With the World Series of Poker Europe currently underway and doling out coveted WSOP bracelets, it would be reasonable to expect a lackluster turn out for this week’s World Poker Tour Borgata Poker Open, yet those on the ground in Atlantic City know that’s far from what happened.

The 2010 Borgata Poker Open, during its two starting days, sat 1,042 players, the most to ever enter a World Poker Tour tournament. 

Despite the large number of entrants the total prize pool for this event, though still substantial at $3,438,600, is far from a WPT record, thanks to a more everyman style of buy-in for this particular WPT stop at “only” $3,500.  Yet still that prize pool is enough to payout the top 100 players and award the first place finisher an impressive $733,802- about $200,000 less than Olivier Busquet earned at this event last year.

As of this writing- on an early Tuesday morning- the Borgata Poker Open is still about 50 players away from beginning to dig into that prize pool, but sadly it is already clear which certain well known players wont be earning a piece of it.  Some of the top players eliminated thus far from the Borgata Poker Open include Vanessa Selbst, Michael Binger, Todd Terry, Lee Markholt, Robert Varkonyi, Chris Bell, actor James Woods and Gavin “The Caveman” Smith.

Players of note still in the hunt and now within smelling distance of a WPT cash include Dwyte Pilgrim, Jonathan Little, Nick Binger, Mike Sexton, Lee Childs, Christian Harder and John D’Agostino.

For more information on the 2010 Borgata Poker Open, or to check out live updates and photos straight from Atlantic City visit www.worldpokertour.com.