Star-Studded Field Expected for $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship
Welcome to Day 1a of the second-ever $3,500 BetMGM Poker Championship, which plays out inside the wonderful ARIA Resort & Casino as part of the 2023 ARIA Poker Classic.
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)
Joey Weissman took down last year's edition of the event for $224,236 after defeating Paul Hoefer at heads-up play.
One hand that propelled Weissman to victory was when he rivered a Royal Flush to send out Michael Wang, who had a full house.
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.