The Big Big Series powered by BetMGM Poker wrapped at Borgata in Atlantic City this week, complete with a longtime poker pro collecting the Championship tournament title and his biggest score ever at Borgata.
The series as a whole was full of big buy-in action, big guarantees, and big fields of poker players from all walks of life. Let’s look at how some of the action played out.
Prominent Preliminary Events at Borgata Big Big Buy-In
The schedule for this unique series put 14 events on the calendar from September 13-22. And some of them were covered by the PokerNews live reporting team, which provided the information we’re summarizing here.
Big Big Kick-Off
This tournament was a $2,200 buy-in affair, and two starting flights brought in 456 entries in total. That put $1,000,000 in prize money into play for the top 58 finishers.
The chip count list at the start of Day 2 showed a number of big names at and near the top, including BetMGM Ambassador Darren Elias in second, while fellow BetMGM Ambassador Michael Lavin held on with a short stack. Lavin was one of the first eliminations of the day for a min-cash, and Elias had a rough start when Andrew Chang doubled through him and later busted him in 28th place. Others who hit the payout line in the hours that followed included Joe McKeehen, Justin Arnwine, Justin Liberto, Aubrey Williams, and Bin Weng.
Chang, meanwhile, had played a roller coaster of a tournament, going from a short-stack to doubling up, losing chips and gaining more. He finally made it to heads-up against David Stefanski, the latter of whom had about six times the stack of Chang. But Chang found a spot to double up, and he took that momentum all the way to the winner’s circle for $182,000.
E-Tay’s 9-Game Mix
One of the first events on the schedule for the 2026 Big Big Series was E-Tay’s Big Big 9-Game Mix, hosted by none other than BetMGM Poker Ambassador Esther Taylor. The event pulled in 48 entries at the $2,500 buy-in price point and a $150,000 prize pool, enough to pay out the top six finishers.
Day 2 brought ten players back to the tables, Taylor herself among them but playing a very short stack. She quickly tripled up during 2-7 Triple Draw, but she busted in the No Limit Hold’em round. Eventually, Aubrey Williams took leave of the tournament on the money bubble. Jeffrey Gibson, on the other hand, had been third in chips to start the day and ultimately made it to heads-up play with Michael Falk, who started the day second in chips. The final duel began with Falk holding about a three-to-one lead, but Gibson was determined and finally took the title in a round of Stud Hi-Lo. Gibson won $56,170 for his efforts.
Big Big Mystery Bounty
Who doesn’t love a mystery bounty event? This one was a $2,200 tournament with two starting flights, which brought in 232 entries. The $500,000 prize pool guaranteed payouts for 24 players and set aside bounties that ranged from $2,500 to $50,000.
Day 2 started with the 24 in-the-money players, and Mike Lavin was second in chips. As play moved forward, Aaron Pinson busted several players and claimed one of the $50,000 bounties. Lavin busted in 14th place, while Pinson and Michael Wang disposed of more players. They led the final table as players like Justin Arnwine and Victor Ramdin departed, and Pinson and Wang made it to three-handed play with Matt Glantz.
Pinson eliminated Wang, pulled the other $50,000 bounty, and he and Glantz were close enough in chips to declare an even chop and flip for the trophy. Each of them collected $44,825, and Pinson took the trophy, along with a final $25,000 bounty.
Big Big Baller
The high roller tournament of this series required $10,200 to buy in, though there were satellites available for cheaper entries. Ultimately, there were 69 entries to surpass the $500,000 guarantee for an actual prize pool of $690,000. (The entry fee for this tournament was paid by BetMGM Poker.)
Only nine players would get paid. Thirteen players made it through to Day 2, though there were a few reentries to kick things off. Jeremy Becker was atop the leaderboard, with David Stefanski holding second and BetMGM Ambassador Mike Gagliano and Darren Elias still in the fight. But Elias was one of the first eliminations on Day 2, but Gagliano made it through the money bubble. But it was Stefanski who dominated the leaderboard.
As big names like Jeremy Becker and Brock Wilson departed the final table early, Stefanski eliminated Gagliano in sixth place. After Matt Glantz busted in fourth, the final three agreed to a payout deal with some money left on the table alongside the trophy. Stefanski didn’t have the chip lead at that point but changed that by eliminating Drew O’Connell in third. He took a three-to-one lead over Michael Wang heads-up, and it didn’t take long for him to do one better than his second-place finish in the Kick Off. He won this one for $169,220 and the trophy.
Big Big Championship (Main Event)
The biggest of the big tournaments at the Big Big Series was the Big Big Championship, which required a $5,300 buy-in (or entry from a satellite win at BetMGM Poker online!). The three starting days gave players reentry chances and plenty of time to play with a good structure. And when registration closed, there were 519 entries in total and a $3,000,000 prize pool.
Day 2 started with more than 150 players, but only 65 would receive payouts. Esther Taylor busted early in the day to David Stefanski, and Justin Liberto sent Mike Lavin out shortly thereafter. Gagliano was left in action to represent the BetMGM team, but he ended his run in 32nd place with a $20,450 payout. Play stopped that night with just 19 players left.
One of the shorter stacks at the beginning of Day 3 was Paul Volpe, a longtime poker pro with many years of experience. He continued to lose ground until 11 players remained. He doubled through Tyler Hirschfeld, again through Lucas Bernui, and took a big pot through Hirschfeld. Volpe was second in chips when the final table began, only Frank Lagodich ahead of him.
Volpe had plans. He eliminated Sead Duraku in ninth place to take the lead into the dinner break. He then busted Julian Altieri in eighth place. Hirschfeld took over to oust David Kinane in seventh, but Brock Wilson eliminated Hirschfeld before Volpe busted Sanat Mehrotra in fifth, HIrschfeld took care of Wilson in fourth, and Volpe sent Hirschfeld home in third place. Volpe had three times the chips of Lagodich when heads-up began, and the two agreed to a deal for the prize money. Volpe took home the most money and the trophy.
- 1st place: Paul Volpe $492,415
- 2nd place: Frank Lagodich $420,000
- 3rd place: Tyler Hirschfeld $263,150
- 4th place: Brock Wilson $175,080
- 5th place: Sanat Mehrotra $122,850
- 6th place: Scott Blumstein $97,865
- 7th place: David Kinane $79,100
- 8th place: Julian Altieri $64,585
- 9th place: Sead Duraku $53,865
If you want to see how pro-level skills meet up with rungood and years of experience, check out the livestream of the final table on YouTube.
What’s Next at BetMGM Poker?
Every hour of every day offers cash games and tournaments online at BetMGM Poker. But as more live tournaments come up, such as the Lions of the East and Borgata Fall Poker Open, there will be many satellite opportunities on the poker platform as well. Now is as good a time as any to log on to BetMGM for real money online poker, including a welcome bonus to start strong.
