another double, putting himself second in chips within the first couple of orbits.
Farid Jattin’s fifth final table appearance in Borgata Championship events ended in fifth place after running ace-king into Foote’s aces. Foote then dispatched Michael Walker in fourth to put himself back near the top of the counts, before a wild hand took place between him and Lewis.
The two players engaged in a preflop raising war that saw Lewis four-bet with ace-king, only for Foote to five-bet shove with six-three suited. Lewis made the call and held, putting himself into the chip lead for the first time at the final table, while Foote was left short and eliminated in third by Klevitz soon after.
Heads-up showdown
The final two were even in chips and quickly made a deal to flatten out the payouts, with each player locking up $200,000 and an additional $15,450 to play for. Despite the deal, it was clear both players wanted the title and heads-up play lasted over two hours.
The turning point saw Lewis get the chips in on the turn with top pair and a queen-high flush draw against Klevitz, who had turned an eight-high flush. A fourth spade on the river brought in a higher flush, giving Lewis a commanding lead over Klevitz.
Soon after, Klevitz got his remaining chips in with pocket tens against Lewis’ queen-jack. A queen on the flop forced Klevitz to settle for second place and Lewis earned the title.
