For more than two weeks, the Borgata Winter Poker Open has been the talk of Atlantic City as millions of dollars flowed through the BetMGM Poker Tournament Room and Event Center. Poker players traveled from across the country to compete, and they can now take a breather with the 2026 BWPO in the poker history books.
Action started on January 3 with the massive Almighty Million breaking through its guarantee with ease and Aubrey Williams becoming the first woman to win the BetMGM Hybrid Championship. Players like Michael Renna, Esther “E-Tay” Taylor, and Christopher Basile grabbed Borgata and BetMGM trophies of their own as well in the first half of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. But there was much more action in store.
Another Exciting Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
The main event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open was the Championship, a $3,500 buy-in affair with three starting days available for players to enter, as well as late registration on Day 2. The end result was an overlay for players, which meant extra money in the prize pool as Borgata and BetMGM held up the guarantee.
- Total entries: 895
- Total prize pool: $3,000,000
- Paid players: 119
- Minimum payout: $8,100
Just after the dinner break on Day 2, the final 119 players made it into the money, and only 56 of them made it to Day 3. Players like Angelina Rich, Daniel Buzgon, Brock Wilson, Justin Arnwine, Paul Volpe, Christian Harder, and Michael Renna collected payouts on that third day. Much of the action was caught on the livestream, with the final 16 playing down to the final table after dinner that evening, again on a livestream that can be found on the BetMGM YouTube channel. The ultimate ninth-place elimination of Thomas Cannuli for $42,970 was the last of the night.
Final Table Changes Everything
When the final table began on January 15, Jack Kwon held a massive lead over his seven opponents with 16,800,000 chips, followed in the distance by longtime poker pro Olivier Busquet with nearly eight million chips and then Greg Himmelbrand with his stack of close to five million. Benjamin Morgan, Duane Mitchell, and Blake Vogdes were on the shortest stacks, respectively, and Kyle Grupp and Zachary Fischer closed the gap.
An unexpected turn of events saw Grupp chip up and eliminate Himmelbrand in eighth place. While Kwon remained the overwhelming chip leader, Mitchell began to close the gap with Morgan close behind. Morgan then eliminated Grupp in seventh place to lead the six-player table, but the double-ups began and changed the leaderboard again. Mitchell busted Busquet in sixth place, and Kwon rose again to oust Morgan in fifth.
Vogdes took over with several doubles to climb into the lead as Kwon busted Mitchell in fourth place and Vogdes stepped in to eliminate Fischer in third.
Heads-Up Deal
The final two players struck up a conversation to make a deal. Vogdes sat on 31,425,000 chips, and Kwon had only 13,450,000. However, knowing how quickly things can turn in heads-up play, they agreed that Kwon would take home $407,110 – not bad for entering via a BetMGM Poker online satellite for $400 – and Vogdes would take $457,980, the title, and the trophies.
It was the largest career cash for Vogdes, and an impressive showing on rising from one of the short stacks to the chip lead when it mattered most. To see how he did it, the Gorilla Gaming livestream of the BWPO Championship is on BetMGM’s YouTube channel.
The final results and payouts were:
- 1st place: Blake Vodges ($457,980)
- 2nd place: Jack Kwon ($407,110)
- 3rd place: Zachary Fischer ($243,245)
- 4th place: Duane Mitchell ($159,570)
- 5th place: Benjamin Morgan ($109,925)
- 6th place: Olivier Busquet ($85,300)
- 7th place: Kyle Grupp ($67,655)
- 8th place: Greg Himmelbrand ($53,995)
More Big Payouts at Borgata Winter Poker Open
There were several other featured events and notable player accomplishments during the second half of the 2026 Borgata Winter Poker Open.
Mann Masters PKO Bounty
Event 19 of the BWPO was a $2,200 Progressive Knockout Bounty tournament with four starting flights and a $1,000,000 guarantee. This event boasted of an overlay for players, some for the bounties and the other half for the prize pool.
- Total entries: 439
- Total prize pool: $1,000,000
Day 2 saw the field thinned from 57 players to just six at the livestreamed final table. Michael “Casey” Mann held a solid lead over the others with 6,605,000 chips, and he used that stack well. He eliminated Aaron Hendi in fifth place, and though he lost his lead during three-handed play, he quickly took it back and eliminated Frederic Normand in third place. Heads-up play saw a back-and-forth duel until Mann captured the title and $181,910, which included $105,000 in bounties.
Darlington Does PLO Championship
Two flights for the $1,250 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha Championship delivered a solid crowd and a prize pool that exceeded the $150,000 guarantee.
- Total entries: 151
- Total prize pool: $158,550
Day 2 of the event worked them into the money, then quickly down to two tables and then one. Douglas Darlington started the final table in the middle of the pack but made his way to the chip lead by the dinner break. He eliminated the eighth, sixth, and fifth-place finishers but fell to the shortest stack during four-handed play. However, he climbed as he eliminated Michael Dorff in fourth place and Michael Michnik in third. Darlington soon won the tournament at his first-ever final table, first title, first trophies, and $38,845.
Champion Choi Closes BWPO
The last of the major events on the BWPO schedule was the $580 buy-in Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty with its $250,000 guarantee. After four flights, the field was enough to wildly surpass that guarantee, almost doubling that amount.
- Total entries: 976
- Total prize pool: $488,000
The final 124 players received payouts, and Day 2 brought 122 players back into action. Bustouts were fast at first, and as bounties were being pulled, the top one went to Mario Rodriguez, who showed how it’s done.
Yoon Choi was one of the chip leaders as three-table play began, but he was in the middle of the crowd at the dinner break when just two tables remained. He eliminated a couple of players on the way to the final table, at which point he took the lead into nine-handed play. However, when just four players remained, Choi only maintained a slight lead, and all players were somewhat close in the chip counts. The final four agreed to a deal and played on for the trophy, and it wasn’t easy, but Choi did emerge victorious for $27,085 and an unknown amount of bounty winnings.
BetMGM Poker Just Warming Up for 2026
The Borgata Winter Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker was an exciting way to kick off 2026, but there is plenty more in store. Just a few weeks away is the MGM National Harbor Potomac Winter Poker Open, for which satellites will be available online at BetMGM in the coming days.
Meanwhile, BetMGM players are just getting into the first-ever Spade Championship series. Find out more about the leaderboard, promotions, and more that comprise Spade Season at BetMGM.
If you’re just getting started at BetMGM, welcome! You can play real-money poker cash games and tournaments, satellites and qualifiers for online and live events, and become a part of a respected, legal, and licensed community for online poker. You can also take advantage of an exclusive online poker welcome bonus to get started.
