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The Borgata Winter Poker Open, a $3,500 buy-in tournament that was formerly a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT), began back on January 31st with 766 players. In the end, poker pro Jeff Madsen walked away with the title and $625,000 top prize on Friday.
 The annual tournament in Atlantic City boasted a colossal $2 million guaranteed prize pool and, when the smoke cleared, Madsen outlasted Sirous Jamshidi heads-up. In the final hand, Jamshidi picked an inopportune time to commit his chips with Q-2, as Madsen held K-10. Madsen hit a king on the turn to stay in front for good in the hand and take down the 2010 running of the Borgata poker tournament. Madsen led the majority of the heads-up confrontation, according to CardPlayer, which explained how the youngster was able to close it out: “Madsen employed a small ball strategy to grind his opponent down and it eventually worked to give him the win.”
By taking down the prestigious East Coast event, Madsen added to an already sterling poker resume that includes two bracelets, both of which came during the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP). Madsen took down a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event for $660,000 at the Rio in Las Vegas before emerging victorious from the pack in a $5,000 Short-Handed No Limit Hold’em tournament one week later for another $643,000. He instantly became one of the hottest players on the poker circuit.
Madsen made two final tables during last year’s L.A. Poker Classic for nearly $230,000 combined and recently finished third in a $1,500 event during the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic for $69,000. Last month, he placed 19th in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) Main Event for $87,000. At the Borgata, Madsen’s victory came in a tournament whose prize pool swelled to $2.5 million. The top 72 players finished in the money. The last time that the tournament was a part of the WPT circuit was 2008.
Joining Madsen at the 10-handed final table was poker pro Matt Matros, who exited in tenth place and picked up $32,000. Madsen was in a familiar spot of many poker players on his last hand of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Main Event, racing with pocket sixes against Nick Kamen’s A-K. Matros stormed onto the tournament scene six years ago, when he made the final table of the WPT Championship at the Bellagio, finishing in third place for $707,000. He banked $250,000 from the 2008 WSOP and finished eighth in the WPT North American Poker Championship in late 2008 for nearly $100,000.
Here’s how the final table shook out, according to Borgata Winter Poker Open coverage found on the official website of CardPlayer:
1st Place: Jeff Madsen - $625,006
2nd Place: Sirous Jamshidi - $367,794
3rd Place: David Marchese - $190,027
4th Place: Barkley Hamilton - $165,508
5th Place: Nick Kamen - $140,988
6th Place: Al Grimes - $116,468
7th Place: David Fox - $91,949
8th Place: Ross Mallor - $67,429
9th Place: Chan Pelton - $49,039
10th Place: Matt Matros - $31,876
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