Level 4: Blinds 100/200/25 ante
Flight 1F Entrants: 1,063
Total Event 1 Entrants: 4,713
Ben Bianco (Franklin Square, NY)
Ben Bianco knows what it’s like to take down a massive opening event — he did it here back in 2012.
During the 2012 Borgata Poker Open, the opening event carried a $1 Million Guarantee and only had two starting days. That event drew 3,705 entrants, pushing the final prize pool close to $2 Million, nearly doubling the guarantee.
The tournament was scheduled for two days, but the huge turnout and massive amount of chips in play forced them to add a third day. Ben managed to grind his way through more than 3,700 entrants to get heads-up with Dan Wach. It all came down to a coin flip, which Ben got the best of. His win was good for $309,196 and was his first and only Borgata Open Series title. If you’re going to win one, that’s the one to win!
Ben is a home builder and semi-professional poker player, but has still managed to amass nearly $700,000 in tournament earnings.