Wild Weekend Spin

Championship Event

Sikyala Watches the Ups and Downs of Muhammad

It's a Hollywood script and a miracle in the making, but unfortunately for Hakima Muhammad, there's no fairy tale ending. It's a story of early success spiraling into the abyss, divine intervention resurrecting the dream, only to have fate deal a cruel conclusion to a whirlwind weekend.

It starts Thursday night when Muhammad picked up $2,800 in a Second Chance tournament, more than three quarters of the $3,500 she needs to play in the Championship Event. "I wanted a story where you could use my nickname," Kima "Slice" says, a play on the name of mixed marital arts phenom Kimbo Slice.

But instead of sitting tight and ponying up the balance, Muhammad trys to win the rest.

A $550 Survivor Tournament entry gone here, a $230 Second Chance bust there, and a first-hand elimination of a 1 in 5, $750 automatic qualifier, and the well is dry. "I lost it all," Muhammad laments, "I played in at least four other events and couldn't get it done. Late last night (Saturday) I was hoping for a $350 sit and go, but we couldn't get 10 players."

Poor planning and weekend banking hours make it tough for Muhammad to withdraw the entry fee and she's resigned to missing the Championship Event.

But that's when fate takes over.

Muhammad and her "poker companion" Muk Sikyala, both of the Baltimore/Bowie, MD area, misplace the car keys creating a revelation. "I told her, 'we're still here and roulette's the only answer,' " says Sikyala, "one lucky spin and you're in."

So Muhammad sat by the red and black wheel and waited, and waited, and waited. Thirty minutes passed and she got the feeling. "It just came to me, a message from above, the number 10."

She took a single, $100 chip, and placed it in the first row, the black square, four away from the green single zero. The number 10. After the floor confirms the large bet, the ball hovers over the twirling colorful pie shaped slots and then it happened.

"I couldn't see it," says Muhammad, as the white ball danced around the circular grid, "I was at the other end of the table, but I saw the dealer's face," she said, as the sphere settles on the number 10. There's a roar from the players and bystanders who are celebrating the win, Muhammad's dream is alive again.

A less than 3 percent chance hits, 35 to 1 odds come true, and the dealer stacks 35 black, $100 chips. A big win and the exact total for Muhammad's entry into the Championship Event.

After flipping her initial bet to the dealer as a tip, Muhammad hustles to the Event Center and calls Sikyala while on-line to register. "I couldn't believe it, I simply couldn't believe it," he said after leaving the poker room to join the party at the opposite end of the casino.

Muhammad is at the table just twenty minutes before the field is closed, with Sikyala hanging over the rail. He's just over Muhammad's shoulder while she plays at Table 3 - Seat 10.

Then disaster.

Just back from the first break, it's pocket kings against pocket aces. All the money's in the middle and aces hold. Unfortunately for Muhammad, her kings are crowned and she's out the door.

"I can't believe it," she says, "after all that, for it to end this way."

Up and down, in and out, highs and lows. A wild weekend spin for one player in the world of Borgata poker.

Last Woman Standing

1st Woman, Nicole Rowe - $11,889

Nicole Rowe (New Windsor, NY) outlasted 267 other ladies to be the last woman standing in the Ladies Event, unfortunately a man kept her from winning the tournament.

Abraham Korotki (Ventnor City, NJ) in a controversial move, entered the field and won the title. For Rowe, not winning the event is disappointing, but not devastating. "It doesn't matter," says Rowe, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. "It was 16 hours of being cancer free, a diversion from my reality."

Rowe will have a double mastectomy in the next two weeks and used the tournament to, not only escape the emotional drain, but to help inform the women. "I told everyone at all my tables, 'if your under 50, make sure you get a sonogram along with your mammogram, or else your mammogram is useless.'"

"It's a shame she didn't win," says 5th place finisher Jena Ross, "but our thoughts and prayers are with Nicole."

Rowe says she'll donate $500 to breast cancer research and will need the rest of her winnings to help cover expenses for the 6 weeks she'll be off from work.

Korotki says he'll also donate part off his $20,982 winnings to the cause. "That's very nice of him," says Rowe, when told the news. "Even just to think of that is very nice."

"We know who the real winner is," adds Ross. "She (Nicole) was the last woman standing."

Originally posted on Borgata Poker Site (where you can find comments)

Ladies "Champion"

1st, Abraham Korotki - $20,982

They only play a few hands heads-up, when Abraham Korotki eliminates the last remaining woman, Nicole Rowe to win the Ladies Championship.

Rowe bets 200k preflop, Korotki raises to 600k. Rowe shoves all-in, which Korotki calls. Rowe tables (A 9) vs. Korotski's (10 10). The board is no help to Rowe and she's eliminated in second place.

"I wanted to win the title," says Rowe who earns $11,889 for second place. "I came in second already," referring to her finish in the Ladies event at the 2007 Borgata Winter Open. "I can't believe I lost a ladies event to a guy."

This finale was the last thing the ladies in the field wanted to see, but Korotki was respectful after 16 hours of play.

"It's always nice to win a tournament," says Korotki, who takes home $20,982. "The ladies played very well and it's always nice for the weaker sex to have a victory."

Korotki says he's going to split his winning's between three, yet determined charities. The causes will focus on breast cancer research, children and animals.

Originally posted on Borgata Poker Site (where you can find comments)

Dude Looks Like A Lady (Event #7)

Korotki (left), Playing in Ladies Event

Borgata strives to put on the best tournaments, and has successfully incorporated specialty events in their series, including the highly anticipated and well-attended Ladies No Limit Hold'em tournaments.

Here's a Borgata first, someone other than a female has entered this event, much to the dismay of Borgata and to the field of 269 women. And while this specific individual, who's known as Abraham Korotki (Ventor City, NJ), must have some reason for playing in the Ladies event, Borgata management is less than thrilled with his participation.

"I got tired of going home early," says Kortoki after getting knocked out of Event #6 ($1,000 +$90), "I hadn't had enough poker time."

Despite the fact that there were two other tournaments running later in the day, along with a myriad of continuous sit and goes, and a full 85-table poker room for cash games, Korotki opted for the Ladies Event, causing quite a stir.

"Any gentleman that comes to play, on the face of it, is doing it with disrespectful intent," says Alyson Parker (Planesboro, NJ), who's seated at Kortoski's table.

"He wasn't just there for fun, he was obnoxious," says one anonymous player, who started at Kortoki's table. "Every hand he needled people."

While a bulk of the players are upset and disappointed with Kortoki's presence, not everyone takes offense, including Shalanda "Diva" Nix (Newark, NJ), who's one of the chip leaders. "We all feel that we should have a secluded event for the ladies, but if he's going to play, tell him to bring it on because we welcome him."

Kortoki is also an unofficial chip leader and the deeper he goes in the tournament, the more frustrated some players are getting.

"If there weren't other men's events that he could enter, that would be a different story," says Nancy Martin (Washington Crossings, PA).

"I think the important thing is that had I been knocked out already, they would've been happy to have my 300 bucks in the kitty." says, Kortoki.

Professional player Lacey Jones (Manhattan Beach, CA) adds, "the more people in the tournament, the more money I get."

Whatever Kortoki's real intentions are, he says that if he's fortunate enough to win something in the Ladies event, he'll donate it to charity.

We'll see.

The Ladies Event is on dinner break.

Parker Feels Disrespoected by Lady Korotki

Originally posted on Borgata Poker Site (where you can find comments)

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