The first BetMGM Poker Mystery Bounty and No Limit Hold’Em Championship events at the ARIA Poker Classic in June were such a hit that organizers wanted a round two. BetMGM Poker stepped up to be the presenting sponsor for two more events at the summer series at ARIA – the perfect way to end June and usher in July in Las Vegas.

The Winner of the $1,100 BetMGM Poker Mystery Bounty

It was already time for the second half of the 2024 ARIA Poker Classic. The first of the two tournaments under the BetMGM Poker banner was the $1,100 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Mystery Bounty. It offered players 30,000-chip starting stacks and a $250,000 guarantee on the prize pool.

By the time registration closed, it was clear that the guarantee was nothing to worry about. The tournament numbers were reported as follows:

• Total entries: 850
• Total prize pool: $824,500 ($501,500 for cash prize pool + $323,000 for bounties)
• Paid players: 107
• Minimum payout: $1,155
• First-place payout: $88,053
• Bounties: $500 to $50,000

It was just after midnight when three tables became just two remaining tables full of players. The wee hours of the next morning brought the last of the eliminations, and the three players finally agreed to an ICM chop before 8 a.m.

The final results were:

• 1st place: Travis Miller ($74,979)
• 2nd place: Yaniv Shushan ($59,669)
• 3rd place: Juan Giambartolomei ($55,850)
• 4th place: Christopher Puetz ($29,490)
• 5th place: Samuel Dray ($22,365)
• 6th place: Gustavo Fie ($17,823)
• 7th place: Ross Ward ($14,750)
• 8th place: Roeland Peeks ($11,725)
• 9th place: Cheryl Choon ($8,806)

$1,600 BetMGM Poker No Limit Hold’em

This two-day tournament was a lower buy-in than the initial BetMGM Poker Championship earlier in the ARIA Poker Classic, which gave poker players a chance to play for a BetMGM trophy for only $1,600. There was also a $500,000 guarantee on the prize pool, but the throngs of players in the mix left that number in the dust when registration closed.

The tournament staff provided these numbers:

• Total entries: 911
• Total prize pool: $1,302,730
• Paid players: 112
• Minimum payout: $2,279
• First-place payout: $227,967

When Day 2 began, only 131 players remained in the event. Once the money bubble burst, action moved more quickly. Players like Scott Baumstein, Angelina Rich, Manig Loeser, and Aubrey Williams finished in the money, and the 10th place elimination of Charlie Chiu for $18,499 made way for the last nine players to gather at the final table.

Chip Leader to Winner at Final Table

Maher Acgour had the chip lead when Day 2 began and when play began at the final table.

Frank Weigel eliminated Sungwoo Tae to get the action going, and second-in-chips Adam Wilkinson sent Seungmook Jung out in eighth place. Acgour took charge again by busting Daniel Kyosev in seventh place, though Wilkinson stayed close behind by busting Mark Sandness in sixth. It was Acgour’s turn again, as he sent DJ DellaSalla out in fifth place, Weigel in fourth, and Carl Bevilacqua in third.

Heads-up play started with these chip counts:

• Maher Acgour – 27,500,000
• Adam Wilkinson – 8,900,000

Wilkinson stayed alive for a bit but finally risked his stack with Q-8 after Acgour moved all-in. Acgour was ahead with A-3, and the board delivered a rainbow of blanks with 5-4-9-J-7.

This was the largest tournament win for Tunisia’s Acgour in his poker career. “The players were so different,” he said to Poker.org, “because some of them were ICM aware and some not. I had to play them completely different. Some of them I had to play more post-flop, and the other ones I had to play ICM, like, pressure them.”

Already Thinking of Next Summer?

It’s never too early to hone your poker game and prepare for next year’s BetMGM Poker tournaments at ARIA. As happened this year, there will likely be numerous online poker satellites to give players the chance to win prize packages to Las Vegas to compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The time to start is now with all of the action available around the clock. Play poker now at BetMGM Poker online.