2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open

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How to Qualify for the Borgata Summer Poker Open for Less

Borgata Branding
Borgata Branding

Players heading to the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker do not necessarily need to pay full price for their tournament seats.

A packed satellite schedule is running both online at BetMGM Poker and live inside the Borgata poker room, giving players plenty of chances to qualify for the festival's biggest events at a fraction of the regular buy-in.

Qualify Online at BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker
BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker is running online qualifiers throughout the festival, with buy-ins starting from just $10.

The cheapest option is the $10 Borgata Bounty Shootout qualifier on July 26, where players can win a $160 tournament seat along with $50 in cash.

There are also $50 qualifiers running until July 29 for the Deep Stack Kick Off, Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, Borgata Almighty Stack and Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty. Winners receive their seat plus an additional $50.

Players targeting the festival's biggest event can enter $250 Championship qualifiers through July 28. Packages include a $2,700 seat to the Summer Poker Open Championship and $500 in cash to help cover expenses.

Players should check the BetMGM Poker lobby for start times and any additional qualifiers added during the series.

Live Satellites at Borgata

Borgata Summer Poker Open
Borgata Summer Poker Open

There are also several live routes into the action at Borgata, including satellites that award seats across multiple events.

The $500 Borgata Big 4 satellite guarantees five packages, with each package including seats to Events 1, 11, 16 and 22.

The $220 Out the Gate satellite also guarantees five packages, this time awarding seats to Events 1, 11 and 16.

Players looking for more flexibility can enter the $560 $5K Your Way satellite, which awards $5,000 in tournament buy-ins at a one-in-ten ratio and comes with a $15,000 guarantee.

There are also two routes into the $2,700 Championship. The $320 MEGA Championship satellite guarantees 10 seats, while another $320 Championship satellite guarantees five.

New to BetMGM Poker?

If you don't already have a BetMGM Poker account, there's an extra incentive to sign up before chasing a Borgata Summer Poker Open seat.

New players can receive a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, plus up to $75 in tournament tickets, giving them even more opportunities to qualify for the festival's biggest events.

Whether you're taking a shot in a $10 online satellite or trying to win your way into the $2,700 Championship, the welcome offer provides plenty of extra value before you even play your first hand.

Ritchie Wakes Up with Big Slick

Jason Ritchie
Jason Ritchie

Jason Ritchie just picked up a nice pot in Day 1C of the Deep Stack Kick Off.

He opened to to 4,000 in the cutoff, before calling when the small blind moved all-in for just under starting stack.

The small blind turned over A8 but was crushed by Ritchie's AK. The K72 flop had the small blind out of his seat, and then he headed to the exit after Ritchie made aces up on the A turn ahead of the [td[ completing the runout.

Tags: Jason Ritchie

How Are the Tournaments Looking?

Shad Murphy
Shad Murphy

Day 1C $600 Deep Stack Kick Off is alive and well, with more than 380 entries recorded, making it the biggest starting flight so far.

Shad Murphy looks to be leading the field. He has a nice collection of T-25,000 chips, and looks to be weilding a stack of around 320,000. Saker Alatrach is also among the big stacks, holding 230,000 chips.

Saker Alatrach
Saker Alatrach

Over in the Freezeout, the field has risen to 26 entries, with notables such as Brandon Mueller, James Lauer and Mike Gallo among the entrants.

As it enters its third level of play, it looks like Kyle Olesco has built an early lead, turning his 30,000 starting stack into 68,000.

Tags: Brandon MuellerJames LauerKyle OlescoMike GalloShad Murphy

Ortiz Vazquez Wins Monster Stack Turbo Nightly for $3,035

Alex Vazquez
Alex Vazquez

The first nightly winner of the Borgata Summer Poker Open powered by BetMGM Poker has been crowned, with Alex Ortiz Vazquez coming out on top in the $250 Monster Stack Turbo Nightly.

The fast-paced event attracted 37 entries, creating a $7,400 prize pool that paid the top five finishers.

Ortiz Vazquez defeated Florida's Zachary Zaffos heads-up to earn $3,035, marking his first recorded live tournament victory since 2024 and the sixth title of his career. The result adds to a resume highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 2021 World Series of Poker $500 Reunion, where he outlasted all but three of the 12,973 entries to bank $185,281, which is still the largest score of his $415,617 in recorded live tournament earnings.

Scott Bradley rounded out the podium in third place, while Jon Neyir, a familiar face in the Borgata winner's circle with seven tournament titles at the venue—five in No-Limit Hold'em and two in Double Board Bomb Pot events—finished fourth.

John Phelps claimed the final paid spot after Artour Melkumov bowed out as the bubble.

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Alex Ortiz VazquezUnited States$3,035
2Zachary ZaffosUnited States$1,815
3Scott BradleyUnited States$1,145
4Jon NeyirUnited States$815
5John PhelpsUnited States$590

Tags: Alex Ortiz VazquezJohn PhelpsJon NeyirScott BradleyZachary Zaffos

Eight Players Turn $550 Into $5,000 at Borgata

Jean Brillant
Jean Brillant

One of the best-value tournaments on Thursday's Borgata Summer Poker Open schedule wrapped up with eight players locking up $5,000 packages.

The $5K Bankroll Builder had a $550 buy-in for every 10 entries, one player wins $5,000 in tournament buy-ins to use throughout the festival.

The event attracted 80 entries, comfortably exceeding its $30,000 guarantee and increasing the number of available packages from the guaranteed six to eight.

The eight players who turned their $550 buy-in into $5,000 were:

PlayerPrize
Shadi Ahmed$5,000 Package
Vittorio Abbate$5,000 Package
Peter Macchia$5,000 Package
Michael McGuinness$5,000 Package
Michael Testa$5,000 Package
Besnik Dudu$5,000 Package
Jean Brillant$5,000 Package
Zeno Thomas$5,000 Package

Tags: Besnik DuduJean BrillantMichael McGuinnessMichael TestaPeter MacchiaShadi AhmedVittorio AbbateZeno Thomas

Only One Hour Until "One Shot" Freezeout Begins

Borgata Branding
Borgata Branding

Players looking for a tournament where every decision carries a little more weight won't have to look far on Friday afternoon.

The $650 "One Shot" Freezeout ($25,000 Guaranteed) gets underway at 3:15 p.m., offering something a little different from the re-entry events dominating the opening days of the Borgata Summer Poker Open.

As the name suggests, players get exactly one shot. Once you're out, you're out.

Each entrant begins with a 30,000-chip starting stack, with 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration remains open through the start of Level 9, giving players a few hours to jump into the action, but unlike most events on the schedule, there are no re-entries once your tournament life comes to an end.

The tournament is expected to pay approximately 12.5% of the field and will play down to a winner in a single day.

Freezeout Structure

LevelBlindsBig Blind Ante
1100 / 100100
2100 / 200200
3200 / 300300
4200 / 400400
 Break 
5300 / 500500
6300 / 600600
7400 / 800800
8500 / 1,0001,000
 Dinner Break (Color Up - Black) 
9500 / 1,5001,500
101,000 / 1,5001,500
111,000 / 2,0002,000
121,500 / 2,5002,500
 Break (Color Up - Purple) 
132,000 / 3,0003,000
142,000 / 4,0004,000
153,000 / 5,0005,000
163,000 / 6,0006,000
 Break 
174,000 / 8,0008,000
185,000 / 10,00010,000
195,000 / 15,00015,000
2010,000 / 15,00015,000
 Break (Color Up - Yellow) 
2110,000 / 20,00020,000
2215,000 / 25,00025,000
2315,000 / 30,00030,000
2420,000 / 40,00040,000