Laura Church bet 1,600 from the cutoff on a flop of 9♠Q♣8♠ and Wesley Shi called on the button. Joel Mitchell then raised to 6,500 in the small blind, and both opponents called.
The turn was the A♣ and Mitchell moved all in for 32,000. Both opponents quickly folded, and Mitchell showed J♣10♠ for a flopped straight as he took the pot.
Joel Mitchell bet the A♠7♦2♠4♠ turn for 1,100 and the 8♠ river for another 500 to get called by David Macisaac, announced a straight to win the pot with the 5♦3♦.
Soon after, he was heads-up with Wesley Shi on the K♣J♠2♥ flop and bet 700. Shi check-folded and was shown K♠J♦ for the top two pair.
A player under the gun raised to 600 under the gun and the button called. Coleem Chestnut then three-bet to 3,000 in the small blind, and the under-the-gun player four-bet to 7,600.
The button got out of the way, but Chestnut then moved all in. His opponent tanked for a minute, but he eventually gave up his hand.
Nick Palma and Tanupat Punjarojanakul recently joined the field early on Day 1b.
A player in the cutoff bet 500 on a flop of Q♥Q♣8♦ and Stewart Marin called in the big blind.
The turn was the A♦ and Marin led out for 1,400. His opponent called, and the 5♠ fell on the river. Marin then bet 2,000, and the cutoff again called.
Marin showed A♠9♠ for two pair, and his opponent mucked.
Day 1b is underway with 21 players currently registered.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 200
After nearly two weeks of action inside the Borgata poker room, players will continue to flock to Atlantic City for the grand finale of the 2026 Borgata Summer Poker Open, the $2,700 Championship Event.
The second of three opening flights begins today at 12:15 p.m. local time. A total of 89 players came out for the first flight yesterday, with 24 already securing their tickets for Day 2. Lewis Esposito ended up as chip leader with 425,500, followed by George St. Lawrence (288,000), Eric Starker (228,500), and Colin Moll (227,000). Vittorio Abbate, who won his seat in a charity event in New York, also ended up inside the top five with 226,000, while Darren Elias (79,000) and Brandon Mueller (74,000) were further down the counts.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | BB Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Esposito | United States | 425,500 | 170 |
| 2 | George St. Lawrence | United States | 288,000 | 115 |
| 3 | Eric Starker | United States | 228,500 | 91 |
| 4 | Colin Moll | United States | 227,000 | 91 |
| 5 | Vittorio Abbate | United States | 226,000 | 90 |
| 6 | Xiaoqiong Liu | United States | 221,500 | 89 |
| 7 | Andrew Porter | United States | 204,500 | 82 |
| 8 | Gregory Bauer | United States | 193,000 | 77 |
| 9 | Emily Sun | United States | 165,000 | 66 |
| 10 | Jean Augustin | United States | 162,000 | 65 |
A new crop of hopefuls will look to join them on Day 1b today. Players begin with a 40,000 starting stack and will play ten 60-minute levels today. There is a break after every two levels, and a 75-minute dinner break at the end of Level 6. Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2, with unlimited reentries allowed.
| Date | Flight | Time | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 27 | Day 1b | 12:15 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| July 28 | Day 1c | 12:15 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| July 29 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| July 30 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| July 31 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
The third and final starting flight takes place tomorrow at 12:15. All surviving players then combine for Day 2 on Wednesday, July 29, at noon, when they'll battle to secure a piece of the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new,
free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on legends like Daniel Negreanu or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you. No subscriptions, no paywalls - just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most.
It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action throughout the day and provides live updates.
$2,700 Summer Poker Open Championship
Day 1b Started
button in Safari
