Day 1b is on Level 7 with 140 players registered in the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off tournament.
The first session, which concluded within the past hour, had 258 entrants. Day 1b is the final opening flight. All players who bag will return to action on Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. for Day 2, the finale.
Day 1a in the $2,200 Big, Big Kick off has wrapped with 33 of the 258 entrants remaining.
We'll have a complete list of chip counts later, but here are a few big names:
| Player | Stack |
|---|---|
| Bin Weng | 448,000 |
| Justin Arnwine | 402,000 |
| Jeremy Becker | 255,000 |
| Brock Wilson | 97,000 |
Floor staff just annoounced that players who bust or bag on Day 1a from the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off can enter a rake-free $275 SNG to earn a seat and try to get a better bag during the Day 1b session, which is currently underway.
The tournament director announced to the remaining players in the Day 1a session of the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off that hand-for-hand play has begun as the session will wrap once the field has reached 33 players.
At present, there are 34 left. Other than the 34th-place finisher, everyone will return to action tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. for Day 2.
Day 1a in the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off is down to under 40 players, and quite a few of them are familiar faces and top pros.
Jeremy Becker, Darren Elias, Justin Arnwine, Bin Weng, and Brock Wilson are all still standing with a few hours remaining in the session.
It's break time on Day 1a of the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off with 37 of the 258 entrants remaining.
The blinds are currently at 3,000/6,000, and the average stack is right about 210,000. Those who bag chips tonight will come back tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. to join those who bag chips in the Day 1b session.
Justin Arnwine is objectively one of the best mid-stakes tournament poker players in the world. According to the Global Poker Index, when the rankings are updated, he'll be within striking distance of the GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year title.
Lulei Hu from Italy is currently on top of the charts, while Arnwine will soon move into second place. He could jump into first place with a strong finish in the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off event at Borgata.
"This one was very intentional," he said of why he is competing in the Big, Big Series. "When Maryland Live! updates, I'll be second in the ranking for Mid-Stakes Player of the Year. So, this was a must on the schedule, because it's essentially max points for the way they do the rankings."
Arnwine is competing against some experienced crushers such as Will Givens and Evan Sandberg, who recently won the Arizona State Poker Championship. But he's up to the task and has proven over the past couple years that he's every bit as elite at tournament poker as anyone.
Arnwine has taken his game to a new level since 2025, and it wasn't by luck. He explained that he's learned from his wife, Caitlyn Arnwine, and Bin Weng, who is also competing in the Big, Big Kick Off.
The tournament grinder has cashed for over $1.1 million the past 20 months. He said that watching his wife play aggressive at a final table helped change his prior "ladder-up" mindset.
"She was just chip lead versus chip lead, just battling," Arnwine said of Caitlyn. "And I was like, wow, she got second because she was willing to get ninth, and I realized I had to make an adjustment. But then I was like, ah, maybe they're just treating her different because she's female, but when I saw Bin Weng taking a similar approach, I was like, no, you have to be willing to die."
Arnwine said Weng, known for playing loose-aggressive especially before registration closes, "has always been very nice to me."
"I took his words to heart, because he's the man," Arnwine said of Weng, who he's leaned on for poker advice.
Arnwine doesn't have a definitive schedule for the Big, Big Series. It is a big, big series for him because he knows it could make or break his odds of winning GPI Mid-Major Player of the Year. If he final tables the Kick Off event, he said he could decide to leave town. But if he doesn't reach his goal, he plans to play $2,200 Big, Big Borgata Mystery Bounty, a $500,000 guaranteed tournament that starts on Wednesday.
The Day 1b session of the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off event has brought out plenty of top pros.
Many high-profile players are in the field, including Michael Wang, Nicholas Palma, Thomas Cannuli, and David Jackson. The field is continuing to grow as the tournament begins to approach the $1 million prize pool.
The second and final Day 1 starting flight in the $2,200 Big, Big Kick Off event is underway at Borgata.
There were 258 entrants in the first session. For the tournament to avoid overlay, the second session will need 242 players to reach $1 million in the pot. Just under 35 players had registered through the first 20 minutes of play.
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