December is chock full of poker action. There are live tournaments happening around the world, most notably in Las Vegas where the ARIA Poker Open is in full swing and features BetMGM Championship events. But these events will be over soon, and the holidays will catapult us right into January of 2026.
For poker players, January is synonymous with the Borgata Winter Poker Open. And BetMGM Poker is presenting opportunities now for you to qualify for your seats through online poker satellites and an exciting Pick-a-Card promotion. If you’re thinking of the new year, your poker goals, and starting the calendar with a great mix of poker and friends, then it’s not too soon to prepare for the BWPO at Borgata.
Borgata Winter Poker Open 2026 Schedule
The schedule for the 2026 Borgata Winter Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker is out, and it’s quite the lineup.
- When: January 2-18
- Where: Borgata in Atlantic City
- What: 75 events, including live satellites
- How much: More than $8,000,000 guaranteed
Biggest Borgata Winter Poker Open Events
The full list of 75 events includes satellites and secondary events, while the primary schedule consists of 37 main tournaments. It is filled with bounties and deep stacks, formats that range from heads-up to six-max, and mixed games that include TORSE and BEAST. The Deep, Deeper, Deepest Series is in there, as are several championship-level events. Here are some of the highlights and biggest guarantees:
- Jan 3-7: $400 Almighty Million Winter Kick Off (6 flights, $1,000,000 guaranteed)
- Jan 7-11: $600 Deepstack Main Event (6 flights, $2,000,000 guaranteed)
- Jan 10-15: $3,500 Winter Poker Open Championship (3 flights, $3,000,000 guaranteed)
- Jan 13-16: $2,200 Progressive Knock Out Bounty (4 flights, $1,000,000 guaranteed)
There is also a Seniors Championship (Jan 4 with $75,000 guaranteed), PLO Championship (Jan 15-16 with $150,000 guaranteed), Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty (Jan 16-18 with $250,000 guaranteed), and Ladies Championship (Jan 17 with $25,000 guaranteed).
BetMGM Hybrid Championship
Speaking of highlights, the BetMGM Hybrid Championship will bring its signature format into the mix once again. The tournament will begin with its online component on January 4, and the final table players will then gather at Borgata on January 8 to play on a livestream for the win. That event will require a $1,000 buy-in, offer a $250,000 guarantee, and start with numerous online satellites.
Those satellites are already running now:
- Hybrid Step 1: $2 MTTs on demand (at least 4 players must register) to win $10 tickets
- Hybrid Step 2: $10 buy-in or tickets on demand and daily to win $100 tickets
- Hybrid Step 3: $100 buy-in or tickets daily to win $1,000 seats
Livestreams Galore
Many of the tournaments at the Borgata Winter Poker Open will livestream the action, final tables, and more (to be announced). The final table lineup currently shows the following:
- Jan 7: Almighty Million Winter Kick Off final table at 1 p.m. ET
- Jan 8: BetMGM Hybrid Championship live final table at 6 p.m. ET
- Jan 11: Deepstack Main Event final table at 1 p.m. ET
- Jan 13: BWPO Championship feature table starting at noon ET
- Jan 14: BWPO Championship feature table starting at noon ET
- Jan 15: BWPO Championship final table at noon ET
- Jan 16: PKO Bounty final table at 1 p.m. ET
Stay tuned for announcements about livestreamed cash games and other featured events.
How to Qualify for the Borgata Winter Poker Open
Let us count the ways. There will be numerous qualifiers online at BetMGM Poker, which have already begun, and live satellites at Borgata during the Borgata Winter Poker Open two-week festival.
There is also a special through December 19 on hotel accommodations at Borgata for the weeks of BWPO.
BetMGM Poker Online Satellites
There are two-step satellites to win your way into the BWPO Championship event.
- Championship Step 1: $50 MTTs to win $400 tickets
- Championship Step 2: $400 MTTs to win $3,500 seats plus $500 cash for expenses
In addition, there are $50 satellites to win $600 seats (plus $50 cash for expenses) into the Deepstack Main Event and $50 satellites to win $400 seats (plus $50 cash for expenses) into the Almighty Million Winter Kick Off.
Pick-A-Card Promotion
Players at BetMGM Poker earn BRPs (BetMGM Rewards Points) as they play cash games and tournaments. While there are numerous ways to redeem those points for tournament entries and other prizes, this Pick-A-Card promotion allows you to translate your daily points into qualifiers for the Borgata Winter Poker Open. You can redeem 20 BRPs every day, as long as you earn them, to play the Pick-A-Card game, which awards a prize every time.
Borgata Land-Based Satellites
As mentioned, the Borgata Winter Poker Open will offer numerous land-based satellite opportunities at Borgata in Atlantic City throughout the series. Starting on Friday, January 2, there will be milestone satellites for many of the main tournaments, wherein one in five players or one in ten (depending on the qualifiers) will win seats into the events.
Check the second page of the official BWPO schedule for a complete listing.
Try Your Hand at BetMGM Poker
It’s not too early to get started on your Borgata Winter Poker Open planning. In fact, it’s a great opportunity to gift yourself a seat into a BWPO event for January, a chance to win life-changing money at Borgata and kick off 2026 in the best poker way possible. Simply set up a free account today to play legal poker online at BetMGM Poker. And don’t forget to sign up with a premium online poker bonus as you get started.
