Bodog Beat

The Borgata Poker Open event No. 1 saw a field exceeding 1,000. (Bodog Beat Image)

The Borgata Poker Open’s first event began on Wednesday and saw a massive field of 1,192 pay the $300 buy-in. With a prize pool of $357,600 event No.1 is looking like a good indicator that the rest of the 16-event series will be well attended and dripping with cash.

It’s tough to say whether this turnout marks growth over last year’s event No. 1 which only had 797 entrants but had a $500 buy-in that generated a larger prize pool of $398,500. When it comes to poker people tend to ascribe value using winnings so it might be tempting to say that the larger prize pool in the previous year indicates shrinkage. But if money’s going to be your only measuring stick then you would be left calling Jamie Gold (most tournament winnings) the greatest poker player in the world.

I’m not saying that he’s not, but I will say that most poker players would slap your face if you said that in public. So let’s just say that the Borgata has grown this year, shall we?

The Borgata Poker Open culminates with the $10,000 World Poker Tour event and its $5 million guaranteed prize pool.

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