button in SafariRicky Guan Leads Final 24 Players; Bin Weng Among the Chip Leaders
The final numbers are in for the 2026 Borgata $2,700 Summer Poker Open Championship Event. Across the three starting days, 551 entries had seen 164 players advance to Day 2 and they were joined by another 14 late entrants to bring the overall field size to 565 entries. This has generated a prize pool of $1,356,000 which was split among the top 71 finishers.
When the dust had settled after an action-filled ten levels of 60 minutes each in the poker room of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, the money bubble not only burst but the field of hopefuls was reduced to the final three tables upon completion of Day 2.
During the final hands of the night, Ricky Guan leaped into the lead without showdown and claimed the overnight top spot with a stack of 2,145,000, just five big blinds ahead of Nicholas Verderamo (2,035,000). Concetta Rinaldi (1,795,000) secured third place a single chip ahead of Bin Weng (1,790,000), who showcased once more that he was right back where he belonged after an extended hiatus from the live poker circuit earlier in the year.
Also in the top ten for the penultimate tournament day are Ricky Landais (1,010,000) and Mike Dentale (1,000,000), likewise separated only by a fraction of a big blind.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 2
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ricky Guan | United States | 2,145,000 | 86 |
| 2 | Nicholas Verderamo | United States | 2,035,000 | 81 |
| 3 | Concetta Rinaldi | United States | 1,795,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Bin Weng | United States | 1,790,000 | 72 |
| 5 | Michael Renna | United States | 1,540,000 | 62 |
| 6 | Sean Ruane | United States | 1,130,000 | 45 |
| 7 | Joel Mitchell | United States | 1,060,000 | 42 |
| 8 | Ricky Landais | United States | 1,010,000 | 40 |
| 9 | Mike Dentale | United States | 1,000,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Gregory Bauer | United States | 995,000 | 40 |
Three women remain in contention for the top prize of $242,385 as Rinaldi will be joined on Day 3 by Xiaoqiong Liu and Austen Yueh, who both have 360,000 at their disposal.
Yueh and Liu won their entry into the event in a $250 satellite on BetMGM Poker and the same also applies for John McDonald (785,000), whereas James Tedrow (490,000) spent even less and started his journey in a $25 qualifier. Several more BetMGM qualifiers cashed in the tournament including Emily Sun and Nicholas Funaro who both earned the min-cash of $6,445. Robert Thomas finished in 53rd for $7,335 while AJ Gillette narrowly missed out on the final day, bowing out in 28th for $10,345.
Day 3 is set to recommence at noon local time right where it all ended tonight inside of the poker room area and the action will continue with level 21, which features blinds of 15,000-25,000 with a big blind ante of 25,000. The level duration will increase to 90 minutes each and the goal for the penultimate day is reaching the final six players for the live-streamed conclusion on Friday, July 31, 2026.
Action of the Day
It was a frantic opening period in which several tables broke right away as the early flood of short stacks taking their chances shook up the field. Several big names were among those to bust such as Nick Pupillo, Will “The Thrill” Failla, Charles Hook, and Mike Linster.
Frank Funaro, who had started the day fourth in chips, had a disastrous spell and didn't even make it to the second break. The same applied for Mario Damiao and BetMGM ambassador Darren Elias vanished as quickly as Justin Liberto and the 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen was knocked out by Logan Eisner with quads queens.
Charity Freeroll qualifier Vittorio Abbate left the tournament area in disbelief and shared that his queen high flush ran into the flopped straight flush of Jason Seller, as confirmed by the entire table as well. In the fifth level of play, BetMGM ambassador Esther Taylor saw her final few big blinds vanish with king-queen suited when Maxwell Young rivered the bottom end of the straight with six-five suited.
Maurice Hawkins bowed out just two spots away from the money and the fall from grace for Day 1a chip leader Lewis Esposito then came in brutal fashion within two hands to let the bubble burst. He first lost with kings full against the quads of Adam Kim and was then coolered by Drew O'Connell when his queens ran into kings.
The eliminations after the bubble had burst came at a rapid pace and it never really slowed down for the remainder of the night with very few long tanks during hands. That was also aided by the fact that an action clock was implemented as of one table away from the bubble, giving players 20 seconds to act preflop and 30 seconds thereafter. Everyone had already received six time bank extensions, of which another six will be granted at the start of Day 3 and when the final table has been reached.
There were plenty of coolers and setups en route to the final three tables with the likes of Kevin Nee, Michael Bohmerwald, Tom Gottlieb and Mykhailo Lendel all bowing out. Gottlieb's exit came during a dazzling three-way all-in in which Sean Ruane held the best of three pocket pairs.
The rise of Guan started with a lucky punch against Wesley Shi when his ace-ten found a ten on the flop only to run into pocket aces. However, a miracle ten came thereafter for Guan to survive in exhilarating fashion. He knocked out Shi soon after and then stunned Kevin Grabel when his ace-king found an ace to crack pocket kings.
Anthony Zinno ran into the pocket queens of Tedrow and Drew O'Connell fell victim to the ultimate cooler when his pair of kings ran smack dab into the pocket aces of Russ Dunlevy. Michael Renna went from short stack to big stack with a double and two knockouts within ten minutes and the night concluded with two eliminations during the final three hands.
| Place | Prize (in USD) | Place | Prize (in USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $242,385 | 8 | $28,160 |
| 2 | $167,985 | 9 | $22,945 |
| 3 | $116,525 | 10-11 | $18,150 |
| 4 | $77,345 | 12-15 | $14,965 |
| 5 | $54,100 | 16-23 | $12,475 |
| 6 | $42,975 | 24 | $10,345 |
| 7 | $34,620 | Prize Pool | $1,356,000 |
All 24 players have locked up $10,345 for their efforts but the next pay jump awaits right after the following elimination.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back at noon local time to provide as many key hands as possible from the marquee event of the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open in Atlantic City and the action will also be streamed on the BetMGM YouTube channel with cards-up coverage and commentary on a 30-minute delay.