Regional news

Paul Volpe has won the Borghata Big, Big Series $5,300 tournament, taking home $492,415. This marks his tenth Main Event final table appearance at this casino and his biggest win yet. Five days ago, the crown jewel of the Big, Big Series kicked off at the Borghata Hotels, Casino & Spa. The #10: $5,300 Big, Big tournament attracted 519 players vying for the prestigious title and a significant share of the $3,000,000 prize pool. Only 19 players from the initial entrants had a chance to compete today, and after 11 hours of intense play, one emerged victorious. Those familiar with the Borghata poker scene know Paul Volpe's prowess in Atlantic City's biggest events. Over the past 15 years, he has reached the Main Event final table nine times in seasonal series and special events here. Today, his tenth final table appearance resulted in his biggest prize in Borghata, as he won the Big, Big Championship and earned $492,415, bringing his lifetime Main Event winnings here alone to over $1,500,000. "I've had a great year here," the new champion said of his success at the casino. "It's my home casino, I always play the Main Event here. It's definitely my favorite place. I tell people all over the place. The games here have been great for years, and I've just been lucky to live nearby, so I've been fortunate to be in this area and to have played here for the last 15 or 16 years." With over $10,000,000 in live winnings, Volpe has proven himself a master of multiple games, winning major titles and prize money in various game types, such as Omaha Hi-Lo and Nine-Hit Mix. “If I thought (Texas Hold’em) was my best game, I’d go play Triton with those guys. I’d say I’m generally better at mixed games than No-Limit. I still enjoy No-Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments.” Early on Day 3, Volpe was among the shortest stacks on the table but eventually bounced back to a chip lead by the time the final table began. “It all came down to the blinds,” Volpe said of how he handled his chip stack throughout the day. “There was a point where I was down to eight big blinds, and then I managed to turn things around. Early on, I won a run with a pair of Kings with 9s. After that, I kept going and made a lot of hands. To win these kinds of tournaments, you have to be lucky, play well, and luck is more important in the short term.” When Volpe and Frank Lagodich went heads-up, the two players agreed to an ICM deal, and Volpe took the trophy home. "I definitely won't share the winnings with everyone. We've all been saying we're a bit tired. I've played against Frank a lot here, some at the WSOP, he's a No-Limit player, a learner, he's very tough. There are some people I won't share the winnings with, and maybe some people won't either. I know the audience likes to see the ending, but sometimes reality isn't like that, it usually depends on the player. These things..."