Pennsylvania poker pro beats field of 689 to win career-high score of $613,063
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – (January 30, 2024) – The Borgata Winter Poker Open powered by BetMGM featured nearly a month of 22 main events and $10,000,000 in GTDs. It culminated with the $5,300 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship that began on January 21 and ended with Alex Queen winning the title and $613,063 on January 26. It increased Queen’s total career earnings to more than $2.5 million.
Queen, who regularly plays at Borgata Poker Room and resides in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, bagged a career-high score by outlasting the field of 689 entrants. Six players reached the Final Table and nearly six hours later, Queen defeated John Panucci in heads up play.
Alex Queen – Borgata Winter Open Winner“It feels surreal. It hasn’t hit me yet. It feels like a dream,” said Queen. “I couldn’t really sleep last night. I was focused on trying to play my best and leverage stacks once I won that big hand.”
It’s not Queen’s first positive experience at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Three of his four largest lives scores came at Borgata, including winning the 2010 Borgata Spring Poker Open Championship for his previous biggest win of $355,000. Also, in October 2022, Queen got married at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
“It’s good vibes here. It has left a great impression on me”.
Alex Queen – Borgata Winter Open Winner
With some of the winnings from his top prize from Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship, Queen plans to take his 10-year-old stepson to Universal Studios in Orlando.
Results and payouts of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
| Player | Prize |
| Alex Queen | $613,063 |
| John Pannucci | $429,863 |
| Brian Yoon | $277,123 |
| Anthony Zinno | $203,473 |
| Carlos Chadha | $155,387 |
| Casey Hatmaker | $125,875 |
Pannucci’s second-place finish was more than 10 times his previous best live cash ($41,884). Yoon, who finished third, won his fifth bracelet in the 2023 WSOP $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship Event. Hatmaker qualified online at BetMGM Poker.
“The response from online players was enormous and saw Casey Hatmaker turn a $600 online qualifier to a career-best result. The Borgata Winter Poker Open powered by BetMGM proved to be another successful event that blended elements of online and land-based play. Congratulations to Alex Queen and a sincere thank you to all the players who joined us at the Borgata in January.”
Luke Staudenmaier, Director of Poker, BetMGM“We are ecstatic about the turnout and filled with anticipation for the promising chapters ahead.”
Kellie de Celis, Director of Poker Operations for Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
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