Last Thursday, Nyack's Chris Jones participated in a poker tournament at Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City. He was dealt pocket sevens; the flop came 7, 10, 7.
“I checked," Jones said. "One guy bet out, another called, and then I called. When the turn came, it was a nine of diamonds, which gave the guy a straight flush. I bet out and he raised me and I called."
Despite losing to the straight flush, Jones' luck turned three days later in a one-day tournament on Sunday. He won $8,019 in Borgata’s "All In or Fold" tournament.
This is the first Borgata trophy for Jones, a physical therapist who takes his poker playing seriously. The buy-in for Sunday’s tournament was over $300, and lasted from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Jones said he made some crucial folds during the tournament, which helped him win. He plans to use the winnings to reinvest in other poker tournaments.
"I'll be heading back down there next week, playing in many [more] tournaments," Jones said. "I’m mainly interested in one: it has a $3,500 buy-in and starts Sept. 17. It’s a $3 million guaranteed, so it’ll probably be $4 million."
The Borgata Poker Open runs from Sept. 5 to Sept. 21, and will be televised and sponsored by the World Poker Tour.
