The $10K High Roller Experience at the Borgata Poker Open brought seven players back for the final table Tuesday and it was Alex Queen who charged to victory after a heads-up battle with Brian Yoon. Yoon and Queen agreed to a heads-up deal before Queen finished the job for an extra $10K and the Borgata trophy.
The all-inclusive experience drew 14 players and six additional rebuys to set up a prize pool of $200,000. Everyone enjoyed comped rooms throughout the weekend and catered breakfast on the 32nd floor of the MGM Tower before players sat down to play to a winner. The views from the floor-to-ceiling windows showed a layer of fog enveloping the Atlantic City coast — a nice change of pace from the usual windowless card room to which players are accustomed.
“I feel really good,” Queen told PokerOrg in a post-win interview. “I think I’ve been playing ok and running pretty well. When those two things go together, good things can happen.”
Queen runs away with it
The day started with the final seven players, led by Ketan Pandya and David Stefanski. Matt Sabia was first to go in seventh place when his ace-jack stood no chance against Yoon’s ace-queen.
Altman took a big chunk from Drew O’Connell a short time later when his suited ace-jack caught up to O’Connell’s pocket queens. The hand left O’Connell short and he was soon gone in sixth place after a failed ace-ten elimination attempt ran into a two-outer against Yoon’s pocket sixes.
Next to go was Brian Altman, who, after a series of unfortunate events, sent his chips into Queen’s now-leading chip stack. Altman doubled Queen up and then gave him the rest when his pocket deuces were no good against aces.
Altman’s elimination left the tournament four-handed and only three would get paid. Alex Queen held the lead with more than half the chips in play while Stefanski tried to send Yoon home with two pair. Yoon, however, had the better two pair and Stefanski was left with crumbs by the cooler. A few moments later he was out in fourth place and the final three players locked up at least $40K each. Queen still held the lead while Yoon and Pandya jockeyed for second.
“When I got the chip lead four-handed it felt like a good spot,” Queen said. “I got to abuse the bubble a little bit. Even though there were really good players left, having that handicap helps a lot.”
Eventually, Pandya got it in with pocket nines and Queen called with king-ten. The board ran out with a ten and Pandya earned $40K for the third-place finish.
We have an accord
Soon after, Yoon and Queen agreed to a deal. Queen would take $79,800 and Yoon secured $70,200 before they played for the extra $10K and the Borgata trophy. Yoon lost a big hand moments later and they hit the last break with Queen holding more than 90% of the chips.
The big moment came right after the break when Yoon shoved with an open-ended straight draw after the flop. Queen called with two pair and held on to win the $10K High Roller Experience on a foggy day in Atlantic City.
