The 2026 Borgata Winter Poker Open wrapped up this month at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, closing out another action-packed winter festival. Running from January 2 through January 18, the series featured 37 events and several million dollars in total guarantees, drawing huge fields and delivering memorable performances throughout.
Headlining the schedule was the $3,500 Winter Poker Open Championship, supported by marquee events like the Almighty Winter Kickoff and a wide range of Deepstack and mixed-game tournaments. Over two weeks, thousands of entries poured into the Borgata poker room, producing standout winners across every buy-in level.
Vogdes Shines in the Championship Event
The festival’s flagship $3,500 Championship attracted 895 entries, comfortably surpassing its $3 million guarantee and creating one of the largest prize pools of the series. After several days of play, Blake Vogdes emerged on top, earning $457,980 for the victory.
Vogdes’ run was anything but straightforward. He reached the final table as one of the shorter stacks and found himself as the lowest stack with five players remaining. From there, he mounted an impressive comeback, working his way into contention before reaching heads-up play against Jack Kwon. The two struck a deal before continuing for the title, and Vogdes ultimately prevailed, locking up the championship and the biggest live cash of his career.
Deepstack Main Event Draws Massive Field
The $600 Deepstack Main Event delivered one of the largest turnouts of the entire festival, attracting 4,280 entries. Akash Hotwani navigated the enormous field to capture his first BetMGM trophy and a $323,775 payday.
Hotwani credited a timely pep talk from his wife for helping him reset after early disappointments elsewhere in the series. The encouragement paid off as he methodically battled through the field to secure the largest score of his career.
Almighty Stack Belongs to Renna
Another fan-favorite, the $400 Almighty Stack, also posted huge numbers. The event drew 4,082 entries and generated a $1,306,240 prize pool after multiple starting flights. Michael Renna outlasted the field to claim the title and $190,740, marking his biggest career cash. He finished ahead of Thomas Cullis and Jonathan Kim, who rounded out the top three.
Strong Performances Across the Board
The Borgata Winter Poker Open also saw several notable side-event winners. Aubrey Williams captured the BetMGM Hybrid Championship for $52,540, earning her first Borgata trophy and a career-best score. Michael McGuinness won the Seniors Championship, Christopher Basile topped the Super Deep 6-Max, Ronald Cleaver claimed the Saturday Series, and Lee Ilagan took down the Ladies Championship.
With 37 events completed and champions crowned across No-Limit Hold’em, mixed games, and specialty formats, the 2026 Borgata Winter Poker Open once again proved why it remains one of the premier winter stops on the U.S. poker calendar.
