The Borgata Poker Open is one of the most exciting poker events in the Northeast. Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City is New Jersey's top place to play poker. Inside this gorgeous resort is the best poker room in town, and the card room plays host to a major annual poker series that attracts hundreds of skilled professionals. PokerNews is a proud long-time partner in covering this entertaining series.
Borgata Poker Open
Finished Tournaments |
Winner | Winning Hand | Prize | Runner-up | Losing Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Borgata Spring Poker Open Online Series |
"TheKing411"
|
a♠8♣ | $28,605 | "Rennan23" | k♠q♣ |
| 2020 Borgata Winter Poker Open |
Daniel Gordon
|
$17,838 | Ryan Dodd |
What is the Borgata Poker Open?
The Borgata Poker Open is an annual event featuring a series of low, mid and high stakes poker tournaments at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Players from all around the country and Canada — and sometimes even abroad — compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
PokerNews and the Borgata Poker Open
PokerNews is proud to have covered the Borgata Poker Open numerous times over the years. Our coverage has included live reporting of various tournaments, tournament recaps, interviews with players, and more.
Borgata Poker Open and the World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour, one of the most prestigious tours in poker, has also been a long-time partner of Borgata's famous poker series. The WPT is a regular host of the Borgata Poker Open and Borgata Winter Poker Open, and the winners of the tournament earned a spot in the exclusive WPT Champions Club.
On September 19, 2021, the WPT will host the first ever online version of the Borgata Poker Open on the partypoker website.
History of the Borgata Poker Open
In 2003, during Season II, the World Poker Tour began hosting the Borgata Poker Open, a $5,150 buy-in tournament at the time. Noli Francisco took down the event, beating out 235 players to win $470,000.
The following year the price of poker went up, and players paid $10,000 to enter. Daniel Negreanu, one of the greatest and most popular poker players in history, outlasted a difficult field of 302 entrants to win his first of two WPT titles, taking home $1,117,400 for his efforts.
In 2005, the tournament was becoming one of the most prestigious and biggest high rollers in the world. Al Ardebili won it that year, again a $10,000 buy-in, beating out a tournament record 515 entries for $1,498,650. The following year, Mark Newhouse, who finished ninth in the WSOP Main Event in back-to-back years (2013, 2014), won the 540-player tournament for $1,519,020.
In 2009, the buy-in dropped to $3,500 to attract a larger field. Olivier Busquet, a heads-up poker crusher, took it down, beating out a tournament record 1,018 players for $925,514. Darren Elias won his first of a record four WPT titles in 2014 in the Borgata Poker Open, which netted the WPT legend $843,744. The most recent champion heading into 2021 is Donald Maloney, who beat 1,156 players in September 2019 to win $616,186.
FAQs
When is the Borgata Poker Open?
The Borgata Poker Open is an annual live poker tournament hosted in September. In 2020, however, the tournament was canceled due to the pandemic.
Where is the Borgata Poker Open hosted?
The tournament takes place at the gorgeous Borgata Hotel Spa & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, home to some of the best poker action in the Northeast.
What is the buy-in?
A seat in the Borgata Poker Open costs $3,500. During the tournament's early years, the buy-in was $10,000, and $5,150 during the inaugural year (2003).
What is the Borgata Poker Open's relationship with the World Poker Tour?
The Main Event of the Borgata Poker Open is one of the most prestigious events on the World Poker Tour schedule each year. The winner of the $3,500 buy-in tournament joins the WPT Champions Club, an exclusive club of all the past WPT Main Tour winners.