It may have began on September 3, but the Borgata Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker kicked into high gear the past couple of days, with Major League Baseball bounties, High Roller previews, BPO Championship flights, and massive prize pools.
As always, the reporting team at PokerOrg was all over the Borgata throughout the weekend to deliver the action, numbers, big hands, and funny bits. Here is a glimpse into it to pull out some of the highlights.
1. Sports and Poker Collide at the Borgata
The crew from the popular baseball podcast Foul Territory brought their show to the BPO at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa last week. Poker and baseball fans reported seeing the show on Bally Sports Network across the country, broadcasting live, in partnership with BetMGM.
After the show, the group of Major League Baseball stars took to the poker tables to play the Borgata Poker Open Progressive Bounty Shootout. While they all had a good time, Dellin Betances was the only star who made it through to the second round.
Ultimately, Betances made it to the final table, as did Pocket Queens advocate Nan Min. Jonathan Kim outlasted them all, taking home $6,000 plus an undisclosed sum of bounties to accompany the Borgata trophy.
2. Almighty Million Ends in Chop
One of the featured events of this Borgata Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker was the Almighty Million, a $500 buy-in with five flights and a $1,000,000 guarantee. The first four flights delivered 1,720 entries, so the Borgata team hoped for a sizable turnout for Day 1E. And they got it.
- Total entries: 2,837
- Total prize pool: $1,191,540
The action took them to a final table over the weekend, where the final four players agreed to a chop based on chip counts. They then played on (via the livestream on the BetMGM YouTube) for an additional $20,000, the title, and the trophy. The chop resulted in the following wonky payouts:
- 1st place: Joseph Molitor $103,140
- 2nd place: Hayden Hetland $122,002
- 3rd place: Kharlin Sued $96,354
- 4th place: Matt Wolf $114,519
3. Poker Content Creators Showed Off Their Skills
Abby Merk flew all the way from a job in Barcelona, Spain, directly to Atlantic City to get in on the action at the BPO – and film some fun content along the way. And as you might suspect, she made a video about it:
Once at the Borgata, she decided to breakdance – errr, break down her stack for an opponent in a way that we really hope catches on.
Merk didn’t have much luck at the tables, but Brantzen Poker didn’t, either.
After a long, hot summer, we have to admit that this content looks quite refreshing. Not a bad gig!
4. Hybrid Breeds Winners
One of the highlights of the Borgata Poker Open is the BetMGM Online Hybrid Championship, which is quickly becoming a fan and player favorite of the series. Players begin competing online at BetMGM Poker, and when a select few reach the final table, they pause play and head to the Borgata to play it out in person.
This iteration of the Hybrid Championship was another hit, and the six final table players battled it out. In the end, the results were:
- 1st place: Derek Sudell $38,250
- 2nd place: Mahendra Shah $25,500
- 3rd place: Anthony Russo $18,000
- 4th place: Louis Freda $13,560
- 5th place: Russell Meyer $10,575
- 6th place: Luis Savery $7,800
Fifth-place finisher Russell Meyer talked about his experience, which started with a $10 online poker satellite on BetMGM Poker. He turned that into more than $10,000 and the experience of a lifetime.
5. Championship Offers Millions
The main attraction for any series is the Main Event. The Borgata Poker Open’s Main Event is officially called the Borgata Poker Open Championship, a $3,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em affair that offered two starting days and a $1,500,000 guarantee. Players signed up in droves. The final numbers announced this weekend were:
- Total entries: 758
- Total prize pool: $2,349,800
This was enough to pay out the top 95 players, with the min-cash set at $8,057 and the first-place prize set at $408,836.
Day 3 started on Monday with 40 players remaining in contention, with the final table set to play on Tuesday, September 17. Watch it for free streaming on the BetMGM YouTube channel.
