The entire live poker tournament series was a blast from the past. Two staples from pre-pandemic poker – Borgata Summer Poker Open and Olivier Busquet – returned in grand fashion. They both closed out July 2025 with big numbers, and BetMGM Poker is happy to be a part of the story.
BetMGM Poker’s Borgata Summer Poker Open Returns
It’s no secret that the 2020 pandemic hit the live poker scene quite hard. It took many poker rooms a long time (years for some) to recover, much less to bring back their signature tournament series for players. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, NJ was no different, as its Borgata Poker Open series didn’t return until January 2024. But players were more than ready, and the BPO gradually reintroduced them to the seasonal editions, especially focusing on the big Winter tournament. The most recent one was the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker, which just happened in July 2025, and it was a genuine success.
The promise from Borgata was simple. It would host two weeks of tournaments just after the Las Vegas “summer poker camp” ended, and it would guarantee at least $2,500,000 in prize money.
It did that and more. There was everything from high rollers to heads-up poker, from mixed games to mystery bounties, special events for women and seniors, a Deep/Deeper/Deepest mini-series, the famous Almighty Stack, and a Championship that crushed its own $1,000,000 guarantee.
Kickoff Crushed Guarantee
As Borgata does, it kicked off its Summer Poker Open with a Kickoff Deepstack tournament. This one had a $600,000 guarantee on the prize pool, but five starting flights for the $600 buy-in event showed just how excited players were to get back to the tables.
- Total entries: 2,026
- Total prize pool: $1,053,520
- Paid players: 251
- Minimum payout: $1,320
Day 2 played all the way down to the final table of nine. Day 3 started with James Lauer holding the chip lead, and he took that all the way to the winner’s circle. Not only did he quadruple his lifetime live tournament earnings with the $164,830 prize, he collected the BetMGM and Borgata trophies. As a recreational player, Lauer intends to invest some of his cash and use the rest to pad his bankroll.
As that final table played out, though, it’s important to note that Angel Lopez entered that final table second in chips, and he was already a winner, in a way. He qualified for this tournament through a $50 satellite on BetMGM Poker and took that all the way to second place. While he didn’t secure the win and trophy, he did turn his $50 into $112,060.
Alrighty Almighty
Another staple in the Borgata Poker Open lineup is the Almighty Stack. For just $400, players had the chance to play any of the six starting days to try to win a piece of the $400,000 guaranteed prize pool. Of course, registration showed a continued high interest in the Borgata/BetMGM action.
- Total entries: 2,348
- Total prize pool: $786,580
- Paid players: 292
- Minimum payout: $860
The final day of the tournament brought just nine players back to the table, with Hugo Ouazana Abihssira holding a slight lead over Elijah Kirat. But Abihssira brought it all home, as the French native claimed the win and $100,220, not to mention the BetMGM and Borgata trophies. He loudly proclaimed that this victory was payback for all the bad beats he’s taken in poker.
Star-Studded Championship Start to Finish
The 2025 Borgata Summer Poker Open Championship was bound to be big, and not simply because there was a $1,000,000 guarantee on the prize pool. This was the first major live event since the Las Vegas summer, the first one in the East Coast in months, and the featured Main Event of the long-anticipated Summer Poker Open return. There had also been many satellites running online at BetMGM Poker and in person at Borgata’s poker room, all to open the field to more than just those who could afford the $2,700 buy-in.
In the end, after the two starting days and late registration wrapped, the numbers said it all.
- Total entries: 685
- Total prize pool: $1,644,000
- Paid players: 87
- Minimum payout: $6,239
Poker Pros in the Mix
Recognizable poker faces were everywhere on both starting days and well into Day 2. Some were not fortunate enough to make it past the money bubble, like Cherish Andrews, Ari Engel, and Joe McKeehen. Others did make it into the money and past the dinner break but collected a check instead of playing another day. That group included Daniel Buzgon, Michael Wang, Bin Weng, Anthony Cicali, Ryan Eriquezzo, and Paul Volpe. Content creator Brantzen Wong was in that group as well, and he chronicled his journey through the tournament on Instagram.
Day 3’s mission was to find the final table, and that came at the expense of more players hitting the rail. Brothers Frank and Nicholas Funaro were two of them, as were Brian Altman, Michael Gagliano, Thomas Cannuli, Paul Snead, and Benedetto Bianco.
Busquet Brings the Heat
The final day of the Championship seated eight players. Longtime poker pro Olivier Busquet, who had taken a break from poker for some time, had control over the final table at the start, as he had even maintained the chip lead for a couple of days. He brought that same heat to the final table.
Busquet had tough competition, though, as pros like Farid Jattin were still in action. Jattin was second in chips, while Ryan Dodd held on to the shortest stack. Dodd held on for sixth place, and Jattin followed him to the cashier cage in fifth place. Sridhar Sangannagari finished fourth for $91,171, which is excellent considering he qualified through a $250 satellite on BetMGM Poker.
After Matthew Beinner busted in third place, Busquet and heads-up opponent Abe Gordon examined ICM numbers and agreed to a payout deal according to chip counts. Each took a trophy, as there were two up for grabs, and Busquet took the higher payout and designation of first-place finisher.
Longtime poker fans will remember Busquet from many poker events through the years, as he racked up more than $9,000,000 in live career tournaments alone. He was quite a crusher at the online tables as well. He went online during the pandemic, only to remain there — away from live poker for the last six years — as he married and started a family. In true crusher fashion, though, he made his return to the same poker room in which he won his first major trophy in 2009, the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship. Busquet talked to PokerOrg about his poker life after this 2025 win.
Bye, Bye Borgata…For Now
The end of this stellar Borgata Summer Poker Open means a fond goodbye, at least temporarily.
The PokerOrg team, headed up by Liam Gannon, crushed the coverage of the Borgata Summer Poker Open. All of the live updates are etched on the interwebs for the sake of poker history.
Catch BetMGM Poker next at the MGM National Harbor poker room for the Potomac Poker Open. More on that in the coming days, as the live tournament series begins on August 13.
Play Today at BetMGM Online
Where do poker players go between series like the Borgata Poker Open and Potomac Poker Open? They play poker online, of course, as BetMGM provides a plethora of cash games and tournaments for players of all stakes. There are satellites running now for the upcoming MGM National Harbor series, and there are plenty of poker bonus opportunities, especially for new players.
