The Borgata fall mini-series has now moved to November after the BetMGM hacking situation took place.
In October, Borgata had big plans for a poker series until a group of hackers interfered with MGM Resorts’ day-to-day operations. The new mini-series will now take place Nov. 14-19.
Borgata Atlantic City will be the home of the events in November. There will also be live qualifier NJ online poker satellite events running for players trying to get into the bigger tournaments. Prize pools are still listed as $1 million in guaranteed payouts for the events.
BetMGM hack did not affect online poker
The hack that started in Las Vegas affected a majority of MGM retail properties. That included the Borgata in Atlantic City.
Even though Borgata Poker NJ never formally announced that the tournament was canceled originally because of the breach, it has been widely accepted that this was the reason.
The hack took place about a week before the start of the tournament series. It was reported online that players’ information and rewards information was vulnerable. The BetMGM rewards site remained down for more than a week.
The good news: Online poker seemed to be uninterrupted by the hack. BetMGM NJ Poker, Partypoker and Borgata all run under a shared player pool in the state. All three sites continued to run effortlessly and appeared to be unfazed by the situation.
Saturday Series and Main Event remain the same
The other good news: The events in the series and $1 million guaranteed prize pool are still up for grabs. The Main Event of the November Mini Series will be the 8 Max Championship Nov.15-18. The $2,500 buy-in event will still have a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
For the first time since COVID-19 pandemic struck, the player-favorite Saturday Series is coming back. This one-day event generates big fields and big payouts. This tournament will take place on Nov. 18 and will cost $800. It comes with a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The complete series is listed below:
| Dates | Event | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 14-15 | $600 NLH DeepStack Kickoff | $100,000 guaranteed |
| Nov. 15-18 | $2,500 NLH 8-Max Championship | $500,000 guaranteed |
| Nov. 17-18 | $2,100 NLH 1k Bounty | $100,000 guaranteed |
| Nov. 18 | $800 NLH Saturday Series | $200,000 guaranteed |
| Nov. 19 | $1,100 NLH Survivor | $50,000 guaranteed |
| Nov. 19 | $550 PLO/NLH Mix | $50,000 guaranteed |
Online registration opening soon for series
Online registration will be available starting Nov. 6 for the 8-Max Championship, the Kickoff event and the Saturday Series event. Live in-person registration at Borgata Atlantic City starts Nov. 12.
According to the Borgata site:
“BEAT THE LINES: All Players registering through the BetMGM Poker App on or before Saturday, November 11 will be provided with exclusive Early Bird seat pick up starting Sunday, November 12, plus collectible BetMGM Poker swag. On site registration opens Sunday, November 12 for all six Main Events. Tournament players will qualify for room discounts, while supplies last.”
Live qualifiers available for NJ online poker players
Borgata offers an option for players who prefer to secure a seat through live qualification.
Beginning on Nov. 13, Borgata will be hosting live satellite events, with buy-ins ranging from $75 to $450, catering to a variety of budgets.
The complete live schedule is as follows:
- Kick Off Qualifier (1 in 10) TURBO
- $60 + $15 | 7 PM | Monday, Nov. 13
- 8 Max Championship Qualifier (1 in 10)
- $260 + $40 | 7 PM | Tuesday, Nov. 14
- 8 Max Championship Qualifier (1 in 10)
- $260 + $40 | 7 PM | Wednesday, Nov. 15
- Last Chance 8 Max Championship SNG Qualifiers (1 in 10)
- $250 + $20 | Single Table or $250 + $5 | Single Hand Events | Available Thursday, Nov. 16 | 9 AM – 11 AM
- Three Way $4K Weekend Event Qualifier (1 in 10)
- $400 + $50 | 7 PM | Thursday, Nov. 16 | Win Entry to Event 3, Event 4 & Event 5
Winter Open confirmed for January
It was previously announced on the Nerdthusiast Poker Podcast that the Winter Open was coming back in 2024.
It has now been made known that the series will run for multiple weeks. Borgata Poker Director Kellie DeCelis said: “Confirmed dates are Jan. 2-Jan. 26.”
The full schedule is set to be released next week once final approvals are made.
