Daily Tournament Highlights | 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open

Jul 29, 2026

Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty Underway

Calum Grant

The action is underway in the $580 Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty, kicking off while players prepare to take their seats for Day 2 of the $2,700 Summer Poker Open Championship.

The first starting flight of the Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty has attracted 51 entries through the opening level and a hald, with players currently in Level 2 at 300/500/500. The tournament carries a $250,000 guarantee, with a second flight set to begin at 5:15 p.m. and two more flights still to come.

Day 2 of the Summer Poker Open Championship gets underway in just 10 minutes, with 163 players returning, and you can sweat the action over in the live updates.

Leading the returning pack is Bin Weng, who starts the day with 442,500 chips, ahead of Lewis Esposito and Coleem Chestnut.

Tags: Bin Weng Coleem Chestnut Lewis Esposito

Jul 29, 2026

What's on Today at the Borgata Summer Poker Open

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

A new marquee event joins the schedule today as the $580 Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty gets underway with the first two of its four starting flights.

The event boasts a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool and features two opportunities to bag a stack on Wednesday, with Day 1A kicking off in the morning before Day 1B gets underway in the evening.

The spotlight, however, remains on the $2,700 Summer Poker Open Championship. The surviving players from the 551 entries across the three opening flights have currently built a $1,322,400 prize pool, comfortably clearing the $1 million guarantee.

Registration remains open until the start of play, giving last-minute glory chasers one final chance to join the field before the race to the money begins.

Also on the schedule is the $1,100 Deep Stack Semi-Turbo One Day event, while players looking for a smaller buy-in can take a shot in the evening's $250 Triple Green Chip Bounty.

Time	Buy-in	Event	Guarantee
11:15 a.m.	$580	Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty Day 1A	$250,000
12:00 p.m.	$2,700	Summer Poker Open Championship Day 2	$1,000,000
1:15 p.m.	$1,100	Deep Stack Semi-Turbo One Day	$35,000
5:15 p.m.	$580	Monster Mirror Mystery Bounty Day 1B	$250,000
7:15 p.m.	$250	Triple Green Chip Bounty	$5,000

Jul 28, 2026

$650 Borgata Forty Bigs Nears the Money

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

The $650 Borgata Forty Bigs is down to the last 10 players from a 45-entry field, with the tournament now playing in Level 13.

The $20,000 guarantee has been comfortably surpassed, generating a $25,650 prize pool, and with six places paid, the remaining players are now closing in on the money.

Blinds are 3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 big blind ante, and the average stack sits at 180,000.

Payouts

Place	Prize
1	$9,600
2	$5,900
3	$3,850
4	$2,670
5	$1,975
6	$1,655

Jul 28, 2026

Lavin and Williams Lead the Winners in Borgata Cash Game

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

A few hours into the BetMGM Poker ambassador cash game at Borgata, Mike Lavin has emerged as the night's biggest winner.

Lavin sits atop the profit leaderboard with $7,515 in winnings, thanks in part to a monster double-board bomb pot where he scooped both boards against fellow ambassador Esther Taylor.

Aubrey Williams is close behind, up $6,045 after an impressive start that included turning quads to claim one of the night's first headline pots. Darren Elias rounds out the top three, ahead $3,585, while Lucas Bernui (+$1,320) and Taylor (+$950) are also in the black.

On the other side of the ledger, Stanton Tentnowski has taken the biggest hit so far, down $7,845. Dave Stefanski (-$6,330) and Ben Duronio (-$5,240) are also looking to mount a comeback.

Player	Stack	Profit/Loss
Mike Lavin	$9,810	+$7,515
Aubrey Williams	$8,695	+$6,045
Darren Elias	$13,275	+$3,585
Lucas Bernui	$6,290	+$1,320
Esther Taylor	$13,675	+$950
Ben Duronio	$2,790	-$5,240
Dave Stefanski	$3,060	-$6,330
Stanton Tentnowski	$6,365	-$7,845

Tags: Aubrey Williams Ben Duronio Darren Elias Dave Stefanski Esther Taylor Lucas Bernui Mike Lavin Stanton Tentnowski

Jul 28, 2026

Stefanski Can't Get Away From This One

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Dave Stefanksi kicked the hand off with a raise to $125 from the hijack and then called when Esther Taylor reraised to $400 from the cutoff.

Stefanski check-called for $300 on the 10♠9♦3♣ flop, before the 7♥ turn checked through to the J♥ river.

Stefanski bet $200 into a pot of $1,490. Taylor sprung into life, raising it big to $1,500. Stefanski didn't give it much thought before flicking in a calling chip.

Taylor had the nuts with K♣Q♦ and Stefanski mucked his Q♥10♥.

Tags: Dave Stefanksi Esther Taylor

Jul 28, 2026

Stefanski Lays Down Broadway to River Jam

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

The double straddle was on, and Dave Stefanski raised to $200 from the hijack after liking his K♠Q♣. Aubrey Williams was the only caller, coming along with A♣10♣ from the first straddle.

Both players didn't mind the J♥10♦10♠ flop, which checked through to the A♦ turn. Both players now had made hands, but Williams had the checkmark with tens full of aces and was miles ahead of Stefanski's Broadway.

Williams check-called for $375 and the 9♣ completed the board.

Williams checked again and Stefanski sized up to $1,550 into a pot of $1,265. Williams rechecked her cards and moved all in for $5,990. There was no tanking from Stefanksi, who quickly open-folded his straight. Williams was kind enough to show the table her boat.

Tags: Aubrey Williams Dave Stefanski

Jul 28, 2026

Want More PokerNews in Your Feed? Here's How!

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Here at PokerNews, we pride ourselves on bringing you the very best there is in the world of poker. Whether it's the latest poker news, live tournament updates straight from the floor, or a wide range of poker strategy, we're committed to delivering the poker content that matters to you.

Now, Google is making that easier than ever. With Google's Preferred Sources feature, you can choose PokerNews as one of your preferred go-to news outlets. This helps ensure our latest stories and live updates appear at the top of your search feed.

Find Full Details Here

Jul 28, 2026

Bernui Gets a Double with Jacks

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Dave Stefanski raised to $75 from middle position before Stanton Tentnowski made it $250 from the cutoff. Lucas Bernui was on the button and four-bet to $550. Stefanski ditched his 9♣9♠ and then Tentnowski ripped in his chips as the bigger stack. Bernui had $2,525 behind, and committed those chips after a little bit of thought.

The board ran out Q♦J♥3♠5♦10♠, and Bernui turned over J♠J♦ for a set of jacks and Tentnowski threw his K♣4♣ into the muck.

Tags: Dave Stefanski Lucas Bernui Stanton Tentnowski

Jul 28, 2026

Nearly $60,000 on the Table in BetMGM Ambassador Cash Game

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

The chips are piling up in the BetMGM Poker ambassador cash game at Borgata, with $58,960 now sitting on the table in the $5/$10 no-limit hold'em game.

Darren Elias holds the biggest stack with $13,430, making him the only player above the $13,000 mark. Esther Taylor follows with $10,205, while Dave Stefanski ($7,970), Michael Lavin ($7,285), Stanton Tentnowski ($6,815), and Aubrey Williams ($6,785) all have deep stacks.

Tags: Aubrey Williams Darren Elias Dave Stefanski Esther Taylor Michael Lavin Stanton Tentnowski

Jul 28, 2026

Maurice Hawkins Having "Best Summer of My Life" After Declaring Bankruptcy

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Calum Grant

Maurice Hawkins has rarely been far from the headlines in 2026. On the felt, he's putting together the best run of his career. Away from it, he's been navigating a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing that has drawn scrutiny throughout the poker world.

Just days after extending his own World Series of Poker Circuit record with a 26th gold ring at Choctaw, Hawkins sat down with PokerNews at the Borgata Summer Poker Open to discuss both sides of what has been a remarkable year.

Read the interview here

Tags: Maurice Hawkins