There was around 8,500 in the pot on the 7♦3♠3♥Q♣6♥ completed board. The small blind bet 6,000, and Uri Reichenstein quickly put the small blind in for his last 25,000. After some brief thinking time, the small blind folded, and Reichenstein claimed the pot.
Action was caught on the river with the 10♦6♠8♦9♣9♠ board. Michael Gathy bet 600 from the cutoff into a pot of 3,600. The button quickly raised to 2,200, which sent Gathy into a brief tank.
The multiple-time bracelet winner found the call, and the cards were tabled. The button had just king high with his K♦Q♣, while Gathy had trips with his Q♣9♥.
The BetMGM Poker Championship is scheduled over five days (June 9-13), which includes two starting flights followed by Days 2, 3, and 4.
Day 1a, 1b, and 2 all get underway at noon local time, with Day 3 beginning at 1 p.m. and moving to the PokerGO Studio. Day 4, when the final table forms, is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. and will be live-streamed.
A stacked field is expected, with some of poker's biggest names taking some time away from the 2023 World Series of Poker to make the short journey to the ARIA poker room. Also among the field will be the 100 or so qualifiers who booked their seat for a fraction of the price on BetMGM Poker.
For the $3,500 buy-in, players receive a 40,000 starting stack and must navigate ten 60-minute levels to advance to Day 2. The tournament permits one reentry per flight, with late registration closing after Level 8 (approx. 9 p.m.). Players will receive a 15-minute break every two levels, and pre-purchased seats will have their chips in play from the beginning. This year's flagship tournament instalment has also doubled the guarantee to $2 million!
The starting flights will play nine-handed, while from Day 2, all tables will be eight-handed. The unofficial final table will start when nine players remain, with the official final table set when the tournament is down to its last seven entrants.
A 30-second shot clock will be introduced one full table outside the posted payouts. The number of time extensions given to the players will be based on field size. Approximately 1 in 8 entries (12.5%) will make the money.
Day 1 Schedule
Level
Duration
Small Blind
Big Blind
Big Blind Ante
1
60
100
200
200
2
60
200
300
300
15-minute break
3
60
200
400
400
4
60
300
500
500
15-minute break
5
60
300
600
600
6
60
400
800
800
15-minute break
7
60
500
1,000
1,000
8
60
600
1,200
1,200
15-minute break/End of Late Registration
9
60
1,000
1,500
1,500
10
60
1,000
2,000
2,000
Joey Weissman Wins Inaugural BetMGM Poker Championship Main Event ($224,236)
One hand that propelled Weissman to victory was when he rivered a Royal Flush to send out Michael Wang, who had a full house.
Royal Flush vs.Full House #
— Las Vegas Chronicle (@LVChronicle)
The inaugural tournament saw 343 entries, creating the $1.1 million prize pool. And among those to grab a large slice of that was Benji Felson, who finished in fifth place for $51,587. Felson, the last BetMGM Poker qualifier standing, satellited into the tournament for just $500.
2023 ARIA Poker Classic Full Schedule
The remaining schedule of the ongoing 2023 ARIA Poker Classic is available in the table below.
Date
Start
Event
9-Jun
12:00 PM
$3,500 BetMGM NLH Day 1A $2M GTD
10-Jun
12:00 PM
$3,500 BetMGM NLH Day 1B $2M GTD
11-Jun
12:00 PM
$3,500 BetMGM NLH Day 2 $2M GTD
12-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
12-Jun
1:00 PM
$3,500 BetMGM NLH Day 3 $2M GTD
13-Jun
11:00 AM
$800 Eight Game Mix $50K GTD
13-Jun
3:00 PM
$3,500 BetMGM NLH FT $2M GTD
14-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
15-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 Big O $50K GTD
16-Jun
11:00 AM
$800 NLH Seniors (50+) $150K GTD
17-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 TD Mix (2-7, Badeucey, Badugi) $30K GTD
18-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 PLO 8/B $50K GTD
19-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
20-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 PLO $75K GTD
21-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
22-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
23-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
24-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 PLO $75K GTD
25-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
26-Jun
11:00 AM
$800 PLO Mystery Bounty $150K GTD
27-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
28-Jun
11:00 AM
$800 NLH Mystery Bounty $150K GTD
29-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
30-Jun
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
1-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
2-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 Limit Omaha 8/B $50K GTD
2-Jul
5:00 PM
$240 PLO Milestone Satellite 5 Seats GTD
3-Jul
12:00 PM
$1,600 PLO (2 Day Event) $200K GTD
4-Jul
11:00 AM
$500 NLH Ladies $50K GTD
4-Jul
1:00 PM
$1,600 PLO Restart $200K GTD
5-Jul
12:00 PM
$1,600 Limit H.O.R.S.E. (2 Day Event) $125K GTD
6-Jul
12:00 PM
$1,600 Limit H.O.R.S.E. Restart $125K GTD
7-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
8-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
9-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 PLO $75K GTD
10-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
11-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 Limit Omaha 8 / Stud 8 $50K GTD
12-Jul
11:00 AM
$800 NLH Mystery Bounty $150K GTD
13-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
14-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 NLH $75K GTD
15-Jul
11:00 AM
$600 PLO Mix $50K GTD
As always, keep it locked it with PokerNews to keep up with all the action from the BetMGM Poker Championship.