World Series runner-up finishes 50th at Borgata

Poker

Anne Arundel accountant Steve Dannenmann, who finished second in the World Series of Poker main event in July, winning $4.25 million, just missed another poker payday yesterday.

Dannenmann, playing in the World Poker Tour's stop at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J., was eliminated in 50th place - five spots shy of making it into the money. The 45th-place finisher earns $12,489 and the top prize is nearly $1.5 million.

The Borgata Poker Open, scheduled to conclude today, started with 516 players, and Dannenmann outlasted pros such as Chris Ferguson, Eric Seidel and Cyndy Violette.

The Baltimore-area amateur's tournament unraveled quickly yesterday afternoon when he lost almost 200,000 chips as his hole cards, king-10, were dominated by another player's pair of kings. About a half-hour later, Dannenmann's pair of nines were beaten by a pair of jacks, knocking him out. The Borgata Open requires a $10,000 buy-in, but Dannenmann earned his seat by winning a satellite tournament with a $1,000 buy-in.

"I have no regrets; I just ran into a pair of kings. ... I didn't think the guy was that strong," Dannenmann said. "There's room for improvement in my game, and I learned a lot here."

Another local player, Mark Schaech - who owns an auto body shop in Baltimore - finished 12 places out of the money.

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