Spring is in full bloom at Borgata in Atlantic City, as the 2026 Borgata Spring Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker kicked off with millions of dollars in prize money awarded to players in just the first few events. (And there are plenty more to go through May 8!) For two players in particular, winning a major poker tournament has gone from a winter dream to a full-bloom reality.

Barett Dziok Declares Deepstack Kick Off Victory 

The first event of each Borgata Poker Open is the Kick Off, and this 2026 BSPO tournament — with its $600 buy-in, six starting flights, and $1,000,000 guarantee — did not disappoint. Those flights delivered big numbers and an even bigger prize pool:

• Total entries:  2,248
• Total prize pool:  $1,168,960
• Total paid spots:  284
• Minimum payout:  $1,200

Those min-cashes started for players on their respective Day 1 flights, though only 179 players made it through to Day 2. And by the dinner break that evening, only 30 players remained. When the final table kicked off, Barett Dziok ousted Troy Laypo in ninth place and Gordon Wasserman in eighth, but Dziok was still only third in the final six chip counts behind Zak Delaimy and William Beer.

Day 3 started rough for Dziok, as Oskar Musialowski doubled through him. Beer took more from Dziok, but the latter doubled through Beer during four-handed play to take the overall lead. Dziok then eliminated Angel Lopez in fourth place and Delaimy in third. Beer was left with just 12.2 million chips to the 76.7 million of Dziok going into heads-up, and it only took three hands for Beer to fall in second place. Champion Dziok went from a few big blinds at one point on Day 1 to winning the largest tournament of his poker journey to date.

The final payouts for Day 3 were as follows:

• 1st place:  Barett Dziok $185,850
• 2nd place:  William Beer $126,250
• 3rd place:  Zak Delaimy $86,150
• 4th place:  Angel Lopez $57,150
• 5th place:  Oskar Musialowski $38,910
• 6th place:  Lucas Bernui $29,695

Lipeles Outlasts All in BetMGM Hybrid Championship

The BetMGM Poker Hybrid Championship is a player favorite, as action starts online at BetMGM Poker, and the final table then gathers at Borgata during a Poker Open to play for the win on the livestream. It’s often quite an adjustment to transition from online to live in the same event, but the enthusiasm is there, as is the $200,000 guarantee.

This edition of the BetMGM Poker Hybrid Championship brought 187 entries into the mix, providing an overlay for the players and then delivered the final seven competitors to Borgata.

The starting chip counts showed Zachary Lipeles with more than 5.2 million chips, Karneet Arora next with 3.76 million, followed by Neil Pradhanang, Stephen Jarrett, Zachary Gruneberg, Daniel McGinnis, and then Stanton Tentnowski on the short stack. 

But starting with the lead doesn’t always provide an easy path. While Tentnowski departed in seventh, Jarrett in sixth, and Pradhanang in fifth, Lipeles lost ground and became one of the shortest stacks. However, that prompted Lipeles to make some moves, going on to bust McGinnis in fourth place and then fight through a long three-handed game to get back into the lead. But Gruneberg was the one to bust Arora in third.

Even so, Lipeles took the lead into heads-up play in a battle of the Zachs. It didn’t take long for Gruneberg to take his shot, though the chip counts were close but with Lipeles ahead. Gruneberg went in with K-9 on a 9-5-5 flop, but Lipeles called with A-Q, one club and two clubs on the board. It was an ace on the turn that did it, though, and Lipeles took the title.

The payouts came out to:

• 1st place:  Zachary Lipeles $46,440
• 2nd place:  Zachary Gruneberg $32,340
• 3rd place:  Karneet Arora $22,000
• 4th place:  Daniel McGinnis $17,200
• 5th place:  Neil Pradhanang $13,300
• 6th place:  Stephen Jarrett $9,900
• 7th place:  Stanton Tentnowski $7,800

Borgata Poker Players Busting Guarantees

From the very first event on through the first week of play, the men and women who showed up for the Borgata Spring Poker Open did so in numbers that left most of the guaranteed prize pools in the dust. Some of the most impressive turnouts were as follows:

• Event 4:  $350 Borgata Sunday Series: 413 entries = $119,770 ($50,000 guaranteed)
• Event 5:  $500 Pot Limit Big O: 67 entries = $28,475 ($10,000 guaranteed)
• Event 8:  $365 Seniors Championship: 244 entries = $75,640 ($35,000 guaranteed)
• Event 9:  $650 PLO Championship: 168 entries = $97,760 ($50,000 guaranteed)
• Event 11:  $500 H.O.S.E.: 41 entries = $17,425 ($10,000 guaranteed)
• Event 12:  $580 Super Deep 6-Max: 408 entries = $204,000 ($150,000 guaranteed)
• Event 15:  $500 T.O.R.S.E.: 50 entries = $21,250 ($10,000 guaranteed)

The mixed poker games have been more popular than ever, and the poker tournament tables were alive with variety and big prize pools.

Cash Games Galore

The tables were also busy with cash games during the Borgata Spring Poker Open, and the first week offered several livestreamed games on the BetMGM YouTube channel. Complete with a lot of action and commentary, there are videos of those livestreams to provide both entertainment and poker education for those wanting to watch.

Can’t Get to Borgata? Try BetMGM Poker Online

Every poker player and enthusiast isn’t able to get to Atlantic City or devote the time necessary to play live tournaments. That’s where BetMGM Poker comes in, as online tournaments require less time and generally offer lower buy-ins, even at the micro level to accommodate all players. Simply open a BetMGM online poker account and make an initial deposit (using an exclusive online poker welcome bonus) and get started playing today.