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$5,300 BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship
Day 1b Completed
2026 Borgata Big, Big Series
$5,300 BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship
Day: 1b
Players Left 349 / 473
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
There now remains just a single starting flight in Event 10: $5,300 BetMGM Big, Big Championship, as Day 1b has just come to a close after 10 full levels of play at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa.
Ari Katz is the player who leads the way as the current chip leader across both Day 1 flights. Katz had an incredible end to the day, winning multiple flips in quick succession, to bring 393,000 forward to Day 2. This translates to 157 big blinds for the second day of competition, and almost ten starting stacks.
Of the 22 players who put chips into the bag at the end of the day, the title of second place goes to Alejandro Herrera (374,000). To complete the top three, Victor Ramdin will be returning to Day 2 with a stack of 304,000. Incredibly, Ramdin missed out on almost the full last level of play and still managed to bag up a podium finish.
End of Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ari Katz | United States | 393,000 | 157 |
| 2 | Alejandro Herrera | Spain | 374,000 | 150 |
| 3 | Victor Ramdin | United States | 304,000 | 122 |
| 4 | Julian Altieri | Argentina | 288,000 | 115 |
| 5 | Uke Dauti | United States | 276,500 | 111 |
| 6 | Anthony Ambroselli | United States | 194,000 | 78 |
| 7 | Matthew Costanzo | United States | 186,500 | 75 |
| 8 | Aubrey Williams | United States | 173,000 | 69 |
| 9 | Anthony Runza | United States | 155,000 | 62 |
| 10 | Bruce Yamron | United States | 146,500 | 59 |
It’s certainly not lonely at the top, with plenty of hopefuls managing to end the day in and around the top spots. Julian Altieri, who briefly held the title of chip leader earlier on in the day, put 288,000 in the bag. Coming in a little further behind him, Anthony Ambroselli (194,000) and Matthew Costanzo (186,500) both secured a solid stack for Day 2.
Further down in the standings, Matt Salsberg, Travis Egbert, and Event 5: $2,200 Big, Big Mystery Bounty Champion Aaron Pinson all add to the list of names that have qualified for the second day of action.
Familiar faces came and went, too, with Alex Anton, Edward Leonard, Jonathan Tamayo, and BetMGM ambassador Esther Taylor all unable to make their way to the end of Day 1b action. That being said, it's hard to imagine any of these names not giving it another go, with players allowed unlimited re-entries.
A total of 91 players joined the 80 that bought into Day 1a to create a total of 171 entries into the event so far. As it stands, 47 players will be returning for Day 2 at 12:15 p.m. on September 22, but this number is expected to rise exponentially as late registration is open for the entirety of Day 1c, and doesn’t close until the beginning of Day 2.
All other players hoping to find a bag in the final Day 1 flight will turn up at 12:15 p.m. on September 21, as Day 1c plays out 10 60-minute levels before action concludes.
Make sure to keep up to date as PokerNews brings all the action from the rest of the Borgata Big, Big Series, including full coverage from the rest of the Big, Big Championship.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The clock has been paused, and five more hands will be played before players bag up.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Action was picked up on the flop in a pot between Uke Dauti in the small blind and Michael Hermoza in the big blind after each player put in 27,000 preflop.
The flop rolled out Q♣J♣6♥ and Dauti checked over to Hermoza who bet 35,000. Dauti moved all in for 104,500 and Hermoza called.
Uke Dauti: J♠J♥ 
Michael Hermoza: A♠A♣
Hermoza was unable to catch up on the runout of 5♥5♠ and Dauti scored a sizable double late in the day.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
May Siu opened to 4,000 from middle position. Big blind Ari Katz put his opponent all in for around 55,000. She thought for a little while before making the call.
May Siu: A♠Q♦
Ari Katz: 7♥7♠
The 6♥9♥J♣ flop offered no help to Siu, and neither did the 2♦4♦ runout, as her night ended painfully short of bagging up.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Matthew Costanzo opened to 4,000 from the hijack and David Jackson moved all in for 41,000 in the cutoff to see Costanzo call.
David Jackson: K♥Q♣
Matthew Costanzo: A♦J♥
The board ran out A♠10♥6♠8♣4♦ and the ace-high board played favorably for Costanzo to eliminate Jackson from the tournament.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Alex Anton and Ari Katz got it all in preflop, with Anton the at risk player.
Alex Anton: A♣10♦
Ari Katz: 8♣8♥
The K♦2♥Q♦K♠4♥ runout sealed the deal for Anton,
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Action was picked up with cards on their backs with Richard Ali all in and at risk for 43,000 up against Matthew Costanzo.
Richard Ali: Q♦Q♣
Matthew Costanzo: 10♠10♣
The board ran out 8♦5♠2♣K♥A♥ and the queens held up for Ali to take down the pot and double up through Costanzo.
Level 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Matt Salsberg opened to 4,500 from middle position. Mykhailo Lendel was sat to his left, and made it 15,000 to go. He snap-called when his opponent shoved.
Mykhailo Lendel: A♣K♠
Matt Salsberg: Q♣Q♥
It was the classic, but all Lendel picked up was a straight draw as the 5♥10♣4♦3♣9♥ runout as he exited the tournament area.
