Paul Volpe Wins Borgata BetMGM Big, Big Championship

Paul Volpe has achieved an important deal within the event poker world during the last 20 years, eclipsing $10 million in whole reside earnings with a number of main titles to his identify. The Philadelphia native has executed most of his injury outdoors of the Northeast United States, however in one of the vital event outcomes of his profession, Volpe can now declare a title a lot nearer to house.

Volpe received the $5,300 buy-in BetMGM Big, Big Championship occasion at Borgata, taking house $492,415 and the trophy following a heads-up take care of Frank Lagodich. It was the third-largest reside event consequence for Volpe, and his largest money because the summer time of 2018. The three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and former on-line poker standout now sits at practically $10.8 million in whole recorded earnings.

“It’s my home casino and I always play the main events here,” Volpe advised PokerNews’ Liam Gannon. “It’s absolutely my favorite spot. I say that to people everywhere. The games here have been great for years and I just got lucky it was close to my house so I was lucky to be in this area and play here for the last 15…16 years.”

For Lagodich, who collected $420,000 for second place, it’s the second-largest reside event results of his profession. It fell simply in need of his payout for ending runner-up in a 2023 $25,500 excessive curler throughout the World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown sequence, for $505,200. His whole profession earnings now sit at $4,315,442.

The last desk additionally featured a pair of Northeast poker standouts. 2017 WSOP predominant occasion champion and New Jersey native Scott Blumstein and high-stakes standout Brock Wilson of New York.

Borgata Offers Big Value

The $5,300 buy-in BetMGM Big Big Championship occasion drew 519 entries. With a $3 million assure, that meant an overlay of $405,000 for the prize pool, providing appreciable worth for these within the subject.

The high 65 finishers earned a share of that $3 million assured prize pool, with notables like Jonathan Tamayo (53rd), Bin Weng (forty second), Michael Gagliano (thirty second), Matt Glantz (twenty fourth), Alan Sternberg (twenty second), Matt Salsberg (twenty first), and Aubrey Williams (twentieth) operating deep.

The last day started with 19 gamers remaining and Lagodich within the lead. WSOP bracelet winner Myles Mullaly (seventeenth – $29,345), and Tom Cannuli (thirteenth – $34,940), who completed sixth within the 2015 WSOP predominant occasion, have been among the many casualties within the play-down to the ultimate desk.

There have been 13 gamers left on the first break of the ultimate day, and Volpe sat in a distant eleventh place at that time within the day. By the time the sector reached the nine-handed last desk, Volpe sat in second place, simply behind Lagodich and adopted intently by Blumstein in third.

Volpe vaulted himself into the chip lead in a large pot early on on the last desk. After a pre-flop four-bet from Sead Duraku, Volpe referred to as, and the flop was J♣10♣2♦. Duraku wager small, Volpe referred to as, and the 7♠ hit on the flip. Duraku jammed, Volpe referred to as, and Volpe’s flopped set of jacks held off Duraku’s pocket aces to ship Duraku out in ninth place ($53,865).

Volpe Runs The Show

From that time on, Volpe by no means relinquished the chip lead. He received with A♠Okay♠ in opposition to Julian Altieri’s Okay♣Q♣ to ship the Argentinian out in eighth place ($64,585). Tyler Hirschfeld, a 2024 WSOP Online bracelet winner, picked up the following elimination, turning a preflop shove with Q♦9♦ into journey nines to remove David Kinane in seventh place ($79,100).

Blumstein misplaced a coin flip in opposition to Wilson, as his pocket sevens have been outraced by A♣Okay♦ because of the A♠ hitting the flop. For Blumstein, who earned $8,150,000 in his 2017 WSOP predominant occasion victory, his $97,865 payout for sixth place on this event is the third-largest reside event results of his profession.

Volpe then discovered some luck in opposition to Sanat Mehrotra, as his A♥10♣ discovered 4 hearts on the board to trump Mehrotra’s A♠Okay♥. Mehrotra, who’s from India, completed in fifth place ($122,850).

Wilson’s event ended when his short-stack shove with Okay♦Q♥ received picked off by Hirschfeld and his J♥10♣, with a 10♠ on the flop. With a fourth-place end, value $175,080, Wilson eclipsed $15 million in whole profession earnings.

Hirschfeld’s quantity was quickly up, although. On a board of 8♥7♠2♦9♠9♥, Volpe shoved the river, and Hirschfeld, who caught operating nines for journeys, referred to as for his event life. Volpe turned over J♣10♦ for a turned straight, and Hirschfeld was out in third place ($263,150).

Back In The Winner’s Circle

Volpe and Lagodich didn’t play a single hand heads-up, ending the event with an ICM deal. In addition to his first-place prize, Volpe earned 1,680 Card Player Player of the Year factors. That pushes his whole for 2026 to 2,105 factors, which pushes Volpe into the highest 200 within the yearlong race introduced by CoinPoker.

With 1,400 POY factors for his second-place end, Lagodich hits 3,287 POY factors to date for 2026. That’s good for a tie for fifty fifth within the standings. Brock Wilson earned 840 POY factors for ending in fourth place, pushing him to 4,463 for the yr, in twenty seventh place total.

Back in 2013, Volpe completed because the runner-up to Daniel Negreanu within the 2013 Card Player Player of the Year race. Volpe’s 2013 marketing campaign was highlighted by back-to-back WPT last tables within the L.A. Poker Classic and Bay 101 Shooting Star, with Volpe ending second and third in these tournaments, respectively.

Final Table Results

Photo credit: PokerNews and BetMGM Poker