2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open

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How to Qualify for the Borgata Summer Poker Open for Less

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Borgata Branding
Borgata Branding

Players heading to the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker do not necessarily need to pay full price for their tournament seats.

A packed satellite schedule is running both online at BetMGM Poker and live inside the Borgata poker room, giving players plenty of chances to qualify for the festival's biggest events at a fraction of the regular buy-in.

Qualify Online at BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker
BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker is running online qualifiers throughout the festival, with buy-ins starting from just $10.

The cheapest option is the $10 Borgata Bounty Shootout qualifier on July 26, where players can win a $160 tournament seat along with $50 in cash.

There are also $50 qualifiers running until July 29 for the Deep Stack Kick Off, Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, Borgata Almighty Stack and Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty. Winners receive their seat plus an additional $50.

Players targeting the festival's biggest event can enter $250 Championship qualifiers through July 28. Packages include a $2,700 seat to the Summer Poker Open Championship and $500 in cash to help cover expenses.

Players should check the BetMGM Poker lobby for start times and any additional qualifiers added during the series.

Live Satellites at Borgata

Borgata Summer Poker Open
Borgata Summer Poker Open

There are also several live routes into the action at Borgata, including satellites that award seats across multiple events.

The $500 Borgata Big 4 satellite guarantees five packages, with each package including seats to Events 1, 11, 16 and 22.

The $220 Out the Gate satellite also guarantees five packages, this time awarding seats to Events 1, 11 and 16.

Players looking for more flexibility can enter the $560 $5K Your Way satellite, which awards $5,000 in tournament buy-ins at a one-in-ten ratio and comes with a $15,000 guarantee.

There are also two routes into the $2,700 Championship. The $320 MEGA Championship satellite guarantees 10 seats, while another $320 Championship satellite guarantees five.

See the Full Schedule Here

New to BetMGM Poker?

If you don't already have a BetMGM Poker account, there's an extra incentive to sign up before chasing a Borgata Summer Poker Open seat.

New players can receive a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, plus up to $75 in tournament tickets, giving them even more opportunities to qualify for the festival's biggest events.

Whether you're taking a shot in a $10 online satellite or trying to win your way into the $2,700 Championship, the welcome offer provides plenty of extra value before you even play your first hand.

BetMGM Poker Signs "Legendary" Esther Taylor

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Esther Taylor
Esther Taylor

BetMGM Poker has announced Esther "E-Tay" Taylor as its newest ambassador, adding one of the game's most respected tournament regulars and top 20 women's all-time money listers to its growing roster of pros.

The leading online poker and sportsbook operator revealed that Taylor will represent BetMGM Poker across live streams, social media content, live tournament appearances, and promotional events, joining fellow ambassadors Darren Elias and Mike Lavin.

Taylor's path to becoming a sponsored poker professional is a remarkable one. Born in South Korea and found alone as an infant in a bus station before being adopted and raised in the United States, Taylor made history at the 2025 WSOP when she became the second woman in history to final table the $50,000 Poker Player's Championship.

Find the Full Story Here

Early Cooler Launches Andino to the Top of the Counts

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Anthony Andino
Anthony Andino

The $600 Deep Stack Kick Off may only be midway through Level 3, but the action has been fast and furious with more than 200 players already through the doors at Borgata.

The biggest pot of the day so far belongs to Anthony Andino, who vaulted into the early chip lead after winning a massive three-way all-in.

Andino was all in and at risk on the river against an early-position player and Jason Blank in the hijack. The board read 9♠8♠6♦K♣10♦, with 85,100 sitting in the main pot — nearly three starting stacks.

At showdown, the early-position player revealed 9♦9♣ for a flopped set of nines, while Blank tabled K♠10♠. Blank had picked up a flush draw on the flop before improving to top two pair by the river, but both hands were second best to Andino's 7♠7♣, which had made a ten-high straight.

Jason Blank
Jason Blank

The player with the set claimed the 3,800-chip side pot before immediately shoving blind from under the gun on the very next hand. Blank, left with around 30,000 after the previous clash, raised to 10,000 to isolate and everyone else folded.

Under the Gun: A♣8♦ All in
Jason Blank: A♦K♥

Blank at least managed to recover a few chips, making top pair on the K♦2♦6♣3♣5♣ runout to send his opponent to the rail.

Tags: Anthony AndinoJason Blank

Flashback: Joshua Mammen Wins 2026 BetMGM Poker Championship

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Josh Mammen
Josh Mammen

Joshua Mammen took down the $3,500 buy-in BetMGM Poker Championship for $481,180 after one of the biggest chops you'll see in a major tournament.

Those who got in on the chop include Ariel Celestino, Paul Hofer, well-known pro Nick Palma and runner-up Erik Eisen.

The event drew 1,512 runners for a prize pool of $4,800,000, far exceeding the guarantee of $4 million.

2026 BetMGM Poker Championship Final Table Results

PlacePlayerPrize
1Joshua Mammen$481,180*
2Erik Eisen$431,180*
3Paul Hofer$431,180*
4Nick Palma$431,180*
5Ariel Celestino$431,180*
6Mike Wilklow$165,300
7Pavlos Xanthopoulos$135,300
8Uri Kadosh$106,500
9Nenad Cvetkovic$79,935
Red the Full Recap Here

$600 Deep Stack Kick Off Returns Bigger Than Ever with $1M Guarantee

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Borgata
Borgata

The Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker gets underway today with one of the festival's marquee events, and it's bigger than ever.

After carrying a $600,000 guarantee last summer, the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off has received a major upgrade for 2026, with Borgata raising the prize pool guarantee to $1,000,000.

The event features six starting flights running from July 16-18, with players beginning each flight with 30,000 chips. Unlimited re-entries are available while registration remains open through the start of Level 13, and each Day 1 flight will play down until just 8% of the field remains.

Those survivors will return for Sunday's Day 2, which uses a Big Blind Rewind format to reset the blinds around a 40-big-blind average stack before play continues toward Monday's live-streamed final table.

The tournament has already proven it can generate a massive turnout. Last year's edition attracted 2,026 entries, easily surpassing its guarantee to create a $1,053,520 prize pool.

James Lauer
James Lauer

New Jersey local James Lauer emerged victorious, taking home $164,830 after defeating Angel Lopez heads-up.

The win remains the biggest live tournament score of Lauer's poker career and put his name on one of Borgata's signature titles.

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1James LauerUnited States$164,830
2Angel LopezUnited States$112,060
3Stephen PressUnited States$76,510
4Ryan McDonaldUnited States$50,800
5Mark GrassiUnited States$34,630
6Maksym PylypenkoUnited States$26,450
7Jean BrillantUnited States$20,535
8Xiang ZouUnited States$16,325
9Marcus BanksUnited States$12,770

Tags: Angel LopezJames LauerJean BrillantMaksym PylypenkoMarcus BanksMark GrassiRyan McDonaldStephen PressXiang Zou

Atlantic City's Biggest Summer Poker Festival Is Off and Running

Calum Grant
Calum Grant
Borgata
Borgata

Welcome to PokerNews' daily highlights blog for the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker.

The action is underway at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, where the East Coast's biggest poker festival runs from July 16-31. The schedule features more than $4 million in guaranteed prize pools across a packed lineup of No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha and mixed-game tournaments.

PokerNews will be on the ground throughout the series, bringing you daily highlights from around the tournament floor, along with live reporting from the festival's biggest events.

Our live coverage includes the $2,700 Summer Poker Open Championship ($1,000,000 GTD) from the very first shuffle on July 26 through to the winner being crowned on July 31, as well as Day 2 and beyond coverage of the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off, $650 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, $650 Super Deep 6-Max, $500 Borgata Almighty Stack and $580 Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty.

The festival got underway yesterday with three satellite events, awarding seats and tournament dollars ahead of the opening flights.

Today's schedule marks the official start of the series, with Day 1A and Day 1B of the $600 Deep Stack Kick Off ($1,000,000 Guaranteed) taking center stage. Players can also take a shot in the $550 $5K Bankroll Builder, while the evening wraps up with the $250 Monster Stack Turbo Nightly.

DateTimeDayBuy-InTournamentGuarantee
Thu, Jul 1611:15 a.m.Day 1A$600Deep Stack Kick Off$1,000,000
Thu, Jul 163:15 p.m.—$550$5K Bankroll Builder$30,000
Thu, Jul 165:15 p.m.Day 1B$600Deep Stack Kick Off$1,000,000
Thu, Jul 167:15 p.m.—$250Monster Stack Turbo Nightly 

Keep this page bookmarked throughout the festival as we'll be updating it daily with the biggest hands, notable winners, standout performances and everything else happening from the floor at the Borgata Summer Poker Open.

Borgata Summer Poker Open Full Schedule

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