The 2026 Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship reaches its thrilling conclusion today at 1 p.m. local time as the remaining eight players return to battle for the title and a $511,000 first-place prize. Olivier Busquet sits second in chips, but the field is stacked with talent, setting the stage for an intense finish. Play resumes in Level 28 with blinds at 60,000/120,000 and a 120,000 big blind ante.
Final Eight Players
Seat 1 – Kyle Grupp – 4,450,000 chips
From Clarence, New York, Grupp has amassed $482,494 in career live tournament earnings. His largest cash came at the 2025 WSOP Main Event, where he finished 54th for $165,000. Grupp has three fourth-place finishes in tournaments, most recently in a $1,000 PLO event at the MSPT Ohio State Poker Championship.
Seat 2 – Greg Himmelbrand – 4,985,000 chips
A two-time MSPT Main Event champion and three-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, Himmelbrand has over $2.7 million in career tournament earnings. A familiar face in the Northeast poker scene, his first cash came in 2011 at the Foxwoods Poker Classic. He also claimed his first Borgata victory in 2013, taking down a $560 Deep Stack Re-entry for $243,630.
Seat 3 – Zachary Fischer – 3,620,000 chips
Fischer, a New York native, began cashing in 2021 but truly broke through in 2025 with $874,313 in live earnings. His highlight came at the 2025 WSOP Circuit Cherokee Main Event, where he triumphed over a 1,437-player field for $324,135.
Seat 4 – Benjamin Morgan – 2,080,000 chips
From Columbus, Ohio, Morgan’s career earnings total $141,475, highlighted by a 9th-place finish in the 2017 WPT Borgata Main Event for $66,492. Though coming in as one of the shorter stacks, he’s shown resilience and consistency throughout the series.
Seat 5 – Blake Vogdes – 2,400,000 chips
New Jersey’s Vogdes has been making waves recently, finishing 4th in the 2025 PGT Kickoff event for $54,400 and cashing $50,000 at the 2025 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event. Known primarily for online and cash-game play, Vogdes is chasing his first major live tournament win.
Seat 6 – Jack Kwon – 16,800,000 chips
Kwon enters the final table with the chip lead, having qualified through a $400 BetMGM satellite. A noted online grinder, he has five live tournament results, all from 2025, with his largest prior cash being $24,720 at the BetMGM Pot Limit Omaha Championship.
Seat 7 – Olivier Busquet – 7,980,000 chips
Busquet, the table’s most recognizable name, has over $9.3 million in career live tournament earnings. He began his career with a WPT Main Event win at the Borgata in 2009 for $925,514 and returned to capture another Borgata title in 2025. Renowned for his heads-up prowess, Busquet will aim to convert his second-largest stack into a Winter Poker Open victory.
Seat 8 – Duane Mitchell – 2,390,000 chips
Rounding out the final eight is Mitchell from Miami, Florida. He has already impressed in the series, reaching the final table of both the Almighty Winter Kickoff and the Deepstack Main Event (7th for $38,630). Coming in as a shorter stack, Mitchell is looking to extend his hot start to 2026.
With a mix of experienced champions and rising talent, today’s final table promises high drama, massive pots, and a battle worthy of the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship name.
