Share
Borgata New Jersey casino and BetMGM, a leading sports betting and online casino operator have recently presented The Return: A Borgata Championship Event.
The $5,300 buy-in event came with a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. “The Return” also guaranteed at least a $1 million first-place prize.
That award went straight into the hands of Philadelphia resident Bin Weng. Not only was he the first poker player to win a $1M prize in 2023, but also the first in the US.
Kellie de Celis, Borgata Poker Operations, said:
“Borgata has worked for nearly two decades to build the reputation it holds for Championship Poker. I was extremely proud that we were able to perform to that level of expectation right out of the gate. It’s because of the amazing staff and truly loyal player base that Borgata’s success can live on.”
The long-anticipated high-stakes championship poker took place from Jan. 4 – Jan. 8 at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Ten-hour Borgata Championship resulted in a $1 million win
Eight players reached the Final Table. Ten hours later, Philadelphia’s Bin Weng defeated Brooklyn’s Sundiata Devore to claim $1 million and become “The Return” Champion.
2015 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe McKeehen finished third for $440,327, and poker pro Jonathan Borenstein finished fourth for $368,324.
A massive turnout of 1,142 entries resulted in a prize pool that accumulated $5,538,700.
Luke Staudenmaier, Director of Poker at BetMGM, commented: “From the online qualifiers at BetMGM to the Final Table, the excitement around the return of high stakes poker at Borgata has been absolutely electric.
We look forward to offering online poker players ways to qualify for other big events like this in 2023.”
After a month-long break, Weng quintuples his previous biggest score
The seven-figure win quintupled Weng’s previous biggest score increasing his career tournament earnings over the $3 million mark.
Weng thinks of Borgata as his “home casino,” where he plays cash games, tournaments and casino games. As he shared via BetMGM’s release: “I love Borgata. It’s my wife’s favorite, too. I am really grateful for the opportunity to win the biggest tournament I have ever played right near my home.”
Weng also admitted he was on the worst downswing of his career for the past six months:
“Right now, I am happy for sure. But I don’t know why I am just not excited at all. I just feel like I was supposed to get this one because for the past six or seven months it was the worst downswing.
I took a whole month’s break in December and tried to figure out what my leaks were. Winning this one means a lot and I hope this heater can continue.”
