Pupillo Claims Two Titles at 2024 Borgata Poker Open; Donovan Dean Wins Main Event
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The 2024 Borgata Poker Open (BPO) ran from September 3-17 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 30-event series started with Event #1: $800 NLH Kickoff Deepstack, which saw Guan Huang top a 1,727-entry field ($1,208,900 prize pool) to capture a $192,236.
Another six-figure winner was Joseph Molitor, who bested a 2,837-entry field ($1,191,540 prize pool) to win Event #17: $500 Almighty Million for $103,140. Some others to claim titles were Mykhailo Lendel (Event #8: $1,250 Mirror Mystery Bounty for $60,057), Frank Brannan (Event #18: $1,140 PLO 8-Max Championship for $37,574), and Michael Lavin (Event #22: $1,140 6-Max Deep Stack Championship for $64,365).
Here’s a look at some of the other big winners from the 2024 BPO:
Donovan Dean Takes Down Main Event
Event #25: $3,500 Borgata Poker Open Main Event featured a $1.5 million guarantee, which it surpassed by attracting a field of 755 runners. That created a $2,340,500 prize pool and saw Alabama’s Donovan Dean come out on top to claim the replica Borgata trophy and $408,836 first-place prize, a new career-high score.
The win, which brought Dean’s lifetime tournament earnings up over $2.1 million according to the Hendon Mob, came a month after Dean took down the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Harrah’s Cherokee Main Event for $326,206.
Others to cash the tournament were Adel Jo (9th - $35,331), Samuel Taylor (11th - $27,369), Michael Rossitto (12th - $22,133), Jason Min (13th - $22,133), Kane Kalas (14th - $22,133), and Joe Gossweiler (15th - $22,133).
2024 BPO Main Event Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donovan Dean | $410,452 |
| 2 | Luis Ortiz | $283,446 |
| 3 | Kharlin Sued | $195,599 |
| 4 | Josh Kay | $128,699 |
| 5 | Ryan Dodd | $89,002 |
| 6 | Andrew Ostepchenko | $69,330 |
| 7 | Frank Funaro | $54,992 |
Two Titles for Nick Pupillo
One player to find success at the 2024 BPO not once but twice was poker pro Nick Pupillo. He first topped a 58-entry field to win Event #20: $500 Dealer’s Choice Championship for $8,977, and then followed it up by besting a 78-entry field to win Event #28: $2,140 $1K Knockout Bounty for $23,294.
Event #20 Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Pupillo | $8,977 |
| 2 | Dominick Sarle | $5,275 |
| 3 | Allen Kessler | $3,305 |
| 4 | John D’Agostino | $2,245 |
| 5 | Young Ko | $1,746 |
| 6 | Kevin Xu | $1,372 |
| 7 | Christopher Leslie Hynan | $1,122 |
| 8 | Amnon Filippi | $898 |
Alex Queen Tops Flagship Event of Borgata Winter Poker Open Series
2024 Borgata Poker Open Winners
One of the last tournaments on the schedule was the $10,000 High Roller Experience, which attracted 20 entrants and awarded a $200,000 prize pool. The tournament ended in a heads-up deal that saw five-time bracelet winner Brian Yoon lock up $70,200 and Alex Queen $79,800 while leaving $10,000 and the trophy on the table.
It didn’t take long for Queen to close things out to claim the title and $89,800 in prize money! It was the second big win of the year for Queen, who back in January won the 2024 Borgata Winter Poker Open $5,300 Championship Event for $613,063. Coincidentally, Yoon was at that final table and finished in third place for $277,123.
| Tournament | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event #1: $800 NLH Kickoff Deepstack | 1,727 | $1,208,900 | Guan Huang | $192,236 |
| Event #2: $500 Omaha Hi-Lo | 114 | $49,590 | Mathew Ferrante | $7,809 |
| Event #3: $380 Heads-Up NLH | 59 | $18,585 | Anthony Pagan | $7,434 |
| Event #4: $500 H.O.S.E. | 97 | $41,280 | Philip Neiman | $8,632 |
| Event #5: $400 NLH Black Chip Bounty | 99 | $24,750 | Michael Wright | $4,372 |
| Event #6: $500 Limit Big O Championship | 102 | $44,370 | Jared Fenigstein | $13,918 |
| Event #7: $365 Seniors NLH | 403 | $120,900 | Darrell Blodgett | $13,931 |
| Event #8: $1,250 Mirror Mystery Bounty | 619 | $340,450 | Mykhailo Lendel | $60,057 |
| Event #9: $500 Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw Championship | 89 | $38,715 | Samuel Sternfield | $11,007 |
| Event #10: $400 Deep Deeper Deepest NLH | 212 | $71,020 | Michael Surick | $10,908 |
| Event #11: $300 Ladies Championship | 125 | $31,250 | Rae McClary | $7,794 |
| Event #12: $500 8-Max PLO Mix | 129 | $55,470 | Samuel Sternfield | $13,834 |
| Event #13: $500 Double Black Chip Bounty | 206 | $51,500 | Lawrence Petracco | $6,872 |
| Event #14: $400 Sunday Series | 179 | $59,965 | John McGuinness | $14,091 |
| Event #15: $500 H.E.R.O.S. | 93 | $39,990 | Wilson Igwe | $10,822 |
| Event #16: $500 Deepest | 117 | $50,895 | Jose Wong | $10,986 |
| Event #17: $500 Almighty Million | 2,837 | $1,191,540 | Joseph Molitor | $103,140 |
| Event #18: $1,140 PLO 8-Max Championship | 168 | $167,160 | Frank Brannan | $37,574 |
| Event #19: $1,730 Heads-Up Championship | 50 | $78,250 | Edward Leonard | $31,298 |
| Event #20: $500 Dealer's Choice Championship | 58 | $24,940 | Nick Pupillo | $8,977 |
| Event #21: $500 8-Game Mix Championship | 81 | $34,830 | Allyn Marshall | $11,230 |
| Event #22: $1,140 6-Max Deep Stack Championship | 331 | $331,000 | Michael Lavin | $64,365 |
| Event #23: $220 King of Poker | 200 | $20,000 | Jonathan Kim | $6,000 |
| Event #24: $235 CSOP | 36 | $3,600 | Matthew Higgins | $1,476 |
| Event #25: $3,500 Borgata Poker Open Main Event | 755 | $2,340,500 | Donovan Dean | $408,836 |
| Event #26: $580 "Deepest" NLH | 229 | $114,500 | Damian Brewster | $18,690 |
| Event #27: $580 $5K Bankroll Builder | 130 | $65,000 | 13 winners | $5,000 |
| Event #28: $2,140 $1K Knockout Bounty | 78 | $78,000 | Nick Pupillo | $23,294 |
| Event #29: $10,700 High Roller Experience | 20 | $200,000 | Alex Queen | $89,800 |
| Event #30: $1,070 Borgata Big Chip Bounty | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
*Images courtesy of 8131 Media/Borgata/Alicia Skillman/Matthew Berglund
