Borgata Winter Poker Open 2024: Highlights and Big Winners
January may be a chilly month, but the 2024 poker season kicked off with an exciting bang at the Borgata Winter Poker Open, held at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. After a hiatus since 2020, this year’s three-week tournament attracted over 16,000 entries across 22 events, with a guaranteed prize pool of $10 million. It ended up being the largest tournament series in Borgata’s history. Read on for the highlights.
High-Stakes Championship Showdown
The main attraction of the Borgata Winter Poker Open was undoubtedly the $5,300 Championship Event, boasting a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million. The event saw 689 entries, with some players qualifying through BetMGM’s online poker tournaments, which served as the exclusive online qualifier. Winners of these satellite tournaments were rewarded with free entries into prestigious events .
One notable qualifier was Casey Hatmaker, who reached the final table to face off against seasoned pros like Alex Queen, Brian Yoon, and Anthony Zinno. Among the final 20 were poker stars such as Paul Volpe, Aaron Massey, Frank Lagodich, Jeff Gross, Matthew Wantman, and Michael Rossitto.
The most critical hand of the tournament occurred when Queen defended his small blind against an open raise by chip leader John Pannucci. Zinno bet from the big blind, and Pannucci confidently went all in from the button. Queen, facing elimination if he folded, called with all his remaining chips, while Zinno opted to fold. phil biochem products inc
In the showdown, Queen revealed aces against Pannucci’s kings, winning the pot and seizing a significant chip lead. Ultimately, Zinno finished in fourth place, Yoon took third, Pannucci was the runner-up, and Queen walked away with the top prize of $613,063. This victory marked his seventh tournament win and the largest payout of his career, boosting his total earnings past $2.5 million.
Who Came Out on Top in Winnings at the Borgata Winter Poker Open?
While Alex Queen ruled the Main Event, the biggest cash prize was claimed by Orville Arthurs, who triumphed in the $500,000 Mystery Bounty event, known as the Half a Milly. This event allowed players to knock out opponents and draw sealed envelopes containing potential bounty amounts.
On the second day, Arthurs drew the big bounty of $500,000 and later made it to the final table. At the end of the event, Arthurs, Anthony Maio, and Yong Kwon (known as “Lucky Spewy” in the Texas Hold’em online community) decided to divide the winnings evenly—Kwon took home $144,217, while Arthurs and Maio received $144,216 each. They also agreed to flip for first-place bragging rights, which went to Kwon from New Jersey.
The real winner of the day was Arthurs, who walked away with a total of $725,000 in prize money and bounties.
Interesting Wins and Unique Stories
In an exciting twist, Frank Brannan secured the second-largest Mystery Bounty with some help from his poker buddy, Jeremy Dan, who texted him to follow his intuition. Brannan ended up drawing the impressive $100,000 bounty team lakay latest fight 2023.
Borgata Winter Poker Open’s Record Turnouts and Prize Pools
A significant factor in the success of the event was the impressive prize pools, higher than many of Vegas’s best tournaments, driven by player turnout both in the Championship Event and several side events.
The tournament series commenced with the $800 Kick Off Deepstack, which reported 3,486 entries, making it the largest field in Borgata poker history, leading to a prize pool of $2,468,437. Frank Funaro’s younger brother, Nicholas, took home the top prize of $420,484.
The $500 Almighty Stack drew nearly 4,000 entries, pushing the prize pool to $1,665,374. In the end, Patrick Sendrowitz turned his $500 buy-in into a first-place prize of $283,708.
Further big attendance was witnessed during the Saturday Series, with 1,217 players for the $400 event and 509 for the $800 Super Saturday tournament. benefits of golden rice Joshua Manuge claimed the top prize of $88,833 for the $400 event while Joseph Casseus won the $92,210 jackpot for the Super Saturday.
The only player to secure multiple victories was Daniel Butler, who won the $600 Deepest Stack tournament for $43,916 and the $1,200 Monster Stack Big Chip Bounty for $66,784.
Borgata Ladies Championship for a Cause
Another fiercely contested side event was the $300 Ladies Championship, featuring 282 players and boosting the initial $25,000 prize pool to $71,121. Celeste Cerna, participating in her first poker tournament, took the top honor.
A unique feature of the Ladies Championship was an optional $10 donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, raising $2,910 for the charity.
Prior to the event, Borgata collaborated with Poker Power for a “Brunch and Learn” session focused on essential topics for novice players, concluding with a beginner’s tournament. mall drawing easy The winner received a $300 entry into that afternoon’s Ladies Championship.
Play Poker Online at BetMGM Casino
If you’re interested in playing online poker for real money, BetMGM offers a variety of poker tournaments daily, including a Sunday tournament that guarantees a prize pool of $35,000. For high rollers, they occasionally host Six-Figure Sundays with a guaranteed prize of $100,000.
If cash games are more your style, tables are available with stakes ranging from micro (1c/2c blinds, $2 max buy-in) up to high stakes ($25/$50 blinds, $5,000 max buy-in).
Getting started is easy; just register at BetMGM, familiarize yourself with the basic tournament rules, and dive into the action.
Are you ready to join the excitement of online poker?