Jason Nguyen Fulfills Promise by Claiming Borgata Fall Poker Open Kickoff Title for $126,727
Nguyen defeated Canada’s Sebastian Crema heads-up to prevail over the massive 1,862-entry field and take home the $126,727 top prize after the final three players agreed to a chop. He fulfilled his promise to win a trophy at Borgata. Nguyen came into this event with total live earnings of around $170,000.
SCCG Take — The hometown win at Borgata signals strong player loyalty to regional series, offering operators a model for sustaining mid-stakes event turnout.
Jason Nguyen, an Atlantic City local, won the Borgata Fall Poker Open $600 Kickoff, prevailing over a 1,862-entry field to claim the $126,727 top prize. He defeated Canada's Sebastian Crema heads-up after the final three players agreed to a chop. Nguyen had promised himself a Borgata trophy this year and delivered on that goal.
"It means the whole world, to be honest. I told myself at the beginning of this year—I first started playing tournaments more seriously this year—that I want to win a trophy here at Borgata. The Borgata is something in poker," Nguyen said, as reported by PokerNews.
The result comes after a recent downswing for Nguyen. His prior biggest score was $76,000 for second place in a Progressive Bounty event at the Borgata Winter Open in January. He entered this event with total live earnings of around $170,000, according to The Hendon Mob.
Final Table Action
Nguyen started the final table in the middle of the pack with 3,850,000 chips while Crema led with 15,525,000. Key eliminations included Rick Zhou in ninth, Thomas Yarbrough in eighth after Nguyen flopped top pair with king-queen, and Spyros Malkotsis in seventh. Malkotsis had qualified for the event for just $80.
James Calderaro busted in sixth, Nicholas Cassese in fifth after Nguyen spiked two pair, Jason Simone in fourth, and Chadd Beatty in third. In heads-up, Nguyen overcame a chip deficit with two double-ups before winning the last hand when a four on the turn gave him the lead against Crema's flush draw. Crema took $115,171 from the deal with the second-place finisher receiving an additional $10,000.
Nguyen's Path Forward
Nguyen described the win as surreal after telling friends and family he would eventually triumph at Borgata. He noted the result ended a downswing and gave him confidence heading into the rest of the series, which continues for the next ten days. "Super confident. I’m just going to keep playing my game, stay level-headed, celebrate a little bit, have fun. Work hard, play hard," he said.
Gaming, betting and prediction markets — the desk’s read, every weekday.
Subscribe →