Paul Volpe Wins BetMGM Big, Big

Volpe Rallies From Short Stack to Borgata Title

Paul Volpe has once again shown why Borgata in Atlantic City functions as something close to a home court for him. In the $5,300 BetMGM Poker Big, Big Championship, the American pro climbed from the bottom of the counts to the top of the field, taking the trophy and a $492,415 payday following a heads-up deal.

The event served as the Main Event of the Borgata Big, Big Series 2026. Its $5,300 buy-in drew 519 entries, with players competing for shares of a $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

A Comeback Built on Patience

When the final day began, 19 players remained in contention. Volpe was among the shortest stacks in the room, sitting at roughly 8 big blinds — a position where most tournament runs end quietly rather than in a winner's photo.

Instead, he rebuilt. By the time the official final table assembled, Volpe had not only survived but had taken the chip lead, a swing that reflects both the volatility of deep-stack tournament poker and the value of picking spots carefully when short.

A Final Table Full of Tough Opponents

The final table was not short on credentials. Among the contenders was Scott Blumstein, best known as the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, along with Brock Wilson, a player widely regarded for his high roller results.

When play reached heads-up, Volpe faced Frank Lagodich, a respected opponent on the East Coast tournament circuit. With both players carrying significant stacks and the session already long, the two agreed to an ICM deal — a common arrangement in which players divide the remaining prize money according to chip counts and payout equity rather than playing every hand to a finish.

As chipleader, Volpe took $492,415 and the championship trophy. Lagodich collected $420,000 for second place.

Another Deep Run at Borgata

The result adds to a long record of success for Volpe at the property. It marked his 10th final table in Borgata main events, and his total winnings from the casino's main events now exceed $1.5 million.

Final Table Results

• 1. Paul Volpe (USA) — $492,415*
• 2. Frank Lagodich (USA) — $420,000*
• 3. Tyler Hirschfeld (USA) — $263,150
• 4. Brock Wilson (USA) — $175,080
• 5. Sanat Mehrotra (India) — $122,850
• 6. Scott Blumstein (USA) — $97,865
• 7. David Kinane (USA) — $79,100
• 8. Julian Altieri (Argentina) — $64,585
• 9. Sead Duraku (USA) — $53,865

*Heads-up deal.

What the Result Shows About Short-Stack Play

Volpe's run illustrates a principle that applies at every buy-in level: an 8-big-blind stack is not a dead stack. In tournament poker, survival and aggression have to be balanced carefully. A short stack typically cannot afford to wait for premium hands indefinitely, because blinds and antes erode equity with every orbit. The standard approach is to identify profitable shoving spots — often with hands that would be folded at a deeper stack — and to apply pressure before the stack becomes too small to generate folds.

In this case, the strategy worked well enough to move Volpe from the edge of elimination to the chip lead before the final table began.

Why Heads-Up Deals Happen

ICM deals are a regular feature of high buy-in tournament finales. Rather than playing out a potentially hours-long heads-up match, players can agree to split the remaining prize pool based on the ICM value of their stacks. The chip leader usually locks up the largest share, while the shorter stack secures a guaranteed sum that may exceed what pure ICM would suggest.

Such deals are permitted at the discretion of tournament staff and require both players to agree. They are particularly common late at night or when the stacks are deep relative to the blinds, as was the case here.

A Familiar Name at the Top

Volpe's victory adds another line to a career that has been closely tied to Atlantic City. While the specifics of his broader tournament record are well documented elsewhere, the Borgata main event milestone — 10 final tables and more than $1.5 million in main event winnings at the property — stands as a notable marker of consistency at a single venue.

The Borgata Big, Big Series continues to draw strong fields, and this year's Main Event was no exception, with 519 entries building a prize pool that comfortably met the $3,000,000 guarantee.