button in SafariAll Eyes on Final Day as 19 Remain in the Championship
All eyes are now on the final day of competition in Event 10: BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship, as Day 2 has come to a close with a total of 19 players bagging up at the end of play.
Those 19 are the only survivors from a field of 519 that was generated over the past four days at Borgata Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City. Not only will their minds be on the glory, but also the first-placed prize of $538,640 that stems from the massive $3,000,000 prize pool.
Frank Lagodich is the player who leads the way into Day 3, having bagged an impressive 2,250,000 as play closed, which is good for 90 big blinds at start of play tomorrow. Trailing by a little way, but still claiming the second placed spot is Julian Altieri (1,880,000). Thomas Cannuli rounds out the podium, and will be bringing a total of 1,745,000 when play resumes tomorrow.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frank Lagodich | United States | 2,250,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Julian Altieri | Argentina | 1,880,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Thomas Cannuli | United States | 1,745,000 | 70 |
| 4 | Tyler Hirschfeld | United States | 1,610,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Matthew Iles | United States | 1,375,000 | 55 |
| 6 | Sanat Mehrotra | India | 1,300,000 | 52 |
| 7 | Lucas Bernui | United States | 1,165,000 | 47 |
| 8 | David Kinane | United States | 1,005,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Paul Volpe | United States | 980,000 | 39 |
| 10 | Brock Wilson | United States | 950,000 | 38 |
Incredibly, from the ten BetMGM Poker qualifiers that sat down at the beginning of Day 2, three still remain among the final 19, after each putting up incredibly strong showings across the 10 levels that were played today.
Sanat Mehrotra won the biggest pot of the tournament so far, and bagged up an incredible 1,300,000. Tyler Hirschfeld (1,610,000) was the chip leader of the three, and Lucas Bernui (1,165,000) will be joining them both for the final day of play.
Alongside the qualifiers, names such as David Kinane (1,005,000), Brock Wilson (950,000), and Myles Mullaly (805,000), will all be looking to secure a victory to round off their series.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $538,640 | 7 | $79,100 |
| 2 | $373,775 | 8 | $64,585 |
| 3 | $263,150 | 9 | $53,865 |
| 4 | $175,080 | 10-11 | $42,095 |
| 5 | $122,850 | 12-15 | $34,940 |
| 6 | $97,865 | 16-22 | $29,345 |
Many faces came and went before making the money, including BetMGM ambassadors Darren Elias, Esther Taylor, and Michael Lavin, who suffered an unfortunate three-outer at the hands of Justin Liberto to send him home.
Also unable to secure a min-cash of $14,250 was WSOP Main Event Champ Joe McKeehen. Nicholas Palma, Cherish Andrews, James Calderaro and Kharlin Sued were also among those unable to make it to the bubble.
It was Jason Ritchie who earned the unfortunate title of bubble boy, as his aces were cracked by the six-four offsuit of Ben Bianco to lock up an in-the-money finish for the rest of the room. Shortly after came an onslaught of eliminations, including Daniel Iachan (64th - $14,250), start of day chip leader Ari Katz (59th - $14,250), WPT Champ Tony Sinishtaj (50th - $17,025), as well as Event 6: $10,400 Big, Big Baller victor David Stefanski (38th - $20,450)
Action is set to resume at 12:15 p.m. local time on September 23, with Day 3 playing down until just a single player remains. Levels will remain at 60-minutes apiece, with a shiny piece of both MGM and Borgata silverware ready to be handed out.
Stay tuned as PokerNews continues to bring constant live coverage from the final day of the Borgata Big, Big Series, as all Day 3 updates will be available right here.