The 2025 Borgata Fall Poker Open kicked off the headline event Friday afternoon with the $2,700 BFPO Championship with a $1 million guarantee. Two Day 1 flights drew 464entrants, Sunday’s Day 2 field returned 158 players, with Anton Kalinin holding the chip lead.
Five online crushers jumped from the virtual felt to Borgata’s high stakes “Fishbowl” room for a live-streamed final table. The second of five straight days of live-streamed action on BetMGM’s and Borgata’s social pages.
John Banaczuk won the second tournament he’s ever played – the $1,200 Main Event Warm Up and Jonathan Kim brought home a mini-Borgata trophy for the mantle in the Double Green Bounty Builder Shootout.
Dylan “LeapingRhino” Cohen Wins BetMGM Online Hybrid Championship
Players from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan formed a 245-entrant field in the $1,000 BetMGM Online Hybrid Championship. Five players earned $19,350 the moment they checked in and Dylan Cohen won the live-streamed final table and $63,048
“I feel pretty good – it’s a great feeling to close it out,” Cohen said. “I had the event circled on my calendar; it was even my birthday, so we celebrated on the 10th. I was happy to make the final table because I was four out of five in chips.”
“It was definitely a good experience to play under the lights,” Cohen added. “I’m more comfortable playing online but it was a good change. I might play the (BFPO) Main Event, but that’s also a Sunday, so I usually grind online.”
Blake “SPLATTER” Vogdes was eliminated in early action and the table played four-handed for the majority of the stream. Then, the dam finally broke when Sean “wheels4920” Ruane and Percy “Browniewnuts” Abraham were eliminated only minutes apart.
Ruane shoved his short stack from the small blind holding Jc 6c and Cohen snap-called with Ac Kc. Ruane didn’t improve and two hands later, Abraham shoved preflop holding Kc Js. Cohen was right there again with ace king, he paired up on the river, and sent both players home.
Heads-up between Erik “FreeTupan” Koch and Cohen lasted about 30 minutes before Koch made a move holding Kd 9d. Cohen called with Jh Ts, the board ran his way with Kc Td 3d Th 4s, and Cohen got to take winner photos with his mother in attendance.
“I’m so happy for him,” she said. “He’s worked so hard and I love watching him play. I think we’ll have a nice dinner together tonight.”
Final Table Payouts
- Dylan “LeapingRhino” Cohen – $63,048
- Erik “FreeTupan” Koch – $47,550
- Percy “Browniewnuts” Abraham – $33,450
- Sean “wheels4920” Ruane – $24,900
- Blake “SPLATTER” Vogdes – $19,350
Borgata Fall Poker Open Main Event Prizepool Tops $1.1 Million
Friday’s first Day 1 flight drew 177 entrants, Saturday’s flight drew 272 entrants, and toss in a few Day entrants – for a total field of 464. Sunday’s Day 2 field saw 158 returning players with Anton Kalinin leading the field.
The field combined for a $1,113,600 prizepool to pay out the top 58 players. The min-cash came in at $6,700, a trip to the final table locks up $19,925, and the winner earns a healthy $204,000.
New Jersey’s favorite son, Scott Blumstein, is the only World Series of Poker Main Event champion to hail from the Garden State. He returned for Day 2, doesn’t grind tournaments like he used to, and said, “This is the one place that I like coming to and they have great tournaments.”
“The Borgata is home and when they have a series, I’ll come back and dabble in the poker streets,” said Blumstein. “Each tournament is its own unique adventure, it’s a new start, and it gets me excited to play again.”
Since his historic win in 2017, Blumstein tried to take up golf in his spare time. “It started out fun and then I realized I just wasn’t any good,” he laughed. “I’m not motivated to prove anything anymore; I want to be the lucky guy who comes out the winner in the end.”
Main Event Payouts
- 1st – $204,000
- 2nd – $140,900
- 3rd – $97,975
- 4th – $65,300
- 5th – $45,900
- 6th – $36,625
- 7th – $29,650
- 8th – $24,275
- 9th – $19,925
Banaczuk Busts First Tournament Ever, Wins Second
There’s something new in poker every day and the 2025 BFPO continues to impress. John Banaczuk entered his first tournament ever on Tuesday, Nov. 11 and busted. While leaving the area, he walked past Borgata Director of Poker Operations Kellie de Cellis.
“I was actually in the Progressive Knock Out event and stone bubbled it,” Banaczuk said. “Kellie was in the hallway, asked if I was interested in a new event on the Open schedule and I said sure. It was only my second tournament ever.”
Wait, what?
“Yeah, the PKO event was the first tournament I’ve ever played,” he said. “I’m not even sure what to tip the dealers. Where do I go to get paid out?”
Banaczuk used one entry to play his way into Day 2, survived swimming with sharks and chopped heads-up with John Savo. Vinny Pahuja made his second final table of the Series and Daniel Buzgon is a well-known online player.
Mike Dentale, Sobeh Porbandarwala, and Kelly OHare each added another Borgata cash to their profile.
Final Table Payouts
- John Banaczuk – $50,400*
- John Savo – $41,200*
- Vinny Pahuja – $26,100
- Robert Hover – $17,400
- Kevin Cronin – $12,900
- Robert Ryan – $10,400
- Daniel Buzgon – $8,600
- Kelly Ohare – $7,150
- Gabriel Whitehead – $6,050
*denotes deal
Ladies Championship Event Draws 113 Entrants
The $300 Ladies Championship event drew 113 entrants on Sunday afternoon. The field beat the guarantee and generated $28,250 prizepool to pay out the top 15 finishers. The winner earns a mini-Borgata glass trophy and $7,410.
It’s a one-day event and play is expected to stretch into Monday’s earliest hours.
Ladies Championship Payouts
- 1st – $7,410
- 2nd – $4,780
- 3rd – $3,290
- 4th – $2,335
- 5th – $1,740
- 6th – $1,395
- 7th – $1,190
- 8th – $1,020
- 9th – $870
Double Green Bounty Builder Shootout
The $300 Double Green Bounty Builder Shootout had three BFPO Main Event seats to award and drew 80 entrants. A five-way chop saw three players earn a seat and cash, with two players earning cash from the $11,400 prizepool.
Jonathan Kim, Christoph Pagiaro, and Anilkumar Kadimisetty each received a non-transferable ticket for a main event seat plus spending money. Justin Munoz and Michael Zhang negotiated enough to afford a direct buy-in, plus a nice dinner.
Final Table Payouts
- Jonathan Kim – $1,385 + Seat
- Christoph Pagiaro – $1,225 + Seat
- Anilkumar Kadimisetty – $1,065 + Seat
- Justin Munoz – $3,675*
- Michael Zhang – $3,425*
- Kareem Cowart – $625
*denotes deal
2025 Fall Bar Poker Open
The 2025 Fall Bar Poker Open returned to Borgata after a five-year hiatus. The group brought players in from around the county for the $400 Bar Poker Open Championship – an invitation-only event. Players accumulated points from their local bars and restaurants to qualify for the event.
The Main Event drew 302 entrants on Saturday, and Sunday saw the field close in on 500 total entrants. Monday’s Day 2 has 10% of the field advancing from both flights. Bar Poker Open organizers expect a $200,000 prize pool.
The title event featured two starting days and a live-streamed final table. Seven other events surround the Championship event featuring $50,000 in guarantees, including a player party, and cash game action.
Find More Borgata Fall Poker Open Coverage Here:
- Mike Dentale Leads Main Event Warmup, Filippos Stavrakis Owned Mixed Game Series
- Darren Elias Wins Borgata Fall Poker Open’s Deuce To Seven Championship
- Borgata Poker’s Century Club – The Ballad of Eric Siegel
- DeeAngelo Seng Wins Almighty Kick Off, Final Table Set for Hybrid Championship
- BetMGM Qualifier & Borgata GOAT Vinny Pahuja Leads Almighty Kick Off Final Table
- The 2025 Borgata Fall Poker Open Welcomes Players with a Refreshed Experience
- BetMGM Poker Begins Online Qualifiers For Borgata Fall Poker Open Tournament
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